China US Comparison

Hehe, so some comments about my trip to China:

1. Geez pollution is so bad. Most days, I couldn't even see the sun or blue sky, that was really sad. About the only time that I was able to see both was at the beach or for those brief moments in Wuhan after a big thunderstorm. There also aren't enough trees and plants to balance the offset. In the city, it's basically filled with people, buildings and cars. Even in the farms, many are starting to get bought out by companies that heavily pollute the area, making it harder to grow the crops.

2. Traffic in Wuhan is killer. Well, basically all traffic in Chinese cities is killer. The traffic is similar to that of New York, but probably worse. Most drivers, especially in Wuhan, seem to have no respect for the lane markings or other indicators on the road. Many times while taking the taxi, a street that was regularly three lanes on one side became four lanes, sometimes even more. I'm not quite sure if this can ever be fixed since it seems like there is a lack of the mentality as the drivers here in the States have.

3. The weather was a little disappointing. It was continually hot all the time. In Sylvania, there is a rather obvious variation in temperature between night and day. In Wuhan, the temperature is almost always the same: HOT! I guess it doesn't bother you too much after you spend sometime getting use to the heat. It was also consistently humid there, which is also strikingly different than Sylvania. The combination of the two makes a sticky hotness feeling in Wuhan which is really hard to bear. Turning on the fan helps some, but it helps more for the heat and less with the humidity.

4. Traveling in the States and in China is different. In the States, the major medium of transportation is personal vehicles and then planes. In China, many people also take the train, which isn't necessarily cheaper than a plane ride sometimes. Taking the train is generally fun because you have lots of space so you can do many differen things like play cards with an entire family without having the share your hand to everyone else like on a plane. Also, the bed on the train allows you to rest more comfortable. While the train is slowest mode of transportation in the States, it is not necessarily the case in China. With the increase in usage of high speed trains and having higher priority in routing than commercial trains, the travel by train is very convenient. Also the timing of the train schedule can be made so that you can maximize productivity.

5. Education in China and the States is without a doubt different. In China, education itself has a much narrower definition and a much higher emphasis. Education in the United States is significantly different. High school education has a much more liberal arts approach, which along with extracurricular activities, greatly enhances a person entirely, not just in academics. General enhancement, however, comes at a price, because there is a large and obvious difference between the academic level of high school students in China and in the United States. Neither model is perfect for every student, so both models have people who succeed in it and fail in it.