Insights from a Filipino Student in CHINA!

       Today is our Graduation Ceremony for the 10 month Command and Staff Course at the Air Force Command College in Beijing, China. I finally arrived at this glorious destination after exerting considerable amount of diligent effort and steadfast sacrifice. Indeed another comprehensive education...education beyond classroom...education beyond borders... and education at its best while exploring the remarkable tourist spots and alluring environs in Beijing and other parts of China!

      When I was selected to study in China for 10 months, people had varying reactions. Some congratulated me for the great opportunity not only to be able to study in a foreign country but also to be able to explore numerous interesting places in China including one of the New Wonders of the World, the GREAT WALL. On the other hand, there were also people who have apprehensions because of the escalating tension between the Philippines and China due to the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

At the DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Building just few hours before the
GRADUATION CEREMONY

         For me, it was just another tour of duty. For an officer being in the active service for more than 20 years already and who had been deployed to various places in the country, I am already accustomed to usual trips to unfamiliar places performing combat sorties as helicopter pilot and other duty assignments in the different areas of the Philippines from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and National Capital Region (Metro Manila). 

           Although this particular travel was outside the country, for me it was just another part and parcel of my duty in the profession of arms. 

After the GRADUATION CEREMONY 

            During my almost 5 hours trip from Manila to Beijing, excitement was all that I could feel. There was no fear or apprehension. I fully welcomed the great and amazing opportunity with grateful heart and open mind. It was a great honor to represent our country in a foreign land. A rare chance only accorded to few privileged individuals.

            I actually reported late since my travel authority was also approved late maybe due to the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The course was already on its 3rd week when I joined the ENGLISH CLASS. There are other sections according to LANGUAGE being used inside the classroom, they are RUSSIAN and FRENCH classes. Interpreters are being employed to assist the CHINESE speaking professors in translating the lectures from MANDARIN to ENGLISH and the questions from the students from ENGLISH to MANDARIN. This is also true in the RUSSIAN and FRENCH speaking classes. There are 50 individuals in the English class from 28 countries, including the Philippines. I was the lone representative from our country while other countries had 2, 3, 4, or 5 students. We have also 9 Chinese classmates. They joined the English class because they can speak and write basic English words and they are willing to learn more. A good mix for us to learn from each other. I was warmly welcome by my classmates who already knew each other for the past 2 weeks. However, there were still other classmates who joined the class later than me.

        Everything is inside one building, at the DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS (DIS) building. The building has 7 floors with about 15 rooms in each floor. We were billeted by room individually. The classrooms are located in 2nd and 3rd floors. The DINING HALL is situated at the 2nd floor while the gymnasium or weights room is at the 7th floor.

      I didn't feel any animosity or bad treatment from my Chinese classmates or school staff. They were all good to me, welcomed and assisted me in my needs and answered rightly my questions related to the course and even during my usual visits to the tourist spots during our free time.

        The course has given me so much knowledge, experiences, and insights not only with classroom lectures and discussion, but more significantly by the presence of  students from other 43 countries around the world. It was a complete package of education!!! I have known so much information about the cultures, languages, systems, behaviors, ways of thinking from different countries, and people around the globe. We were billeted in one building, bumped each other during class breaks, dined together at the same hall, traveled together during educational tours, interacted and exchanged ideas during group discussions, and maximized our stay in China in many other occasions and activities.

The evaluation sheet from the Air Force Command College

       

My apology to the FILIPINO PEOPLE.
I was not able to get the PERFECT ACE...

       The education and experiences that I obtained for the past 10 months will absolutely occupy remarkable pages in the colorful chapters of my existence. The lessons learned will be optimally utilized as I go on with my journey in the profession of arms and even in my private life. The friendship developed with my classmates will play significant role in international relationship. The information, knowledge, skills, and attitude learned during the entire duration of the course will forever be treasured and put into maximum good use.

          Everything was shouldered by the government of China, from airfare, accommodation, food, school supplies, some items of uniform, and other course requirements.

            We were treated to 3 major educational tours. I said major because there were other numerous trips for a day or two. Each major trip has a duration of 9 to 10 days. 

          The first major trip was in the East China Region where we visited 5 cities including SHANGHAI, HANGZHOU, YANGZHOU, JIAXING, and NANJING. During that tour, we were able to visit the NANJING MASSACRE MUSEUM. The museum was built in honor of the 300,000 Chinese massacred by the Japanese. 

           The second major trip was in South China Region where we visited 3 cities including CHANGSHA, GUANGZHOU, and SHENZHEN. Shenzhen is the adjacent City to Hongkong.

During our Educational Tour at the South China Region

           The third major trip was in Southwest China Region where we visited 3 cities including CHENGDU, XIAN, and NANCHONG. The visits to the TERRACOTTA WARRIORS and HORSES MUSEUM in Xian City and the GIANT PANDA BREEDING CENTER in Chengdu City were actually the highlights of the trip in that part of China. I was also able to visit SM CITY CHENGDU, one of the 6 branches of SM CITY in China, when I had the chance one vacant afternoon.

@ TERRACOTA SOLDIERS AND HORSES MUSEUM at XIAN CITY, Southwest China Region

       In total, we were able to visit 14 major cities in China including the capital city of Beijing. During those educational tours, we stayed in 4 to 5 star hotels and dined at the best restaurants in China. Experiences that did not only fully satisfy our stomach and senses, but also given us exposure to the VERY BESTS of CHINA!

The WANGFUJING STREET is the widest, busiest, and most popular pedestrian lane in the heart of BEIJING.
The SNACK street is a must to visit in Wangfujing, where you can find wide variety of food and drinks including exotic ones like fried scorpion, starfish, snake, and many others .
Famous restaurants, different products of international and also Chinese brands and many other shops are all located in Wangfujing.

         We also had educational tours to the famous GREAT WALL OF CHINA, TIANANMEN SQUARE, FORBIDDEN CITY, CHINA AVIATION MUSEUM, NATIONAL MUSEUM, SUMMER PALACE among others. We were also treated to witness various SHOWS such as acrobatic shows, basketball games, and other presentations with Chinese characteristics.

One of my most remarkable destinations in CHINA, the GREAT WALL!!!

        Aside from the lectures and discussions about MILITARY STRATEGY, TACTICS and other pertinent subjects related to our future assignments and designations as Senior Staff Officer and Commander, we were also provided with lectures in MANDARIN (the official language of China).  It was another important additional knowledge that we can utilized as we deal with the Chinese people.

      Individual written turn-ins with 2,000 to 3,000 words and powerpoint presentation were the basic requirements for every subject. There were also group works that completed our exciting stay in China.
           
           We were also given the option to either take the Masters Degree or not. Considering that taking another Masters Degree is an additional learning experience, I accepted the challenge. As a result, I gained additional essential insight on how research paper with Chinese characteristics is being done.

          It was also amazing to note that there are more than 100 individuals from 44 different countries staying in one building. It was even overwhelming to know that there are 50 individuals in the English Class from 28 different countries sharing ideas and insights, enriching each others' existence. In the dining hall, it was absolutely delightful to have 8 individuals in one table from 8 different countries sharing stories while enjoying the buffet, nourishing each others' hunger for knowledge.

           During weekends and holidays, I was able to visit together with my classmates other interesting places in Beijing such as TEMPLE OF HEAVEN, OLYMPIC SPORTS CENTER, THE CUBE, BEIJING WORLD PARK, BEIJING ZOO, BEIHAI PARK, WANGFUJING STREET, SANLITUN, and other equally remarkable tourist spots. We were also able to explore markets and malls like the GR MALL (the second largest mall in the world), PEARL MARKET, ZOO MARKET, WALMART, IKEA, MINISO, among others. 

GR (Great Resources) Mall is the largest mall in Beijing
and the second largest mall in the world.
GR Mall is just one SUBWAY station or 20 minutes walk
away from the Air Force Command College.
This mall is our regular destination during weekends
and after dinner during weekdays.

      But the best exploration was when I was able to locate the 4 Catholic Churches in Beijing!!! THANK YOU LORD for this amazing JOURNEY!!!

The ST. JOSEPH CHURCH is 1 of the 4 Catholic Churches
in Beijing.
The Church is also called EASTERN CHURCH and WANGFUJING CATHOLIC CHURCH because of its location.
It is situated along WANGFUJING STREET, the largest pedestrian lane in Beijing.
Other Catholic Churches in Beijing are the SOUTH CATHEDRAL (the Oldest), the NORTH CATHEDRAL (the largest), and the WESTERN CATHEDRAL.
This is one of my constant destinations during my 10 month stay in China.
Mass service in ENGLISH is scheduled 
every 4pm during Sunday only.

         One of the things that impressed me during my stay in China is the the deep-rooted nationalism and patriotism of the Chinese people. It can be illustrated by the names of their companies mostly bearing their country. Major Telecommunication companies are CHINA Mobile and CHINA Unicom. Major BANKS are the Agricultural Bank of CHINA, CHINA Construction Bank, Bank of CHINA, CHINA Development Bank, Postal Savings Bank of CHINA, CHINA Citic Bank, CHINA Merchants Bank, CHINA Minsheng Banking Corp., Export-Import Bank of CHINA, CHINA Everbright Bank and CHINA Zheshang Bank.

          Entering a mall or bank in China without passing thru a security inspection was a welcome change for me at least for 10 months. It assured me of a more secured environment, a hassle-free journey, and convenient visit to the malls and banks.

              If you don't like Chinese food that much, there are numerous international restaurants and coffee shops to choose from. You will still enjoy Mcdonalds, KFC, Yoshinoya, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, 7-11 among other food shops while in China.

         Another first time for me was to be able to experience the SNOWFALL. It was an amazing moment for me.

Together with friends from BOTSWANA and BANGLADESH while enjoying the heavy SNOWFALL infront of the Department of International Students building.

         The efficient transportation system in China is one of the things that I will surely miss when I go back to the Philippines. The presence of about 17 SUBWAY LINES in Beijing which are interconnected with each other is a testament to that remarkable transportation system. You can travel to almost every important destination in Beijing by subway train. You can actually plan the exact time of departure and arrival at every destination. Trains arrive every 2 minutes at the subway station. Buses only stop at the designated bus stops. You can avail of these public transport by using only ONE CARD. The HIGH SPEED TRAIN that can travel more than 300 kilometers an hour is another admirable means of transportation in travelling from the capital city to other parts of China.  

The presence of durable garbage bins along the wide walkways and the absence of foul-smelling garbage and litters along the streets are surely to be missed, too...  

MY ULTIMATE WISH...

        The peaceful resolution of the ongoing territorial dispute is the ultimate objective, fervent hope, and unified direction of all efforts. If I will be given the opportunity to help and reach out with our Chinese counterparts especially with my classmates, professors, interpreters, and school staff, it will be a great honor and another noble tour of duty that needs to be successfully fulfilled. I always believe that PEACE is the ultimate goal of humanity. Going to WAR is the last recourse of resolving any conflict, but definitely no one or only few wants to go WAR. 

Just some thoughts from someone who studied in CHINA....

Xiexie nin...