Men's Basketball Player Expands Horizons

(Editors Note: Marvin Thompson is a junior at MCLA and captain of the MCLA Men's basketball team for the upcoming 09-10 season. He went to China over spring break with Professor Ben Kahn and 16 other MCLA students. The trip was established as a business travel course, which allows the students to experience a cultural exchange, develop a deeper business sense and earn college credit in the process.)

As I began my journey to China, the anticipation begun to overtake me; but before I could fully experience China I had to endure over 20 hours of traveling to reach my destination. The plane ride over was about 15 hours but I slept through it because I stayed up the whole night before.  It was a lot of traveling but it was well worth it. The hotel we stayed in was amazing and I was so surprised at how nice it was.  The hotel room I stayed in was the best room I've ever been in. The shower and bath was European style. I never been to Europe but I would take a trip for a shower like that again. Beijing was exciting because the Olympics were there this past summer. All of my favorite athletes were in this exact city. I visited a few different places like the Great Wall, Authentic Pearl shop, a live theater performance and I also went to a place that made vases. I also got to visit Tiananmen Square which is a popular tourist spot and the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square was cool because everyone treated me like a celebrity. I heard everything from Kobe Bryant to Kanye West. People wanted to take pictures with me every time I turned around. I can't lie the attention was great so I didn't want to leave that spot. The visits went extremely well and the people have treated us very good. The best experience of them all was the Great Wall. The Great Wall not only was a workout but beautiful. I reached the highest point which took over an hour to reach. I was breathing kind of heavy when I got to the top and I would consider myself to be in pretty good shape, but it has been a month since the season ended. The saying is that you can not come to china without climbing the Great Wall.

As the great tour of China continued I found myself in Xian. I had a lot of fun in Xian. We spent 2 nights and 3 days there. It was a short stay but a great stay to say the least. I got to see a few different places while I was there. I saw the City Wall of Xian, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang, the big wild goose pagoda, the famen pagoda  (a pagoda is the general term for a tiered tower with multiple eaves; common in China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near temples) and the drum tower of Xian. These sites are beautiful. I would say my two favorite sites were the city wall of Xian and the famen pagoda. The famen pagoda was a great site because it is an authentic piece of Xian history. I found it quite interesting to be there and get a chance to go inside. I loved the city wall because it was easier to climb than the Great Wall. The group got a chance to ride bikes on the city wall and I couldn't even remember the last time I rode a bike. I enjoyed a short tour of the middle class and lower class living, opening my eyes to the good and bad side of China. I had a blast in Xian because it a good mix of city and rural life.

All good things must come to an end and last stop for this trip was in Shanghai. I've been told Shanghai is the richest city China. It is also the largest city (population wise) in China. When I walked around I found out why, it reminded me of New York City but with triple the people. I almost got ran over just walking on the sidewalk let alone the street. Shanghai is simply amazing to me. It's similar to New York as far as the buildings, people and overall sense of fashion the people in Shanghai have. Shanghai was more of the business aspect of the trip. We got to go to the Shanghai stock market, World Trade Organization, Volkswagen as well. I think the business side of the trip was the most important to me. I got a chance to pick the brains of important and intelligent people. One thing about going to China is that you will never fail to meet someone that is highly intelligent. The workers in China work hard to make sure things get done quick and correctly. The food in Shanghai was great. I really enjoyed the squid and lamb to name a few things. To me it was like fear factor but you don't get paid for it.  Shanghai is just a wonderful place to be; it is the best of both worlds for me, you get business and the city life all in one.

Overall the trip was a good one. I forgot to mention the silk market I visited while I was in Shanghai. The silk market was pretty cool because I got to see how the silk was produced and how to tell what silk is real. I grabbed my dad a tie from the silk market hopefully he likes it. I think the trip was the best one that I have taken to date. I feel like this is a stepping stone not only in my education but life as well. It is great to go visit other countries and experience another culture. I loved China and look forward to going back again someday. I learned a lot and got to taste some great food. China is a place I would recommend anyone visit if they get the chance too.  If anyone wants to know if I'm going again like the great Arnold Schwarzenegger once said "I'll be back".

Thanks,

Marvin Thompson