1993_05 Insight May 1993

              March 12,1993
Page 15
Communist China lacks
Western living standards
By Deborah Miller
Staff Writer
Since it began in 1986, the China
Semester program has suffered some
setbacks, but Paul Vander Meer. CSUF
professor of geography and coordinator of the fall "93 China Semester
program, said he is now trying to reintroduce ihc program on a regular basis. In 1989 when the Tianneman
Square massacre broke oul, ihe trip
was canceled for safety reasons.
Then in 1992, with 15 students registered, the program collapsed again
because of state budget cuts.
But last fall, when Fresno City College student Laurence Alvidrcz got
the news that the trip fell through, he
wasn't discouraged. He had saved his
money, packed his bags and was determined to go. He and some others
who had signed up for the
decided to meet this ancient contine?
on their own terms. They booked the
trip through a travel agent, resided in
dorms at Hangzhou University and
took Chinese language classes.
Alvidrez, 21, said the first thing he
noticed was how much better
westerners were treated than the Chinese nationals.
"If you're a foreigner in China, you
can do anything you want," he said.
"I mean, you can't hold a democracy
rally or robabank or anything, but you
can get away with minor infractions
ran in the mornings.
"I would pretty much plan my day
around when I could take a warm
shower," he said. "And Chinese students didn't get any hot water atall. So
in winter when it got to be 30 or 40
degrees out, it must've been awful for
them to come in and have to take acold
shower."
According to Alvidrcz, the Chinese
units were not as accommodating as
the foreign units. "They had rats in
their dorms," he said. "I saw a huge
one about a foot long in iheir unit."
Alvidrez said the Chinese dorms had
broken windows, and no washers, dryers or air conditioning. He said officials eavesdropped on the telephone
conversations of the Chinese students
while headmasters, called "shifu" or
"ayi", stood guard against any clandestine late-night visits.
He said although foreign students
could come and go as they pleased,
Chinese couples had nowhere to go
"icy.
: couples going into the bushes
lo be alone because they'd both have
roommates and couldn't go to ihcir
parents' houses," he said. "So they'd
just put a blanket down and do it
outside in the cold."
But Vander Meer said these dismal
conditions are only the remaining vestiges of a once-guarded and militant
regime now crumbling under the influence of western democratic ideals
and the promise of economic opportunity.
and stuff that their own people can'L
They [ihc government] treat their own
people pretty bad."
Alvidrez said although he enjoyed
the trip, which lasted from September
1992 io January 1993. life in the dorms
would not live up to typical western
standards. Because of China's housing shortage, rooms were shared by as
many as s a people and hot water only
"Their government, though technically communist, is capitalist under
the table," he said. "The government
doesn't even believe in what it's doing."
He said many tourists are afraid of
being spied on or watched by the government. "Those people are too busy
making money," he said. "They
couldn'(careless aboul communism."
Alvidrcz agreed.
"As long as you flash the cash,
ihcy can be very accommodating,"
he said. "You can solve anything in
China with money."
And touristsdon't need much cash
in China because a little bit of U.S.
money goes a long way. Alvidrez
said he met a Chinese-doctor there
who made S33 a month and paid $4
a month for rent. But luxury items,
such as bicycles and walkman radios, are considered expensive lo
ihe average worker.
Although wages aren't very high
in China, neither is ihc crime rate,
Alvidrcz said. "It's pretty safe
there," he said. "Probably not much
would happen to a foreigner if he
assaulted a Chinese person, bul if a
Chinese person assaulted a
westerner, he would get seriously
busted."
Theft isn't a problem there cither
because ihe penalties are suffer than
in America. If a man steals a purse
in the United Stales, he might get a
slap on the hand and probation, bul
if a Chinese man steals a purse in his
country, he'll gel kicked oul of
school, if he's astudcni,or sent off
to a work camp for 5 to 10 years, he
said.
But Alvidrez said many Chinese
officials arc more interested in making money lhan pursuing a would-
be offender, especially if that offender is a westerner.
"The people will come up to you
on the street and ask you to change
money for them right there with a
policeman only a few feet away,"
he said. "But ihc cop doesn't care.
He might take a little cut or turn his
head or somcihing. They just want
U.S. dollars."
He said policemen, who are assigned their posts and carry no weapons, don't take their jobs seriously,
so ihey tend io overlook infractions
made by westerners.
For example, because so few
people in China can afford cars,
many ride bicycles and the bike
lanes can get just as congested and
crowded as streets do here.
Even though rules and laws are
often relaxed for Western students,
theunivcrsiiyhasaverysirictpolicy
against intimate contact between
the Chinese and westerners in the
dormitories. "Their government really doesn't want its people casually fraternizing with westerners,
but the Chinese individual craves
il," he said.
Alvidrcz said ihat despite the myth
that Chinese are cold and stoic, they
arc actually very friendly and respect America for its military might.
"Bul if you're African or have
blonde or red hair, you can expect lo
get stared at a lot because it's so
unusual and diffcrcnt,"hc said. "The
word 'foreigner' has this magical
connotation there."
Vander Meer, who was bom and
raised in Xiameng. China, agreed that
the Chinese are amicable, but cautioned
tourists io always be formal and polite to
them.
"We're brazen, outgoing and individualistic here, and they're quiet and unaggressive," Vander Meersaid."You can't
put your arm around them and be flirtatious."
Alvidrcz said romance can be difficult
to initiate in Asian societies because ihc
women are shy and there are often many
cultural differences.
"If you can ask a girl where she wants
togoforlunch.she'llsay.'Idon'tknow,'
because they just don'i have the money
lo eat out like we do here," he said.
"They just buy their food from vegetable
stands and sieam it when ihcy gel home."
He said communicating with the natives wasn't just a challenge; in some
cases, he raised it to a veritable an form.
He said since English is not widely spoken in China, many American tourists
are forced to improvise in order to be
understood.
"For example, if you're looking for
eggs but don't know the word for it, you
might end up having to draw a picture for
a vendor or make squawking noises like
achicken," he said. "Really, I saw people
do it."
He said movies are popular in China,
but they aren't subtitled in English. So if
a person isn't fluent in ihe language, he
or she will have lo catch on to body
language and facial expressions to understand them.
"You can't just go over there, bang
your fist on ihc table and demand lo
speak to someone in English," he said.
"They want you to make the effort to
leam iheir language and culture."
"You have to be patient," he explained,
"because getting around there is a hassle
with all the different fares," he said. "If
you want io spend a lot of money, there's
no problem, but if you're on a budget,
you're going io have hassles."
Alvidrcz advised travelers lo slock
heavy on deodorant because "It's not
sold there at all and to bring warm
clothes because winters there arc as cold
as those in Fresno. And he suggested
packing plenty io wear because although
clothes in China arc inexpensive by
American standards, they are designed
for the Asian body structure.
"If you're an average-sized American,
don't count on being able to find clothes
there thai fit." he warned.
Bui experiencing the customs, culture
and lifestyle of a foreign land is the
whole purpose of going, Alvidrez said.
The main barrier to getting people interested in the program is its price, bul the
semester-long trip costs about the same
as rent, tuition, books, ar*l car insurance
would for three months.
"It'sagrcatplace and it's very clcan.so
if you're going io spend the same amount
of money anyway, wouldn't you rather
spend it in an exotic country overseas
like China lhan in Fresno?," he asked.
For more informauon about the China
Semester program, call (209) 278-2356
or (209) 278-3013.
Insight
Tk  y INSIGHT
News
Semester offered
in South Pacific
By K. Amy Kaltman
Staff Writer
Students interested in going down
under to the South Pacific could be
doing jusi thai in the spring semester
of'94.
CSUF is currently organizing a
South Pacific semester starting January 3 and concluding April 18.
The semester' s thrust, according
to biology Professor Tom Mallory,
A base cost of S3.900 covers: housing, meals, educational activities,
ground transportation, program fees,
airfare and 85 percent of all meals.
The base cost does not include the
CSUF registration fee, however.
Reichert estimated the entire cost of
the South Pacific semester to be
S4,50aS5,000,"depending on the student."
The semester ends in Australia where
the group will be stationed in the
North, in the vicinity
of the Great Barrier
Reef.
Mallory said the
field station they will
be staying in is located
on Orphcu's Island.
"It's a good location,
a good vacation spot,"
Mallory said, but
warned students
"We're going to be
in field stations, not
the Hilton."
Sitting in his office
surrounded by books,
stacks of paper and
microscopes, Mallory
said students who en-
focuses on An History. Biology and    joy ^ ^oors and being Ktive are
^^L^?^™!?^    encouraged to apply for Ihe semester.
where most of the semester lakes
place, is very diverse and offers students a wide range of study and
observation.
"NewZealand is like going back in
lime in California 30 or 40 years."
Mallory said, but it's not as developed."
Classes offered for the semester
include general education, breadth,
capstone and upper division courses.
The semester begins in January
with a four-day orientation, followed
by the actual trip to New Zealand.
Once there, students will stay in dormitories and in field stations.
Dr. Raphael Reichert, ari'art history professor attending the trip, said,
"It's what learning was meant to
which will be in its third year if enrollment is high enough to solidify it
Currently 21 students have put down
deposits on the trip, but 30or more are
needed to make the trip certain.
The deposit of $200 is due by mid
June.and Mallory said students should
noi be discouraged by finances. He
Both Mallory and Reichert referred
to uteny as an extended fkld trip   s(jggcslcd studcm loansasont, vcnue
for funding.
and each expressed confidence in
the program. Reichcn is especially
excited about a tour of museums in
New Zealand and looking at the an
of the South Seas which is indigenous to the area.
Reichcn said the cost of the program is comparable to ihat of a semester at CSUF, including all of the
expenses.
Reichert, who has been teaching at
CSUF for the past 22 years, said,"It's
going to be very intense.
"Students can expect to leam hard
and play hard."
Those interested in more information can call Mallory at 278-2997 or
Reichcn at 278-2051.
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