Author Archives: Lola Buonomo

Squatter

Toilets in public areas are extremely rare as Chinese believe they aren't sanitary. (Photo credit: Lola Buonomo)

Toilets in public areas are extremely rare as Chinese believe they aren’t sanitary. (Photo credit: Lola Buonomo)

By Lola Buonomo

It’s been 3.5 weeks in China and a lot of us have grown accustomed to the food, the travel, and the people. But there is most definitely one thing I can never get use to — the public toilets. They are literally just holes in the ground and without fail I pee on myself every time. I will miss a lot about China but the squatters are the one thing I am excited to never see again.

Visiting a High School in Huangshan

Lola Buonomo

The other day we visited a local high school in a rural part of China in Huangshan. The students were so excited to practice their English with us which was great since we aren’t exactly fluent in Chinese yet. We went to their campus store and got some ice cream then headed to their outdoor gym area. While the American guys played some half court basketball with the students some of us stuck to the ping pong tables. They were telling me all about their schooling and it is completely different than the States’. They live dormitory style with 6 people to a room. The housing is segregated and dating is not allowed. They live there 5 days during the week and are free to travel home during the weekends. Classes start at 6 am and go until 10 pm that evening. During the day they study 10 different subjects. I was just blown away by the differences. A few of the students took me to their classroom where they were learning college level physics as just high school sophomores. The students were so bright and really happy to share their experiences with us. I wrote a small note in their notebooks to show my appreciation for them showing me around. I really hope I can visit again, this was a highlight of the entire trip.

Go Further

Students pose with Changan Ford CEO Marin Burela

Students met with Marin Burela, president and CEO of Changan Ford. Burela showed the students the new Ford Escort designed and built exclusively for the Chinese market. (Photo credit: Curtis Chan)

By Lola Buonomo

A few days ago we were given a tour of the Changan Ford production plant in Chongqing. It was so interesting to see how the autonomous robots put nearly the entire vehicle together.

Changan Ford director of human resources gives the Penn State students a tour of the company's state-of-the-art Congqing facility. (Photo credit: Curtis Chan)

Changan Ford director of human resources gives the Penn State students a tour of the company’s state-of-the-art Chongqing facility. (Photo credit: Curtis Chan)

I was quite surprised to see how modern and safe their facilities were. It was clear they are the forefront of technologies in the automotive industry. After an introduction by Changan Ford director of human resources Daryl Mahon, we met the president and CEO of Changan Ford, Marin Burela, who shared a lot about the cultural differences. He unveiled a car they designed specifically for China.

He left us with a very inspirational speech about never being afraid of failure and to live our lives with no regrets. We are writing the pages of our book and decide where this storybook takes us. I’m excited to see what new adventures we undertake to add to this chapter of my life.