Monday, June 3, 2013

Day 28, Nanjing - The Routine

We've begun to adapt to a routine during our time in Nanjing, where we start the day with classes, work at our internships in the afternoon, spend our evenings with our language partners, and have the nights free to catch up on schoolwork as well as to explore the city. In Beijing, I felt much more like a tourist getting a glimpse of the city without immersing myself in the life of a local. Here, we have much more autonomy and responsibility. Even though we're only in Nanjing for several weeks, I feel as though we're living a real life here.

Today, we had Chinese class from 8am to 12pm. While it seems like a long block of time, the breaks at the end of each hour where we can grab snacks, water, and breakfast make it much easier. I've gotten in the habit of stopping at the jianbing (an amazing Chinese breakfast food that looks similar to a burrito) cart near our classroom building in between sessions. I'm in a class comprised entirely of students from our dialogue, so we get lots of personal attention from our teachers and a curriculum that fits in perfectly with our Chinese classes at Northeastern. Our teachers, Zhang Laoshi and Bao Laoshi, do a great job keeping the class engaging and fun despite the intensive nature of the program.

After class, I quickly changed into business casual at our hotel and headed to my internship at the Nanjing chapter of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. I share an internship site with Brendan, another dialogue student, and it's nice to have a friend around the office. We had the opportunity today to eat lunch with the chapter's General Manager, Mirella, and the chapter's other employees. It's a small team, with only four full-time staff members, so we've all gotten to know each other well in the week we've spent at the office so far. The office atmosphere is very professional but also laid-back and intimate. Today I worked on drafting a report that summarizes the Nanjing chapter's membership details and changes in the month of May. We also called some of the chapter's members to invite them to an event the chamber is having next week. I got to use a little bit of Chinese in speaking with the members, which was nerve-wracking but also rewarding. Before we left for the day, we took some pictures with the staff which they might publish in an upcoming newsletter!

After work, I went with some classmates to grab dinner at Bird Flu Alley, a small alleyway just a few minutes from our hotel with some of the tastiest and cheapest food you can find in our immediate area. It's become a popular lunch spot among our dialogue crew. There's an insane amount of variety in the types of food the restaurants offer, and we often see other students there. Tonight, we got a pile of pork, beef, and egg dumplings from a small restaurant for the equivalent of less than two US dollars per person. I'm already anticipating major withdrawal from delicious, inexpensive Chinese food when I return to the States.

It feels surreal that we're leaving Nanjing at the end of this week. I'll definitely miss the routine we've built, and it will be sad saying goodbye to the amazing people we've met here. However, I'm ready to be a tourist again, and I'm excited for the new experiences and adventures we'll have next week in Shanghai.

- Winnie J.

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