In my last entry, I wrote about China through the sense of taste. However, to fully understand the country, the next obvious sense is that of sight. As the home of the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Mount Everest, the Terra Cotta Warriors, journaling every single abundant site makes my job complicated. However, most of the sights you can Google and envision them in their splendor and what it might feel like in person. So, I thought it would be better to show you the sights of Beijing and Xi An not included in our travel guides.

At 12,000 feet above sea level, Xi An’s altitude and increased industrial pollution restrict the lungs, dry the skin and chap the lips. The humidity and our inability to pack shorts, made hiking to the Terra Cotta Warriors, the Hot Springs and Mount Hua-Shan strenuous. As the toxic sun beamed onto our foreign skin, the women of Xi An carried parasols, reminiscent of the Antebellum South. Perhaps they had gotten the memo that fair skin is in and skin cancer is out. Mighty rivers that once fed the nation now streamed polluted sludge through Xi An, where the runoff is still used for drinking water, bathing and bathroom. Welcome to our second stop.

As you can tell, Xi An has not been my favorite stop. I had waited for many years of my childhood to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, and don’t get me wrong, they were splendid. The hike to the top of Mount Hua-Shan produced more than just amazing pictures and sore muscles; its clean air and challenges were revitalizing. But, the transition from a crowded, smoggy Beijing, to a fairly crowded and increasingly more smoggy and humid Xi An has provided its own challenges. But, enough about Xi An. Let’s get to the odd sites.

Lost in Translations

As I said in the last entry, it has been very difficult to order food because everything is in Chinese and I speak very little Chinese. Trying to order food at a KFC that uses only Chinese characters is like trying to decipher Hammurabi’s Code without the Rosetta Stone; it is just impossible. However, even when the menus or signs are in English, the translations are just as hard to decipher.

Food and Drinks

After a long day of trekking through Beijing, our group got lost in a back alleyway. Now, when the whole country seems to be a back alley, we were not worried. However, we were growing hungry, and started looking for food. We came across this sign outside of a literal hole-in-the-wall restaurant. We guessed their Internet translation missed the whole translation all together.

But, sometimes it is better just not to have a translation. This bottle of liquid, possibly recycled water, is called “toilet water.” If that is just a flavor, I pity the poor worker in charge of quality control and testing.

The worker in charge of quality control at this restaurant should ask for hazard pay. The restaurant, known for its greasy calzones and American style pizza, promises to put you in a coma. In a country whose pollution threatens early lung cancer and taxi drivers threaten paralysis, a food-induced coma is probably not on high the list of “must-dos”.

Bathroom Etiquette

The traditionally natural process of “going potty” usually needs little instruction, but the bathrooms in China apparently come with a set of instructions. In our first hotel in Beijing, a couple of the rooms had the following sign over their toilets, “Beware of Landslides”. Before you wonder how the hotel knew we would get the Beijing Belly (thanks to my culinary misadventures), it refers to the water that leaks out from the showers. Not only do the showers not work occasionally, but the plumbing is sometimes sub-par. In one restaurant, the owners had posted a sign, in English, explicitly telling the user to not do Number 2 in the restroom.

Helpful Instructions and Warnings

All in all, the Chinese know that there are many English speakers in their country and they are trying to be helpful by including warnings and instructions. But, sometimes those helpful hints are also lost in translation. While visiting the Ming Tombs, I came across a sign that read “Thunder Storm Weather. Do Not Use Mobile Phone”. I could only imagine how they realized that this was necessary to warn foreigners about potential cellular electrocution in the middle of the forest. Another sign said, “The non-staff member pleases not an operation! Thanks.” Pooling together, our study abroad group thinks it refers to someone who is not an employee changing the television or something, but the jury is still out. But, it was the next sign that needed a photo to fully understand its intricacies. Hung above a construction site, we think it asks for patience and cooperation in the construction process, but again, its translation is lost.

In recent years and especially in anticipation of the Olympics, China has attempted to qualm a few “bad habits” of its populace, including smoking. While visiting Lao Long Tou, or Large Dragon Head, every corner and possible blank wall held signs proclaiming, “You are actually polluting yourself when you are polluting,” “Be a spreader of civility; be a protector of morality” and “Abandon bad habits and embrace civilization.” I am not a smoker, nor do I condone smoking for its nasty effects on the body, but I would see these signs causing a stir in the United States. And what an ironic place to position these signs but at a site named after a fire-breathing creature. The final sign we found at the Jiaoshun section of the Great Wall in Qinhuangdao. The city is known for its greenery and roses, a nice transition from Xi An and Beijing. In protection of this status, there were signs placed in front of large grass areas and flowers saying, “Flowers are smiling and grass is sleeping, don’t disturb them.” The translation is understandable and just like the other signs, it simply made us smile.

The Great Wal(l)-Mart

All of us on the trip have been a bit homesick here and there during our travels. However, despite the language barriers and some cultural differences, Beijing looks like a bit like home. Every corner houses a KFC, Starbuck’s, McDonald’s, and Pizza Hut (called Big Pizza in China). I had Starbuck’s at the Great Wall, KFC after class one day (not the same as the United States) and McDonald’s twice when I really felt homesick and underfed. But my favorite has been Wal-Mart. At four stories high, the Beijing Wal-Mart located next to the subway station is truly a wonder across the world. With name-brand knock-offs, and floors devoted to beauty supplies, baby gear, electronics and unrecognizable food, the non-air conditioned Wal-Mart made a stark contrast to the outside vendors and peddlers. Although it was quite a walk for our group from Beihang University, it felt a little like home when we passed it on our way to the subway station.

Famous in this Country

I can’t say I have ever wondered what it is like to be David Hasselhoff in Germany, but I have thought of what it might be like if I was famous. Everyone wants to take your picture as you walk down the red carpet at a movie premier or rock out at a concert, followed by groupies. Well, change the red carpet to the Great Wall and substitute the concert for a Chinese karaoke bar. Welcome to our three-week fiasco everywhere we have traveled. Although Beijing is the capital and therefore attracts many foreign tourists, Xi An and especially Qinhuangdao do not normally have any foreigners, much less a group of sixteen very diverse college students.

Our group, comprised of three tall blondes, two Hispanics and a couple brunettes, have been chased after and endured multiple spontaneous photo sessions with ancient relics in the background and new friends in the foreground. It takes us hours to get through a room or to get down a mountain, stopping every few moments for photo sessions with people we don’t know, but who want to get to know us candidly. Old and young all want to ask personal questions, like “Where are you from?” and “How old are you?” I have gotten very good at saying “Wo shì mei guó rèn” and “Wo shì èr si yi”, but by the time I spit out those phrases, it is back to saying “Qíe zi” for the camera.

As a big group, we understand the hassles of taking photos. However, the crowds that gather do not understand this delicate dance. The groups – scratch that, swarms of followers all want to take individual photos with you even though their group contains thirty people. Then, like homesick college students to a McDonald’s, another group of thirty flocks just in time to take photos with the foreigner who has just become a smiling cardboard cutout. Then again, how could I document my trip better than through a 1,000 pictures worth a thousand-words. The first time the impromptu flashbulbs blinded us, I was at the Summer Palace in Beijing with our lone Icelander, Gutti, who stands 6’3 with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. The 4’11 Chinese women flocked to him, shoving in true Chinese form to better their position in line. With beaming smiles and peace signs, they hugged onto his legs and bumped their heads on his hips.

However, the most stunning backdrops and sporadic photo sessions occurred on our hike up Mount Hua-Shan, one of China’s most dangerous mountain ranges. Making due with my bad knees, empty stomach and sea-level lungs, I trudged up the mountain, sweat rolling down my brow as I attempted to make it past the first 100 feet. As I stopped to rest and video my first entry, I noticed a giggle gaggle of middle-aged women. Somehow their makeup was still pristine and through broken Chinese and translation help from a random gentleman, we started our daily photo session. Along the way, Nikki and I picked up a groupie following of seven Chinese businessmen, climbing the mountain on casual Friday in their Sunday best. During our four hour trek to the top, I continuously stopped to catch my breath that I had left at the bottom of the 7087 foot tall mountain. Viewing their opportunity for yet another photo, the businessmen propped up my drooping head and sat down for photos. They grabbed Nikki and another student, Brett, to add flavor to the Chinese-American dish. Reaching the third highest peak on our way to the top, Nikki and I rested, took in the view and munched on indecipherable Chinese snacks. Out of nowhere, the businessmen plopped down next to us and offered baked goods. Nikki joked that it was payment for all the photos we had taken. Ignoring our mother’s warning against taking food from strangers, we enjoyed the snack and thought about the interesting and entertaining trek up the mountain.

Next Stop: Qinhuangdao

While walking with my language partner, I tripped on the uneven cobblestone. He laughed at me while I tried to explain that the sidewalks in the United States are usually evenly paved. Again he laughed and told me that “Americans are spoiled.” Living in hotels sub par to even Motel 6, eating food that is sitting next to week old garbage, breathing air that Olympians don’t want to breathe and dodging traffic that uses stoplights as decoration has made us shiver a few times. But, if we bring nothing back from China (not possible with my spending habits or vaccinations), we have had taken in so many sights that would never been found in a travel guide. Well, except for this one.

A week has passed since we have been in Italy, and so many things have happened. The most vital thing has been getting to know the other members of the group. My apartment houses the only girls on the trip. Liz, Allison, and Soo are all friendly and fun-loving. Joe lives in an apartment of five, and his roommates are Travis, Christian, Nick, and John. Next door to Dr. Parker and her husband Captain Tom Parker of American Airlines, there is another apartment of three boys. They are Mike, Brian, and Dr. Parker’s student assistant Luca. Because two of the original 14 students were unable to make it, one student, Ahmed, is living in town near the school. So far everyone seems to be getting along well and generally enjoying each other’s company.

On our first day of classes, I did not know what to expect. At 8 a.m. Dr. Parker and her husband led us to the bus stop which took us from the village of Vico Alto, where the monastery is located, to the bus station near the center of Siena. From there we walked up and down endless cobblestone streets which seemed to twist and turn with no planned pattern whatsoever. The buildings all seemed to look the same –medieval rows of shops and apartments with no breaks between them, only continuous walls. There are no patches of grass anywhere, though the occasional tree has been carefully planted here or there. To those of us who had not before been exposed to such an atmosphere, it was as if we had been transported back in time into a medieval Italian city. It would take most of us a couple of days to even begin to know the way through the confusing streets.

Though on our first journey through the streets of Siena, the confusion and twistedness made the greatest impression on my mind, don’t misunderstand… I soon found myself in love with the medieval feel of the streets and shops. It inspires stories and images along the same lines as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Chronicles of Narnia. I can’t get enough peeks into the shops filled with glittering jewelry and amazing art, or enough tastes of little sandwiches and pastries. Siena has a charm all its own…

The building in which our host school, Dante Alighieri, is located appears to be just another part of the continuous inner walls of Siena. The inside is just as twisted and convoluted as the streets outside. However, the people who work here are friendly and helpful to us, just as they are to the many other visiting foreign students. Embry-Riddle is one of several American schools to partner with Dante Alighieri for study abroad programs.

The director of the school, Luca, introduced himself to us, apologizing for his broken English, but giving us a warm welcome to the program. Next, he introduced us to our Italian teacher, Enzo. He is in his late 30’s, a little on the short side, thin, bald, and wears what seems to be the trendy Italian style of clothing. He teaches well, likely in part due to his friendly, casual, and understanding personality, as well as his sense of humor. I cannot speak for the others in class, but Joe and I are enjoying the Italian language class and do not find it too difficult, though it is sometimes a little confusing.

After lunch, for which we have an hour to eat anywhere in the city, we have Dr. Parker’s Italian Art and Literature class. The morning subject matter feels light and easy compared to the deep and rather personal topics we have covered so far in our afternoon class. In the first week, Dr. Parker talked about divisions of culture with relation to our position in the world. We discussed cultural differences between the U.S. and Italy; gave personal definitions of ourselves to the class based on things such as birthplace, family upbringing, and religion; and began to consider our two projects for the summer –a presentation on an Italian artist and a report on different levels of Dante’s Inferno. Despite the tendency of this second class to be sleep-inducing in its depth and weightiness, I find it entirely intriguing and do my best to focus and participate.

After classes, in the first week we have found ourselves generally hanging around (ironically) a certain Irish pub near the bus station for a couple hours. I believe the main reasons for this are the free Wi-Fi internet offered there and the wonderful laid-back atmosphere. It is something familiar to us in this typically unfamiliar city. We discuss classes and plans for weekend trips over a pint of brew and our favorite American-based websites. Also we all seem to like visiting a nearby grocery store which has a wide variety of Italian foods to experiment with.

Each day this week has brought new surprises and experiences, but in, general the days with classes tend to go the same way. As we approached our first three-day weekend, several of us had different ideas for where to go and what to see. In the end, three of the boys went to see Rome and a group of seven chose to fly up to London to see the city and the new Indiana Jones movie which just came out in theaters. Joe and I had plans to see Rome the following weekend and we both felt that flying all the way to London was out of the question when we were really here to see Italy. So we chose an Italian city nearby with the least expensive train ticket we could hope for –about seven euros each to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and its neighboring monuments.

Two of our fellow classmates, Nick and Allison, were planning to fly out of Pisa on their way to London. They chose to take the bus, which left early in the morning, giving them several hours to see the city before flying on. Joe and I joined them on the bus so that we could explore as a group rather than just the two of us. The walk from the station to the Leaning Tower was nice after two hours on the cramped bus. We ate lunch outdoors at a local cafe and continued on into what was the most tourist-filled sight we’ve yet seen in Italy. Everyone around seemed to be trying to hold up the Leaning Tower like mimes in line with hundreds of cameras.

Despite the crowd and the cheesiness, we enjoyed the monuments which, though not overwhelmingly large, did produce some sense of wonder and awe. Inside the cathedral the grand paintings and gothic architecture instilled a silence among the tourists. I don’t think I have ever noticed before how much presence a building can have. Though I do not practice much religion personally, I felt myself caught up in the spiritual curiosity and solemnity of the place. Even while I experimented with my camera to see how far it would focus and how best to steady it, I found myself talking with Joe about deep religious questions and considering what the people who built the cathedral felt when they knelt before the altar and allowed themselves to reach for something beyond the physical world.

When the four of us finally emerged from the cathedral’s heavy darkness, we were all in need of some sugar and a rest. We sat on some steps and indulged in some delicious gelato, the Italian version of ice cream, which we have been enjoying almost every day since the first in Siena. Afterward we explored some of the local shops before walking back across town to the train station.

It is hard to believe that already one out of five weeks in Italy is over and behind us. Despite the little bits of culture shock that sometimes make things difficult, it is hard not to love everything about this trip so far. Everyone in our group seems to be agreeable and fun, Siena is lovely if not inspiring, and our exploration of other cities in the country has only just begun.

College graduation is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, no matter what level degree is being accomplished. It is what every senior pines for at the end of four (or five) years and in May, I had the graduation green light. My name was printed in the graduation program. The cap and gown had been purchased and my friends and family were in the crowd. But, I was also sitting in the crowd watching my fellow Class of 2008 classmates walk across the stage and receive their diplomas. However, sitting in the crowd didn’t make me bitter because I had delayed my graduation for another once in a lifetime experience.

When my best friend, Nikki, asked me what I was doing summer of 2008, I replied, “Enjoying the beach and relishing in my graduatory status.” However, she had a different idea. Instead, she suggested studying abroad. The program had so many countries to pick from so I told her just to pick a unique place. Both of us are regulars of Europe, so she suggested Japan or China as alternatives. Without hesitation, I picked the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing China.

China. This communist state is populated with 1,330,044,605 people who speak a dozen plus languages with a land mass of 9,596,960 sq. km. and so many stereotypes. Known for many years as “Red China,” the country is also known for their intricate architecture, the Great Wall, panda bears, cheap exports and, most recently the Olympics and the Sichuan earthquake.  The history and sites are intensely overwhelming, so a professor of mine advised me to “be prepared to be unprepared.” I realized what an understatement that was when I arrived with eight of my classmates at Beijing International Airport after 18 hours of travel. Through my seatmate’s 2 x 1 airplane window, I got snapshots of Beijing through heavy clouds of smog. It looked like every other sprawling Midwest city, complete with fields and industrial architecture. That was until we landed.

Beijing, a sprawling metropolis, resembles any U.S. Chinatown. The people speak Chinese. The signs are in Chinese. The taxi drivers only speak Chinese. But, this isn’t America and I only knew how to say “Hi” and “What is your name.” After a week, I have mastered a few more phrases, learned to use the public transportation, seen one of the Wonders of the World, and visited many other famous sites. However, the most challenging part thus far has been eating. I nearly have a panic attack when someone suggests getting dinner. In fact, I would rather listen to my stomach rumble than have to explain to the waitress that I do not want anything spicy or still moving. I have had many culinary disasters, misunderstandings and eaten some unconventional food. So for my first entry, I decided to introduce the reader to China through the sense of taste.

I set out for China wanting to try the bizarre foods and brag that I could keep them down unlike contestants on Fear Factor. But, things are always easier from the Laz-Y-Boy.

Fork Fiasco   

After a disastrous introduction to Chinese food our first night, which left me on the bathroom floor at 3 a.m., Nikki and I decided to venture off to another Chinese restaurant that looked more sanitary. The first restaurant only had the menu in Chinese characters so we looked for a sit down restaurant with a picture menu. Ironically, we found a restaurant located next to the previous culinary disaster spot. We were seated by the hostess who proceeded to hover over our table, eyeing our food decisions. Nikki chose a dish which resembled chicken and vegetables. Somehow, through sign language and pointing to words in our handy travel guide, the waitress told us we had a side dish option. I picked rice. She pointed to four listings under the rice, all with different prices and different Chinese characters. I picked the cheapest, but she kept muttering something in Chinese. Finally, frustrated and hungry, I pointed to the dumplings which had nothing written underneath them. That was sufficient   and they brought out the meal. Neither Nikki nor I had really used chopsticks in America sans a few times at a sushi bar. Eating the very spicy mystery meat and toxically spicy vegetables proved difficult. While Nikki and I laughed it off, our very patient waitress brought over two forks. We all giggled and exchanged laughter, only to be joined by the remainder of the 10 + occupied restaurant. Ever get that feeling that everyone is talking about you. Yeah, welcome to China!

These Feet are Only Meant for Walking

Our next culinary escapade occurred after a class field trip to the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall. Our group stopped at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant after the tour and my culinary ambitions kicked in.  I hadn’t really fulfilled my desire to eat a “weird” food, so I asked the professor to help me pick out a selection. The menu, luckily in English, had a wide array of chicken’s feet, cow tripe, tongue and various other traditional offal, or animal byproducts. I settled on the chicken feet based on my professor’s suggestion. The feet arrived intact with nails, claws and bones still attached. Unsure where to begin, the waitress told me to chew on the feet. “Chew on the feet,” I said, starting to regret my decision. One bite and I knew this poor bird had died in vain. The foot, cooked in a hot pepper sauce, was clammy and off-white. It was slick and difficult to pry off the bone. You had to use your molars to pry off the little bit of meat, so it continuously threatened to claw its way back from my throat to my mouth. After seeing my reaction, my classmates also tried, but they had similar strange facial contortions. I hoped karma would forgive me for my transgressions against the bird, for it was not going to be eaten.

Corner Cuisine

Before I left, a friend gave me advice about eating at a street vendor. “Eat at the one with the most people in line,” she said. But, what do you do if you and your classmates make the entire line? Every night since our arrival, the guys have been frequenting a local vendor located right outside of the Beihang University gates. After a long day touring the Summer Palace, Nikki and I followed the guys to the corner. Every night, the vendor, with a large smile and dimpled grin, displays his eats on a makeshift bicycle/trailer/display case. He wasn’t quite set up yet when we arrived at 8 p.m., so we grabbed a few drinks at the local newspaper stand and settled in next to his hibachi grill. Soon after we sat, five or six people began taking the meats from the display case and placing them on the grill. Most of the meats were unrecognizable and the smell of stale fish filled the smoggy Chinese air. The boys had their favorites ranging from the recognizable lamb and chicken patties to the seemingly inedible chicken heart and squid tentacles. Under peer pressure, I ate chicken heart, squid tentacles, egg patties and sweet buns. The chicken heart was slightly squishy, but well cooked. The squid tasted like fresher calamari from the States. The egg patties were a mix of egg, minced onions and chives and a bread crumb outer shell. They were very spicy, but closely related to hash browns and scrambled eggs. As I tried each concoction, I made sure to keep a straight face even if I didn’t like selected pieces. After all, this vendor spent time and plenty of effort to catch and prepare the meats and he was proud of his final product. I didn’t want to cause him concern or upset by rejecting his meal. However, after paying 1-3 yuan (roughly 50 cents) for each of my six kebabs, I wondered what profit he actually made. In China you can’t tip, but the group all wished we could show how appreciative we  were of his work.

Mao’s Munchies

The following day, the same group went to visit Tiananmen Square, site of the infamous 1989 massacre. Among the sites visited were Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Forbidden City and Premier Mao Zedong’s body. Mao, the creator of the People’s Republic of China, has been lying in state since 1976. Vendors crowded the 100 acre square hocking Mao paraphernalia. Cheap watches, Chinese flags and Mao’s famous Little Red Book lined the plaza that had seen two massacres, numerous famous speeches and now a major tourist attraction. After enticing my appetite with talk of massacres, propaganda, and the Great Helmsman, we headed into downtown Beijing for street vendor food.

After walking past McDonald’s and a Westernized shopping mall, we stumbled upon an alleyway crammed with street vendors. Most were selling caramelized fruits, lamb and pork skewers and Coca-Cola. But, one vendor caught my eye. Originally, I had walked past, eyeing a vendor selling donut-like pastries. But, upon doing a double take, I noticed this aforementioned vendor’s food was still moving. There in the storefront were live scorpions, grasshoppers, cicadas and starfish pushed onto wooden sticks. The line was long so I decided to jump in for my turn. I chose the scorpions that were not moving based on the broken English advice of a local bystander. I watched the moving scorpions as they were dipped into the frying pan and handed quickly to me. Still steaming, I took a breath and crunched down. Much to my surprise, the scorpions tasted good. Ironically, it tasted like over-fried chicken.

However, my next two dishes were not so fortunate. I am an avid viewer of No Reservations: Anthony Bourdain and I used clips from the China show to plan my culinary adventures. Anthony had tried cow’s stomach while in China and raved about the texture and taste, even praising the chef for his attention to cooking by keeping it basic and lightly seasoned. So, while in Beijing, I did as Anthony did and ordered a heaping plate of white and black-grey cow’s tummy. My stomach and the unlucky cow’s stomach were both quickly in my mouth, attempting another jail break. I held it in, but not without the disgust of my fellow classmates sitting directly in the line of fire. I guess I just can’t stomach stomach.

I thought my misadventures were over until another classmate decided to purchase the starfish. Being from Florida, I have never had the desire to eat such a cute specimen. After much peer pressure again, I bit down on the tough skin. Much to my dismay, it tasted like I was eating a piece of fried sand. I figured my digestive tract needed a break, so I settled for a caramelized crab apple and went shopping.

Memorial Meal

After a half a bottle of Tums and a few nights of digestive distress, my other sorority sister, Emily, along with Nikki and I, decided to find the local Beihang Café that served American-style food. We all craved different things like pancakes, lettuce, mayonnaise and pizza and the café served them all, though not together obviously. While eating, a Chinese man approached us. He was out of breath and we just thought maybe he worked at the café. He said, “I have important information for you…At a 14:28 we are going have a memorial for earthquake victims.” He rushed us from our meal, as everyone in the three story café crowded around the big screen television. Although we couldn’t understand the announcer, the images of people being pulled out of buildings, of workers hauling material and of people crying spoke our language. The screen went black and displayed white Chinese characters. Everyone got quiet as the air sirens began to wail. After a minute, car horns joined in and a minute following that, boat horns completed the ceremony. The only sounds sans those from the television were sniffles and the occasional sigh. The three minute ceremony concluded and those crying quickly hid their faces and bolted for the door. The gentleman thanked us for our cooperation and disappeared with the rest of the patrons. We paid our bill and left in near silence.

On the walk home, we realized what had just occurred and we were thankful that we were a part of this country’s mourning. Though the gentleman thanked us, we are human beings and feel their pain. Although our recent country disasters differed, one intentional and one natural, we still can understand the pain of losing fellow countrymen.

With 50,000 dead and expected to climb, we leave Beijing next week for Xi An, a city located close to the Chinese Ground Zero.  The distance between the two is like the distance between San Francisco and Los Angeles. A Chinese student studying English was paired up with me to practice conversational Chinese and English. He is from Sichuan, the province affected most, and said he has yet to hear if anyone he knows has perished. As we walked by the television, he just shook his head and said, “You are lucky you don’t have that in America”. Although that is not completely accurate, we are lucky. China is great, but it is hard to visit a country and know what you leave behind. So, enjoy those hamburgers and fries I am missing so much and I will fill you in when we get to Xi An.

Hello Everyone!

Well I’m just going to jump into what I myself have just jumped into.  It is halfway through the first week of my internship with Lockheed Martin in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Specifically I am working for their Maritime Systems and Sensors branch which has a website at http://lockheedmartin.com/ms2/.

I started at Embry-Riddle in the spring of 2007 as a Space Physics Major.  This past semester I also added on Engineering Physics because I cannot decide between two majors I like so much.  With a lot of help from some excellent teachers and awesome friends I have been doing very well.  This has afforded me this wonderful internship opportunity for the company I intend to work for when I graduate.

I arrived in West Palm Beach last Thursday to check around town and find out what was going on.  A relocation company was paying for up to seven days of a hotel stay with everything included so I had no worries about finding a place and getting settled.  Two of the other interns starting at the same time were discussing with me about being roommates but made no solid plans yet.  After a relaxing long weekend on the beach I began to prepare for my first day on Monday.

There were six interns starting for the summer that day and we all met in the security and visitors building outside the main building complex.  The human resources representative, Paula met us and we were brought into the secured building complex.  What followed was a long but very interesting morning which introduced us to many of the projects being worked on here as well as how things were run in general.  We also got to meet several of the project and site managers, received our employee badges, and had a tour of the vehicle testing facilities.

As the morning ended, each of our individual managers we would be working directly under came into the conference room we were at to take us to lunch, and then to the actual building and floor we would be spending most of our time at.

For the rest of Monday and Tuesday I met my new co-workers, had my computer set up, and became introduced to the many projects I might be working on.  I also found an awesome roommate with a house who is a project manager here at Lockheed as well.  What better way to meet more people at the company I want to work for than that!  Their house is also by the beach, which does not hurt at all.

Well I will post again next week with a lot more details about what exactly I am doing because hopefully I will know by then too!

First a little background on EDS. Electronic Data Systems is a global company and is actually now HP-EDS (having recently been purchased by Hewlett-Packard). They are a computer systems company started by Ross Perot. I am lucky enough to work in the Flight Department located in McKinney, Texas. The hang a r houses three Gulfstream corporate jets: a G4, G5, and G550. Although most interns of my degree want to fly these aircraft, I will be working alongside the mechanics and helping to maintain them as well as observing some of the flights.

My first day went pretty smoothly, of course you have the paper work of any job, but for the most part it went smooth learning some of the finer points of working with Jet A. I will be partially responsible for the fueling of the aircraft and the refueling of the 5,000 gallon fuel truck, this is apart from the two 15,000 gallon fuel tanks the company also owns. The first part of the day we topped off the fuel truck with a meager 2,330 gallons which only took about half an hour.

The G5 had taken off earlier the previous day and was scheduled to come back the late that night. Coming into work on Friday, I learned that the Gulfstream had incurred a few discrepancies that required us to replace the galley’s oven and a few effect lights, so nothing major. The most I learned was when we went over all the systems throughout the aircraft. Prof. Garrett’s    systems and components class sure did pay  off.

Well it’s hard for me to believe, but my three months at Honeywell are now over. Overall I think it was a great experience for me. I gained a lot of technical knowledge that I think will help me in my remaining years at school and also when I enter the corporate world after graduation.

More importantly than the technical knowledge, in my opinion, is what I learned about how to operate in the corporate world of engineering. There are a lot of things that one has to get used to when working within a large corporation that you wouldn’t have to contend with if you worked for a smaller organization. But once you learn how to jump through (or go around) the hoops that are in place in these larger companies you can take advantage of the much larger resources that they have to offer.

My last days with the company were very busy. I was trying to make sure that all the work I had done over the summer was both well documented and backed up so that if things needed to be re-visited, the guys I worked with would have all my notes as a starting point, and wouldn’t have to start again from scratch.

Also, a new experience for me was going through all my hard copies of documents and destroying them. Since all of the work we do is considered either Honeywell Confidential or For Official Use Only (F.O.U.O.) we cannot just throw them away in the trash; they all have to be shredded and then put in special bins that go out to another large shredder the company operates.

Overall I think that my internship at Honeywell was a great experience for me and that I benefited from it greatly. I also felt that I made some contributions to the projects I helped out on and that I was not just there looking over other people’s shoulders.

I would definitely consider going back to Honeywell next summer and would recommend that others look into it as well. It was a great company to work for.

Finally, there are so many other little things as an intern you do that affect they way you think about aviation and the world in general. The conference calls you sit in on, the meetings you are a part of and what you hear in the jumpseat. It all impacts you.

Going into this internship I had no idea what to expect. All I know was I was going to have a blast, and I did but the knowledge, not only about the airline, but about life in general could never be taught in a classroom.

Not only has the internship given me a leg up in getting to my ultimate dream of flying for a major airline, it has also prepared me for the mind set I should go into this industry with.

In my opinion, it should be a mandatory activity for every Aeronautical Science student in the Airline Pilot Area of Concentration to take part in an internship at an airline. It’s one thing to learn airline operations in a classroom setting, it is another thing to live it for four months.

The people I have met here at Continental are like family to me now, and I will be sad to leave. But I know I will be back here in a few years’ time.