IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY February 2015 Issue 1 Newsletter of the Bald Eagle & Panda Affiliated with the American Cultural Centers at Henan Normal University and Harbin University of Science and Technology Working with Iowa State University Series Volume 1, Issue 1 February, 2015 American Culture College Life Americans look forward to going to college. Many attend colleges far from home and will live on campus in dormitories or an apartment near-by. Despite the excitement many students may not be prepared for college life. In the U.S. college means classes and homework and working with groups of students but there is a relatively large amount of unstructured time. The typical student will only be in class between 15 and 18 hours a week. The rest of the time, the student must structure life to include study, working with other students, doing assignments, and doing personal types of activities such as, eating, working, and exercising. 1
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY February 2015 Issue 1 What Does a Typical College Day Look Like in the U.S.? A typical college student s day is full of activity. The Collegedata website identified how one student described her day: Morning: 7 a.m.: Get up so I won't be late for my 8 a.m. class in English Lit. Check out some required reading from the library and get to my American Studies class by 10 a.m. Afternoon: Meet some classmates at 11:30 a.m. to prepare a team project in Women's Studies, and then go to the cafeteria for lunch at 12:30 p.m. Rush to my Journalism class at 2 p.m.; seminar on Shakespeare at 4 p.m. Evening: Work on a term paper and study for a quiz until dinner. After dinner, catch up on some reading for the next day's classes, check the schedule for my upcoming intramural soccer game, watch the 10 p.m. news with my friends in the dorm recreation room, and get ready for bed by 11 Tomorrow's Friday, so I've got to be rested for the weekend! Each student s schedule is different, but you can be sure, that college means activities. American college students are very active. 2
The Year of Yang (Sheep & Goat) By Shaohua Pei IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY February 2015 Issue 1 Happy Chinese New Year!! It is the year of the Yang (Sheep or goat). Although the year is commonly know as 2015, using the ancient calendar it is the year 4713. The Chinese New Year is typically referred to as the Spring Festival, the biggest holiday in China. The Spring Festival provides a time for families to celebrate. Typical holiday foods include dumplings and fish. Families may also gift with red envelops with money inside! Each year features one of the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. This year is the year of the Yang. Recent Yang years were 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, and 2003. Those born in Yang Years are believed to be artistic charming, sensitive, sweet, and creative. The holiday s end is marked by the full moon and Lantern Festival. Many streets, stores and homes are adorned with red lanterns. A special food is the yuanxiao, which is a dumpling made from sticky rice and filled with different fillings. 3
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY February 2015 Issue 1 Bald Eagle & Panda 2014 Winners Study Trip By Jessica Fox Shan Yuan (from Henan Normal University) and Zishan Liao (from Xi an International University) were the two winners of the best paper award in 2014. The two Chinese students were awarded a 10-day all-expenses included study trip to in the Midwestern US States. This was Shan s first experience abroad, and her big surprise was the much larger portion size and strong cheese taste in American food. Zishan s winning topic was American Popular Music in Chinese Undergraduate Lives, and one of his biggest shocks on the Midwest campus was that squirrels ran free. The two winners were highly appreciative for the opportunity to talk about campus differences in a Chinese class at Iowa State University. 4
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY February 2015 Issue 1 Fun Facts By Sanah Siddiqui Top 5 Songs in the US (Week of Feb 16, 2015) Top 5 Songs in China (Week of Feb 16, 2015) 1. Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars 1. Little Apple by Chopstick Brothers 2. Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran 2. Fleet of Time by Faye Wong 3. Take Me To Church by Hozier 3. If Only by Junjie Lin 4. Blank Space by Taylor Swift 4. The Sea by Yusheng Zhang 5. Sugar by Maroon 5 5. My Sunshine by Jie Zhang 5
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY February 2015 Up-coming Event Issue 1 The second annual Bald Eagle & Eagle and Panda Virtual Conference will be held on May 15-16, 2015 hosted by Iowa State University. Invited keynote speakers include the Presidents of Henan Normal University, Harbin University of Science and Technology and representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. American Cultural Center Directors will provide invited presentations. The Bald Eagle and Panda Conference is a virtual conference that seeks presentations covering American and Chinese cultures topics. This year students from six Chinese universities affiliated with American Cultural Centers were invited to participate. 1) Henan Normal University Iowa State University 2) Xi an International University College of Lake County 3) Xi an Jiaotong University University of Nebraska 4) Guangzhou University Wesleyan College 5) Northeastern University Appalachian State University 6) Harbin University of Science & Technology Iowa State University The process began with students sending proposals of topics. Proposals are rated and only the best will be invited to present at the conference. The best presentations will also include a full paper for judging. All papers are entered into the best paper completion to win the 2015 U.S. Tour.