Chapter 4 – English as a First Language

As young children, the ability to read and speak in English came as ordinary to Kellie, Jeff, and Keith as naptime during kindergarten. Learning how to say “Goodnight Moon” and why they should “eat, eat, eat, apples and bananas,” was just another part of growing up. But little did they know that with the guidance of Kermit, Elmo, and Oscar the Grouch, this would someday give them the “authority” to teach adults in a foreign country English. They received their degree from the prestigious University of ‘Reading Rainbow’ and used this accumulation of knowledge to TRY and teach some of their co-workers at the Tianjin CDC.

As our three young characters were still getting adjusted to their new surroundings during their first month, Duying from the HR department threw them a curveball and had a new project for them to undertake. Strolling into their office with a smile on her face and her hands waving furiously to say good morning, Duying tried to explain what was in store for the interns. The following night, from what they could gather from the disjointed conversation, they were to start their weekly English seminars after work. Each of them was then handed a different article with topics ranging from Tuberculosis management, WHO policies, and HIV in China, and were told that they would each be responsible for teaching their own groups of 8 to 9 of their CDC co-workers. Alone in their office again, Team Berger sat there silent with the same expression that Wiley Coyote often has after being duped by the Roadrunner. What they lacked for in actual details and direction for the English classes, the students made up for with apprehension and confusion.

The following morning, Team Berger furiously read through their articles, doing background research on the topics they were given because they were not exactly familiar with the material. They were still unsure of what exactly would be expected of them so they prepared as best they could, all the while asking themselves if the CDC workers realized they were not English language experts, let alone experts on the subject material of their papers. Nervously looking at their clocks, the day went by much faster than they had expected. It was already 5pm, and in just an hour, they were to face their fate.

Splitting up into their respective groups, the three ‘masters of the English language’ were led into their separate rooms full of 8-10 familiar and not-so-familiar CDC employees staring blankly, but excitedly at them. After nervously sitting down, it was explained to them that each week someone in the group would be appointed the “chairperson” for the English class, and that person would be responsible for selecting an article based on what department they were working in. The interns would help them with their reading skills and pronunciation of vocabulary, and help them practice their oral English. For some of the CDC staff, this was their first opportunity to speak English to a native speaker, and the interns could tell that they were jumping at the chance to interact with them.

“How much does a house cost in the US?”... hmmmm...
“Does everyone in America own a gun?”... uhhhhh...
“Are American students REALLY like the ones in American Pie?!”... umm, no...

These were just some of the ‘interesting’ questions that Keith, Kellie, and Jeff would attempt to answer, or rather debunk, during their next few months as Professional English Teachers!!!

Chapter 3 - The Case of Mistaken Identity

Back in the U.S., Jeff was used to getting asked questions like “Where are you from?” or “What are you?” And when he would answer that he was from Chicago and that he was pretty sure that he was a human-being, in the back of his mind, he knew they were referring to his ethnicity. Sometimes a little offensive, sometimes just inquisitive, these types of questions were actually fairly common. He just didn’t expect to get asked this so often from his Chinese co-workers at the CDC. People here were a little more straightforward and some might consider blunt with their questions, but this was something he prepared himself for… as best as he could.

For the first half of his 12-week internship, Jeff would be in the Institute of HIV/AIDS/STI Control and Prevention. His main interpreters were Dr. Cheng and Dr. Liu. Dr. Liu was actually supposed to go to UM in the summer as one of the Chinese exchange scholars, but for one reason or another, his VISA was postponed. The two of them introduced Jeff to a new program at the TJCDC in which they were targeting high-risk groups, specifically MSM (men who have sex with men) and what they refer to as MB’s or Money Boys. In 2007, there were 156 cases of HIV/AIDS found in Tianjin. Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is fairly low in the city as a whole, the government along with the help of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have funded this project (all throughout China) to focus on this previously ignored group.

Diving head-first into his new job, Jeff spent the first week learning about the “Four Frees and One Care” policy that China had started at the end of 2003 to help fight the stigma and discrimination around HIV/AIDS infected individuals. This policy would allow for free antiretroviral drugs, free voluntary testing and counseling (VCT), free prevention of mother-to-child transmission, free schooling for children orphaned because of AIDS, and government assistance to those living with HIV/AIDS. In 2005, Tianjin was the first city to provide free testing to everyone, and Jeff was able to witness part of this procedure the first day of work. In the afternoon, Dr. Cheng translated some of the surveys for him and they sat in on an interview being given to an MSM college student. Somewhat uncomfortably standing in the corner of the small room, Jeff listened in on the survey and watched the young man give a blood sample. They then proceeded to urge Jeff to “Go ahead, ask him a question, he speaks a little English!” Not sure what to say, he asked the student if he had any prior sexual education in the past, which the man replied “No.” After another awkward minute of silence, Jeff headed back to the office.

While he was learning a lot about how China was currently dealing with HIV/AIDS, many of his Chinese co-workers were more interested in practicing their English and talking about life in the U.S. One afternoon, they called him into their department and sat him down. Slowly, one by one, the other people in the HIV/AIDS department began to rise out of their cubicles and unintentionally surround him. They explained that they also liked to take breaks to talk about things other than work and proceeded to bombard him with questions. One of the questions that caught him off guard was, “Are you Asian?” Dr. Cheng began to explain that Jeff looked like he came from the Xinjiang Province, an area in Western China with ethnic minorities. It was a part of the country near Tibet known for people who had ‘mixed’ with many of the European nations. Jeff politely smiled and hoped that it was a compliment rather than an insult. He explained that his family was originally from the Philippines but that he was born in America, more specifically Chicago. This elicited some nods of understanding, along with a barrage of even more questions. Jeff was glad though, because it changed the topic of their previous conversation in which he had spent 20 minutes explaining that Americans are not exactly like the characters in the movie American Pie – which he surprisingly found is a favorite movie for many Chinese.

A few weeks later, Kellie joined Jeff in the Institute of HIV/AIDS/STIs. They took a tour of the STI laboratory, and for one reason or another, they thought it would be a great idea to show the Americans what a crab looked like under the microscope. However, they failed to mention what they were going to show them until after they looked at the slide, so Jeff and Kellie were a little surprised to say the least. The rest of the week thankfully didn’t include any more crabs, but it did include a trip on the high- speed train to the local CDC in the Tanggu District. But it wouldn’t be complete unless Jeff was asked about his background at least one more time before the weekend. On the elevator ride home Friday night, Kellie and Jeff bumped into one of Kellie’s co-workers from a previous department. Kellie introduced Jeff to the woman, who said hello and immediately asked him, “What is your blood?” Although taken aback a little, Jeff did have to give the woman credit, and mentally awarded her the blue ribbon for the most creative way to ask if he was Chinese. Bravo indeed!

At end of her two weeks in the department, Kellie and Jeff were scheduled to deliver some presentations on the afternoon of May 30th. Kellie was asked to talk about HIV/AIDS in the US, and Jeff was asked to discuss the educational system in the US as well as the MPH program at UM. They were told not to worry about the presentations, and that it would just be a small gathering of people… that is until an office-wide announcement was made the day before, and the two students found themselves walking into a crowded conference room complete with the Vice Director of the CDC in attendance. Don’t be nervous, they said! It’s just our department, they said! It was a good thing they had over-prepared their presentations just in case. Once Jeff and Kellie were finally done presenting, it was time for the all-important question and answer portion… which would soon be followed by the swimsuit, evening gown, and talent competitions. One man in the very back of the room raised his hand, “Excuse me, I have a question for the young man who did his presentation on the educational system.” Sitting at the edge of his seat, Jeff anxiously awaited what he believed to be a very serious question from this man who spoke very good English. “Yes?” Jeff replied. “I think…” the man hesitated… “I think that you look Asian to me.” While not exactly the direction he thought the conversation would turn, and not even sure if his statement was technically a question, Jeff proceeded to re-tell his “back-story” yet again, knowing that this wouldn’t be the last time he would have to say it.

You Think You Know, But You Have No Idea: The True Story of Kellie with the Institute of Health Education

It is hard to believe that we have been here for three weeks already. Our time in China is going by very quickly. My summer internship at the TJCDC is structured a bit differently than Keith and Jeff’s. I will be rotating through several departments throughout the summer. This will give me a great overview of different public health issues facing China and the methods used to address them.

Due to the trouble with our visas, we arrived in China a week later than planned. This shortened my time with the first department I was scheduled to visit, Institute of Health Education, to only three days. But these three days were packed full of activities and visits around the area. We traveled to Jixian County, which is about an hour and half drive from the TJCDC. There were activities planned for two days, so because of the distance, we spent the night at a local hotel. It is a rural area with beautiful rolling hills which are lush green at this time of year. We passed many freshly planted tree fields and small enclaves of houses and farms. While in Jixian County, we visited the County CDC and met with officials working there. Next, they took us to a high school to do some interviews with students and teachers. We wanted to find out what health issues they thought were important. We also did interviews with students and teachers at a primary school a couple miles away. Everyone received an incentive for participating – a cool pencil case. Although I couldn’t communicate with anyone directly, my interpreter translated every word for me and relayed my questions. I had a fabulous interpreter from the Health Ed department, Wang Gang (pronounce Wong Gong). After the interviews, we toured a local village health clinic. Then after a long day of work, we had a fabulous meal at a restaurant that specializes in sea food. The food was fantastic, even though I didn’t know what I was eating most of the time.

For the next day in Jixian County, we had several activities planned. Along one of the main roads in the area, there is a large market. Vendors are packed inside a large open area and even along the road itself. It was bustling with activity and people shopping for food and odds and ends. If you needed or wanted something, I’m sure you could find it here. We sent up several tables and displays promoting AIDS awareness and other health issues. As people passed by, we handed them health information brochures on eating healthy, avoiding stomach pain and diarrhea, and hand-foot-and-mouth disease. There have been recent outbreaks of this latter disease, so people were especially interested in this information. I received many quizzical looks while I helped distribute the brochures. People were very kind and smiled and waved back at me. (This was my only way of communicating with the people.) Some small children said ‘bye, bye’ and ‘hello’ as well; we all had a lot of fun with the kids.

After a couple of hours, we moved our supplies to a smaller market area set in the middle of a thinned tree grove. We set up our supplies for a game involving health questions and prizes for answering the questions correctly. This was a lot of fun. Here’s how it worked: a person would take an index card from the signs hanging on string stretched between a couple of trees and then take the card with their answer in mind to the table where the TJCDC workers were. Once at the front of the line, the person would give their answer in hopeful anticipation of receiving their prize. Most often people were right, but sometimes they didn’t have the answer. They could come back and try again and also answer as many questions as they wanted. Some people really made a killing on the prizes. We gave away small bags of iodized salt, which helps prevent Iodine Deficiency Disorders, and a measuring spoon and bars of soap. Again, even though I couldn’t communicate with anyone, I handed out the prizes. I think this was the most fun part anyway. It was great to see people’s faces light up when they got the right answer and smile as I gave them their prize. And they loved the prizes. After another excellent lunch of Chinese pizza,we headed back to Tianjin. I took full advantage of the car ride home and dosed nearly the entire way back.

My last day with the Institute of Health Education proved to be just as busy as the first two. First, we went to the Hexi District CDC. This is the same district where my apartment is located. This CDC is completely smoke-free complete with no smoking signs strategically placed throughout the entire building. This may sound a bit strange, but many buildings, including some hospitals and even CDCs, are not smoke free. You can often detect a slight smoky odor when you walk into a building. So the Hexi District CDC is really making progress on tobacco control and prevention. Next we went to a women’s and children’s hospital to speak with some doctors on how they provide health information to their patients. One very interesting and unique way they do this is by hand writing messages on what we would call dry-ease boards. These messages are very elaborate and involve detailed pictures of Disney and other cartoon characters. They really get your attention and are an excellent way to draw people in so the messages are not ignored. For lunch, we had Peking duck at a great restaurant. Peking duck is famous in northern China, especially Beijing. Basically, you dip the roasted duck in a brown sauce and put it in a thin flour tortilla along with cucumber strips and a few sprouts. Very delicious. On my trip to China in February, I also had Peking duck. So I’m getting very good at wrapping the tortilla so the goods don’t fall out. :)

After lunch, we went to one of the prestigious high school in Tianjin, Xin Hua High School. This high school has existed for over 90 years and is one of the best in the city and the area. Many of the graduates go onto famous universities as well, including Peking University in Beijing and Nan Kai University in Tianjin. Due to the pressure and competition, the school has established excellent mental health services, including group and one-on-one counseling, activities for students to relax and have fun and various ways to distress. There are about 3,000 students at the high school, ages 13 to 18, and 4 doctors provide the necessary care. In the opinion of one doctor I spoke with, poor eye sight and being overweight are the major health issues facing the students, along with the pressure of succeeding in school. It was great to speak with the doctors and I was honored to meet the Head Master as well. He presented me with an amazing gift, a commemorative gold plate marking the 90th anniversary of the school. I have a special place for it on my desk at the CDC.

This pretty much concludes my three days at the Institute of Health Education. It was an extremely busy three days. All of the activities we did were planned especially for me. It is very humbling and I greatly appreciate all of their hard work and preparations. I hope this gives you a small glimpse into the work they put into planning for my arrival. It is unfortunate that my time with them was so short. I know they planned many other activities that because of our delayed arrival had to be cancelled. After the Health Ed. department, I worked in the HIV/AIDS and STD Control and Prevention Department; the same department that Jeff is in, for two weeks. So now I am working with the TB Control Department for one week and after this week I will be in the Chronic Disease Department.

Chapter 2 - The Legend of the 10-Foot White Man

The arrival of three students from the University of Michigan was relatively big news for the people at the Tianjin CDC. But the news of an American standing almost 2 meters tall was bound to quickly spread around the neighborhood as well. At around 6’3”, Keith was never what a typical American would consider an extraordinarily tall person; but he would soon come to realize that in addition to his white skin-color, he might just be too big for China. People would surely recount the story of how they had come face-to-face with this gigantic being from half-way across the world and lived to tell of it.

After getting settled into his new penthouse apartment, Keith’s internship in the Department of Communicable Diseases began with multiple field trips to learn about the disease control system in China. During the first few weeks, he was taken to a local CDC and to a clinic accompanying the TJCDC facility to examine their rabies control procedures. He was told that the department was currently trying to ensure that universal practices were being followed in order to combat the disease. Surprisingly, rabies is a huge problem in Tianjin. Between the three clinics that he was able to travel to, apparently between 110-130 patients are seen per day for rabies wound care and vaccination. Finding it hard to believe, considering the relatively few cases found in the US, Keith thought that something was lost in the translation. Given that a rabies vaccination requires 5 inoculations, he was hoping that “110-130” referred to the number of shots given for rabies on that day rather than the number of actual cases. While he pondered this question, he was sure of one thing – wherever he went, his every move was being captured on camera as if he were Brad Pitt and his Chinese co-workers were the paparazzi trying to document his time there.

Xu Wenti, one of the exchange scholars from China who had gone to the University of Michigan the previous semester, was one of Keith’s translators in the Communicable Diseases Department. She would bring him pictures taken during their trips, but he could not help but laugh at the photos. Maybe it was the angle the pictures were being taken at, or that he always seemed be standing next to his shorter co-workers, but the shots always made him look so much taller than he actually was. It would become a recurring joke with Jeff and Kellie that it was as if he was Godzilla and that he should just walk around with his arms flailing wildly, yelling “RAWR!” as he walked down the street. This feeling of Godzilla-ness was no more apparent than on a routine trip to Wal-Mart.

As the three students strolled through the aisles of strange snack foods and even stranger assortments of meat products, they heard the faint sounds of familiar American songs playing through the speakers. Singing along to Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” and Mariah Carey’s “Hero” the rhythmic beats of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” gave them inspiration. Tossing tons of packages of foreign cookies and snacks into their carts, one by one they began to snap in unison (a la music video) until they were in a single line, “rocking out” as Kellie would say, down the center aisle. As if they didn’t stick out enough in this place, they danced through the entire chorus until they reached the electronics department. Only somewhat embarrassed, they stopped and began to look through the rows and rows of shoes. A few minutes later, Kellie suddenly signaled the two boys to come over to the women’s section. It had seemed that a little boy, no older than 12, was staring at Kellie in disbelief because he had probably never seen a Caucasian person before. But out of nowhere, Keith came around the corner and the boy’s jaw literally dropped and stayed open for at least 5 minutes. The boy’s head turned back and forth, not just a double-take but almost a ten-take, looking around in disbelief as if to say “Is anybody else seeing this?!” This would be one of many Godzilla sightings that would be made in the months to come.

Despite that hilarious, yet somewhat awkward situation, Keith tried to return to work as normal. His next project would focus on one of the largest outbreaks in China of Hand-Foot-and Mouth Disease, a viral disease associated with blisters on the hands, feet, and mouth as well as fever and other mild symptoms mostly found in children. Jeff accompanied him to the Tanggu district (a business district known for its extremely fast development) for visits to hospitals and public and private schools. Ironically in China, private schools are for the economically disadvantaged students. Their educational quality is not as good as the public schools, which can be very prestigious. This is a result of the socialism vs capitalism paradigm. Migrant laborers, or "float" populations, do not have access to government services outside of their native region. This relegates them to low-cost, private schools as their children are not allowed to enroll in the public schools of the area that their parents work in. After Godzilla had devoured some children, he and Jeff returned to the office after a long but interesting day of work.

Though the legend of Keith-zilla and the Americans would spread far and wide, do not be alarmed… He does have a weakness in case you are ever in need. After weeks of rabies investigation, Keith developed a fear of all dogs in China. Whether they were small Pomeranians, goofy looking pugs, on a leash, or roaming freely, they say that despite his gargantuan stature and intimidating American features, Keith can still be found to quickly run off when faced with the terrifying and utterly horrific beings known only as… puppies!

The Wenchuan Earthquake

Though the experience of starting a new job has been just as overwhelming as the adjustments to living in a different country, our three protagonists find themselves with a mix of emotions. Let's venture into their minds and see what they are thinking, shall we?

KELLIE - Much of the information that we know about the earthquake comes from our one English TV channel, CCTV. The news segments often show graphic pictures of the devastation and rescues. Experts are interviewed on the progress of aide efforts and personal stories of loss are told. They are heart-breaking stories and images. But I know the Chinese are strong and resilient people. It is difficult to fully comprehend the magnitude of this tragedy; we are quite far removed from it here in Tianjin. And though it denominates table conversations and all news broadcasts, it is difficult to transcend the language barrier. Our co-workers at the TJCDC are very willing to answer questions about it when we ask. Many people at the CDC went to university in Sichuan province. Several people from the CDC also visited Chengdu last year. So the CDC has many ties to that area. The people here, like all over China, are very eager to do their part to help with the aide and relief efforts. Last week one rescue team was dispatched and tomorrow (Thursday, May 22) morning a group of 20 more TJCDC workers will also do their part to help the people there. Their main objectives will be to help prevent the spread of disease. So far there have been no reports of disease outbreaks. More people from the CDC will go to Sichuan if and when needed. Everyone I have talked to said they volunteered to go help; people are eager and proud to do what they can for the relief efforts.

Because of all the current earthquake coverage, there have been many references to the earthquake that took place in 1976 in northeast China, not far from Beijing and Tianjin. The epicenter was in a city named Tangshan in the Hebei province. The city and much of the surrounding area was completely destroyed. Conflicting reports exist on the exact death toll, numbers range from 240,000 to 750,000, with even more people suffering from injuries and not to mention the loss of homes and personal possessions. In Tianjin, there is a monument dedicated to this tragic event. On our way back from dinner last night, we drove by the monument. Many people were gathered there and people placed flowers and other items in remembrance of this event and the earthquake in Sichuan. My thoughts are with our CDC’s rescue teams as they travel to Sichuan. But mostly I think of the people of Sichuan province and the people of Wenchuan, the site of the earthquake epicenter.

KEITH - The earthquake in Sichuan has been a pretty huge ordeal. It happened on the first day that we were in China and we were at meetings and such all day. When I finally got home and checked my email it was scary to see a myriad of messages from people I haven't talked to in years making sure that I was OK. Thankfully, Tianjin is a very long distance from the center of the quake and very few people felt it. Since then, it has absolutely dominated all news and talk within China, similar to the events of September 11th or Hurricane Katrina in the US. The images that we are seeing are pretty devastating, but the country's response has been pretty spectacular. Every TV channel shows a different telethon or images of citizens lined up do drop money in the donation box. Moreover, every single hospital or CDC that I visit immediately points out members that will soon be headed to the region to help with recovery and disease management efforts. The most moving part of the situation was on Monday, when the entire staff lined up at 2:28 pm (The number 8 has a special significance here) to have the Chinese equivalent of a moment of silence. At that time, individual horns began sounding in the street and a PA system that the CDC had set up started sounding. The sound grew into a near deafening concerto of car horns until every single horn was sounding. With the traffic here being as busy as it is, it was a pretty spectacular sensation. As the minute of recognition waned, people began filing back into their offices. Many people teared up and a couple of staff members came up and shook our hands. They seemed genuinely thankful for our recognition of their hardships. It is odd that cross-cultural differences seem to only fully be overcome in the wake of great tragedy, but it is a beautiful thing to see every nation in the world stand behind one.

JEFF - Even though it’s been more than a week since it happened, the images of the destruction from the earthquake still stick with me. My thoughts and prayers are with the people of China, especially those in the Sichuan province, but it’s a different feeling being a foreigner trying to piece together my thoughts on the situation. It makes me wonder what immigrants or other visitors to the US felt during 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina. It’s a little strange to realize that more often than not, tragedies usually bring people together; but no matter what nationality you are, compassion is a universal trait.
One of the things that surprised me the most about the Wenchuan earthquake was how quickly the government responded. The news was full of stories and montages about the efforts made my Chinese army, local people donating blood or providing support, and the various local CDC’s trying to prevent disease outbreaks and to ensure safe living conditions for the many displaced people. It was amazing to hear about the many miraculous stories of people surviving up to 195 hours trapped under rubble. And although I’m not sure what I thought I would see, the news has been a lot more open with their communication to the public than I expected.

The national three days of morning was also a moving thing to witness. Hearing the horns blast at 2:28pm, and realizing that this kind of thing was going on throughout the country was incredible. Everyone around me was moved by the ceremony, and talking to my Chinese co-workers, I could sense their eagerness to go and help out in Sichuan despite the dangerous conditions. Even after over 100 aftershocks, many with a magnitude over 5, every person in my department is hoping that they will be next to be sent to the epicenter. They told us a phrase that kind of captures this ideal à If your boss or superior asks you if you are tired, you are to respond (excuse the “spelling”): “Wei ren min fu wu” which means “I am ready to serve!”

CSEP at TJCDC 2008: The Novel

Chapter 1 – The First Week in China… Ni-hao from Tianjin!

As the three young Americans found themselves lethargically emerging from the 18 hour plane ride from Detroit to Beijing, they were eagerly greeted by Du Ying, the young woman in the HR department in charge of making sure they had arrived safely. After a week of uncertainty about whether or not their visas would come through, they had finally arrived! Jeff, Keith, and Kellie quietly spoke to one another in the backseat of the car as they drove another 2 hours to the city of Tianjin. By the time they had reached Kellie’s apartment (formerly Julie V’s place) it was already 1:30am. Leaving Kellie all alone for the night, Keith and Jeff nervously said good-bye, noticing the slight glimmer of apprehension in her eyes. The area was of course safe, but at 2 in the morning, the dark alleyways gave the neighborhood an unwarranted, yet scary feel.

The two boys then journeyed to the Tianjin CDC to find out where they were going to live. As they made their way into the “gated community” of high-rise buildings across from the TJCDC, they kept telling themselves that this could not possibly be where they were going to spend the next three months of their lives.

Even as Du Ying pressed button 21 on the elevator (the top floor!), the two men could not help but laugh a little at how ridiculous it was that they were going to be living in this brand new penthouse, especially seeing as that most of the other apartments in the building were not even completed yet. Little did they know that there was more to come from this amazing apartment – complete with two bedrooms, a balcony, a bidet in the bathroom, a chez lounge, and blue neon lights along the ceiling just to name a few things. They thought to themselves, “What is this, MTV Cribs: Tianjin?!” As absurd as they felt about living in a place 10x nicer than their apartments in Ann Arbor, they had to try and get at least of few hours of sleep before the Tianjin CDC-University of Michigan Forum on Public Health Practice.

Running off of mostly adrenalin, the three “scholars” sat through many interesting presentations on the current state of health in Tianjin. Together with Dr. Warner, Dr. Boulton, and Director Wang (from the TJCDC), they were taken on a tour of the building and the various laboratories. They were then whisked off to where they would be working for the summer – a corner office on the 4th floor surrounded with windows and a view of their penthouse in building #8! Again, Team Ber-Ger, as they liked to refer to themselves (which is a Chinese slang-word meaning ‘interesting’) could not help but feel almost guilty at how nice their new work area was. Thank goodness they had been accepted into the Chinese Scholar Exchange Program Summer Internship through the Office of Public Health Practice. Otherwise, who knows where they would be working at now? Kellie would be starting out in the Institute of Health Education, Keith would be working in the Institute of Communicable Diseases, and Jeff would be spending the first half of his internship in the Institute of HIV/AIDS/STIs Control and Prevention. But before they began their respective internships, they were glad to hear that they would be given the next day off to adjust to their new surroundings. And what could be more fun and help them settle in to China on their day off then a trip to Wal-Mart?!

Wal-Mart’s are difficult enough to navigate in the states, but this first trip of MANY was a bit overwhelming. Team Ber-Ger was welcomed by stares from workers and shoppers alike as they made their way through aisles of strange meats, babies oddly being lifted above trash cans in order to pee, and a number of other food products that they could barely make out. Even though they were concerned about what they would be eating for dinner in the next couple of days, there were still more pressing issues going on around the country that they slowly began to hear about.

Little did they know that during the Forum on Public Health, a massive earthquake hit the Wenchuan Province in central China. Luckily they were nowhere near the disaster; but having only one English TV channel, it was difficult for them to learn anymore about the incident than what was already presented in the media. The death toll kept rising, and the devastating pictures kept flashing on the news, and all they could do was hope for the best for those affected by this tragedy. As concerned as they were, and though they could tell their Chinese counterparts often spoke about it, the language barrier prevented them from truly getting a local perspective on the terrible disaster. That was one aspect of their trip that they wished they could have been more involved in or learned more about at the time, but the images of those trapped as well as those being saved would stay in their minds. It was truly amazing how quickly the relief efforts were being coordinated. They even learned that the TJCDC would be sending a team to the epicenter for disaster relief. All the while, the three Americans anxiously awaited their first official day at work...