1. My international experience to date is:
Like many Americans, I have been to Canada several times, though that is not far enough from the
US for me to consider international. I have been to the United Kingdom twice for a total of about
a month and a half.
2. I want to go to China because:
China is a very important emerging economy, and its role on the international stage will only grow with
time. Understanding how Chinese engineers work and conduct business will prepare me to interact with my
future colleagues and competitors. Learning about Chinese business practices and even social mores will
be useful in my almost guarenteed interactions with them in the future. My father is a Chemical Engineer,
as I am hoping to be, and the time he has spent in China on business has helped him greatly in
understanding hwo to work with Chinese engineers.
3. I think the main professional work differences I will experience will be:
I have read studies that United States workers are among the most productive in the world. Also, the work
culture in the US gives more weight to individual opinions than the Chinese office culture. I expect that
unless we see actual workplace interactions we will not be able to see these statstics played out. But I
do think it will be easier to see the stratification of power in the workplace between managers and
employees.
4. I think the main cultural differences I will experience will be:
I think there are going to be many cultural differences between the United States and China, and many of
them will be quite striking. THe social mores and standards will be quite different then they are here.
Methods of greeting and conversation will be new and the types of behavior the Chinese view as
inappropriate or acceptable will also be very different. Culinary selections will also be very different
from Western tastes though I think that we will eat at resturants which have Americanized offerings.
5. I think the main political differences I will experience will be:
I will definately experience censorship when I access the internet in China if I search for
politically sensitive information. I don't think this will interfere with my trip, though I may
try to search for certain events or people to see how limited interet access is. I believe I will see a
different perspective on world events, especially of the United States, in the media than I am used to.
6. I think the students in China will be:
I think the Chinese students will be eager to meet us, as we are eager to meet them. I expect them
to have some fun mocking our attempts to speak Chinese. I think they will be more fluent in English
than we are in Chinese.
7. I predict I will be surprised to find:
I don't know how one can predict what they will be surprised by. I think that the differences in social
interactions will be the most surprising to me.
8. I think the major differences in living conditions will be:
I don't think that my living conditions during the trip will be that different since most hotels have adopted
western styles of comfort. As for the people that we visit and see in China, I expect a lower level of
sanitation than in the United States. I don't think that it will be a shocking difference, but I do expect
less access to clean water and substantial air and water pollution.