Visiting the site of the 2008 Olympics in China isn't the usual destination for a summer break, but it was for students in the School of Recreation and Sports Sciences.
Last August, eight students gathered their passports and headed to China for a two-week trip, where they visited the cities of Beijing, Xi'an and Guangzhou.
Ming Li, director of the school, said it was the first time the school had taken students on a study abroad trip.
The major reason was because in 2008 China will host the Olympic games
and it is important to travel to China and see how the country prepares to host such a large event on the global stage he said, adding he grew up in China and study abroad had been on his mind for many years.
Students signed up for one of two three-credit hour classes and paid about $2,300 for the trip, not including out-of-pocket expenses such as getting a passport. Before they left, Li said he gave the students information about China and said students needed to accept the different cultures.
In addition to The National Stadium, students visited the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Corporation, Coca-Cola's Beijing office and the NBA's Beijing office. During their trip, they stayed at Beijing Sport University.
Li said sport managers today are required to have an understanding of what is going on in the world so they can effectively handle international sport issues.
Offering such a study abroad program can respond to the trend of the globalization of sports he said.
Lindsay Petrone, a sophomore recreation and sports sciences major, said the trip taught her a lot and it was interesting to see a different culture because she felt sheltered in America.
I liked it because we got to go to all the Olympic venues and speak to Olympic officials
she said. It was more hands-on learning; we actually got to experience China.
After Beijing, students traveled to Xi'an and Guangzhou, where they visited museums and met with the Organizing Committee for the 2010 Asian Games and went on cultural excursions. The students presented a list of suggestions to the committee recommending how the center could be better promoted and used for the games.
Li said the biggest challenge is cultural differences.
Cultural differences reflect how people behave
how people act
but also reflect the kind of food they eat and the number of people they (the students) encountered in China
he said, adding that after the trip most of the students became very open-minded and experienced something they never would have unless they went.
Following the trip to China, the students were required to write a reaction paper describing what they learned and what they thought of the program.
Li said he is in the process of planning another study abroad trip to China for June and that it will continue to focus on the Olympic movement.
My goal is to promote it and tell students at Ohio University how the school gives students the opportunity to study abroad
Li said.
17
Archives
