Over the course of our trip, we were treated very well by the students and volunteers from NJUPT. Frist, I was introduced to Brenda and Sharon who were in my group. They were both undergrads at the school and were excited about the workshop. Sharon had gone to an international school before NJUPT, and her home province was over 2 hours away. Brenda had gone to a local school in her area, that was over 3 hours away. For some reason, I kept forgetting how large of a country China was, so it amazed me that kids were coming from all over to attend the school.

Another student who I formed a friendship with was Fiona. Though she wasn’t in my group, I could always find Fiona close by as she said she admired our height difference. Whether or not they were in our group, the students were very nice and welcoming and would go the extra mile to make sure we had everything that we needed.

Talking with the students about their everyday life was an eye-opener. I now have to think twice about complaining about classes, as I learned that most students take anywhere from 10 to 15 classes a semester. This was normal for them and they were shocked by our responses. The other thing was the living conditions. Students had to walk from their dorm all the way to the dining hall in order to take a shower, and the showers were only open from noon to 9 at night. This was amazing to us, and again we were shocked at how normal this all was to them. Overall, this was a great learning experience for us to see how people around the world live on a day-to-day basis.

During some of our free time, we would try our best to go out and explore the city of Nanjing at night. We had to use DiDi, the Chinese version of Uber, to get around town. Groups of us would go to various spots such as the international mall, Catherine Park, and local pizza places. This was good for us, as we got to see a different side of the local area that we were not used to. On one of the Friday night, a group of us went to a local lounge Allan and explored some of the local bars. It was interesting to see that this was the place most of the other foreigners gathered at night, as we realized that we quickly fit in there. It was great to get a taste of the local nightlife in Nanjing.

Over the weekend we visited some parks here in China. Saturday was spent at a park in Hutangzhen, followed by visiting a public garden and market in Yangzhou. Walking around these areas, it is amazing to see the detail in the structures, as well as how clean everything has been kept. There have also been so many people walking around these areas when we are out, and it is stunning to see crowds so fascinated by the work, the same way we are. Something that is put into perspective is just how big China really is. Both days included drives of over an hour and a half. Back in Boston, if you drive that long you may end up in a different state. I am looking forward to exploring other parts of these local cities in the next few days and seeing amazing sites here in China.