Posted: 04-Jan-09
Photographer: Graham Blackwood
Graham Blackwood, is a Purdue Mechanical Engineering student from Fort Wayne, Indiana who wrote a blog while participating in a Study Abroad program to China in May of 2008, just prior to the Beijing Olympics. Here is a short out-take from his blog. Click on his link below to read about his entire adventure and more.
“China- We learned so much in just two weeks, it is impossible to encapsulate the experience in a blog. Traveling with about 30 Purdue students, we visited the cities of Beijing, Harbin, Ningbo and Shanghai. We not only became friends with many Chinese students but with ourselves- most of which we had not met before getting on a bus together. To begin with, we saw an amazing amount of national pride for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, and this was later reinforced by the incredible response to the Sichuan Earthquake that occurred shortly after we arrived to the country. Seeing the earthquake response from inside China was quite enlightening. I witnessed footage of the prime minister in the Sichuan province on day one and during an aftershock. I witnessed supply planes flying overhead daily and fighter jets patrolling the skies. I witnessed the people coming together to mourn for the ever rising death toll. If our group is to learn anything from our trip- it is that we are all human.”http://www.blackwoodlife.com/BlackwoodLife/Blog/Blog.html
In an article showcased in the Washington Post in August, 2008, China was hoping that American college student’s watching the Summer Olympics would want to travel to China, providing a bump similar to what happened in Australia and Greece in 2000 and 2004.
Below is an excerpte from that article by Associated Press quoting Dr. Brain Harley, Associate Dean, International Programs and Director, Programs for Study Abroad.
But even before the 2008 Games, China was already on its way as the hot new destination for study abroad.
There are almost certainly at least 10,000 U.S. students now enrolled annually in programs in China, up fivefold from a decade ago. China is the seventh most popular destination for U.S. students, according to the Institute of International Education. But it's growing so quickly that, if trends continue, it will soon pass countries like Britain, Spain and Italy and become the most popular.
After a sharp dip in 2002-2003 during the SARS scare, some U.S. colleges have seen huge surges in interest. At the University of Southern California, 343 students went to China last year, more than double the total five years ago. At Purdue University in Indiana, the number has doubled in four years, and last year China became the No. 1 study abroad destination.
"There's a sense that it's a cutting edge destination, where they can be among the first to learn firsthand about another culture," said Dr. Brian Harley, Purdue's associate dean for international programs. "There's something about being one of the first in your generation to really have a deep understanding."
While study abroad generally is growing, China's particular popularity has a range of explanations. It's cheaper than Europe, whose currencies have pummeled the U.S. dollar. There's a supply of American-trained Chinese academics who help bridge the language and culture gap. And China itself has become more welcoming, hoping to emulate how the United States has used its universities to extend its global influence.
But most of all, students see China as the future, and they want a firsthand look.
Photographer: Graham Blackwood
For more information please contact: Graham Blackwood gblackwo@purdue.edu
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