"Don't Lose Your Sense of Wonder..." and Upcoming Projects

Well, I have run out of things to do today, so I guess I will put up a blog post! It's funny, blogging was so important a few days ago, and I have totally neglected documenting this "just arrived and still adjusting" time.

I spent yesterday and today at Lanzhou University of Technology, my old school, to see old friends and help one of them do a crazy difficult and heavily technical translation for a recruiting presentation. It was so difficult and seemed impossible at times, but together, we did it! I feel pretty accomplished because I was able to translate pretty well in my own right except for some really, really technical things (like different kinds of engineering projects and statistics kind of technical).

Basically, that made me realize that I DON'T want to be written translator. Ever. That's just too tedious, and because of the nature of written vs. spoken language (not just Chinese, any language), it's much harder and it takes the human element out of the equation. No fun.

Besides that, I hung out, had a few meals with, and joked around with my friends who are still left at L.U.T. - they kind of became my family during that time there, and it brings back memories of great times to see them.

Anyway, you didn't come here to read about me waxing nostalgic - you came here to read about me and Lanzhou (or just Lanzhou.). 

I met a couple of American teachers who live next door to me at Lanzhou Jiaotong University, and they are really cool - they're in their early 40s and the wife has spent some time in Kunming and Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. They can't speak much Chinese, so I gave them some advice and said I would help them out anytime they needed. I like them a lot, and I hope we can hang out more.

Campus is still kind of crazy with all the new students - I see people giving tours to groups of 30-50 people at a time and people are clogging the shops to stock their rooms with snacks, water containers, etc.

Living in China is a constant exercise of your patience, your sense of adventure, and your capacity to deal with unfamiliarity. Pretty much how you do everything in China is different from how it's done in America. The public transportation system is the best way to get around, which is new to most Americans, water must be boiled before drinking, walking is just part of life, not an exercise regime, people drink tea instead of coffee and soda, eat rice, noodles and dumplings instead of pot roast, steak, hot dogs, and burgers, and live in apartments instead of suburban houses. It's a whole different way of life.

My dad told me,

"Hey, while you're over there, don't lose your sense of wonder and appreciation at where you are. You have a really unique opportunity, and you need to not lose sight of where you are and where you come from."

That's been rolling around in my head a lot these past few days, and while the wonder is still fresh in my head being sort of "fresh off the plane" for this time, it's my third time to come to China and to Lanzhou. It's more or less daily life, and it's hard to shake your head out of the daily routine and remember where you are. Most days last year, I totally forgot I was living in China - it was just life. Anyway, I'll try to stay conscious of that.

Anyway, I will make a video about all of that soon - I've been a bit busy and distracted to film much stuff. I've got about 2 minutes of raw footage I could spin into a video, but I want to wait until I've got enough for a good video. I want to make good stuff, you know?

I met an American couple online who are in Lanzhou now who said they saw my videos and read my blog about Lanzhou, and they said it gave them a lot of really good information, so I'm very happy about that, and the American couple who live next door to me said they read my blog and watched my videos as well, so it appears that what I'm doing is at least reaching a few people.

I know  that Lanzhou seems like a relatively unimportant place in a world with cities like New York City, Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, London, Sydney, and Chicago, but that doesn't mean that it's not a place worth visiting. It's a whole different kind of city, with great people, great food, unique culture, and a long history.

I will be putting together a series of pages/posts about a "Guide to Lanzhou" project, and I'm hoping to get some feedback from my readers and the people I know here as to what they want to see in it. In the future, I'm kind of hoping that my blog will become a significant stopping place for people who want to visit northwest China, and hopefully Lanzhou in particular. It's got it's faults, sure, but I like it just the way it is.

Until next time,

Austin Guidry

Chillin' at Lanzhou University of Technology (Video)

I've still got some videos to put on here, but here's one that I made during the first week of my trip.


During me and Rob's trip to Lanzhou, we did a lot of the stuff that we wanted to do. We ate some great food, saw our old friends, played ping pong and badminton, and soaked in the atmosphere of relief and relaxation.

The school year was coming to an end, so most people were finishing up their tests, and the ones who were done were doing absolutely nothing - my favorite activity haha. 

It was great to settle back into the routine of seeing everybody, going to places like the Yellow River, the new soccer field at L.U.T., and not doing much, but just enough to make us really tired at the end of the day.

We both got to learn a little something about the process of graduation for the seniors. The seniors take their applications for graduation to get approved and signed for, and once they're approved, they have to rent their graduation caps and gowns, then they're off to take pictures with all their friends! The pictures are a big deal for them, because it's the last chance for them to all be together for a long time. Each department hold their own special farewell party, and people cry. The emotions are the same as any graduation anywhere, but the process itself is very different. Hooray for learning!

Me, Rob, and all our friends shared meals, activities, laughs, mutual confusion over Chinglish, and now, some great memories.

See you guys next time!

Back in the States

Wow, what a ride!  Hey everyone, I'm back in the States! I'm still suffering from jetlag and I still have yet to catch up on my YouTube subscription and put all the pictures on Facebook, but I'm pretty happy.

Life in L.U.T goes on - a lot of my friends graduated and are moving onto the next step of their lives.

The campus was pretty busy when me and Robert  arrived - since the seniors were graduating, they were trying to sell all their books/clothes/whatever  to the younger students who might need them later.

The campus was in a mild state of chaos with all the noise from the student-turned-vendors, but it was interesting. We don't do that kind of thing in the States.

We went around all the places that I wanted to go - including Zhongshan Bridge.



This bridge is one of the key landmarks of Lanzhou - it was the first bridge built across the Yellow River in a provincial-level city. Built by the Germans as well.



It bridges the gap between the northern and southern part of the city and lies just beneath Bai Ta Mountain, which stands atop the mountain on the north side of the Yellow River.

The Yellow River itself is something worth noting. 

It's the mother of Chinese civilization, which is why it is still called the "Mother River," even today.

The Yellow River provides a measure of tranquility in this crazy little city - people take their pets down to the water, sit in little cafes, drink tea, do Tai Chi, and more. You'll find lots of couples, families, and elderly people along the river.

It was great to be walking along the river again - drinking in the cool breeze in the lovely afternoon. 80 degrees with no humidity and a slight breeze - wonderful!

Of course, what you look forward to the most is your friends. I couldn't wait to see all of my friends again. 

All of us together, sharing meals, taking walks, talking about anything from girls to guns to Chicago to the TV show "The Big Bang Theory" (which seems to be waaaay more popular in China than America). 

"Rock-Paper-Scissor-Lizard-Spock!"

Life goes on in Lanzhou and at L.U.T.. Some time has passed, and while there are new faces, not a lot has changed around campus and in the Qilihe District of Lanzhou. The same hole-in-the-wall restaurants with the same waitresses still serve the same great food, the teachers still bring their children to the playground and soccer field to play at night, the students still do (or don't do) their homework, and time marches on without regard for anyone else.

It was a wonderful trip - I got to do everything I wanted to do and more. Keep an eye out for more posts, there's some cool stuff coming up!

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6-23: The Big Bang Theory

"Hey Austin, let's go to the cafeteria and get some beef noodles."

hahaha I finally saw my buddy Ryan the other day - this is his most famous line. He was in a movie that me and my friends made together, and that line interrupts someone else trying to speak to me in broken English. 

We had a lot of laughs about that, and many other things.

One thing that surprised me was that, out of all the things Chinese college students could attach themselves to from the American media, "The Big Bang Theory" seems to be the most prevalent of them.  Me and my buddies literally talked about the Big Bang Theory on and off for hours, because they love it so much and because I love it so much - it has become an international show, apparently.

"Remember when Amy got that painting for Penny?"

"Remember when Leonard proposed to Penny in bed?"

"[Knock knock knock] Penny. [Knock knock knock] Pennny. [Knock knock knock] Penny."

"Did you see the latest one when Howard was about to go into space?"

"Was that REALLY Stephen Hawking in that episode?"

Hahaha it was really funny, and an unexpected pleasure!

"The Big Bang Theory" aside, we all had a lot of laughs. Me and my buddies went to Lanzhou University of Technology's West Campus to meet up with people, play some pool, get some bubble tea, check out the new 3D movie theater on campus. Yes. 3D movies. On Campus. Dude.

Awesome.

The only downside of the day was the sandstorm and the rain, but hey - it didn't ruin our friendship or anything, it just kind of cramped our style.

It really was a perfect day - one of those where you just spend time with people you love to hang out with, have a few laughs, and just waste the day away. You won't remember the details, but the feelings you all shared will be there, and the ease of conversation and laughter will not soon be forgotten. 

It was a homecoming, of sorts, and I can only hope that the feeling will be present in my upcoming job at Lanzhou Jiaotong University.

I'll talk about that soon, I promise!

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HyperSmash.com

"Oh....You're THAT Austin!"

So, a couple of days ago, me, Robert, Janson, and other friends ran into another American, his wife, and his very young daughter near the front of L.U.T. (Lanzhou University of Technology, my old school) - what are the odds, right? Me, Robert, and three other Americans just running into each other! Weird......

Anyway, we introduced ourselves, and were talking about the school. I said something like, "Yeah, last year when I was studying here.......(I forget)."

He looked at me, tilted his head, and said, "Wait, you said your name was Austin, right?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, you're THAT Austin! People around here are always asking me if I know you and how you're doing, but I had no idea who you were till now."

"..........really? Wow, I wonder what these crazy Chinese people have been saying about me hahaha."

"It's all good stuff, don't worry."

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It was really flattering to hear that people were still talking about me and remembered me, but I also kind of had that feeling like, "Yeah, they'd BETTER remember me - I had so many friends!!"

I don't know, it was just a funny and nice moment.

It's been great meeting all my old friends and going to all the old places. I've been seeing a lot of foreigners around here - it's crazy!! L.U.T. and Lanzhou seem to have acquired a lot more diversity!

I've been having a great time, but I've been exhausted most of the time, honestly. Walking all around everywhere, the sun rising at about 5am, and healthy food has all been the perfect storm of being tired hahaha.

I got used to it eventually last year, but I haven't quite gotten there yet haha.

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Well, anyway, that's about all I can think of at the moment...I guess I'll see you guys later! I won't be able to put up photos or videos until I get back in July, sorry about that :(

Bye!

Back in Lanzhou!

Hey everyone!

I'm coming to you from the Lanzhou University of Technology Netbar! It's been a great day and a half here so far - too bad I can't get any pictures on this public computer :(

Evyerthing is going really well - me and Robert are both over our jetlag, and we're just chillin'!

This morning we went all around the area of campus and our hotel. We stayed at a hotel in Xi Guan (She Gwan) and we walked all around downtown Lanzhou and saw the shops, ate some 包子，and had a really great time walking around our little part of the city.

It's really great being back here - I got a text when we were coming into Lanzhou saying that there were 7 people waiting for me and Robert at the airport shuttle bus stop!! Benjamin Xi, Christina Yao, Ethan, Boss, and more of my old friends.........it was a truly happy moment to get that first glimpse of them from the bus window.

It's also a little weird being back as a tourist, so to speak. Yeah, I'll be teaching in the fall, but right now, I don't have any plans, and I'm just hanging out. I don't have to go to class, I don't have to shop, I don't really have to do anything. That's weird, and it puts up a weird wall between you being there and you being there.

This isn't to say this isn't great! I LOVE being back! I really do! It's been a lot of fun to speak Chinese and eat all this great food and be able to see my amazing friends again. Some of them will be leaving Lanzhou soon, and it will be sad to see them go. I'll see some of them again, but some, I won't. But we can't know that right now.

Life goes on in Lanzhou - there are a few new shops and vendors here and there, but it seems very much the same, which is just fine with me. There are more foreigners at the university now, I think around 30 this semester, and next semester, it will be over 50! Wow, they are really getting into it!

I have to go buy a phone, meet some people, and some other general Lanzhou things........(code for "I don't know"), but until next time, much love!

Austin

Update: I'm Officially Going Back to Lanzhou!

Hey, everyone!

So.....things have rapidly changed in the past week or so! I have been offered a position at Lanzhou Jiaotong (pronounced "Gee - Ow - Tong") University, and I am going to take it! I signed the contract last night and sent it back to them!

I couldn't be happier about returning to Lanzhou! Although I will not be returned to Lanzhou University of Technology, a position at a reputable university in a city that I have already lived in and have connections in is a great thing for me!

Some of my friends will still be in Lanzhou for another year, so it will be great to be able to hang out with them again.

I miss the city - I really do, and I'm pumped to be able to get back to Lanzhou.

This opportunity will be a great chance for me to really get to know Lanzhou really well. It'll give me the opportunity to explore new places, revisit old haunts, and travel throughout the Northwest, which is my favorite region of the country thus far.

In regards to the Always English School in Zibo, Shandong, I really appreciate them being honest and open with me about everything, but this ultimately is a business and career decision. A year of experience as a university professor in China will look better on a resume than a year as an elementary school teacher in China.

It will give me more chances to hang out with people around my age, see them outside of class, and talk about deeper subjects of life than Hello Kitty or whatever it is that elementary school students talk about.

It'll also give me a chance to continue my language study in the same area that I learned it initially. That way, I don't have to worry about mixing up dialects and people communicate with each other in a way that I'm familiar with. As part of the deal, they offer free Chinese lessons!

I'll be getting paid more for working less hours as well as better benefits! It really seems like a win-win situation to me.

Although I am saying goodbye to Lanzhou University of Technology at the moment, I will still have the chance to see friends there and hang out in my down time.

I will meet new people at Jiaotong, of course, and I might see Lanzhou a lot differently as a teacher with responsibilities and a real job rather than as a student who didn't really have a care the world, but I am grateful for the opportunity to go back.




Please leave comments below - I want to hear from you guys about how you like/dislike the blog, how I can improve, and what you want to see from me!

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Beautiful China, Part 2

(this is Part 2 of a series - for Part 1, click here)

 Again, we are going to start with mountains! There's just something majestic about them. Seeing mountains reminds me of [insert a profound realization about the nature of life that I cannot really express here] and I'll always keep that with me.

(Left) The flat mountain here is Maiji Mountain in Gansu Province. (Below) Taken from Maiji Mtn itself.

Although you can click on these pictures to make them bigger, something is lost when you take a picture of mountains which are surrounded by the early morning's fog. 

Although you can look at the picture and say, "wow...", it is a truly awesome thing to actually experience. Awesome as in the original sense of being full of awe. 

For me personally, there is nothing better than a combination of three things which I love most of all - mountains, cultural history, and China.

And Maiji Mountain gave me all three at once! Buddhist carvings dating back over 1000 years on a mountain in China! How about that?

As I walked along the side of this mountain, I was once again reminded that I was in China - sometimes I forgot that I was on the other side of the world in a country that I technically didn't belong in, but felt like I belonged in.

Sometimes it takes something truly foreign and unique to remind us of where we came from and how we got to where we are today.

When I think of something beautiful, normally I think of the mountains or somewhere far away from the city. But beauty isn't just about mountains and nature. It's about something that is stirred deep within you and reminds you of your humanity and your fleeting time on earth.


(Lanzhou University of Technology campus)

It's not limited to Tianshui, Lanzhou, Beijing, New York, Colorado, or any place.

Beauty is everywhere - you just have to be aware of it, I guess.

To me, the beauty of these places is that all of these places are special to me because I got to Rest. 


That seems to be something that's largely been lost on humanity. The ability to just rest and reflect on yourself. Now life is all about doing and planning, but rest and reflection have been all but forgotten.

(Lanzhou from Bai Ta Shan)

Sometimes you can find the most peaceful and beautiful spots in the unlikeliest of locations....would you care to guess where this is?




Downtown Beijing.

Yep - this is at the Old Summer Palace! It's not exactly downtown - it's north of downtown, but still.....it's in the smack middle of one of the biggest cities on the planet.


Who would've thought it?

Despite its location, it was a great place for introspection and soul-searching.

This was the point in time when I was nearing the end of my stay in China - I had maybe 1 week to go. It was the perfect time and place for me to rest and reflect in the disastrous humidity.

The world is a beautiful and wonderful place, and I've done my utmost to never foret it.

Just try and tell me otherwise.

What do you think? Feel free to leave comments and responses! No sign-up, just leave your name and your comment! I love hearing from you :)

New Videos! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!

Finally, I can upload some videos!!! So excited!!

First: watch the video, then I'll tell you about it:



On one Friday afternoon, (this is from early March) I went my friend Rayna's house to eat lunch and just generally hang out. It was , like I said, a great lunch, but the real value that I found in the experience was being humbly invited into a stranger's house to be treated to a great meal. We watched some footage of the Japan earthquake and talked about it (in Chinese, her parents don't speak English) and I realized that although there are a lot of differences in our cultures, people are just people - they laugh, they cry, they are silly, they are serious, they have hopes, dreams, fears, and hates.

I really enjoyed seeing new parts of the city - the city square, new streets, etc. On Sunday, I made my first trip to the West Campus to meet some friends. I couldn't imagine a better first time to be on the West Campus - I met a lot of my friends that I met online and some strangers invited me to their room to cook lunch for everyone. Although we, on occasion, had some communication problems, it was a great time and I could see from the start that these were friends that I would have for the rest of my time in China, and hopefully my life - it's hard to imagine going back home and not seeing these guys all the time. It's like I've known them forever.



Xi'an was a really great experience, although I got homesick for the first time because there were so many foreigners. That pang of familiarity and hearing people speak American English really made me miss home for the first time. I've missed a few things from back home, but that was the first time that I really had a longing to be back home - I gotta say, I didn't enjoy the feeling.

I'm not sure what my favorite place in Xi'an was, but I was really blown away by how much I learned about Xi'an's history and how integral the city was in the history of China. It was the capital of many dynasties, was the beginning of the Silk Road, and was the central distribution point for the imports that came in via the Silk Road. At the Shaanxi History Museum, there was a map of the Silk Road, and it went to a million freaking places - Rome, the Mediterranean, Europe, the Middle East, the east coast of Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, Russia, and even more places! I was blown away by the vastness of the scale of Chinese exports during those times - in school, you only really hear about the Silk Road going to Europe and you never think about just how many places there are to trade between China and Europe. Just amazing.

I could go on and on and on about Xi'an and China stuff in general - so if you have any questions or whatnot about the video, leave a comment!

Some Pictures

Sorry that I haven't put up any pictures, it's been really hard with my internet. I've managed to get a few up on this post, but not a lot. 

The past couple of days have sucked - I've been really sick. I'm feeling better now, but definitely still sick. I'm at about 80% now, maybe 85%. The Qing Ming holiday in Xi'an was great, but it was really nice to be back in Lanzhou - in a familiar place. Some of the trees are getting green, which is actually pretty comforting. In Xi'an, there were a ton of green plants and bright colors, which cheered me up considerably when all I had seen in Lanzhou was brown and grey. I'll be back soon with more pictures, deal?

This is on my first visit to the Western Campus of LUT - on the left is Freddy and on the right laughing is Ethan. They're good friends of mine.

This is another venture to the West Campus - from left to right is Freddy, Jim Green, Janson (peace), William, and Danny. I met a lot of people that day!

The lake on the West Campus - it's pretty cool!

Me at the Gansu Provincial Museum - lots of cool Buddhist sculptures and art. In Gansu and Shaanxi, the historic Buddhist influence is really obvious.

Left/Right - Huan, Jing, Juan - they took me to the Gansu Museum, I really appreciate it and had a great time! Behind us are Buddhist prayer wheels, which are spun while reciting the chants on the bottom.

The Bell Tower in Xi'an - it's pretty much the picture you always see whenever you Google Xi'an.

This is the fountain in front of the Da Yan Ta in Xi'an. I've heard it's the biggest fountain in Asia - and I'm not surprised. It's at least 300 yards long and 100 yards across - although it's probably bigger. There is a really cool fountain show every day at noon that we got to see

to Xi'an!

Tomorrow night I am going to Xi'an for the celebration of Qing Ming Jie. Qing Ming Jie is on the 4th of April and it is a day for Chinese people to honor their ancestors. They visit graves of deceased family members and clean the headstones/plots and honor the dead. I would say it is like Mexico's Day of the Dead, but I don't know enough about either holiday to be able to say. We have no classes from Sunday to Tuesday - awesome! Something I did not know about the Chinese University system is that it is quite common to have class on Saturday and Sunday....dude. I'm so glad I go to school in America - it would suck to have classes every day of the week. But the Chinese have a lunch/free period from 11:35am to 2:30pm, which is cool, but their classes go later. The free period is kind of like a siesta - a lot of people take naps. I have unknowingly woken a few of my friends up from their naps when I wanted to ask them something. It's an interesting difference.  Anyway, back the main thing. I am going to Xi'an with my friend Jing. We are meeting a friend of hers in Xi'an who will take us around the city. We are planning to go to Hua Shan (Flower Mountain), see the Terra Cotta warriors, go to a few museums, and do a lot of other stuff. It's late now and I have a headache, so I can't really remember where else at the moment. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and video so I can share. The pictures will be up as soon as I can get them up, but videos will have to wait, of course. I'm still having trouble uploading - the files are just too big.  If I compress them any smaller, the quality is crap. I had some pictures of Xi'an in one of my first posts, if you'd like to look. I am sending this blog post via email and I don't think you can put photos on a Mail2Blogger post. I'm hoping to have some Western food while I'm in Xi'an. I'd love to have a cheeseburger. I don't really miss Western food very much, but I do get cravings every now and then. Tonight, I went to the "English Bubble", which is a place where the Chinese students can go to practice their English. No one is allowed to speak Chinese. Tonight was "Louisiana Night", so Jeff and Thuy (who were born and raised in the Shreveport area) talked about crawfish, bayous, jumbalaya, plantations, alligators, rednecks, the Bible Belt, Jazz, and all kinds of stuff. It was nice to be reminded of somewhere that is close to home. Although I haven't been to New Orleans that much, I have to say that it's one of my favorite cities. Someone mentioned me doing a Texas themed night, which would be cool - I'd like that. Anyway, that's all that's new for now - I've got to pack and get some homework done before we leave. Later!

Long Post, But Good (I Think)

Today has been a good day so far. The other two international students, Jack and Dinah, who are from America, were sick today, so I did not have to split the classes with them today, which was really good for me, I think. I got to spend more time with Mrs. Zhu, who is a fantastic teacher (she teaches my Comprehensive Chinese Class) and I got to work on my listening and speaking with her, which was great. As I was in class, I begun to realize just how much better my Chinese has gotten since I got here. I'm really beginning to pick it up - in Mrs. Zhu's class at least - I guess she annunciates better and speaks at just the right speed for me. We found out today that we have the same birthday - "你的生日是一月三十一日？真的吗？我跟你的生日一样!!" Mr. Li and I had a good time as well talking about Chinese hospitality and banquet customs. He is really pleased at the progress I am making and I am getting much better at translating and reading the textbook for his class (Chinese Culture). Him and Mrs. Zhu are beginning to get a good feel of where I'm at and how best to talk with me. Mr. Shang (my Chinese Writing teacher) still seems nervous and fidgety - we both need to work on our language skills; it'll get better! I still am not a fan of my listening class because it's so difficult, but I don't feel like killing anybody when I leave the classroom anymore, so that's an improvement! Xie Mei is a good teacher, although her English is limited. The moments when we actually connect and understand what the other person is saying are great.  It's an incredible moment when you realize the true depths of language and how it really is a bridge between cultures and lives. It's easy to take it for granted when everyone is comfortable in their native language and no other languages are around. I'm really glad that I had that realization I have been spending more time with my radio lately - it's been helping little by little with my listening. There is a good bilingual station called CRI that I listen to - it's China's only bilingual station and it's out of Beijing.  It's so strange how some days I can be so encouraged and some days I am just down in the dumps about my language. I really am having a good time overall! Whoa….I just realized I've been in China for one month today! On the evening of the 26th, I will have been in Lanzhou for one month! The time just seems to have flown by - it's crazy….one month already….dang. In some ways it feels like a month and in others, it feels like I just got here. I really love the students here - they are so amazing. I remember Robert saying "If you ever want to feel like you're famous - you should go to Lanzhou" - it's so true, man. When I'm at the West Campus, especially. There are no foreign teachers or foreign students there, so people get really excited to meet and talk to you if you are American or English-speaking. They have a genuine desire to learn English and to be friends. They always want to treat you to lunch/dinner/drinks, show you around, and just talk. It's great here. I just want to say it again -  It's an incredible moment when you realize the true depths of language and how it really is a bridge between cultures and lives. It's a profound realization for me.

Thoughts

So far, after living in Lanzhou for almost 2 weeks, I feel like I have pretty much fully adjusted. The weather here is still a little annoying because the temperature varies a lot during the day. I have learned to drink hot water instead of cold, I have learned how to really use chopsticks, I have learned to walk a mile-ish to class and the library every day, I have learned how it feels to be in a place where everything is new. It is difficult to explain the concept of everything being new. New language, new people, new university, new culture, new habits, new home, and a new family of sorts. 

I have come to appreciate so much here. I have come to really appreciate friends - it’s easy to forget how much better friends make life until you move to a place where you don’t know anybody. I have been invited to eat with my teachers and friends, and it literally is the highlight of the day when I see someone I know and experience that little bit of familiarity. 


I think I’ve just begun to reach the point where people are not freaked out by me and are asking me if I can hang out on the weekend - it’s Wednesday and my weekend just got booked! It is impossible to explain how much it means to me when I get invited to someone’s home for a simple meal - it really makes me feel like I’m important to somebody here and not just another student who doesn’t really matter. I can’t explain it, I really can’t. My value of friendship has exponentially grown and although I'm making friends here, that doesn't mean I don't miss people back home.

( My ETBU Roommates - great guys)



I have been given so much and I have been really humbled at times by people’s kindness. The first few days here were not very fun and they were lonely, to tell you the truth, but I believe I have found a good group of friends and support in a lot of good people. My teachers Ma Lin, Jodie (who, by the way both have awesome kids, they are really shy and hilarious), and Stacie have been especially kind to me because they have traveled abroad and know exactly how I feel here and they know the kind of advice to give and how to deal with the different issues that come up.

I have a completely new perspective on the international students of ETBU and anyone who is part of an exchange program now that I am a part of one as well. I have so much respect for those people who come to the U.S. to study for their entire college careers - that takes a lot of guts. One semester is not so much, but still not a weekend trip, but a year or 4 years is a long time to be away from family and familiarity.

It is hard to believe I have only been in Lanzhou for less than 2 weeks - I feel as if I’ve been here for a month already. I have already begun to lose a bunch of weight from the healthy food and the sheer amount of walking - it’s crazy! I certainly have learned a new respect for the complexity of the Chinese written language - GOOD GOD….hard as freaking anything I’ve ever done. 


I spent 4 or 5 hours translating 1.5 pages of Chinese - it took forever…..but of course, it’s what I want to do and expected to do. I knew it would be hard, but knowing it will be hard and actually sitting down and working are two different things. I will learn so much, I can already tell. Till next time!

First Lanzhou Post and Video

Okay, so I know that I haven't posted anything on here in a while - I've been busy trying to solidify email connections, people addresses, all kinds of junk like that....so yeah. Not an excuse, really, but anyway, I'm back now. I've been told to blog everyday, but who REALLY wants to read a blog every day?? I don't. Or at least, I haven't ever found one I'd want to read every day.

I have a journal that I've been writing in and I guess that's been my 'daily blogging'. But really, there's not much going on this week. I arrived last Saturday (the 26th) at 11pm in Lanzhou and received quite a shock from my Beijing-ed up mind. I was thinking that it wouldn't be too different from Beijing, but man was I wrong! Lanzhou seems like a great city, don't get me wrong, but it is abundantly clear that it isn't a tourist city by any stretch of the imagination. It is polluted, dirty, and smells like industry (or at least it did for the first couple of days here - I don't really notice it now).

One of the first things I could really see was this bridge here - it has constantly changing colors - red, blue, green, yellow, and all kinds of crazy stuff. At the top of the left column in the picture, there are green spotlights that make random patterns that look like tentacles. Hopefully I'll be able to get some video of those lights, because I haven't ever seen any videos of the bridge lights. There are still tons of decorations up from the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) - the highway getting into Lanzhou was packed with lights for literally about 5 miles - I've never seen that many lights. I didn't take any video or pics because it was so crazy and I was crazy tired....I'll try to go there soon and get some of that as well. It really was beautiful.

I've been settling into the daily life here on campus. I usually eat at Cafeteria Number 3 here because it's familiar and decently good - their steamed stuffed buns (包子）are amazing as well as their breakfast food - which are kind of like crepes, but cooked with green onions and some other spices and things. Good stuff.....really good.

I don't know really what to say. I know that I'm really lucky to be here and I'm making history of sorts, because I'm the first international student at this school and from ETBU, but that's really a lot to think about and I don't like to think about it. I'm still really nervous about my Chinese, but I have to get over it sometime. The students here leave me alone and don't talk to me, which is nice, but lonely at the same time. I suppose we are mutually nervous to talk to the other person. I really do garner stares - I really didn't believe people when they said that to me. But.....yeah, I do get the stares. It's disconcerting...I know people are curious, but I still have this nagging suspicion that I'm about to be robbed or something. I don't like feeling like I'm about to be robbed. (Does anyone, really?).

I'm really glad that I brought a bunch of movies over here, they've been really comforting as well as the internet itself. It's strange how something as simple as being able to read the news and get on Facebook can really make me feel like I'm at home (or at least closer). Bob Marley's "One Love" has also really helped me, for whatever reason I just can't seem to get enough of it although back home I didn't really like the song that much. Also, some of Sam Tsui's YouTube music has been nice to listen to as well as Pomplamoose's YouTube Channel - great music, everyone should check it out!

Speaking of YouTube, everyone knows I have a YouTube account and I've made a few videos - 5 total. I'm going to do more with more details of the campus...but yeah

I've been hesitant to bust out the camera, because I don't want to stick out more than I already do...but yeah, I gotta take pictures sometime. No day like today, right? I keep trying to put pictures on here from my computer, but it doesn't seem to work. It only seems to work from URLs, and Blogger doesn't seem to like Facebook URLs/Pictures.

Lanzhou, China (Lots of Pics)

Lanzhou, China (兰州，中国) is the capital of Gansu Province, which is pretty much smack in the middle of China. Here's a map - (Click on any of the pictures to see them full size)

Lanzhou has about 3.5 million people, so it's a pretty good size city. It has a big petrochemical industry in the city, so the pollution is pretty bad...really bad, actually. Sometimes parts of the city are obscured due to all the pollution. Lanzhou was put on the map for being a major stop on the Silk Road for foreign traders centuries ago, but it was eclipsed by Xi'an, a city to the southeast of Lanzhou, where the Silk Road ended.

Interestingly enough, Lanzhou built the first bridge across the Yellow River:

It is located in a semiarid part of China and is about on the latitude that Chicago is on, so those of you who have been to Chicago have an idea of the weather (especially the winter). My National Geographic Traveler says that Gansu Province's winters is 'harsh' and 'brutal' and 'punishing at times'.....yeah, that's encouraging. 

A really cool place I'd like to go is here: the Binglingsi Grottos. It's about 70km away from Lanzhou. The caves and grottoes are carved into the side of Xiaojishi Mountain and were built between the 5th and 19th centuries. Most of the caves were built during the Tang dynasty (618-907AD). There are almost 200 caves and niches featuring murals, 694 stone statues and 82 clay figures.

Xi'an, which marked the end of the Silk Road, has enjoyed a much more prosperous run than Lanzhou and tons of people have told me to go to Xi'an, so I guess I'll be going there. There's lots of stuff to do, from the various museums and historical stuff to riding your bike around the old city walls. It's a day trip, about like a trip to Dallas from Tyler or something like that.

Yes, that is a KFC banner.

Lanzhou University of Technology (兰州理工大学), the University I'll be going to, is, like the name indicates, a mainly technologically oriented school, but their English department is growing as the need for learning English grows. Interestingly enough, I will be in the first class of international students to ever go to this school and the first from ETBU to ever go to the school for a semester. So, naturally, this is a big opportunity for me (and it looks good on a résumé). I will be taking Chinese Language classes (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking), a class on Chinese Culture, and my Senior Thesis. Everybody who has looked at my Facebook Group, "Austin is Studying Abroad!", you have already seen the pics of the school, but you can always check out Google Images: