Orientation

We had our semester orientation today (despite already having school for one week). Points of interest from the Dean of the college, who gave our orientation lecture (he speaks English very well, and they stuck Americans, a Canadian, Finnish people, and a guy from Ghana in the orientation):

-Our professor asked us if the custom with Western names (given name then family name) was part of asserting our individualism. In the east, they go by the family name, then given name. I had never thought of it in those terms to be honest...I am fairly certain this practice evolved as a result of calling people "so-and-so the (profession)". But there probably is some truth to what he pointed out. Interesting.

-Smoking is very unladylike. Men may smoke here, but you will rarely see women smoking. He counseled us not to drink alcohol, smoke, or go out late at night. Or walk/ride a bike without being careful...I have definitely picked up on that one, but I have also gotten more daring since being here...you have to be to ever get to cross the street. :-)

-Do not get angry when people cannot guess your nationality. At this point, Mr. Ren looked at Leslie and I and said "You look Russian." We have been getting that a lot lately...Leslie more than me, but when I am with her, I definitely get it (I have also gotten that I look British, French, or like I am from an eastern province here with Turkic-looking people).

-We must tell the school anytime we travel, as they are responsible for our safety. Yes, feels like babysitting, but foreigners are very closely monitored here.

So there you go...advice from our school. There was also some of Chinese history/his personal opinions on the current state of China thrown in. But, it was pretty humbling to have someone so well-educated and accomplished as our advocate here in the city. :-)