PiB 2007 Preparation Updates

It's been a month since you last heard from me publicly, and I must apologize if this has left any of you with separation anxiety! But let not your hearts be troubled. This update will elucidate some queries that may have been swirling in your mind.

I. Educational materials

Non-Princetonians: All your textbooks/CDs were sent out by first-class mail recently. You should be receiving them soon, if you haven't already. (Fourth-year students will be expecting two packages, one with books, the other with CDs)
Princetonians: Please come by my office during regular working hours asap to pick them up. Flee procrastination! With papers and exams looming, you might not remember what you've forgotten! Just pop by the next time you’re in Frist, engage in some perfunctory banter with me, then off you go in no time, back to your last week of class [!]. You can do it!

These are the textbooks/CDs that you will be receiving, according to the level you applied for:
2^nd year: A New China
3^rd year: All Things Considered and Newspaper Readings: The USA in the People's Daily
4^th year: Literature and Society, Anything Goes and Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese: China's Own Critics
5^th year: China's Peril and Promise and The Silhouette of China [Textbook only]

Please bring these materials with you to China. If you’re taking a laptop along, you could consider ripping the audio files onto your harddisk to save space. And if the package you get in the mail doesn't contain all that it ought to have, or if somehow the materials fail to reach you before you leave for Beijing, inform me promptly!

As arduous as it might be for the more studious amongst you, please refrain from writing in the textbooks after they arrive. In the event that you are bumped up or down after the placement exam, you will need to return them! The only absolute exceptions to this statute are current CHI 102 or CHI 406 Princeton students, for whom chances of demotion or promotion are infinitesimally remote. But trust me, you will have all the opportunity in the world to write in them during PiB!

A little advice about the placement test on the morning of Saturday, June 23: by all means, prepare for that, but please don't stress about it? As far as possible, your performance should an accurate reflection of your Chinese abilities, i.e. not lower, but also not higher. The test is designed to evaluate which level you will benefit most from.

II. Liability waiver, P.U. registration form, medical profile/immunization records, and photos

If you haven't submitted any of these items yet, do so immediately! (Many of you seem to have forgotten about the 2 photos. These photos are separate from the ones that you will need to apply for a Chinese visa yourself.)

III. Travel information form

Click here to fill this in and return it to me, by email or mail or fax, by May 30. It is necessary for me to have the information listed on the form, but by this deadline what I MUST know is whether you want to be picked up from the airport when you arrive! (A person will be there with a sign that says "PiB.")

If by May 30 you still haven't obtained your visa (which shouldn't be the case) but want to be picked up, just fill in whatever you can and send it to me. The rest of the information can come a little later. Once again, most sternly: we will NOT be able to pick you up from the airport if you do not give me your arrival information by May 30.

IV. Super special bonus download of beautiful Chinese song to make blog entry more interesting

Respectfully disregarding anti-piracy laws (in the footsteps of mp3.baidu.com), I felt like sharing with you one of my favorite songs, Hongdou, by Faye Wong. I find it moving and philosophically wistful. Besides acquainting you with what many regard as excellent Chinese music and poetry (download lyrics + translation here), listening to this song can equip you to, uhm, better handle the psychic trauma of culture shock when you arrive in Beijing.

Hope you guys are all enjoying the sunny spring weather! :)