I sit here and wonder what to blog about next. There are so many things we have seen and done now that I could blog about, I don't know where to start. I want to share everything I have felt and seen so far. Which now makes me think of just the thing to talk about: sharing.
Since we first arrived we have been led here and there, on campus, off campus, hours away, minutes away. Every time and at every place we are greeted with smiles and enthusiasm. We would have seats in the front row and the title of "honoured guests".
Our Chinese hosts want to share their pride and way of life with us. They are proud of what they do, how they do it, and in their success at each endeavor.
From Qingdao beer making to the fine art of making tasty dumplings, and from kung fu and ping pong to a school fashion show, they want us to see it all and hope that we enjoy it. In turn we share our time and embarassed laughter as we butcher their language just trying to say hello my name is and count to three for one of many group photos.
This morning, we met students learning e-commerce in a small recruiting satellite office of a fast growing search engine company that competes with Google here in China. On one of our excursions to Qingdao we stopped in to take a tour of the provincial headquarters of this company, called BaiDu. It looked like a fun place to work with a strong team atmoshpere and young motivated staff. At 33, I think I was older than most of them.
Team leaders were eager to show us their sales stats and team pictures, which were plastered all over the walls in happy colours. This company is growing fast and they are proud of its success. The next best thing to Google in China? I would be proud too!
I look forward to more surprises during activity time each afternoon and wonder what they will think of showing us next. Maybe our next activity will involve drums or dancing! Whatever it is I know it will be presented by smiling, enthusiastic faces. How I wish we could bring our new friends back to Terrace and have the chance to show them the same hospitality that they have shown us.
Bobbi Boyd, a NWCC Business Administration Certificate student is part of a group of students taking part in a scholastic exchange to Qingdao Technical College (QTC), sister college to NWCC in Qingdao, China. She will be blogging during the exchange from April 23 to June 6.
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