The day has finally come! After months of preparation, we are leaving Boston for Beijing today on the first day of Summer I. Sixteen students, Zoe and I will embark on a journey to China for six weeks. We are really excited!
After 22 hours spent on the airplane, going through the security-check at various airports, and waiting, we arrived safely in Beijing around 8:15 pm local time. When asked about the long trip, many reported, “Not too bad!” I felt the same – time flew by quickly amid great choices of movies, delicious Korean rice (Bi Bim Bap), and of course, cram-reading of the coursepack, designed to prepare us for the specific speakers and sites that we are going to visit.
When arriving at the Beijing International Airport, the lines were not so horrible. No lost or delayed luggage, as has happened before. My old friend, Mr. Zhao (Zhao Shifu), who has been coordinating our coach bus service over the past few years, met us at the exit. Minutes later, we found ourselves on the way to our hotel in the center of the city - only a few minutes' walk from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The hotel manager was happy to see the old guests returning, and handed me the prepared room cards. The students checked into their standard double rooms almost as soon as they walked into the hotel. Everything went so smoothly that we didn’t even have time to take a group picture at the airport.
Before starting our intensive itinerary tomorrow morning, I kept thinking about that May seven years ago, when I first got involved in the Dialogue of Civilizations in China, as a co-leader with the late Prof. Chris Gilmartin. Chris was the most passionate and effective educator that I ever met at Northeastern. She was always exploring new opportunities and resources for the students. She worked tirelessly to secure every detail from the beginning to the end. I have learned so much from her.
Whenever things are going well now, I know we all have Prof. Chris Gilmartin’s legacy to thank for it.
- Hua Dong
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| Prof. Chris Gilmartin (front left) with students in Shanghai, 2007 |
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| Prof. Chris Gilmartin (far right) with the 2010 Dialogue of Civilizations group atop the Coal Hill in Beijing |
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