Day 5

Today was kind of a disappointment for me. I got up this morning at 730. I was pretty excited to see Dr. Li and begin working. My breakfast consisted of plain bread and a banana because no one knew what jam/jelly was when we went shopping yesterday. I was all ready when Lily called and told me to meet her in the lobby of my building, so I just grabbed my bag and left.
She immediately took me to Dr. Li’s office. He told me that I would be working on evaluating transgenic plants. He wanted to make sure that I was feeling okay and was willing to answer any questions I had. He told me he would get me a cell phone for use on campus. He also told me that Lily and Alex were going to be my mentors and instructed Lily to help get my internet set up. Then, we left to go to the new lab in the building next door.
Here is where the disappointment began. She basically sat me down at a computer, so I could access the internet. Even though I was anxious to work, I decided I might as well get online since we were waiting on Alex anyway. It turned out that I would spend the entire morning sitting at that computer. I asked after about an hour if there was any reading I could do to prepare for my project, and he gave me a book of Chinese fables. So instead, I did some research of my own about transgenic plants for some background information since I still didn’t know the specifics about my project. I am pretty sure that Alex and Lily forgot about me because they kept leaving. Then, the internet stopped working when they were gone and no one in the lab knew English well enough to help me, so I sat by myself doing nothing for awhile. Then, Alex came back to take me to lunch. There was a wide variety of Chinese food in the cafeteria, and since no one knew English, I just pointed to what I wanted. The only plus was that I got ice cream for dessert.
It is part of the Chinese culture to take a nap after lunch, so I came back to my room. Alex had gotten me my access code, so that I could get online (even though I had been on all morning). I ended up reading during the nap break because I wasn’t sure how long it would last. Alex called me two hours later and asked me if I wanted to go to the lab, and he would show me around. However, once again I was set down in front of a computer, so I looked up the final papers past interns had written to get an idea of what I would have to write. I met another foreign exchange student from Egypt named Ibrahim. He was very nice and talked to me about his research project, and his difficulties in China so far. I was nice to talk to someone because Lily and Alex just talk to each other in Chinese around me.
During this time, a student named Tony dropped off his old cell phone for me to use. It needs a sim card though to work. He talked for awhile with me about Iowa and China. Then, a student named Tina came over to get my email address, so she could email me some papers to read about my project because it is what she researching.
At about 6, Alex and Lily came back to take me to supper. They took me to a small restaurant that was once again in all Chinese, and they ordered for me. I told them I just wanted fried rice and explained that it was rice with vegetables and egg in it (I had already had it several times). What I ended up getting was sticky rice with cooked tomatoes with egg on the side. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate scrambled eggs (I can’t taste them in fried rice). I had to eat it though because I had said that I liked them.
Let me explain dining in China though. In China, meals are served family style on large plates in the center of the table. Every person is given a tiny plate to eat over, but everyone eats out of the large plates in the middle. The little plate is just there to catch anything that falls off your chopsticks. I am a total germaphobe and am having a very hard time adjusting to this, but I have to follow the culture here.
During dinner, two more students came and sat with us. They talked to each other in Chinese for the next hour and forgot I was there. I had to stay because I didn’t want to seem antisocial and rude. Plus I didn’t know where my dorm was in relationship to the small restaurant on campus. We finally left around 730, and Alex and Lily walked me back to my building. Alex told me that tomorrow he would teach me how to use the PCR and give me papers to read about my project. I have decided to remain optimistic. I’m sure Alex and Lily didn’t mean to leave me out; it just happened.