Day 12, Nanjing - Homestay begins!

Spend a few weeks in China and you return and write an essay

Spend a few years and you write a book

But spend a lifetime, and you are at a loss for what to write.

This is what a German expatriate entrepreneur (Helmut) told us yesterday, and although this might not be true since Yu Hua was able to sum China up in ten words, I certainly understand the idea he was trying to draw. It seems almost every day that I am introduced to something that profoundly stuns me or causes me to reevaluate my understanding of our global society as I know it.

Today was no different as I was introduced to Nanjing's Olympic Village, the site of Nanjing's 2014 Youth Olympics and the home of my host family. From vast plots of undeveloped land staggering high rises sprung and towered above me, and a sea of construction cranes dotted the landscape, united in their efforts to create a new metropolitan hub. Never have I ever seen construction on such a scale, nor have I ever witnessed the birth of a new city. It's unlikely that I ever will in America because its cities are already built, so seeing China's ability to pull these glittering buildings seemingly out of the dust is truly incredible.

When I walked through the neighborhood of my host family, I noticed how fresh the air was and how peaceful and quiet the streets were. When I look up at the construction cranes and the fledgling skyscrapers, it saddens me to realize that this tranquil beauty will soon all but disappear, replaced by yet another polluted, bustling metropolitan city to serve as a showcase of China's new wealth to the world at large.

I was surprised for a second time today when I met one of Steven's (host family's child) friends. His name was Wesley, and I learned that he had just been accepted into UCLA for his undergrad studies. I also learned that he was the son of a billionaire. But after hanging out with them and talking to him throughout the afternoon, I never would have known otherwise. The only telltale sign was at the end when his driver came to pick us up. At one point, he asked me about my studies and of Northeastern's co op program. He listened quietly when I told him about my previous experiences at financial firms, but when I told him about my next co op in Taiwan doing work in a social enterprise, he immediately perked up and became interested.

"That's so cool! You'll be able to help so many people!" he said, "I'm very deep into cultural aspects and that kind of stuff."

I was stunned. Here I was talking to a billionaire's 18-year-old son, and he was impressed by the idea of a business that served to improve societal welfare and enhance culture. This is not to say that I think that billionaires don't have an ounce of human sympathy or aren't inclined towards culture, but these interests are certainly atypical of most 18-year-olds. It's like I said in my journal – a new world, at once both material without being real, and real without being material (credit to F Scott Fitzgerald).

- Michael H.