My day started at 2 AM, with the startling realization that I had fallen asleep with my contacts in at 8:45 PM. I took off my contacts, changed into my pajamas, and fell back into an uneasy sleep. I unwillingly woke up again at 6:15. My host mother made me zongzi, which is sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. At 7:05, I started my journey to class. The bus ride was quiet and peaceful. I arrived to the classroom building early (at 7:40). It seemed as if everyone had a rough night. We fell into a companionable and disgruntled silence before breaking for class. We warmed up to class soon enough. Our Intermediate I class is learning all about the Shaoxing opera. After every class break, I would go to the streets and grab another soy drink (1.5 kuai).
At noon, Dong laoshi treated us to a group dumpling lunch at the student cafeteria. The student cafeteria is extremely crowded—it was especially difficult to seat 16 hungry college students. It was nice to eat together—we haven't had a group lunch in two weeks. I got into an interesting discussion with Lili about "racism" in China; as an Asian-American, I find that I get treated differently from "obvious" foreigners.
After lunch, we all visited Deloitte, a truly global organization with employers in over 150 countries. Because we have gotten so used to commuting to class, taking the subway to Xinjiekou was not a big deal. Although we still feel like foreigners, we feel less like impostors. Xinjiekou is still a marvel, though, with its reflective floors, glittering advertisements, and amazingly useful English signs.
We were graciously welcomed by the Deloitte staff, and given an office tour. We walked past the finance, auditing, and tax departments. The Deloitte offices are clean and well-organized. Even though all of the employees were minding their own business, we could tell that they were friendly with each other; they leave small gifts for each other in their mailboxes.
After the tour, we were given a brief overview to Deloitte's services. It provides audits, enterprise risk services, tax consultation, and advice for its many distinguished clients. It was the first foreign accounting firm to enter China, and now helps Chinese companies enter the US IPO market. We also got a glimpse into the recruiting process at Deloitte (last year, 50 out of 1000 applicants were offered jobs).
After the talk, the Deloitte staff made themselves available for informal discussion. I talked to newly-hired employees from the auditing and enterprise risk service department. We discussed how the job market was affecting college students.
After we left the Deloitte offices, many of us began the long trek home. I took ninety minutes to get home today—I took the subway back to Nanjing University and walked across campus to get to my bus stop (melting as I went).
I really enjoy coming back to my host family. In the short five days that I've been here, they've truly made me feel at home. It's really a testament to the dialogue that today feels like a "routine" day.
- Wendy C.
No comments:
Post a Comment