OSU students combine summer school, travel
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Group observes Olympic preparations.
She’s been to the Commonwealth of Australia, the Czech Republic, and the Republics
of Austria and Hungary. In May, Gordon added China to her travels as one of nine students
to participate in a program coordinated by OSU’s College of Arts and Sciences.
While the students explored the China of centuries past, they also saw the China of
today where preparations are under way for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
The “Bird’s Nest,” the National Stadium for the Olympics, was on the itinerary. “It
really does look like a bird’s nest except it is made out of metal,” said Gordon,
a Bartlesville junior majoring in biological sciences.
Construction wasn’t completed so the students did not see the inside of the stadium.
“Everything was blocked off, but you could see the structure from the road,” said
Rhys Gay, an Edmond senior majoring in history and economics. “It was huge, absolutely
huge,” he said about the stadium and Olympic Village that covers more than 160 acres.
Plenty of souvenirs were available. “We saw knock-offs everywhere we went,” Gay said.
“At the same time, every street corner had a store selling licensed souvenirs of the
Olympics.”
Olympic flowers surround the Bird’s Nest. In all, there are about 100 types of flowers
including crabapples, impatiens and zinnias. Workers also planted flowers near Olympic
Countdown structures throughout China, including the clock at Tiananmen Square.
Seeing Tiananmen Square, Mao’s mausoleum and the Forbidden City bought history alive.
“Some students are not satisfied with studying from a book,” said OSU history professor
Yonglin Jiang, who for three years has led the cultural tour. “You can read things
from a book, but nothing compares to experiencing it for yourself.”
Military and political leader Mao Zedong’s body lies at a mausoleum across from Tiananmen
Square. Touring the mausoleum meant adhering to strict rules – appropriate attire
required, no bags permitted, no gestures allowed. Military troops patrol the area.
Gay did not tour the mausoleum because of dress codes, yet it remains his most memorable
stop. “Mao is as revered as George Washington is in the U.S. – almost a god status,”
Gay said.
While Western-designed skyscrapers are all over the city, Beijing is the place where
Gordon most sensed she was in a Communist nation. Mao’s presence was everywhere although
he died in 1976, Gordon said.
“In the Forbidden City I felt the respect the Chinese have for Mao and felt his influence,”
Gordon said.
The students arrived in Shanghai and departed Beijing. Some of the other places on
the itinerary included Hangzhou that is set around the scenic West Lake.
They stopped in Xian, home of the 7,000 giant terra cotta warriors created to guard
the tomb of Emperor Qinshi Huangdi more than 2,000 years ago. There they also visited
rural farming communities.
Although hundreds of students are overseas this summer, OSU administrators hope every
student experiences the world. “The trip to China offered experience in one of today’s
most burgeoning economies,” said Nancy Sherman, travel program manager. “When students
returned, they knew modern China.”
Both Gay and Gordon say they will return. “It was a very safe trip, and Dr. Jiang
was like a father figure,” Gordon said.
“China is the nicest society of people you’ll ever meet,” Gay said. And though the
language barrier was challenging, the trip remains unforgettable.
“It was the worst experience because I was out of my comfort zone,” he said. “And
it was the best experience because I was out of my comfort zone.”
Other students on the tour included: Ben Brown, of Stillwater, a graduate student
in history; James Hall, of Muskogee, a sophomore in political science; Mark Ladwig,
of Boulder City, Nev., a graduate student in international studies; Victoria Medellin,
of Donna, Texas, a graduate student in international studies; Matthew Mowdy, of Coalgate,
a sophomore; Mitchell Sims, of Oklahoma City, a senior in international business;
and Brittney Wilson, of Coalgate, a sophomore in history and agricultural education
To learn more about travel programs coordinated by the office of outreach in OSU’s
College of Arts and Sciences, phone (405) 744-8459 or visit asoutreach.okstate.edu
.