After a couple unusually cold days in Nanjing, today’s weather was beautiful: sunny, 70s, and not a cloud in the sky. If there’s one thing we Bostonians are used to, it’s unpredictable weather. Nanjing’s weather is just as unpredictable; it could be 35°C (95°F) one day, then 15°C (60°F) the next.
As usual, we all started class at 8am, after getting back from our host family’s apartments to 南京大学 (Nanjing University) through the heavy morning traffic. My ayi (host mother) and shushu (host father) both like to weave through the bumper to bumper cars and slide through spaces that look only big enough for a motorcycle. Everyone in Nanjing seems to drive this way and yet, I still haven’t seen an accident. All I know is that I could never drive here, it is way too scary.
Compared to yesterday, when we were all overly happy to each other again and exchange strange stories about our host families, we were able to focus a little more in class. After class, we had a break for lunch. I went with some friends to a small, open restaurant on the street. We can definitely appreciate how inexpensive the food is. My meal was 9 kuai (about $1.30 USD). For such a small amount of money, I am very full and so is my wallet.
In the afternoon, we had a dialogue class with other Nanjing University students, mostly Chinese and some from other foreign countries, about various topics such as economics/finance, foreign policy, cultural issues, and domestic policy. We had a moderator named Dr. Paul Armstrong-Taylor, a professor at the Nanjing-Hopkins Center. We split into 4 groups, each group discussing a different topic. Being an international business major, I chose to talk about economics/finance. As American students, we had the advantage because the discussion was held in English. For those Nanjing University students that talked with us, we should give a round of applause for using a foreign language to discuss such complicated subjects.
When the dialogue was over, we all got picked up by our respective host families. The more I get to know my host family and the more they get to know me, the more I like living with them. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that the first couple days with our host families were a little awkward, but I am grateful for the experience, good and bad. I am especially in love with my host family’s little dog, Rifle. She is the cutest little thing, following me around and always wanting to play. She will definitely be missed when I have to leave on Friday.
~Cady L.
No comments:
Post a Comment