busy weekend!
It's been a while since I last posted. We had such a busy weekend full of awesome fun! Friday after class we went to The Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen and it was great. We had to climb 400 steps to get to it, but well worth it. It was really cool to visit the resting place of the Father of Modern China. We also climbed a Pagoda that was 9 stories tall and it gave us a great view of the city. Needless to say, I was tired after all of that climbing but after a nap we went out to 1912 (a street famous in Nanjing for nightlife).
On Saturday we went to a major shopping district in the city and I bought a bicycle to use during my time here. It cost me about $25 USD and I can sell it back for half the cost when we leave. I'll post some pictures of it the next time I log on.
Sunday we went to a soccer game in the Olympic Venue here in the city. The Jiangsu Sainty's beat the visiting team 4-0, quite a celebration. All of the hooligans invited us down to cheer with them, it was awesome!
Today is a rainy day, so I am going to take it easy and study for my quiz tomorrow. The internet connection is super slow today so I will try and post some pictures later on!
Take Care and I'll be in touch soon.
Posted at 02:50PM May 25, 2009 by jbcooke2 in General | Comments[3]
Tour of Nanjing
I took my quiz this morning and I think I did well. Class was long today, followed by a good lunch then a great nap! This afternoon we toured the city and it was really awesome. Our first stop was at the Nanjing Tunnel Operations Center where they manage all of the tunnels for the city. There are huge monitors in the room we went into where various shots of the tunnels help keep track of all that is going on inside of them.
Next we went to the Municipal Planning Center for Nanjing and there was a huge scaled replica of the city. It was over 100 square meters and had such great detail. It was awesome. We watched a video on the history of the city and parts of the model would light up as the movie progressed.
We ended our afternoon excursion with a boat ride on one of the rivers that winds through the city. We were given Chinese poem books, and even though I can't read a word of it the book still looks cool! It was very relaxing and an enjoyable ride. Nanjing is such a beautiful city.
I think we are all going to take it easy tonight. Everyone was busy studying last night so it will be nice to relax. The weather was perfect today. Well that's all for now. Dinner time is right around the corner! I'll be in touch soon. :)
Zai Jain
Posted at 06:01PM May 21, 2009 by jbcooke2 in General | Comments[1]
Jiming Temple
Yesterday we visited the Jiming Temple, only a 15 minute walk from our hotel. They gave us incense to burn at the top of the hill near the Pagoda and we were able to listen to some monks chanting in the temple while we were there. It was an amazing cultural experience and below are some pictures of it:
A shot of the whole complex.
In front of the entrance; rock'n that incense!
Such a beautiful place.
A shot of the Pagoda.
The view from the top of the Pagoda.
Just resting after all of that climbing...
Part of the wall that once enclosed the city.
Part of our dinner: chicken feet. :)
Well, that is all for now. It is pretty rainy outside today so I think I am going to take it easy. We have our first quiz tomorrow so I am going to study a bit. Our professor is giving a lecture this afternoon on Super Highways and Intersections and how they relate to China. Sounds really interesting and I am sure you all are jealous. Naptime then things to do.
Until next post,
Zai Jain
Posted at 12:57PM May 20, 2009 by jbcooke2 in General | Comments[1]
Photos!
Alright, here are some much anticipated photos:
Everyone here dries their clothes the natural way: outside!
A welcome banner from SouthEast University.
A shot of one of the many campus of SEU.
My home away from home for the next few weeks!
Touring the city on a rainy day...
Getting ready to eat some duck pizza! It was delicious.
A pigs face, looks yummy. haha.
So that's if for now. We went to a beautiful temple this afternoon and I will load some of those pics up tomorrow. I'll be in touch soon!
Zai Jain
Posted at 07:03PM May 19, 2009 by jbcooke2 in General | Comments[1]
First Day of Classes
Yesterday was our first day of class and it was a little rough. We meet everyday from 8:00am to 11:30 am with two 15 minute breaks. It's early, but I am glad to get everything done with and have the afternoons and evenings to explore. We eat lunch in the dining hall on campus everyday. I can eat a full meal there for less than $1.00 so that is super awesome. They give you a plate of rice and then you pick side items to go with it. It decent food and so cheap.
Yesterday afternoon we went to a lecture by a man with the China DOT for the province we are staying in. He spoke in Chinese for the lecture, but there was an interpreter there for us. It was very long and not that exciting. For dinner we ate at Yosemite's, a place really close to the hotel. I had a bowl of rice, beef, and peppers. It was very delicious. After dinner we all just took it easy. I was in bed last night by 10:30pm. Today I hope to make it to 11:00! haha.
This morning was much better for class. I was wide awake and alert and our professor is great. I am going to really enjoy this course. We have another lecture this afternoon at 2:00, hopefully it won't be as boring as yesterday's. :)
After the lecture I think we are just going to explore the city. There is a huge wall that once enclosed the city and I want to check out the remains. It will be good practice for when we see the Great Wall in Beijing next month.
We have to take out temperature everyday and report it to our professor here. The school just wants to make sure we are all feeling well. There was recently a case of swin flu recorded somewhere in the province we are staying in, but there are nearly 80,000,000 people living here so it is mainly just a precaution. At least we get to keep our thermometer afterward, what a great way to remember our time here!
Well, that is all for now. I am still trying to figure out how to post my pictures. I'll do that tonight. I miss you all and thanks for your comments, prayers, and supports. I'll be in touch soon!
Zai Jain (chinese for goodbye!)
Posted at 01:36PM May 19, 2009 by jbcooke2 in General | Comments[1]
Nanjing!
Nanjing has been awesome so far. We were welcomed by 5 Chinese students from SEU and they became instant friends. They showed us around the campus and helped us get our cell phones activated as well as our university ID. The campus is very large and luckily our classroom is only a 5 minute walk from the hotel. The hotel we are staying at is very comfortable and we have a beautiful view of downtown Nanjing from our window. It's so pleasant here and the weather is very comfortable; similar to NC weather.
It rained for most of the day yesterday and we took a bus tour of the city. It was nice to get an idea of all of the the sites and things to do here before we actually set out. We have a 40 days here so I know I'll knock everything off of my list. Walking through the city streets is a surreal experience. I haven't seen any other Americans (I'm sure there are some tho) and all of the citizens stare at us. They are very friendly and welcoming tho. It's refreshing to travel to a place where the people don't openly hate Americans.
The toddlers here wear pants that have a slit in the back so that they can use the bathroom in the streets. We have seen this a few times: the children just sqaut down and pee in the middle of the sidewalk. Very interesting... Also, I haven't noticed any strollers. All of the parents carry the young with them at all times. It's really different from our culture back home. The food is becoming better, or I guess I am just getting more used to it. Today we found a pizza place and I had duck pizza. It was delicious and a great break from the rice. I am starting to enjoy the Chinese cuisine and we have found a KFC and McDonald's not too far from the hotel in case I want a small taste of home.
We start class tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning. I am not really ready to begin studying, but after all this is a study abroad. We are done every day at 11:30 am so we will have plenty of time in the afternoons and evenings to explore the city, and of course study! So far, this has been a wonderful experience. I am loving every minute of it.
Well, that sums it up for now. I will post a few pictures of Nanjing. I am going to take it easy this afternoon and get ready for class tomorrow. I'll be in touch soon!
Posted at 04:41PM May 17, 2009 by jbcooke2 in General | Comments[8]
new blog
Alright. Apparently, I cannot access my old blog from the internet connection here. I think this one should be okay. So this is the newest way to keep up with me. I have a lot of pictures to share and have really enjoyed my time so far here in Nanjing. I'll post some more really soon. :)
Posted at 04:13PM May 17, 2009 by jbcooke2 in General | Comments[12]