alan-???? Gunjou no Tani MV (DVD Ver.)

The song and video by Alan Dawa Dolma is beautiful and it brings back all the memories I have from the study abroad trip to China. The scenery in the video is amazing and it makes me long to see more. I hope that one day Tibet and China can come to a peaceful agreement.

1. Take it from Here – Justin Timberlake[Classic. Thanks to TrinityGarcia for the YouTube Kaba Modern video link. If you don't know how to dance, you'll want to learn after watching them perform.]
2. Fragilidad – Sting (Remixed by the Buena Vista Social Club)[This song is smooth. It's comforting to listen to and will get you floating across the floor. The entire album is a must for any Salsa lovers out there. A friend studying in Mexico introduced me to the album and it is fantastic.]
3. Party Like a Rockstar – Shop Boyz[I first rocked out to this one with my sister in the 'Rock. Strange. Now every other song on the radio talks about being a rockstar... I like this beat better.]
4. Sober – Kelly Clarkson[The last CD I purchased before leaving the States for VIA's summer training. I think I went through two batteries on my flight back over. =( Mostly because I fell asleep and left my mp3 player on.]
5. Marry Me Today – David Tao and Jolin[I heard this song for the first time along with Endless Love at the Pearl in Chengdu, CN with two other classmates. I didn't know it was a cover song until later in the summer.]
6. Endless Love – Jackie Chan & Kim Hee Seon[This song was also first heard at the Pearl. It is a beautiful song and I hear that there are multiple versions. It took me the entire summer and multiple emails to a friend in Nanjing to figure out what the name of the song was. If it wasn't for a Vietnamese version that I was able to record and send to my friend, I would have never known the name. I was surprised to find that Jackie Chan is the male singer in the version I have. In addition to that, Kim Hee Seon sings the duet part. I didn't connect the name to the Korean actress until I saw a picture of her. She's the main female lead in "The Sad Love Story". (That series will make you cry.) The song is also a part of the soundtrack to the movie that they both star in, "The Myth".]
7. Way Back Into Love – Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore[People in Asia love this song. It is the main theme for the movie "Music and Lyrics", a movie that I only saw after being asked a number of times by people I met in China and Thailand if I had seen the movie and know the song. It's actually a pretty charming movie; a great song to boot. The song was sung here at the university's Welcome Ceremony as well. There's no escaping this song.]
8. All Good Things – Mandy Moore[The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't confirmed until the DJ announced it. "All Good Things" was playing on the airplane while I traveled back to/from the States for my sister's wedding. It's pretty darn good.]
9. Rosas – La Oreja De Van Gogh[A friend, and fellow volunteer, introduced me to her music collection and this album caught my attention, especially this song. Have a listen, then try the whole album. If I could have the same artist twice on this playlist, I would add the song "La Esperanza Debida".]

The favorite topic seems to be love- life and love. In Nanjing, I received an email about what I missed when I decided to go to bed early. The students had a great time getting together and talking about life in general: school, family, friends, and love. In Shanghai, I went out to dinner with one of my roommates at the hostel on my last night there. She had just gotten back from hanging out with a friend from the city. She had a lot on her mind, most of which was love and marriage. She wants to marry for love and sees no point in rushing things, especially if it doesn’t feel right. A wise decision. In Chiang Mai, the students that were our hosts at the University frequently talked about love. Two of them would wander off, and when we’d find them again, we’d ask, “What are y’all doing?” To which they replied, “‘Just talking about life and love.” Here in Hanoi, it’s the same but is usually attached to conversations of marriage. A fellow teacher and I were having tea after lunch and we got on the topic of women, life, family, and future goals. Then he threw in, “It’s probably time for me to find someone.” My reaction? “I can’t believe you just said that…” But in all honesty, we’ll all know when the time comes. In the meantime, it’s a topic that everyone can relate to. And in VIA, the topic still has legs… and men still have hope.

The picture shown is of a red panda which looks very much like a racoon. There were quite a few of them hanging from the trees. This one was six months old, if I remember correctly. We wanted to see some regular (black and white) baby pandas but I don’t think we found them. We did find the Giant Panda Playground but they were inside on the day we visited.

Here are three of the black swans. At first we couldn’t figure out what they were from afar. They seemed somewhat territorial.

Our selection at most of the restaurants and shops for the China trip was Wahaha water, Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7-Up, and Fanta.   No Dr. Pepper.  None.

Apparently, it’s a southern U.S. beverage.  Some parts of the United States simply do not have Dr. Pepper as a choice.  Some say it’s too sweet.  My sister says it tastes like cough syrup.   To that, I say “Mmm… cough syrup.”

If you travel abroad and love your Dr. Pepper, you may want to pack some in your suitcase.

You know what’s weird?  China didn’t have Popeye’s Chicken.  They love KFC, but didn’t have Popeye’s.  They’re all over Korea, but none could be found in China.  That struck me as odd.  I wonder if KFC has a monopoly over there or if Popeye’s has failed to see a new market opportunity.  You know what else would do good business in China?  Buffalo Wild Wings.

Mmm… chicken.

The campus and surrounding area was very reminiscent of Stillwater and OSU (Oklahoma State University). Though NAU is in a much larger city than OSU, the campus had the feel of OSU. The street vendors were a different sight but it was welcoming to walk in a community of college students.

After our first full day in Nanjing, the students threw us a welcome party that was very entertaining and took a lot of time and effort. Having gone through the gamut of what is Finals week before heading off to China, it was a nice breather for everyone that went on the trip. We compared this to the type of parties we were use to in the U.S. with loud music and drinking, and then we asked ourselves the question: “Why can’t we have fun like that?” The answer came not too shortly after,“Because we like drinking?” We were on a campus, so that could explain everything.

A big Thank You goes to our tour guide team for picking us up at the airport, feeding us, making sure none of us got lost or left behind, and recommending the next Korean drama to watch. Who were they?

I think they were happy to have met us and spend time with us, but were also happy to see our group move on when the time came. Of course, now they can’t escape our e-mails or instant messages =)

Come to the U.S. and we’ll return the favor!

When I came back to the United States, I thought, “Great! American food again!” Not to say that you can’t find American food in China, because you can find every type of food in China, but it’s cooked to satisfy American taste buds. The first meal I had back in the States was standard Burger King issue: bacon, egg, and cheese croissanwich with tater tots and a Dr. Pepper. (Mmm… Dr. Pepper. They didn’t have that over in China.)

Eating my favorite breakfast meal was satisfying but it also made me feel weird. Not that I had to visit the bathroom, but it just felt different in my stomach. This wasn’t the only meal that made me curious either. It happened while eating at home and at other restaurants that were normal stops in my daily life here in the U.S.

Today, I had lunch with some colleagues- one of which went on the trip as well- and he spoke of having the same problem. Neither of us expected to have to adjust to American food, but that’s what happened. Wow, right?

Dear China/Tibet Participants: Please see the latest tentative (subject to change) itinerary. Although I do not foresee any major changes, as of now I have not heard about the approval of our Tibet permission or the train tickets to Lhasa.

See you in class on Monday and I look forward to your power point presentations and to a great trip.

Shida Henneberry
Professor
Dept. of Agricultural Economics

=====

Itinerary for US Oklahoma State University Students’ Group in China (May 8 – 24, 2007)

Beijing (hosted by China’s Ministry of Agriculture)

May 08 Tue

• 15:00 Arrival in Beijing By UA0851
  • (Yuyang Hotel; Hotel phone number: 0086-10-64669988)
• 19:30 Dinner with Beijing Duck

May 09 Wed

• 09:30 Meeting with MOA’s Officer and lecture on Sino-US trade
• 12:00 Lunch with dumplings
• 14:00 Summer Palace
• 18:30 Dinner with seafood

May 10 Thu

• 08:30 The Great Wall
• 14:30 Yonghe Lamasery Temple
• 17:00 Shopping
• 19:15 Acrobatic Show

May 11 Fri

• 08:00 The Hall of The People, Mao’s Mausoleum
• 10:00 Meeting with American Embassy
• 14:00 Forbidden City
• 18:00 Xinjiang Waiur Dinner
• 21:00 Departure for Lanzhou (arrival at 23:20) by fl. Mu 2418

May 12 Sat

• 10:00 Sightseeing in Lanzhou
• 13:30 Lunch with local unique food
• 16:45 Departure for Dangxiong (arrival 18:30 next day) by train

Lhasa, Tibet (hosted by China’s Ministry of Agriculture)

May 13 Sun

• 18:30 Arrival in Dangxiong County and stay overnight

May 14 Mon 08:30 Sightseeing in Namtso Lake

• 16:00 Departure for Lhasa (arrival at 19:30)

May 15 Tue

• 08:30 Visit to Tibetan Agri. Science Academy
• 14:00 Potala Palace
• 20:00 Dinner with local unique food

May 16 Wed

• 08:30 Jukan Monastery & Baharkho
• 12:00 Lunch with local food
• 16:05 Departure of Chengdu (arrival at 17:55)

Chengdu, China

May 17 Thu

• 08:30 Visit to Dujiangyan Dam
• 14:00 Visit to Sanxindui museum
• 17:35 Departure for Nanjing by fl. CA 4517 (arrival at 19:40)

Nanjing (hosted by Nanjing Agricultural University, NAU)

May 18 Fri

• (Hanyuan Hotel, Hotel phone number: +86-25-84393988)
• 08:30 Visit to the primary school, and teach for 20-45 minutes
• 9:30 Visit to Agricultural Civilization Museum on campus
• 11:00 Visit to NAU State Key Lab of Crop Germplasm Enhancement
• 14:00 Meet with NAU students, NAU briefing and lecture by Xuan
• 15:30 Presentations on US economics and culture by OSU participants
• 18:00 Welcome Party

May 19 Sat

• 08:30 Visit to a park to see the morning exercises of local citizens
• 09:00 Visit to a village in the suburbs, including a tree nursery, a farmer’s household, a township enterprise (iron tower factory), a home of respect for the aged and a Buddhist temple. On the way to the village, see the Yangtze River.

May 20 Sun

• 08:30 Visit to Dr. Sun Yat-sun’s Mausoleum
• 10:00 Visit to Ming Tomb
• 14:00 Zhonghua Gate
• 14:30 Confucius Temple

Suzhou and Shanghai

May 21 Mon

• 08:30 Departure for Suzhou
• 14:00 Visit to Zhuozhengyuan (one of the top gardens in China
• 15:30 Visit to Guanqian Street (a walking street with many shops)

May 22 Tue

• 08:30 Visit to Silk Museum in Suzhou
• 09:30 Departure for Shanghai
• 14:00 Visit the beach of the Huangpu River in Shanghai
• 15:00 Visit to Nanjing Street (with many department stores)
• 18:00 Boat tour on the Huangpu River in Shanghai

May 23 Wed

• 08:30 Visit to the Stock Exchange
• 09:30 Visit to the Old City Temple with traditional buildings
• 14:00 Shanghai Museum

May 24 Thu

• 14:00 Depart for USA