Emersonians Arrive, Thrive at Beijing's Communication U.

By Janet Kolodzy
7/10/2008

This is the first of many blog reports coming from the 36 students and faculty who are living, working and learning in Beijing, China this summer as part of the Olympic News Service.
Although we arrived some three days ago, the great people at the Communication University of China and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) have been keeping us busy and helping us settle in. From getting the AC cooling our rooms to visiting WalMart for softer pillows and snacks, making our new home comfortable has been priority No. 1.  Within an hour after arriving on campus, CUC got us set up with dining cards and had shown us the dining halls and campus supermarket.

Back at the 9th and 10th floors of the International Center, Emerson/Beijing Central, the AC was the first challenge as all the buttons on the power remote were in Chinese. But Bruce Lerch led the pack in figuring out how to cool us down. He went from room to room showing which buttons to push to set the right temperature and we've luxuriated in the AC  ever since.

Getting the Internet and power plugs working also proved to take some work for some but by 10 p.m. local time, the 9th and 10th floors were humming. Students and faculty from Purdue University and Queensland UT from Australia, who are also ONS participants, round out the residents on the top floors of the center.

The past few days have provided us a lot of opportunities to meet and interact with students from CUC and our floormates. Sports is truly the universal language with the ping pong tables and the basketball courts the gathering spots for talking Celtics (Kevin Garnett is widely known here). The International Center's location across from the athletic field and tennis courts (and the WalMart purchases of basketballs, soccer balls and tennis rackets) makes it all the easier.

But perhaps the final sign that Emerson has indeed taken up residence at CUC: pizza delivery to the dorm.  Yes, we have found numerous Starbucks, Pizza Huts (will anyone try to eat the one that substitutes Thousand Island dressing for tomato sauce?), McDonalds and KFCs. But leave it to Lloyd Nelson to figure out pizza delivery.