<p>Anyone here whose student has experience studying abroad in China? D. has been studying Mandarin for several years and is anxious to improve her skills. I (an admittedly over-worrier) am concerned that the cultural differences are huge. Any parents whose kids successfully spent time at a Chinese university?</p>
<p>Some one I know did, he did great for himself, he wants to go into FA so it worked good for him.</p>
<p>*Foreign Affairs</p>
<p>My daughter spent six weeks in China as part of her study abroad program. She did a homestay in Beijing – with a family that spoke no English, so that was a bit of a challenge (she doesn’t speak Chinese!).</p>
<p>I don’t think she particulary liked Beijing – she liked Shanghai better – but I don’t think she encountered any particular cultural issues other than the fact that the website of her study abroad program was blocked in China!</p>
<p>She was living inside the first of the ring roads in downtown Beijing and had no trouble getting around on the buses and subways.</p>
<p>S spent a year in Beijing as a HS senior living with a native family. Spent last summer at Peking University. He’s a rising college sr. now and will probably work/live there when he graduates.
Yes, cultural differences are huge but that’s the fun of it for him.</p>
<p>One of my daughters spent half of 10th grade living with a family in Xian and sort of going to a high school there. There aren’t many Westerners living in Xian though tourists do flood through the old center city and go out to the terra cotta warriors. It went fine.</p>
<p>China isn’t Britain but it isn’t Ethiopia either. If she’s in Shanghai, she’ll be able to live very easily. Beijing is a little more “Chinese.” Xian and other big cities - except of course Hong Kong - are much more so. That isn’t bad, but it can be a little weird. Our neighbors came from Hong Kong and their kids grew up mostly there and in Shanghai and the kids don’t speak Chinese. </p>
<p>That said, every big city has McDonald’s, KFC and other unfortunate (to me) exports. And it seems nearly everyone is trying to learn English. Chinese internet connections and phone service has improved unbelievably in the last few years. Not long ago, the telephone switches in parts of the country couldn’t handle much call volume and the quality often sucked. That’s all been done over and you can have a conversation - with a huge time difference - better than if she’s in a bad cell in your town. </p>
<p>The only difficulty will be that everyone will want to speak English with her. I assume her Mandarin is good enough to hear parents on the street urging their kids to go practice with the American sister. She may also have people stand right in her face and say things in English; well meant but a little awkward.</p>
<p>Oh, and China does have modern medicine. If she has an issue, they will likely take very good care of her, though she may get a lecture about how she shouldn’t eat “cold” foods with “hot” foods or some other folk quackery. </p>
<p>And if she has an issue, if she needs something, you can send it to her almost overnight with DHL - which is usually cheaper than FedEx to China. I’ve sent things on Friday afternoon that arrive on Monday morning. Just don’t declare the actual value of anything on the package and don’t describe it as anything other than something completely innocuous, like papers. Medicine, for example, can only be imported with a bunch of approvals but they don’t open packages.</p>
<p>Right now Im studing chinese in beijing and ive been looking for a chinsese family to live with, do you know how your sister contact this family. Im really interested in improving my chinese and it will be easier if the family do not speak inglish.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>They have good tea there cause thats where it grows. The people are nice and theres probubly alot who speak english and if your with alot of americans in a group then you are ok. I love eating chinese. We have it alot cause its so good. They have good wonton soup and moon cakes. But you have to be careful cause they usually eat their food raw and sometimes its still moving when they serve it. So you have to be careful where you eat. Just watch utube vids and you can learn alot about what its really like there.</p>
<p>if you are not white or do not look white, you might not experience a positive experience. I have a friend whose sister went to study abroad in beijing (she is half black half white but her skin is like a super tanned white person). a lot of insensitive comments and glares about her “dark” skin. the chinese in china are obsessed over having light skin. the person who she was living with used lightning cream daily and even offered her some. apparently, in china, being “dark” (a white person’s tan is considered dark) is ugly and frowned upon.</p>
<p>btw she wanted to major in international business in hope of going into china but that totally changed her mind and now is doing accounting. apparently, if you are a foreigner who is not white/look white, you most likely never succeed in china. this is something interesting and disturbing but it explains why most foreign representatives in china are either white or asian.</p>
<p>My D is leaving next week to spend 2 months in China, so I will let you know how it goes!</p>
<p>I’m following this with interest as my D will be studying in China for the Fall semester. We won’t be able to help you much now but from everything we have heard, it will be a great experience. There will be culture shock on many levels but none of the crime that might concern you in other countries. I’m a great worrier but I am not nearly as worried as I would be if she were to go to many other parts of the world!</p>
<p>D is in the process of deciding which of the cdc recommended vaccines she should have - are those of you with kids going to China getting rabies vaccinations? D responds very badly to vaccines so I hate to have her inoculated against something that may never prove a problem. I’ve read conflicting info about rabies in China.</p>
<p>There are also some fabulous programs in Taiwan, which is a lot easier place to live culturally speaking if that’s an issue for you.</p>
<p>SimpleRules, My D did not get a rabies vaccine.</p>
<p>Re: crime. S had his wallet lifted in the subway by a team. Bike stolen x 3.</p>
<p>I’ve never studied there, but I have been to a little suburb 6hrs outside of Harbin. I have studied Chinese, but I found it very hard to communicate with the locals and deal with the cultural differences. Where I was, people spit. Alot. And everywhere (even inside the airport). They also talk very loud (practically yelling) all the time. I don’t think I would go back to that place, but I also think it depends on where you are.</p>
<p>psychmom - Where is your D studying? Did you have a criteria for deciding against rabies? D will be in a province that has a high incidence of rabies but will be in a mid sized city most of the time, CDC recommends it for those who will be in the country ‘a lot’. She is not a super outdoorsy type but it all seems ambiguous and now she is convinced that with her luck the nearest rabid animal will bite her (wonder where she gets her worrying ability from?)</p>
<p>Crime - I meant serious crime - my kids can get their wallets and bikes stolen right on their own campuses or even our own city.</p>
<p>OP - don’t mean to steal your thread! It is a personal decision but despite my over worrying nature we are thrilled D has a chance to study in China - no doubt there will be issues but I am excited for her.</p>
<p>I’m currently studying abroad in Shanghai before I start college in the fall. Feel free to PM if you want more info :)</p>
<p>Simple Rules, My D will be studying at a university in a small city outside of Beijing. Feel free to PM me.</p>
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<p>I am the OP, but considering that the original post was over a year ago, I think that you resurrected rather than stole my thread! </p>
<p>I am happy to see some new people posting about their kids going to China. I would love to hear what programs they chose. (My D is going to China later this summer with a CET program.)</p>
<p>Amesie - Though I didn’t resurrect the thread, I certainly added to it - I was so glad to see what seemed to be an active post about China that I just jumped in. Congrats on your D studying this summer in China - I’m sure it will be a great experience.
I hope more people add to this thread.</p>
<p>Psychmom - I will definitely pm you later (weekend guests require a little attention now…time to get off the internet)</p>
<p>^Also happy this thread popped up.</p>