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6/6/2005

I can’t believe this! I just finished writing this entry a while ago but Sharon came over and wanted to change something. In the process she did not save the file. Now I have to redo everything. I want to kill her. I guess I have the right since I rescued her once before. J

I did not sleep well last night because of the reaction I had after swimming. I woke and felt better. I must have had something in canteen that was not easy to digest. I felt gassed up. For lunch I learn my lesson. I ordered two light dishes mainly with vegetables. In the afternoon my stomach felt better. For the first time I felt hungry before dinner since I arrived in China.

One of the missions for me in China is to find potential research projects. Dean Wang of the SIB recommended me to see Dr.Yang Qing the Dean of the e-Learning School of DUFE. This is an independent branch of the university that enjoys high autonomy. He showed the entire process from content making to course delivery. I think they have done an impressive job. Given SU and UMS are interested in distant learning, I think we can learn from their model. I see potential of collaboration for research as well. E-learning is a special form of e-commerce. By studying their model could provide many interesting areas of study. We both agreed to pursue this opportunity by starting small. A case study of their operation would be a good starting point.

Ed called a few times during the class. He wanted to let me know their day went well and they hired a car to go to their next stop Shenyang. Originally they would take the train but they had done quite a bit shopping since they got to Dalian. It would be hard to drag their luggage on and off the train.

We had a party in our dorms after the class and invited all the students to come. Karin improvised some typical American finger foods such as chess and crackers, fruits, hot dogs and chips. The SU students prepared beers (no kegs) and drinks. We wanted to showcase a little American culture to our Chinese students. They also wanted to know how we lived and how we partied. Since we did not have a common area to hold the party, we had to hold it in three different areas of the building where our apts are located. Around 6:30 the students started to pull in. There was no slight awkwardness. Instantly conversations were started, laughs were generated and games were played. The party was a total success and far beyond my expectation. The DUFE students showed their interests in the way how Americans hold their parties. The SU students bought gifts for their counterparts. Michael of DUFE had a gift individual made for each of us including Hillary and Joanne. The SU students bought him a NFL jersey (before today he always wore NY Giant jersey) that brought tears in his eyes. Rose got a stem of rose from Tyler. Karin went the opposite by showing some Chinese students how to tie Chinese knots. Overall everyone had a good time. Bottom down, we are all the same no matter where we are from. As long as everyone is open and sincere, we will have a good company.

In merely two weeks, friendships and bonds have been forged among us. I am sure some of them will last our life time. We share many silly stories, laughs and tears together. We all hate the fact that time flies. But with persistence, sincerity and efforts from each of us I believe our friendships will survive time and distance, and thrive.

posted by Unknown @ 4:41 PM