Arrival in Beijing

I am getting settled into my new digs at the China Foreign Affairs University International Exchange Center, which is a hotel run by the university for long-term 'foreign experts' like myself and short-term diplomats or scholars here for a conference of presentation. The campus itself is very small, about a five minute walk from end to end, with only one primary building for classrooms, a library, and some basketball and volleyball courts. There is also a 'canteen' or cafeteria that runs about $1-1.50 for rice and two servings of a dish, not bad. There is also a Muslim 'canteen' that serves food halal, which I am anxious to check out. Location is pretty good, 15 minute walk to Fuchengmen subway stop, and across from the enormous Tianyi wholesale market that sells everything one could imagine; Angry Birds appear to be hot everywhere, as are the Smurfs, though they look less cuddly than I recall as a child in the 1980s.

Today, I will get my office, which word is contains only a chair and desk and nothing else. I also hope to check out the classroom where I will teach, and next week will meet my teaching assistant, whom I hope is willing to do some major photocopying of texts (shhh, don't tell the publishers.) I think I've mostly got my syllabi ready to go, and next week is the in-country orientation, which can hopefully answer remaining questions.

Beijing itself is starting to cool from the normal hot and humid summertime, though still rather muggy. After 2 weeks, the tally would be 12 smog days and 2 blue sky days, that is probably a fairly accurate gauge of the norm, maybe a bit better this fall. I'm certainly not gonna keep track. Crowds on the subway (mostly young people) continue to swell, automobile traffic is even worse. 20 million people in the city, perhaps 30 million in the municipality. Prices are certainly inflated, as are housing prices and rental prices in dramatic fashion. A 1,000 square foot condo in the city probably costs $1 million (US); rent for a one bedroom runs about $1,000 per month. A middle class salary is probably $10,000 per year. You can do the math, but upwards of 50% of income goes to housing.

Looking forward to settling into a routine after classes begin September 5, and by then temperatures should be in the low 80s and more dry, like Sacramento perhaps.

Fulbright Orientation

Our pre-departure orientation lasted three days in June in Washington DC at the Grand Hyatt. About 60 students (both undergrads and grad students) and 30 scholars participated, some going to teach, most for research. It was an excellent orientation to the society, lifestyle, and social conditions in China, with lots of useful insights from Fulbright alumni. Most of the particulars were off the record, so I will leave it as such. Interestingly, the Chinese Embassy hosted a banquet for us. The Education adviser vigorously explained how beautiful his staff members were, obviously not accustomed to a politically correct academic audience (or perhaps any audience at all). Otherwise, the teaching alumni generally confirmed my own sentiments, that the students are very hard-working and will follow the instructor's wishes with no questions asked. Apparently, the host university will provide a facilitator/administrator (waiban) to resolve any problems, and who can help negotiate any classroom disputes, particularly cultural issues between student and teacher. I am excited to experience the classroom environment, and to find out what courses I will be teaching.

Now, I have to book my air tickets, get my visa, and plan what to take. Our next orientation wil be in-country, at the end of August in Beijing.

And oddly, on my flight from Atlanta to Washington, DC, right behind me sat Newt Gingrich, with his wife, flying coach, gotta give him credit for that. He explained to the young (and annoying) investment banker next to him (who asked the ex-Speaker 'when did you decide to run for president') his policy platform.

Notice

Although the Fulbright Program in sponsored and funded by the U.S. Department of State, this is my personal blog and reflect my own thoughts and experiences. This is not an official Department of State website, and the views and information presented do not represent the Fulbright Program or the Department of State.

University Placement

I found out that I will be teaching at China Foreign Affairs University (http://www.cfau.edu.cn/cfauEN/index.html) in Beijing. This is China's only university not run by the Ministry of Education, but rather by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So it should be a great opportunity to meet and interact with diplomats from all over the world and teach part of the next generation of China's foreign service. This is really great news, very happy with the placement. They have departments of Diplomacy, English and International Studies, Foreign Languages, International Law, International Economics, and Basic Education. I will find out more at my June orientation in Washington, DC and another in Beijing at the end of August. For now, still must finish working on all my preparation.

Preparations

Waiting for which city/university I will spend the next year. Looking for airfares, getting medical clearance, planning what to pack/ship, etc. Going to first orientation in Washington, DC at the end of June, before departing sometime in August. Need to pick out text books, update syllabi. School starts around September 1.