INITIAL THOUGHTS

When we got off the plane and into the van to take us to the hotel I knew that this trip was going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Once we got off the van into the hotel we regrouped and relaxed for a little bit. After about an hour or so a member in our group suggested we go to the bank to grab Chinese currency. We asked the lady at the front desk where the nearest bank was, her response was walk 2 minutes then take a right. We listened to her directions and immediately got lost. We began walking down a busy street with many small shops selling fruit, meat and all types of fish as well as restaurants. To our left there was a women selling live shrimp in a bucket jumping around with a bowl of eels right next to it, and to our right a man selling goldfish out of the back of his bicycle. We all looked at each other and were taken back by the daily life of the residents in Nanjing. The next day we went to a lake, which was more of an amusement park than a lake. The park had many gift stores, and small sops that sold clothes food, and other trinkets. There were performers acting out skits and plays in traditional Chinese garments. Overall I enjoyed my time at the lake, and learned a lot about Chinese culture and tradition.

FOOD

When we landed in Honk Kong I was amazed by all the different types of food that were in the airport. Dried scallops, dried fish, exotic candies, and beverages that I have never seen before. Our first meal in Nanjing consisted of bamboo, which was soft tender and tasted like beef there was also Tibetan cabbage, a beef dish, Chinese pumpkin, broccoli, and a chicken, head and feet included. When walking on the streets you will notice small tubs filled with crawfish, when I asked one of the Chinese students why there were so many shops selling them she said that it was the season. In the states crawfish are a popular dish down South in Louisiana where there is an abundance of the tiny Lobsters. I suggested to the group that we try them and everyone agreed, so we went into a local restaurant near the campus. The meal began with barbequed meat, pork, and whole mackerel on a stick. After we finished with the first course the crawfish came and it was a lot of fun just to take them apart to get the tiny little bit of meat that is edible on the tiny crustacean. They were delicious and I was very happy I got to experience that. We also had hot pot, which consists of a pot in the middle with different types of broths. The objective is to cook your own meat. We ordered squid, chicken, beef, potatoes, noodles, quail eggs and threw everything into the pot. When the food is ready to be eaten it floats to the top and absorbs the flavor of the broth. I will say this was the most laborious meal we had due to the intensity of the heat and having to fish for food with chop sticks, but it was delicious.

CLASS

The class began with the introduction of each groups team members. We were quickly broken up and did a quick ice breaker. The following day is when the class really started. We were introduced to the project and given a few challenges we had to complete. One project started with one of the professors from NUJPT giving us one hundred dollars and trying to make as much money as we can with that initial investment. Our group decided to teach English classes. We made only thirty Yuan because we couldn’t find enough people to join, but it was a fun exercise. The class itself is very interesting, because I want to apply what I learn here in China back in the United States to potentially create my own business. Professor Mehta gave very informative lectures on how to put your thoughts together and create something.