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Cliffe Heide, South Mountain Community College; Mehrzad Khorsandi, Mesa Community College; John Liffiton, Scottsdale Community College; Jon Storslee, Paradise Valley Community College and Bruce Thomas, Glendale Community College were the Maricopa Community College District's faculty exchange members to China this summer. They were the guests of Wuyi University in Jiangmen City in Guangdong Province, which is located in southern China. At a recent meeting of the group, the group fondly reminisced of their month there and stated how it was an experience that none of them would have missed; "a chance of a lifetime."
China, the name conjures up scenes of the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong, the terracotta army, the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City. Yet, China has a reputation for being inscrutable and intimidating. After spending time there, it is obviously blown out of proportion, as China is an incredible, culturally fascinating and welcoming country. Each of the faculty exchange members were treated to warm accommodations, exciting educational tours and lessons, and most of all, sincere, genuine friendships that enabled us to learn what a wonderful and important country The People's Republic of China is.
We flew into Hong Kong on United and transferred to China Southern for our destination, Guangzhou, previously known as Canton. We were met at the airport by our hosts who drove us to our dorm in the center of the University of Wuyi. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. We awoke the next day to start our routine of breakfast, a lesson or tour, lunch and another lesson or tour and dinner, which was sometimes followed by an evening activity with our hosts or students. We had interesting lessons on Chinese language, philosophy, economics, architecture, cooking and art from professors at the university. The cooking professor took us to a culinary school where special plates of Cantonese duck and savory and sweet Dim Sum were prepared for each of us. There is nothing comparable to eating freshly made Dim Sum straight from the steaming machine. Other tours were of equal interest too. For example, we visited motorcycle factories where motorbikes for export to Africa or Europe were zooming off the assembly line every 40 seconds. We saw modern computer and ice cream factories too, but the trips weren't all to industrial areas. We were also taken to cultural sites that were astounding. We visited Buddhist temples and local "castles" that had been built for protection against the warlords, and we even visited the ancestral home of Bruce Lee.
Yet the days weren't all educational. We also had time to shop and travel to Hong Kong and Macao for relaxation. Shopping in China is a wonderful experience and everyone should be prepared to haggle. Whereas some were already experts at the art of bargaining prior to arriving there, we all were experts by the time we left. There were trips to the tailor to have handmade dresses and jackets made from fine Chinese silks and trips to shop for jade and antiques. It was fascinating to walk among the market stalls on the street as well as the modern department stores. At every stall or shop, bargaining was the operative word. As far as relaxing, we had a marvelous boat trip down the Pearl River from Jiangmen to Hong Kong and stayed in a quiet and rather exclusive part of the island where each of our rooms had a balcony looking out over the South China Sea. We had the choice of going downtown to Central and seeing the night life or relaxing in the small village of Stanley where it was possible to eat a delicious meal from a myriad of international restaurants while people-watching and enjoying the sunset as the tide went out. We were fortunate to be able to see the dragon boat crews rowing to their drumbeats for the Dragon Festival. From Hong Kong, we took the boat to Macao where we saw the vestiges of Portuguese influence at the onetime colony alongside the modern Las Vegas style casinos being developed along the waterfront. At the end of that trip, we had a fascinating experience walking across the border between Macao and the People's Republic. It was a true international experience seeing a mass of humanity going about its business.
The tours and shopping were fun, but the most important part of the trip was the relationships that were forged with our hosts, students, and ultimately friends. Our hosts went out of their way to take us to see and experience different places and restaurants. They were also keen to open their homes to us so we could see how they live and meet their families. This would happen on an almost daily basis and it was wonderful to meet their spouses and children, some of whom were students. The students with whom we worked, or who acted as guides and translators, were beyond compare. They were not only helpful on bus tours and shopping trips, but were wonderful students in class. We were asked to lecture at various times and ended up discussing education and family life in the United States. The students were very eager to learn about life in America and to know more about Arizona and the college/university system in the States. The vast majority looked at America as a friendly nation and would love to have the opportunity to study here. Finally, there were some people we met who became good friends. Not only did we get to know their families, but also their personal friends. Everyone went out of their way to take us to parks, restaurants, and even on a river trip so that we could enjoy the days together by simply talking, telling jokes and getting to know one another better. By the end of the exchange, there was a great appreciation from both sides of each other's cultures and beliefs.
In retrospect, each one of us who participated in the China faculty exchange program feels that it was a once in a lifetime experience we'll never forget. Not only has it influenced us individually, but it has also positively influenced our approach to our respective academic fields. Each one of us would encourage anyone interested to go and learn about the wonders of China.
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