SMU Update 03/31/10

An interesting evening, I thought may be of interest to others...

Last night a group of us ventured to a restaurant on campus for dinner, without the accompaniment of a Chinese student. Although we were regulars at the place, the menu was entirely in characters, making it difficult for us to order (especially with wait staff that could not speak English). Knowing this, we strategically brought along a receipt from a previous dinner at the same restaurant, from an evening when one of our Chinese roommates had assisted in ordering food that he knew we would enjoy. With that, we were successful in ordering an excellent meal. The staff at the restaurant was very pleased with our ingenuity and showed their thanks with a letter, written to us in English, which they presented to us at the end of our meal. The letter read;

"Excuse me, your are welcome to our restaurant. I know you like American food. Here is your table [bill] and the last menu. We look forward to your visit. I want recommend some of the specialties to you. Thank you."

I have a strong feeling that we will be frequenting the same restaurant in the future.

Myra Shannon is a 1/c cadet and 6th Company Adjutant majoring in the IMBU program

SMU Update 03/30/10

On Sunday, we had a nice American breakfast at a western restaurant. The food was excellent and we headed to do some shopping before proceeding to the campus. I think we all pretty much understand the bus and subway system by now. Everything is in Chinese but we memorized the correct bus to take to get back to the campus. The subway station is a little more complex but the lines are all colored. To give you an idea, just picture the Boston train system and multiply it by twenty. Throw in the high volume of subway commuters and you should easily get an idea of what it is like. I think we should be equipped to live in any city by the time we are done. One thing that really has helped, is getting a transportation card that we can deposit money onto. This card can be used on the taxis, bus, subway, and commuter train. This eliminates the need to constantly print out different tickets for different destinations. The bus stop is only about a 20 minute walk to our dorm location and that is convenient as well. There isn't a lot of weekend activity on the new campus so we are going to learn to navigate to the downtown quite frequently.

Adam Silvis is a 2/C cadet and Student Trustee at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

SMU Update 03/28/10

Another welcoming party was held for us... This was hosted by the students and they put substantial effort into preparing some performances for us. We were separated into groups when we walked into the student center and we were all with groups of Chinese students. The performances ranged from traditional dance, singing, and also several different instruments. There was a student that played a piece on the violin which was very well done. After the performances, we were instructed to join our groups to make our own dumplings. This turned out to be a little messy but we all learned how to make them with relative ease. The host of the party asked us to do some performances. Some of the MMA kids did a song for the crowd which got quite a few laughs. The party ended with some social time and I met quite a few different students from a variety of majors.

Adam Silvis is a 2/C cadet and Student Trustee at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

SMU Update 03/25/10

SMU set up a trip for us to go to the Jingsi Garden in the Jiangsu province. The garden is quite an amazing thing to see considering its background. The garden was constructed to look like it is hundreds of years old but in reality it was completed in 2003. The creator of the garden was a successful businessman involved in chemical manufacturing. He decided to spend ten years constructing a garden consisting primarily of ancient architectural pieces found throughout China. Each piece of the garden has a significant meaning and there are some amazing stone structures throughout. We had lunch at the garden then proceeded to our tour. We were given the opportunity to ride a Chinese style gondola through the gardens water system. Everyone took part in this and then we all were invited to try on some traditional Chinese clothes. I think a few of us enjoyed this more than others but some great pictures were taken. In the afternoon, we were dropped off at the bus station and many of us proceeded to the city for our own free time. We ate some Pizza Hut on Nanjing Road in central Shanghai and this was definitely a taste of America.

Adam Silvis is a 2/C cadet and Student Trustee at Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Photo courtesy 2/C Myra Shannon

SMU Update 3/22/10

Today was back to classes for us and we had a full day. We had our first morning formation today. It was definitely quite different from our morning formation and we formed up together with the other international students. The Chinese flag was raised along with the anthem. We were told that one flag from each international country would be raised each week. Today was our flag and we saluted our colors with pride as the anthem was played. We now have some additional students studying with us from Africa. There are now students from America, Australia, Africa, Poland, the Netherlands, and South Korea that are part of this international maritime program. This is such a tremendous opportunity for everyone here and I'm sure that the other students feel the same.

After classes were done, many of us played soccer and spent time outside. It was a great day today with mild temperature. My former roommate Dan and also Renee came down to the campus. We went over to the Dishui lake and checked out the area. It was a nice day to be over there and I checked into the price for sailboat rentals for another day. We grabbed some dinner at a restaurant in the area and headed back to the campus. The Dishui lake is the center of a new city that is being built in this district. It is supposed to accommodate 800,000 residents when it is completed. There are so many buildings being constructed everywhere you look. There is also a lot of logistics companies relocating to that area. In another ten years, this will be a major maritime hub that will complement the deep water port not far away.

We all had to meet with the local police and go over some paperwork that was supposed to be completed within 24 hours of our arrival. This was just a formality and we completed the paperwork without any problems. Most of us went to the gym after classes and spent several hours working out. Dan and Vinnie went to play some basketball in the gym and after a while they were challenged to a 4 on 4 game with some Chinese gentleman that had been playing previously. The game was hilarious with MMA vs the Chinese men. After losing about 5 games, Dan revealed to the group of American students that the Chinese men were all basketball coaches. I only played for the first game which gave me the opportunity to watch some of these guys play ball. The coaches looked like professionals out there and our kids got shut out in several of the games. It is pretty interesting to be able to interact with people of a different culture and not be able to speak a universal language. There was minimal discussion during the game but it was evident that the Chinese men were having a great time playing with the Americans.

SMU Update 3/18/10

Things continue to go well with classes this week. Today we had more classes for the first time and all the professors seem to have great backgrounds. I heard from one of the Chinese students that the majority of our professors are the best in the school and many of them teach at other top universities in China. I really liked the class we had today and the professor was likely the best for the IMB cadets. After classes, we were all invited to go plant trees for the Chinese Arbor day. We all met up near the one park area on campus and went to where the trees would be planted. All of the international students and the Chinese roommates showed up for the event. I think we planted about 30 trees and we also dug a place for a sign that said “International Forest”. We got a big group picture with everyone and many of us threw the football around for a while outside.

It was finally sunny outside so we decided to play a little American football on the the turf. We had a great game going between the international students for a couple of hours and it was really nice. It wasn't long before a whole group of Chinese students showed up and wanted to learn how to play. We gladly started a new game and split up the teams. It took them a little bit to figure out how to play but they certainly caught on fast. One of the Chinese kids actually intercepted one of my passes so I think they might have seen the game before.

I made plans to go to the city for the weekend because my roommate from last spring will be flying up tomorrow. I left in the afternoon and took a bus to Longyang road subway station where I took a subway into the city. I met up with Renee, one of the exchange students from last spring, and we went around the city for a while. I got a hotel room for the weekend and then proceeded to have dinner with one of Renee's friends who works for Phoenix Logistics in Shanghai. This was a great opportunity for me to talk about possible job opportunities in Shanghai.

I had plans for lunch with a managing ship broker at ACM shipping in Shanghai. I was able to talk with him about the company and the maritime industry in Shanghai. He spoke English quite well and it was interesting to hear his views on the shipping market right now. It is really amazing how large the industry is here. It seems like everywhere I turn I see a logistics or shipping companies. I left from there to go with Renee to the airport on the Maglev train. This train is truly amazing and it doesn't actually touch the track or run on rails. It kind of just floats above the tracks and moves at an incredibly fast speed. I think the fastest speed we hit on the way to the airport was 432 km/h. After we picked up my roommate from the airport we went shopping for the day.

Update from SMU

Today was pretty uneventful and all of the international students had a class together. It was a three hour lecture on Chinese culture and history and the professor has very clear English. He told us that he learned his English from missionary schools and that explains his British accent. He talked a lot about his past and he has spent his life in research. This class will be quite enlightening for most of us and I'm eager to learn more about the culture.

We had a weekly meeting with the head of the international program and discussed our upcoming events and plans. We were finally given a period of time to use the weight room here on campus and that was important for a lot of us. They have some very nice facilities and we went and used the gym tonight. Some of us went to the library tonight because we have plenty of reading to do for our classes. The weather was pretty nice today but it is still really cold. I'm hoping it will start to to warm up in the next few weeks.

The IMB cadets were scheduled for a three hour Business Law lecture but the professor was unable to make it. This opened up a full day of freedom so we decided to go to Nanjing road and do some shopping. We all needed some warmer clothes so this was a good day to do that. The MT cadets had a full day of lectures so they were unable to come with us. We met some of our former roommates in the city and did some shopping before lunch. The clothing here is actually a lot more expensive than the US. A $40 dollar pair of Levis in the United States would go for about $150 in China. This was the same for many of the US and European brand clothing. There are several shopping malls in the city and they are all huge.

Some of the MMA cadets had dinner with some new SMU friends at a restaurant on the campus tonight. We had a great time and the food was really excellent. It is quite amazing that we come from two completely different cultures but we are still able to socialize and communicate. All the Chinese students are eager to learn more English and we are eager to learn more Chinese. I think everything is going smoothly and we are all adjusting quite well. The food and diet is definitely different from what we are used to and I think we have all lost several pounds in one week. I usually just avoid asking them what we are eating because I usually don't want to know.

Adam Silvis is a 2/C cadet and Student Trustee at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Classes Begin at SMU

We started classes this week. It is still very cold out and it has rained almost everyday since we got here. I think it was about 0 degrees Celsius today and the wind was really blowing to top it off. Our first class today was Container Port Terminal Development. The professor seems very intelligent and his English is clear enough for us to understand. The class should be very interesting and we will have so many resources to use for this class. The professor gave us a tour of the transportation lab and that proved to be unbelievable. There are four scale displays of different ports and the detail is amazing. These glass displays are complete with lights and moving cranes. There is also a movie theater in the lab and we watched a short video on container terminals. I think everyone was equally impressed and I took a lot of pictures.

We had lunch at a nice restaurant in one of the shopping centers and it was a hot pot style meal. This was the first time that any of us have ever eaten a meal like this. We sat around a table and in the center is a cooking pot that is built into the table. I couldn't honestly tell what we were eating but it was pretty good. The food is slowing dumped into this cooking pot in similar fashion to a stew and everyone just serves themselves from the pot. It is meant to be a social meal and is mostly done on family occasions or for the new years. The lunch lasted about two hours and we headed back out to do more shopping.

The IMB cadets had a logistics and supply chain class in the afternoon while the two MT cadets had classes at the Merchant Marine College. I think everyone is enjoying class and the Professors are very accommodating. The classes will all be very challenging but we definitely have the resources to learn. This school really feels like a research institution along with an academic learning environment. The professors all have amazing credentials and they really seem to have a passion for what they are doing.

Adam Silvis is a 2/C cadet and Student Trustee at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Shopping in America

The first few days have been filled with classes, meetings, and lectures but we had the opportunity to get off campus last Thursday evening for a trip to Walmart. We loaded all ten of the exchange students into a Buc van and made the short drive down the road to the local store. Once inside, it was like having ten children in a candy store. They knew that they could satisfy all of their needs in that store and took full advantage of the facilities at hand. Many had forgotten shower shoes or toiletries and each of them were eager to roam the store to scope out the offerings. Their excitement at such a commonality was incredible and was not something that we took for granted.

On Saturday, we drove the exchange students to Wrentham Outlets along with another host, Brendan Dickinson. Upon pulling into the parking lot we heard chattering including “Reebok” and “Nike” but were quick to advise the students about spending all of their money on this first weekend. Some of them desired boots, sneakers, or winter coats and others just wanted to walk through the outlets. We left them to their own devices and set up a meeting for 1500 outside of the Reebok store.

We met back up around 1430 and heard stories about the shops they saw or the items they saw for sale inside the stores. A few of them had found a Chinese food establishment but were quick to warn us that it was an American-Chinese food restaurant and was nothing like the authentic Chinese food available back home. “The chicken was very tough” one of them remarked and we quickly told them that it would be difficult to find food comparable to the food back home. We made another quick stop at Walmart to pick up any other necessities before heading back to campus for the evening.

2/c Mike Doren and 2/c Jon Foley are cadet hosts for the SMU students at MMA and will be documenting their semester experience.

Introduction to America

We had the opportunity to welcome the students from Shanghai Maritime University and played a leading role in their acclimation both to Massachusetts Maritime Academy and to the United States. We spent the days before the SMU students’ arrival getting their temporary rooms prepared with bedding, towels, and ensuring the overall cleanliness of the entire rooms. Commander Page set up a series of meetings for all of the transfer students involved in the Spring Semester Orientation Program (SSOP) and the Chinese Exchange students were to follow a comparable schedule. We set up additional meetings with the Business Office to create savings accounts, a meeting with Health Services to provide an overview of the services provided, and spent all of our free time doing our best to get the exchange students acclimated to America and, most importantly, the time difference. They seemed to be handling all of the excitement well and at times even seemed to be better rested than the two of us.

They arrived on Wednesday evening exhausted after their 19-hour flight from Shanghai to Japan to Minneapolis to Boston. Their first meal in the United States, per their suggestion, was McDonalds before they made their way to MMA. We greeted them at CIC and whisked them up to their rooms on the 04 deck of First Company. Following a brief meeting with LT Deegan, Trustee Paul Kelly, and Professor Qi Chen, we gave the exchange students a brief tour of the deck and sent them to their rooms for the evening. This is an exciting experience and look forward to documenting the journey.

2/c Mike Doren and 2/c Jon Foley are cadet hosts for the SMU students at MMA and will be documenting their semester experience.

Tour of Shanghai

We just got back from a wonderful day out in the city organized by SMU. This morning, we were taken by bus to see the tallest building in Shanghai, the Financial Center. The students were absolutely thrilled to take a futuristic elevator to the 100th floor that made our ears pop. For all of us, this was first time to be looking down on clouds drifting by.

After a wonderful lunch at the old campus we helped students with their banking needs and then went to see the Shanghai Museum. Their Ming dynasty vase collection, bronze and calligraphy exhibits and jade collection is what fables are made of.

Our students are getting a new appreciation of our world, its diverse people and cultures and their rich heritage. They also seem to enjoy Chinese food and have no qualms about steamed dumplings for breakfast. SMU is doing everything they possibly can to make their stay comfortable and enjoyable.

Tomorrow we go on a tour of the historic Yu Gardens. Tonight, we meet our students to address any concerns they might possibly have. More later...

Bani Ghosh is the Department Chair for the International Maritime Business department at MMA and is accompanying the cadets for the first few weeks of the transition.

Settling In

I went to bed last night at about 1 am and woke up at about 4am. I guess that is the problem with a 13 hour time difference. I think it will be a few days before we get acclimated to the sleep schedule. We were all starved for breakfast because we felt like we had missed lunch and dinner while sleeping. The mess deck was very nice and we had a variety of food to choose from. I'm not really sure what I had for breakfast but it was good. The meals will take some getting used to but they are all well prepared.

We had orientation this morning, where we discussed the program and all the details of the school. We found out that there will be several students from Australia, South Korea, Poland, and also Africa that will be a part of this international program as well. This is such a great opportunity for all the students involved and everyone wants to make this a success.

We were given a tour of the campus and the surrounding area but we had to do so by bus because of the weather. The campus is unbelievably large and the facilities are state of the art. I think we are all still a little confused about the direction of everything but I'm sure we'll catch on. The library has several hundred computers and more maritime related resources than several schools combined. I think this will be a great opportunity for the International Maritime Business students to access some great databases and periodicals.

There was a welcome dinner prepared for us this evening and all of the foreign students were invited. This was a nice traditional Chinese dinner and they gave some speeches to welcome us. This gave us the opportunity to meet the cadets from the other Maritime Universities and talk with the Chinese cadets. They also prepared some stage shows including music, dance, and singing. I think everyone enjoyed the dinner and hospitality. It is very apparent that they are putting in a lot of effort to ensure that we are happy.

Adam Silvis is a 2/C cadet and Student Trustee at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Arrival in China

We were scheduled to meet at Logan airport on March 3, 2010 at 0930 to prepare for our noon departure. We met at the terminal and we were able to check our bags without any problems. We all had been trying to mentally prepare for the flight we were about to undertake. I know I certainly wasn't focusing on the airplane seat that I was about to get acquainted with. Fortunately, the flight went very well as we stopped in Detroit and transferred onto another plane to Shanghai. We had approximately 20 hours of flying time between the two flights. I have never been so happy in my life to see land! I had no clue what day it was when we landed and I certainly wasn't aware of the time. Its perplexing to get on a plane Wednesday morning and land in Shanghai on Thursday night.

We met our friends from Shanghai Maritime University at the terminal and after some greetings we were on our way. It was quite refreshing to see familiar faces in such an unfamiliar place. We had minimal expectations before coming to Shanghai and we really didn't know what our living quarters would be like. We were quite surprised when we reached the foreign dorm rooms. We were shocked to find out that we had two rooms per cadet. The one room is our living quarters while the other room is across the hall and will be used as an office lounge. They have really went above and beyond to make this as comfortable as possible for our stay. Our new roommates are so helpful and eager to make sure that we are satisfied with everything. I still can't believe I'm in China.

Adam Silvis is a 2/C cadet and Student Trustee at Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Introduction

So what is a blog anyway? Blogger.com defines a blog as a personal diary, a daily pulpit, a collaborative space, a political soapbox, a breaking-news outlet, a collection of links, your own private thoughts, and even memos to the world. Basically, a blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.

At Massachusetts Maritime Academy we are taking the blogging concept and giving it a new twist. This spring ten MMA cadets are traveling to China to spend the semester experiencing life at Shanghai Maritime University (SMU). Conversely, ten students from SMU are spending their spring semester at MMA with host MMA cadets. This blog will document life from both sides of the world and relay experiences of Americans in China, Chinese in America, and what can happen when two worlds collide.

Updates from Shanghai will be written and submitted by:
2/c Adam Silvis, Dayton, PA

Updates from Massachusetts Maritime Academy will be provided by:
2/c Michael Doren, Plymouth, MA
2/c Jonathan Foley, Millis, MA