Exit Test Results!

     My test results came back from my exit tests in Nanjing, and I am happy to report that I passed all of them! Below is a copy of my Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) score.



     With this being said, this will be my last blogpost on this account. I would like to send out a special thanks to all of the people who have supported me and my blog over the course of my time abroad. For those who have any further comments or questions, feel free to follow my new blog, https://shawnasadventuresaroundasia.blogspot.com, or contact me at sha.sullivan741@gmail.com.
Thanks once again!

Leaving China

Last day at my internship!

     If I were to say I hadn't been looking forward to this day, I would be lying. Although I am extremely lucky to have had this experience and really hone my Mandarin language skills through the Chinese Flagship Program, I desperately missed my friends, my family, and the food back at home, and am ready to leave China. Although I have learned a lot this year and was able to travel and try things many will never have access to, this does not mean this year was without hardship and hard work, and boy am I exhausted. Until next time, China!
     However, this does not mean I will be heading straight home! I thought I could really use a vacation, so I planned a short trip around Asia with a few of my friends! Feel free to follow our adventures around Japan, Thailand and Vietnam on my new blog! The link is listed below:
https://shawnasadventuresaroundasia.blogspot.com

     As always, thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below.

Exit Tests and Leaving Nanjing

Goodbye Nanjing!

     This marks my last trip to Nanjing! Not only does this mean that I have to take all of my exit tests (yikes), it means that I have to say goodbye to many of the friends I met abroad.
     First things first, I'll talk a little bit about my exit tests and how I prepared for them (get the more dry stuff out of the way first). There were three tests in total, reading and listening, which were both taken on the computer, as well as a spoken test (formally called the Oral Proficiency Interview, or OPI for short), in which a native speaker of Mandarin leads the interviewee through a series of questions to test their Mandarin speaking abilities.
     As for the reading and listening tests, there wasn't much to prepare for besides reading and listening to Chinese media, which the program does a good job of preparing students for. With this being said, it is a smart idea to take each of these tests with a strategy, whatever works best for you.
     In my case, for the listening test, if I was stumped by a question, I used the process of elimination to decide which answer to pick. However, the reading test was a lot more complicated; since time was limited, I knew I wouldn't be able to read each article very throughly, so I read the multiple choice questions first, and then read the article; whichever multiple choice question popped up as (seemingly) correct first, I chose. Also, if I was confused by a question, or was unsure of the answer, I skipped it and saved it until the ending an effort to answer more questions correctly.
     As for the OPI, it really is a toss-up what the interviewer will ask you; anything is on the table from politics to small talk to issues involving your major, and everything in between. Teachers do help students prepare scripted answers embellished with high level language, but ultimately, it is up to the student to remain coherent and confident in their responses, and to steer the conversation in a strategical way (don't mention something you don't know how to talk about). The best advice I could give before taking this test is to loosely memorize scripts about what's happening in the news that week, as well as all of the material that was covered the first term in Nanjing. In addition, come to the test early, eat a healthy meal beforehand, and come in a well-fitting, dressy outfit (something to make you feel comfortable and classy). Then, gather some confidence and go in head first guns blazing and get that test done! Fake it 'till you make it if you have to, and know that whatever score you end up with does not necessarily reflect your abilities and hard work.
     With that being said, I would like to share some of my last memories of being in Nanjing!

Me and Coffee

     Not only was I able to say goodbye to Coffee, a cuddly cat that lives in Lava, the coffee shop, one of the waiters that worked there told me her origin story! It turns out that one of the waiters found her on a street nearby as a kitten, and took her in. As I was leaving after saying my goodbyes, I saw a cat I had never seen before not a block down the street from Lava that looked just like Coffee. Could that cat be one of Coffee's long-lost relatives? I suppose it doesn't matter, but it made for a sweeter, more meaningful goodbye. 

Left to Right: Me, ZhangYi and Alison

     Just in case anybody was wondering, I definitely made some human friends on this trip, the most memorable being my roommate, ZhangYi.  She was a spectacular roommate (she was very cleanly in addition to being a sweet and thoughtful person in general who was very openminded), and I wish I had spent more time with her. Undoubtedly, I was extremely stressed out the term I lived in Nanjing, and I wish I had been in a more giving and positive space when I first met her. However, I am very happy that one of my best friends from the states (who is also a former roommate of mine), Alison, was able to be roommates with ZhangYi and bond with her as well. 

Saying our last goodbyes!

Left to right: Me, Mace, Melissa

    LinDan was another person I will dearly miss! Although he has an English name, it feels strange to call him by anything other than his Chinese name, or Linda (which kind of sounds like LinDan anyway). I will definitely miss his out-there musical taste and interest in anything psychedelic; he even turned these interests into a full blown thesis, and I was fortunate enough to do a little bit of field research with him. 

     Last, but not least, is Mace! I saved this story for last because it's a story of reunion; we first met in Taipei the summer of 2016, and we were able to reunite in Nanjing after he took a job working for the Flagship Program. It was a pleasure catching up and exploring new craft beer spots! 

     As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and stay tuned for my next blogpost about leaving China and my next adventure! 

Shanghai Nights

The food at Liquid Laundry; it's good to share since everything
is so amazing!

        Since Songjiang district, the district that I live in, does not have much to offer, I have been venturing out into the heart of the city with some friends! Here's a list of places I have enjoyed during my time in the city both of restaurants and sights to see. So, without further adieu, I'd like to introduce some of my favorite western food places I tried while exploring Shanghai first!

Look at this gorgeous salmon plate;
There's even a runny farm fresh egg
hidden inside

            I've been away from home for a very long time, and I've been craving western food: burgers, burritos, brunch, you name it. So whenever I go into the city, I always indulge in foreign food. One of my favorite spots I find myself returning to again and again is Liquid laundry, a deceivingly swanky brunch place with relatively affordable, very tasty brunch food. I always get the salmon board (I mean, look at it, why would you get anything else). In addition, my friends who know me well know that I don't eat sweet things, let alone sweet breakfast foods, but their waffles are to die for.

I would be happy to get a meal like
this in the states!

     Another restaurant I thoroughly enjoyed was called Cantina Agave. I stopped in on their brunch service on a whim, and was blown away; their salsa bar was extensive and tasty, and they served the best burrito I've ever had in China by far. It cured my hangover and my cravings for western food, which is all I could have asked for.

This place is so small we got a rando
lady lurkin in the back

   

     Lastly, I'd like to introduce Bowl Shakalaka, a small poke place with big flavors. I stopped by this place whenever I was craving something light with lots of veggies and salmon (is it obvious to y'all that I really like salmon or what), and it never left me disappointed.  It's a little spendy, but hey, when you get that craving it's hard to hold back, and since they make such a mean bowl, it's definitely worth it for any poke lover.

   Other good places to eat:

   Saigon Mama
   Simply Thai
   Colca
(This is definitely not an exhaustive list)

The Pearl Tower is hidden behind that
layer of fog I promise 

     Now to induce some of the sights! One popular spot that's high on any tourist's list has got to be the Bund. I did mention that I visited the Bund in an earlier blogpost, so I thought I would highlight some of the things there are to do around the Bund besides taking a classic pic with the Pearl Tower. In general, it's a great place to walk around, soak up the bougie, over the top consumerist culture and see the more "quintessential" parts of Shanghai; In this area, it's impossible to escape the hustle and bustle, as well as the fine shopping and dining Shanghai has to offer. Store after store, mall after mall line the streets in the area, along with examples of impressive architecture, such as ritzy hotels, the Pudong Development Bank, along with the other larger than life buildings that make up the skyline along the Bund. Shanghai, especially the area along the Bund, is truly a testament to what man can create and consume.

Me and my worm friend

     If that little worm in the picture to the left looks familiar, that's because it is! In an earlier blog post, I mentioned the Line Friends Park in Nanjing, and there's another Line Friend's park in Shanghai, full of unique, cute displays to explore and take pictures of! It's always a ton of fun sitting and hanging out among the many Line Friends characters, sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying the afternoon.



        If consumerist culture isn't your cup of tea, then may I suggest taking a walk through Century Park! There are many sections and things to see in this extensive park, from paddle boating to fishing, or even just stopping and smelling the flowers; Visiting Century Park makes for an ideal outing for the even most indecisive of friends (there's something for everyone!).



Other places to visit:
Jing An Temple
Square Enix Cafe
Disney Land
Dongiri Republic

This concludes my blogpost for this week! Please feel free to comment with any questions or observations you have below. Next time, tune in to a post about saying goodbye to Nanjing!

Trip to Shenzhen

One of many hibiscuses spotted on a walk

     This week, Melissa and I snuck away to the beautiful city of Shenzhen! Prior to arriving, I had no idea what to expect, except for good dim sum, which was good enough for me! As soon as we got off the plane, Melissa and I started hunting for dim sum spots. On our way over, however, it was impossible not to notice the fresh air and breathtaking views around the city.
     Sadly, I forgot to take any pictures of my food this trip, even though it was all spectacular; I was too busy taking pictures of the scenery!

We could see across the border to Hong Kong!

     After resting up, Melissa and I decided to take a walk to the beach from our airbnb. It had been such a long time since I'd walked along the coastline! We watched birds fly by and observed crabs and mudskippers root around in the mud on the beach as the sun set. The warm air and the beautiful flowers made for a wonderful break from the dreary winter of Shanghai.

I guess the flora and the fauna
weren't the only sights to see

     Since we were so impressed by what we saw on our walk our first evening in Shenzhen, Melissa and I decided to keep adventuring around the city, especially along the coastline. My favorite park we went to over the span of our five day trip was to Mangrove Park; we were able to get very close to the shoreline! So close in fact, that we could see Hong Kong from across the bay! We considered making the trip to Hong Kong, but we decided against it (Shenzhen is an amazing city, and we wanted to fully enjoy it before we started exploring any part of Hong Kong).
     Of course, it would be hard to visit any major city in China and not end up at at least a mall or two. My favorite by far was Coco Park/OCT Harbor. It was amazingly upscale and HUGE! There is so much to see, from the ocean, to the artwork and the architecture, it would be a shame to visit Shenzhen and not at least stop by!

     Here were some other places we visited during our stay:

• Shenzhen 22 Art District
• New Sea World Plaza (there's a giant cruise ship in the middle of this mall!)
• Luohu Commercial City (this place has a lot of cheap food and clothing, but is definitely a little sketchy)
• We went to quite a few parks, but I forgot the names of all of them :(

Seen at the old town!

     For our last day in Shenzhen, however, Melissa and I decided we needed a change of pace; I found an "old town" by the sea outside of Shenzhen that I thought would be fun to explore. So, we took a Didi (the Chinese equivalent to Uber) out there to see what was going on! When we finally arrived after what felt like a ridiculously long car ride, we were quite underwhelmed; the old town was pretty small, and the surrounding areas, including the shops didn't appear to be well kept, a far departure from what we had seen in the city of Shenzhen. Still, we tried to make the most of our last day. It was nice to walk along the coast, feel the sand in between my toes, and people watch. 

Good bye Shenzhen! Until next time.

     As our short vacation came to a close, I felt refreshed, but also like I was missing out; I wish my internship was in Shenzhen! The food, the scenery, the weather, and the culture, among other attractions quickly made Shenzhen my most favorite major city in China. I wish I could have stayed longer, and I will most definitely be back!

     That concludes my post for this week, stay tuned for my next blogpost about hanging around Shanghai!

Updates on my Internship!

     Thus far, I have been very busy at my internship; I have been tirelessly researching everything to do with green finance:the Chinese government's past, present, and future involvement with green finance, popular green finance firms around the globe, and examples of good green investment just to name a few. For more information about my projects, please click on the link below:

https://sites.google.com/view/shawnasullivanmostimportantpro/home

     Besides writing reports at my desk, I have also had the opportunity to check out a few fashion shows at work! All of the looks in the fashion show were created by the seniors at SIVA college. Here are a few of my favorite looks:

     Well, that concludes my blogpost from today, and as always, thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question down below. Stay tuned next time to hear about my trip to Shenzhen!

Meet Ups with Old Friends

     This week has been such a whirlwind; One of my friends from school ventured all the way out from Qinhai Province, China (one of the most western parts of China) to Shanghai (which is on the east coast), in part to visit me, and I was also able to meet with a friend I knew from my study abroad trip to Taiwan in 2016!

Some much needed guac and bean dip

     My story starts off with Melissa coming from Nanjing to pick up Sam, our friend from Taiwan, at the Shanghai airport. However, before we made our way over by subway, we decided to indulge in some western food first. Maya, a hard to find Mexican place with amazing brunch and great margaritas, became one of our favorite spots to eat whenever we found ourselves in the heart of Shanghai (Prior to dining at Maya for the first time, I hadn't had guac in over 6 months! A travesty!).
     After taking a walk around the city, we picked up Sam and caught up over some much needed hot pot.

Melissa eyeing that mushroom
bouquet

Hot pot round #2!

     The next day, Yeshe, my friend from Western China, came to hang out! Sam, Melissa, and a few other friends suggested that we go get hot pot (again). The array of food we ordered was nothing short of incredible; even the mushrooms were fresh cut in front of us! After we gobbled everything up, we
sat in our private dining room, digesting, and savoring the last bit of weekend that was left.

Xiaolongbao and some other dishes

     After the weekend ended, Melissa returned to Nanjing to be with Sam, and Yeshe stayed in Shanghai, so I was able to visit her periodically throughout the week. One night, I met up with Yeshe and some of her friends to eat a luxurious Shanghai style meal! I tried all sorts of delicious, somewhat daunting dishes such as jelly fish and crab roe tofu. And, of course, tried and true Shanghai style banquet wouldn't be complete without some xiaolongbao!
     As you can see, in the photo pictured to the right,  the xiaolongbao came in all different colors! This was to indicate which xiaolongbao was which flavor. It should be noted that, even for xiaolongbao connoisseurs, this is an extremely rare sight;  xiaolongbao are usually filled with soup, meat and maybe a hint of mushroom, but rarely are they seen filled with flavors such as "cheese", "loofah", and "foie gras". Needless to say, some flavors were better than others, but they were all gone by the end of the meal.

    My favorite moment of this week was when I was able to get a drink with just Yeshe. As we reminisced about old times, I realized that, even when I return home, nothing will be the same. This means that I won't be able to return to life how it was when I was in school; after I leave China, I will graduate, move to a new city, and I won't be able to hang out with my old friends like Yeshe, for they will have moved on as well. It was an ironically sobering moment for me. However, I realized that my college experience is not yet over, and I am determined to "live it up" until it finally does come to an end.

Me n Yeshe having a good time
 

     As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any comments or questions, and stay tuned for next week's blog post about the fashion show at my internship!

Trip to Hangzhou!

     Not long after our internships started, one of my friends and I made a trip out to the beautiful Hangzhou! Although Hangzhou may not be a city well known to foreigners, however, it is well worth the visit. In my opinion, Hangzhou is the most aesthetically pleasing and scenic city I have been to in Eastern China, and I'm sure the pictures I took will make it obvious why!

The sun setting on West Lake

     Since we only had the weekend to see Hangzhou, we decided to explore the famous West Lake first, being that it was a must-see for the both of us. We started the walk around the lake around sunset, which made for spectacular views and pictures. It was a real pleasure to finally see some mountains (I didn't realize how much I would miss the mountains back home), in pair with the many pagodas that encircled the lake (I think you can visit the pagodas during the day for a small fee).
     After the sun set, we wandered around the lake until we found a higher end restaurant that served local dishes. However, I would warn against eating near the West Lake; there aren't that many options, and although the food was flavorful and well made, it was far too expensive for what it was (probably because of its proximity to the lake).                                                                                                                                                                

A pagoda seen on our walk around West Lake

      The next day, my friend and I decided to spend time at an attraction that wasn't so famous, and settled on the Xixi Wetlands. Since I came to Hangzhou specifically to see nature, I felt as if the Xixi Wetlands was a much better place to spend the day at compared to the West lake; there seemed to be more more flora and fauna in and around the wetland, in addition to being overall more quiet and calming. Also, there are many different attractions in the wetland; after wandering through the ponds and the reeds, listening to older folks talk and play music, we stumbled on what seemed to be an old town that was repurposed into a tourist destination, full of fun little shops, restaurants; a glorious mesh between the marshy wetlands and the old architecture.

Here's a bonus picture of some of the fauna we
saw in the wetland. I have no idea what that guy
caught in that net, but it looked a lot like an eel.
He started waiving the creature around, much to
the dismay of the little boy in the dark blue shirt
who shyly exclaimed "That's enough!
Put him back, please."

     As quickly as our adventure started, it had to come to an end. Visiting Hangzhou was definitely a worthwhile trip; I wish I could have stayed another day to see where the famous Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, got his start, or had the opportunity to venture out to the neighboring city of Shaoxing to see where Lu Xun, the famous Chinese writer, was born, or find out where the nearby tea gardens are located. However, I will have to save those wishes for another trip at another time.

We climbed up a pagoda at the
old town in the wetland to get to this view!

     As always, thank you for reading! Feel free to comment and as questions!

My Internship Thus Far!

     So far, working at DeTao in their Environmental Finance wing has been great! There are only two other people who work in my wing (and no other interns! Wow!), and they have both been very eager to help me out with my first few projects and to get to know me; I am very satisfied with my work environment thus far!
     Speaking of my first projects, my most favorite has been one involving sustainable fashion. In essence, my responsibilities concerning this project have been to conduct research about the broad topic of sustainable fashion, condense my findings into something that might be used in a lecture (the ultimate outcome of this project is to present my findings to a class of design students), and translate my final draft into Mandarin. Listed below is a copy of the final draft:

https://sites.google.com/view/sustainable-fashions/home

     All in all, I am very happy with the responsibilities I have been given. I feel as if I am creating something of use as opposed to waisting my time doing what is traditionally considered "intern work",  such as fetching coffees or mindless copying and pasting, or something of that sort.
     This concludes my blogpost for this week, and as always, thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more updates on my future work projects, how living in Shanghai is panning out, and excursions I am planning with some friends around China!

Fun in Shanghai!

Posing with decorations outside of a mall

     After moving to Shanghai, I was excited to see all the attractions it had to offer! Although I was just in Shanghai for the Mid-Autumn festival, there were still so many places I hadn't seen! In addition to visiting some of the many big malls in Shanghai, my friend Melissa and I visited the largest Starbucks in the World!

Everything inside the largest
Starbucks in the world was
ridiculously expensive ($20 USD
for a coffee drink, no thank you), but the
interior was simply stunning!

We also went to IKEA to get a few pieces of furniture for my new apartment (sadly, I did not take any pictures in the IKEA, and would definitely recommend it as a great place to explore, especially when homesick).

Part of the interior to the Shanghai Natural History Museum

         However, my favorite attraction that we visited was the Shanghai Natural History Museum. Located within the stunning Jing'an Sculpture park, the Shanghai Natural History Museum is home to many fantastical, and sometimes curious exhibits. For example, in the museum, there were many exhibits showing off live animals (there were even opportunities to touch horseshoe crabs!) and the architecture was simply magnificent, as can be seen in the picture below. With that being said, perhaps my favorite part of the museum might be considered a little bit of a strange choice: the poorly taxidermied animals.

What ah hysterically ugly looking lion

     Maybe it was due to the sheer number of taxidermied animals (there were multiple exhibits dedicated to showing them off), but I couldn't help but laugh at the numerous bulging eyes and bloated faces staring at me.

Why is this walrus so smooth? Don't walruses have wrinkles?

   
     With this being said, maybe the Shanghai Natural History Museum isn't for everybody. However, if you find yourself in Shanghai looking for an off-beat adventure, I would surely recommend Shanghai Natural History Museum.
     This concludes my blogpost for this week! Stay tuned to hear about the first few days of my internship, and as always, thank you for reading, and feel free to post any questions or comments you might have!

Taiwan Spring Festival Trip!

A pic of the two of us in Da'an Forest Park in Taipei!
Da'an Forest Park is located in the Gongguan district, and
offers a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
In addition to being a great place to take walks, there are
also a great deal of unique looking birds that inhabit the
park all year round!

     This past year, I went to Taiwan during the Spring Festival with my boyfriend Jacob. We decided to go to Taiwan for a multitude of reasons: This was Jacob's first time going out of the country, and I figured it would be a good idea to show him a place I was very familiar with (I've lived in Taipei for a cumulative total of about 6 months between 2015 and 2016), and I was not eager to plan a trip to a place that I've never been before, and where I didn't speak the local language. In addition, Taiwan, specifically Taipei, is still one of my most favorite places I've ever been to, and after reading this blogpost, I'm sure you'll see why!
                                                                         

Jiufen Old Street
Jiufen Old Street is a night market about an hour outside of
Taipei with spectacular views, especially during sunset!
Many claim that the movie "Spirited Away" takes place in
Jiufen. However, these claims have never been substantiated

     Over the course of our two week trip, we stuck almost exclusively around Taipei, but
there was no shortage of things to do, even during the Spring Festival! I specifically mention the Spring Festival because, during this holiday, many take time off of work to spend time with their families, so many stores, restaurants etc. are closed for the majority of the week.

      Every day we spent in Taiwan, we went to two or three different attractions, so it would be impossible to put up pictures of every place we went to, much less describe every single thing that we did! Therefore, I found it easiest to post some of my favorite photos with a quick description.

Maokong Gondola Ride
The Maokong Gondola Ride is located near the Taipei Zoo,
and offers scenic views of the countryside, places to sit and
drink tea at the top of the mountain, as well as many hiking
trails.

Other places we visited:

• Sun Yat Sen Memorial
• Taipei 101
• Huashan1914 Creative Park
• XimenDing
• ATT 4 Fun
• Syntrend
• Raohe Night Market
• Danshui Night Market
• Beitou Hot Springs
• Color Gallery
• Gongguan Night Market
• National Taiwan University
• Shilin Night Market

Chiangkai Shek Memorial
The Chiangkai Shek Memorial, in my opinion, is one of the
most beautiful places to visit within the city, and is a must
see when traveling in Taipei! However, over the years,
Chiangkai Shek has been viewed more and more as a
controversial figure in Taiwan, and I would advise
researching his legacy before visiting. 

Gudetama Cafe
This is a cafe that celebrates everything Gudetama,
my favorite Sanrio character! The decor, the food, and
everything in betweenis plastered with his face,
and makes for a great place to take
photos. 

     That concludes my Taiwan blogpost, but please feel free to ask more about our trip or about any of the many attractions we visited during our stay in Taipei! As always, thank you for reading!

Moving to Shanghai

Quick Note: I'm sure my readers have noticed that there has been a discrepancy in the timing of my posts, meaning that I did not make any posts from January to August; this is because my computer died, and I was not very inclined to continue to make blog posts from my phone. Thus, all of my posts from here on out will be detailing my experiences from January onward!

     Hi all! In this blogpost, I plan to outline my experience moving to Shanghai, i.e. finding housing and settling in and will give more detail about my internship in a future post!

     First off, moving to Shanghai was no easy task. My program offered no assistance to help me find places to live in Shanghai, so I had to start from square one. Luckily, I had some friends in Shanghai who had moved there two months prior, and were willing to connect me with a few real estate agents in the area. 

     However, for those who are looking to move to any city in China who are looking for a place to live and do not have realtor connections, do not fear! Lianjia (连家）is a very prevalent real estate company with locations all throughout China. Just drop into the store most convenient for you to get to and their employees can help you find houses in the area, no appointment needed! 

     After I made an appointment to meet with a real estate agent, we looked at a few houses in close proximity to my place of work. Within an hour of looking, I found an apartment I liked! Although it wasn't the best apartment ever, the rent was cheap ($2300 RMB, or a little more than $350 a month), and the landlord was very accommodating. I did have quite a few roommates though who moved in and out throughout the course of my time there, but luckily most of them tended to keep to themselves, and my room had it's own bathroom and wash machine, so I didn't have to deal with their messes. 

     A major reason I was able to find a house in Shanghai so quickly for such a low price is because, although I was technically living in Shanghai, I was waaaaay out in the middle of nowhere (it took me about an hour and a half to get to the hustling bustling center of Shanghai). I am sure that, in the heart of Shanghai, finding housing might be much more frustrating. However, many internships can be very accommodating; some will provide housing for their interns!

     Although I did not plan on staying in that location for very long (only about 5 or 6 months), I still wanted to make my little apartment mine and furnish it with a few things here and there! Luckily, there was an Ikea relatively close to my house (about an hour or so) with a ton of cheap organizing tools to make my little apartment feel more homey. 

     As for moving my stuff from Nanjing to Shanghai, I played the safe route and took a few trips back and forth to transfer my stuff. Luckily, I had my friend Melissa to help me (we also toured around Shanghai and saw some very interesting sites, which I will share in a future blogpost). On the other hand, some people I know preferred to use 快递, a delivery service, to ship their stuff. I chose not to because I have heard tales of people losing their stuff in the mail!

     Thanks for reading! Please feel free to ask any questions or make comments! In my next post, I will be discussing my Taiwan Trip during the Spring Festival. 

    

Things I Will Miss About Nanjing!

     During my time in Nanjing, I struggled a lot, but it was getting out and exploring new places with my friends that really made my time in Nanjing worthwhile. Thus, here is a list of my favorite places in Nanjing!

Alison and I taking pics at
the park!

Cathrine Park: Cathrine Park is a small shopping complex (mostly underground) with a small garden! It's a great place to kill some time in the evenings or get a bite to eat (hot pot anyone?). There are also a few bars and a club in that area (Miu) if that tickles your fancy! If not, however, the litchi mall is right across the street with some more cool little stores to check out.

Amy and I hugging the Line Friends Bear
in all of its holiday glory!

Line Friends Park: Line Friends Park is located within Cathrine Park. It's pretty much an overpriced cafe with a ton of cute little Korean mascots (the Line Friends!) that are a ton of fun to take pictures with! They also have some Line Friends themed merchandise for sale (even though it's overpriced, I shelled out for a cute little fanny pack!

Boat Ride!

Don't quit your day job, bud. 

Confucian Temple/夫子庙：The Confucian Temple has everything: street food, cute shops, a museum, boat tours, street performers, rickshaws, and a temple, of course! There are also a ton of small parks and shopping centers nearby, so it's hard to be bored in this area!

Me and Iron Man

Aqua City Mall/水游城: After roaming around the Confucian Temple, I always ended up at the Aqua City Mall! Because of the decor and the water shows, I would say that Aqua City is probably my favorite mall in Nanjing! Besides that, it's pretty much like any normal mall, with cute stores and great restaurants (there's a Beijing Style hot pot place on the 4th floor that's amazing!). Another reason I hang out in this area so much is because there's a nice big grocery store (across the street I think?) full of specialty food items.

Xuan Wu Lake/玄武湖：Xuan Wu lake is a great place to take a walk with friends (or even ride a paddle boat) when the smog isn't so bad. There's a lot to see here! There are a few gardens, and a lot of beautiful statues. Also, the views from the lake are incredible; the skyline is
quite impressive, and you can even see the tallest building in Nanjing from here, the Purple Peak (紫峰).  There are also a few children's playgrounds, and a few small places to get snacks and milk tea (mostly around the entrance of the park).

     Even though it's hard to enjoy these aspects of the lake at night, Xuan Wu lake is still quite the hub after dark! Many older people congregate here at night to  exercise, fly kites, or sing karaoke!

The view of the Purple Peak
from Xuan Wu lake

                                             
The Purple Peak/紫峰：As mentioned before, the Purple Peak is the tallest building in Nanjing, and is actually also one of the tallest buildings in the world! There are two portions to this building, the first being a small mall (it's only 4 floors!). There are a few restaurants and a few small shops, but the real attraction is in the second portion of the building; a very fancy hotel. Sometimes, my friends and I would slip into the elevator to the hotel restaurant to check out the views of Nanjing.

Xinjiekou/新街口：Xinjiekou is a district with a lot of malls, places to eat and things to see! Outside of Deji, probably the biggest mall in Xinjiekou, there's always something going on! For example, in the winter, there was a giant interactive pyramid outside the mall (pictured below). A few months later, during the World Cup, a big projector and small soccer field took the pyramid's place to host watch parties and other events.
     My favorite mall in Xinjiekou, Fashion Lady, is full of cute (and strange) sculptures, in addition to a lot of cheap clothing! Fashion Lady (and Xinjiekou in general) is a great

Melissa and some spider men
hanging outside of Fashion Lady

The pyramid!

place to hang out when it's cold outside; all the main attractions are located in malls, and it gets so cold in Nanjing in the winter (one of my teachers described winters in Nanjing as "bone chilling")!

As always, feel free to add any comments or questions, and thank you for reading!