Can I get an Augsburg brochure, please?

Hello everyone! I am in Beijing, China as I write this blog and I have so many stories to share with you about the IIE fair in Shanghai. Let me start with the pictures above. Check out the crowd! It was incredible to experience. (BTW, do you see the Lionel Ritchie look alike in the crowd? :) ) Let me tell you, it was H-O-T in this room, as I'm guessing you could imagine by the sheer amount of people that attended. There were a few highlights that I'm eager to share with you all. The first was meeting the parents of an applicant for the 2008-2009 academic year who decided to attend another University. They came to the fair particularly to tell me that their son will be transferring to Augsburg in the Spring, and they wanted the opportunity to meet me. They didn't speak English, and I don't speak more than four Chinese words, so we communicated through the translator. I couldnt' believe it!! My Spring travel to Asia was beginning to pay off.

They left and the hundreds of people continued to visit the Augsburg table. Some just to collect "free" items, and some to inquire about our programs. I couldn't believe how excited people got about brochures...I mean, excited, excited. Who knows what will be the evental outcome of people thinking they've got some really cool free stuff, specifically a travel brochure, but as the saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Eventually, a young woman and her mother ended up at my table. We talked for some time about Augsburg's programs, our curriculum that embraces experiential learning, how committed our campus is to having our student body "live" out their education, how our location in the city lends itself to a plethora of opportunities for our students, and more. As I was talking to this family, another teenager and her mom stood near, listening. I continued talking with Shuyu and her mom and as our conversation came to a close, she asked me if she could give me her Common Application and copies of her SAT scores. She then said, "I think that it was fate that brought me to the Augsburg table. I don't know why I came down this aisle of the fair, but I am very glad that I did." (If you could have seen my smile as she said this, you may have giggled--it was the cheek bursting/burning kind of smile. Okay, I was proud...)

Things didn't stop here. The mother and daughter that were waiting patiently as I talked Shuyu and her mom through all of my favorite things about Augsburg were ready to hear more. The students name is Chong and her mother is an English teacher in Shanghai. They proceeded to tell me that her mom helped a student attend a college in Minnesota and that they think that we have a beautiful state. We talked and talked and talked and finally, Chong looked at her mom and said, "I want to fill out the Augsburg application now. Can I?" And her mom nodded her head and we began filling out the application together. Now, I must interject here and tell you my favorite part of this whole story. This particular student wants to study business, but she loves math, and she can't STOP talking about her hamster, "Tim" (with an accent on the "i"). I mean, one of her first questions when we started talking about living on campus was if she could bring her hamster "Tim" with her to Augsburg. She was serious. So serious that halfway through filling out the application she looked up at me with her big, jovial eyes and said, "Can I show you pictures of Tim?" I had to do all I could not to start laughing, and this was no easy feat. I nodded my head and she pulled her iPod out of her purse and started spinning through hundreds of pictures until she found her favorite ones. The pictures of "Tim". I looked at three pictures, told her how cute Tim is, and at just about the time she was ready to click through dozens more photos of her hamster, her mother touched her elbow and told her kindly, "Chong, how about you finish your application now?" Chong looked back at her, nodded, put her iPod and precious pictures of her hamster back in her purse, and completed the application. Personally, I think Chong needs to take Pre-Vet classes (which I suggested after seeing her inherent and persistent love of animals), but she politely shook her head. Who knows, maybe she'll figure out how she can love something so much and have it as her career. Isn't that what finding your vocation is all about? That's what I'm here doing. Working to send this message in a country where people believe still believe more in rankings and name recognition than the importance of finding a right fit, and it is worth it.

I came to this fair so exhauted I had NO IDEA how I was going to get through one more 15 hour day. I left this fair with three new relationships and the belief that my travels are creating a presence in China. How could I possible not make it through another 15-hour day with this realization?