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Meet Our Students: Frederick Paul
Frederick Paul (Fred) is a senior Management major who joined the 2006 May Term trip to China. The trip was led by the Coordinator of Asian Studies, Joe Rogers, and the topic was Economic and Social Change in South China.
Fred learned a great deal about economic development in East Asia from his Asian Economies class, and this inspired him to look at Asia more closely. Because China is a major trading partner of the United States, Fred decided to go to China and check out the business conditions there. Fred expressed that he gained much first hand information after visiting various business sites in the southern part of China, including those in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Hainan.
Although Fred’s initial purpose for going on the trip was to understand more about China’s business conditions, Fred’s favorite part was the social and cultural experience! CSB/SJU May Term students were paired with English majors from Zhanjiang Normal University. The Johnnies and Bennies shared many meals, excursions and experiences with their Chinese counterparts. Each May Term participant spent a weekend at the home of their Chinese counterpart, and this was the highlight of Fred’s experience in China. His host family showed him around the city, and taught him how to make dumplings and play Majong (a Chinese board game). Other than Fred’s Chinese counterpart, nobody else in the family spoke English, but Fred expressed that the language barrier was not a problem. He said that the family treated him like one of their own and made him feel like he was in his own home!
Fred appreciated the efforts made by the program director, Joe Rogers, who helped the students gradually adjust to a new environment and culture. The group first went to Hong Kong, where conditions and lifestyle are more westernized. They then gradually moved to the inner and less westernized parts of Southern China. Fred stated, “On the whole, I liked the food, especially the dumplings and the fresh seafood which I don’t get in Minnesota. But some food like chicken feet and beef lungs were a bit hard to take in.”
Fred said that he learned a great deal about China from his site visits, classes at Zhanjiang Normal University, and the home stay experience. His new insights into China, ranging from its political system, business practices, economic growth, and people’s ideologies, opened his mind to the possibility of doing business in China, something he had never really considered before.
Last updated on 09/25/2006