Week 3(ish) in China!

     I have had quite the adventure this past week and a half or so, from trying to see all the sights Nanjing has to offer, to preparing for school, to dealing with being sick. First off, I haven't found a lot to do in Nanjing, especially considering that the weather is either scorching or cold and rainy, so many of the activities that I have been able to partake in have either been indoors at various shopping malls or have been at nighttime when the weather is bearable. So far, my most favorite place to go has been 夫子庙  (fū zǐ miào),or in English, the Confucian Temple. At first, I was under the impression that the surrounding scenery would be tranquil and peaceful like most temples are, but, especially at night, the  Confucius Temple is PACKED with people. There are various shops lining the streets with lots of clothes and tasty food to buy, as well as beautiful scenery (i.e. waterways and pagodas). 

A picture of a pagoda near the Confucian Temple

There's a fun boat tour right at the Confucian Temple!

     Not far from the Confucius Temple is my favorite shopping mall so far: 水游城, or "Aqua City". There's a lot of really tasty things to eat there that's definitely a little more expensive than your average meal (picture below) and some fairly affordable things to buy. They also have a really fun slogan: "水平方" (shuǐpíng fāng), which supposedly sounds like "shopping fun".

A seafood boil my friend and I got at the restaurant Fish in Paper at Aqua City!

     This week has also been packed with various speeches, lectures, and an entrance test. Most of the students have already taken the entrance test, which is only used to measure student's individual improvement, not to place students in classes (placement in flagship classes is decided well before students arrive in Nanjing). I have not yet taken the entrance exam because I was sick (just the flu), and luckily my teachers allowed me to take it at another time. However, I was present for some of the speeches.

A funny photo of Mr. Chen. He helps run the program,
 and gives A LOT of speeches. I got to know him very
well over the course of the year (as do most of the
students), and most people either despise him or give
into the stolholm syndrome and respect him.

     By far, the most useful speeches were the ones given by flagship students that had moved onto their internship portion of their time abroad. They talked over many useful topics, such as how to succeed in our language classes, how to best complete the required ten hours of community service, and how to battle homesickness. I was surprised by how much the previous cohort wanted to help us; even after the presentation, I was able to get dinner with them, and they were really happy to tell me all the ins and outs of the program. After spending a good while soaking in my peer's advice, most of their advice boiled down to this: communication, communication, communication. If you are having any difficulties, your teachers should be willing to work with you to better improve your Chinese, whether that be adding extra tutoring hours, or giving out homework extensions. So, for those who are planning on going on Capstone, I would strongly recommend reaching out to the cohort that is already on their internship phase.  

Dinner with the Spring Cohort!

     Lastly, I would like to talk about homework/first day of classes. As mentioned earlier, teachers are very forgiving, and even if you don't have everything together by the first class period, as long as students are trying, that's all that really matters. In addition, the teachers themselves are somewhat unorganized. In the end, it all comes together, and the main thing to remember is to not be too nervous in order to make a good impression, especially with Mr. Chen, who is the head Flagship teacher at Nanjing University. 

     Next week I will (hopefully) be discussing adjusting to life with a Chinese roommate, how all of my Flagship classes are going, and which Nanjing University classes I will be taking! As always, please feel free to ask me questions or comment below.