Day 29, Nanjing

Today was just another ordinary yet exciting day of being a student at NanDa, while also being an intern at an NGO. 

Getting to class thirty minutes before the start of class to review my "Ting Xie" words have turned into a daily routine. Today, however, I had ten minutes left until the start of class when I had finished making sure I knew every word. Trying to be more like the brave Chinese tourists some of my classmates, Ryan and Max, are, I went out and bought a Chinese omelet wrap type thing from the street for breakfast. I don't like pickled vegetables, so I never wanted to try the omelet filled with pickled I-don't-even-know-what-kinds-of-vegetables, but my classmates get one every morning, so I finally decided to man up today. It was way better than I expected, and I was glad I got one, but I still didn't really like the sour, juicy taste of the pickles. After going over chapter 8, taking our Ting Xie, learning our third song we've learned so far called the "Invisible Wings", and taking our graduation photo, class was over for the day. The "Xia Ke, Ming Tian Zian!" we thirst for probably from the third hour on when our concentration abilities have hit the limit, was finally said. For lunch, I got a Taiwanese fried dough hand wrap and Xiao Long Bao from the "Bird Flu Alley" with my friend I made at Nanda and some of my friends from Dong Bei Da Xue, Northeastern. 

I had to rush after lunch, however, to get to my internship site a little earlier than normal because we were taking a visit to a NGO that works with deaf seniors. We ended up getting there even earlier than we had planned, so we got a chance to interview our co-workers for our Internship paper. We found out that only a few people in the social services career actually want to serve the disadvantage, and the others just do it because its their job and the only job they can get since they majored in it. In China, you may not have a choice over your own major. My co-worker's major was chosen for her according to her high school grades. She actually ended up going to graduate school because she fell in love with her major and wanted to continue studying. The NGO we visited after the co-worker interview was very small. It was a two-story building with two parts per floor. The seniors were making Zong Zi for the Dragon Boat Festival. They offered for Wendy and I to try making a Zong Zi, and both of us failed miserably. The founder of the NGO was a sign language instructor who now works two jobs working as a volunteer at the NGO as well as teaching sign language at a different school. She also teaches sign language to the seniors at her NGO as well as coordinating activities for them from Monday through Friday. 

After internship, it was language partner time! I think language partner time might be my favorite time of the day. It's not stressful, but you still feel so productive because you are learning while you hang out with your language partner. The language partner coordinator, Ryan, took us to his favorite restaurant. It was so refreshing because I have never had such a thing before. We got fresh ingredients in a big pot, and then they weigh our ingredients. We paid by the weight, then we waited for them to cook the meat and the vegetables in a big wok. It was spicy but still so good! 

Writing this blog makes me realize how an "ordinary" day here is so full of adventurous and exciting activities. Every hour is spent well and eventfully, and as a result at the end of the day, I've been crashing in my bed sometimes even with my glasses still on. 

- Hailie J.