The students of last May's trip at the Panda Research Institute

Translation please!

All the students in the above photo are wearing t-shirts that translate to "Ithaca is Beautiful," a spin-off of the popular "Ithaca is Gorges" t-shirts.  

The Office of International Programs and the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance are partnering up to send 14 students on a two-week trip to China where they will study traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese culture this May.

It is the second time this program is being offered.  Last May, 14 students spent two weeks in Beijing and Chengdu, living at two different universities. The students had hands-on experience in their classes on acupuncture, sport rehabilitation, tuina massage, kung fu, wushu, tai chi, and yin-yang meridians. 

“My favorite was the acupuncture class,” said Jacky Miller, a senior physical therapy major who took the trip last May. “It was great because we actually got to practice on ourselves, and that’s an experience we never would have gotten.”

The trip this May will keep the same itinerary except for one change: a stop in Shanghai to experience their world-famous shopping.

The mornings will be spent in classes and lectures, but the afternoons will allow the group to explore the cultural sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Panda Research Institute, teahouses, the pearl district, and the setting of the Olympics in Beijing.

“But we don’t go as tourists,” says Nick Quarrier, a clinical associate professor of physical therapy who accompanied the group last May. “We’re there as foreign exchange students. It’s an international learning experience.”

Other learning goals of the adventure include: comparing and contrasting physical therapy and physical education and the future of these professions in the United States and China, understanding the healthcare system of China, and building a greater appreciation of a different culture.

“Last time, we came back with a greater understanding of diplomacy, Chinese medicine, the culture, wanting to learn the language, and a whole new respect for the Chinese,” Quarrier says.

Although the trip is short, it promises to be full of academic and cultural experience.

“The advantage of a short-term study abroad program like this is that you get fairly immersed in the culture,” said Steve Siconolfi, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance. “From a cultural standpoint, you will see a lot and you will do a lot in a short period of time.