Sunday= fun day?!

I should know better! Really, I should! It's a Sunday in Southern Europe- why would I expect the grocery store to be open?!

It's interesting. Today at church, the priest talked about being more the people in your life and less about things. I sat there nodding my head "yes, yes...that's it. We need to be about making memories and sharing our time with the people we care about." Not more than 30 minutes later, I was saying " don't the people we care about need to eat too?". 

I do like the idea of stores being closed on Sunday - as long as I'm prepared! And, it wasn't just the grocery store that was closed, even the large general merchandise retailers were closed. 

I appreciate that the Spanish are committed to Sunday as a day of rest, I just wish that they would have told me before I ate my last two eggs this morning! I'll get used to the "no store Sunday" routine. I will have to find another way to pass the time and I will probably even like it! 

I have learned when traveling that I need to be flexible so I will stop at McDonald's for breakfast. There are just some habits that can't be broken :-) 

“Thou hast seen nothing yet.”

“Thou hast seen nothing yet.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 

A perfect quote from the most important Spanish writer. I'm no stranger to international travel. I've been many places and have had many great experiences from climbing to the top of Mt. Etna and the Great Wall of China, taking tango lessons in Argentina and salsa lessons in Mexico, cooking classes in Italy and enjoying a Sunday roast in England. However, I am sure that nothing that I've experienced so far will compare to being able to work and live in Spain for a few months. 

As I anticipate what I will experience on my extended stay in Spain, I imagine that the experience will change me for the better. I am hopeful that I may be able to unpack some of my biases and that I will be more open-minded to different customs and cultures. And, that once and for all, I can say without hesitation "yes, I am fluent in Spanish" and not have my fingers crossed because I know there are certain areas (like the subjunctive) that I have to talk around :-) 

Overall, I'm hopeful that my time in Spain will make me a better professor and a better person!

"Starving"

I remember many years ago as a child, my mother would say to us "don't throw your dinner in the trash, people in China are starving". Well, I would say that they are still starving....to achieve the dream. I have been so impressed with the level of dedication from all of the college students that we have met this week. I have spent every night at the library because it is the only place that has reliable, free Wifi. Every night that I was at the library, which included Friday and Saturday, the library was packed with students studying. When I say that the students were studying, I mean that they were really studying. There was no goofing around, no "scoping" for someone of the opposite sex (like we used to do), it was 100% dedication. These students know that the dream is within their grasp and they will stop at nothing to get it. 

We had the opportunity to tour many of the different schools on campus. The first couple of schools- nursing, engineering (HVAC, automotive, ceramics) were not all that impressive. In fact, down deep I felt a bit sorry for the students here. It wasn't until we went to the Supply Chain and Logistics school that I was blown away. These people are serious about being competitive internationally. There were many very practical rooms within the school such as the "international negotiations table", the dinner table to highlight the differences between Chinese and Western dining and the logistics room that simulated a product being taken from the factory and put all the way on a plane or boat. These students are getting first-hand experience on what needs to happen in an international environment. I have not seen anything like it up until this moment. So, I would say that "Yes, China is starving. It is starving to be recognized as serious global player and it will stop at nothing to receive that recognition." 

Exercise and tough talk

It has been interesting the last few days to see the difference in East vs. West. Yesterday, there was the difference in exercise habits when I noticed a few Americans sprinting along on their morning run. Each man was running at his own pace and in his own little world. On the other hand, all along my route there were Chinese exercising in at least a pair - playing tennis or badminton or in a group. I thought that this very nicely illustrated the differences in culture. 

Today, we were in meetings with staff and students and the interesting event was when the director stated that the students weren't good enough to go to Harvard or Stanford and that they needed to set their sights much lower. Now, it's probably true that most would not get into either if those schools but I couldn't believe that at least one didn't have a chance. This kind of blunt, almost negative, talk would not be something that would go over very well in U.S. schools. 

Traveling at 400 km

Today's post will be short and sweet. We took a high speed train from the airport to Shanghai- 40 miles, 7 minutes. So I ask, which country is the developing country? The El or the Metra can't get me downtown in 7 minutes from 40 miles away! 

"Where ya been…China?"

How many times in my life have I used something like "Where ya been, China?" or "Where did you park, China?" or "Where did you go, China?". I like to tell people when they ask me where I live, "China" which means "far from where we are right now". All of these expressions are meant to be dramatic. And while it's true, China is a long way from Chicago, I think that these expressions are more than just about distance but difference. No one would deny that China is much different culturally than the U.S. China is very much a collectivist society where the point is to blend into the group as best you can. Being a superstar or calling attention to oneself is looked down upon. Yet,these differences seem to be just the engine that is propelling China forward. I'm curious to understand more about this aspect of the Chinese culture and the impact on the economy. I expect to experience a people who are very welcoming and eager to share their culture. I'm confident that I won't be disappointed. I can't wait to answer the next person who asks "Where ya been, China?" and I will be able to confidently say "yes, and you have to see it to believe it!"

Right place, right time!

Sometimes it's about being in the right place at the right time. Today was one of those days. Today, July 9th is the Feast of San Pancrazio, the Patron Saint of Taormina. 

We were on our way home when we wandered down to the church of the city namesake, San Pancrazio. A full mass was just about to start so we stayed. It was a neat experience to be outside attending mass before a big procession. Everyone was there including the mayor! 

After mass, a bunch of men from the parish took the statue around the town as part of the procession. The local band came to the church and helped to lead the procession. 

This experience was very neat for me especially because we don't really have anything like this in the U.S. We certainly try very hard to keep church and state separate. 

It definitely was a great cultural experience!