This summer, 10 students and two faculty members are traveling to China to enhance their Chinese language skills while experiencing the country’s vast and diverse cultural landscape. Please enjoy this next blog post below from Jeanne ‘ 26 where she shares how a day filled with fig buns, language lessons, and martial arts deepened her appreciation for Chinese cuisine, culture, and the rhythms of everyday life in Shanghai.
Like the rest of my peers, I have been greeted by my host family here in Shanghai with a bounty of food. It is the way they show they care. When I return at night after a long day of classes and activities, there is either a home-cooked meal ready or the family, which is composed of the mother, father, two daughters, a grandmother, and I, go out for a sumptuous dinner. This morning I ate a 无花果乳酪欧包. It is a bread bun stuffed with fig and cheese, which is served hot, with steam rising from it. It is delicious. When thinking of stereotypical Chinese cuisine, I would never have thought of figs and cheese or that they would pair so well together. While this recipe may not travel the Silk Road back to Massachusetts, it is surely one that will be on my should-try-to-make-back-at-home list. After breakfast with my homestay family, at around 8 am, I start my commute to East China Normal University (ENCU). It’s a 50-minute journey that consists of a 15-minute stroll to the metro; 2 stops on the subway; and lastly a 25-minute walk to the CIEE building where we have classes. Lately, the weather hasn’t been kind, and the humidity and rain have been similar to the past month of May at Deerfield! Locals have told me that June and July are the rainy season and to expect a decent amount of precipitation in the next few weeks. Despite the showers, I arrive on time, wet shoes and all, for the start of class. Currently, we are learning about restaurants and how to use an app called Dian Ping. Dian Ping is very popular throughout China and is used to search for detailed information on restaurants. It gives prices, menus, ratings, and directions. The new vocabulary related to food is vast but fun to learn. Often, we have questions about ingredients that we ask the teachers at CIEE, or go back home and ask our host family. There are many fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, etc., eaten in China that are not known to the average American. One of my favorites is lychees, which, while available at some stores in the U.S., don’t compare to the delicate sweetness and freshness of ones in China. Today in class, we worked on how to compare American food and Chinese food. In groups, we created online surveys to distribute to the Chinese people we know regarding their thoughts and preferences for Chinese and American food. This exercise should be interesting. After class, the group went to one of the three cafeterias on campus to have lunch. Many ate either dumplings (one serving is a large plate with around 20) or ramen. Additionally, the 包子 (steamed buns filled with vegetables and or meat) are very popular and inexpensive, making them a frequent accompaniment to lunch. Drink options are plentiful, with milk tea being a popular favorite.
Following the meal, we made our way back to CIEE headquarters to get ready for our afternoon activity. Today we had a 无数课 (martial arts lesson). Although no longer restricted to military defense, martial arts have evolved to become more versatile and are engaged in as a form of competitive sports, yoga, or an exercise of graceful and meditative relaxation. After a warm-up and lots of repetition, we learned 5 basic moves and “finished strong.” As we concluded class with some simple stretches, we meditated. Those who practice any form of martial arts often possess strong mental discipline and self-awareness, which are crucial to elements of Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist beliefs. Being able to experience these key aspects of Chinese life and culture helps us to understand and respect the daily life and mentalities that Chinese people have grown up with and strengthens us for our next round of daily challenges, including the commute back home.
