Internships

My Chinese resume!

     For the past few weeks, I have been vigorously looking for internships. I have used various outlets such as asking former professors, updating my LinkedIn, and contacting some of the companies that Flagship has connections with. This far, I have not only submitted my resume to two different companies, 麦淘 (Maitao), a company that organizes winter camps for children, and 德稻 (Detao), an environmental finance group, I have an interview with both companies in a few weeks. 

    Although one may assume that the process of applying to internships in China would be similar to applying for internships in the United States, in fact, there are quite a few huge differences. For example, Chinese resumes are very different as opposed to American resumes. For instance, it is necessary to put a picture of yourself on a Chinese resume. In addition, it is essential to indicate one’s marital status, health condition, and nationality.     
     As always, I appreciate any questions and comments! Thank you for reading!

Cultural Differences

     Thus far in my experience in China, I have encountered numerous cultural differences, some quite small, and others that are pretty shocking. However, as I am describing my experiences in China, it is necessary to keep in mind that China is a very large place with the largest population in the world. Therefore, what I experience in Nanjing is definitely does not always serve as the norm.       With that being said, one of the most biggest cultural differences I have experienced is the idea of eating “too all over the place”. This means that, if you eat sweet and salty, hot and cold, or some other combination of seemingly opposing flavors/temperatures, you will get sick. I ran into this cultural difference while in Suzhou after I came down with the worst bout of food poisoning I have ever had. My friend's aunt started to interrogate me, asking what I could have eaten to make myself sick. After admitting to having a cold coffee after a hot lunch, she smiled ever so slyly, and warned me to never eat hot and cold foods one after the other, or I would be sure to get sick again.

In many places in China as well as other parts of Asia, 
it is essential to take your shoes off at the front door 
and wear slippers in the house so the floor doesn't
get too gross

     In many places in China as well as other parts of Asia, it is essential to take your shoes off at the front door and wear slippers in the house so the floor doesn't get too gross.
      Another cultural difference that has to do with being sick is, if you manage to get out of bed, it is essential to wear slippers, otherwise your sickness will supposedly get worse. While sick with some kind of cold in Nanjing, my roommate was so worried I wasn't wearing my slippers in the house. Because she became so adamant that I wore some kind of something on my feet, I gave into her pleas (except for when she was out of the house).
      These are only just a few of the biggest cultural differences I have ran into Nanjing, there are still many more that I have not mentioned, or maybe not even noticed yet. Next time I post, I will be discussing food; what kinds of food are common in Nanjing, and how take out works in China! As always, comments and questions are very welcome.

2 Months in China!

     This past week has been quite eventful; I finally bought a computer, I have officially started all of my classes!
     In regards to my new computer, after a short period of consideration, I decided to purchase a MacBook Air. Yes, it was expensive, but it was definetly not as expensive as I had originally imagined; I had heard that, in China, Apple products were supposedly substantially more expensive than in the United States. However, it seems as though the prices of Apple products in China  and the US are quite comparable. In addition, I was given a decent student discount, which helped a little bit. Even though the price was not the best it could be, one big reason I decided to buy a Apple computer was because many of my teachers warned me about casually buying other brands of computers, emphasizing that there are many swindlers that sell faulty or damaged computers in order to make a quick buck. Thus, since I went to an official Apple store to purchase my computer, I was safe from buying a faulty computer. That is not to say Apple is the only safe place to buy a computer in China; I have been told the website 京东 (jing dong) is an extremely safe and reliable site on which to buy a new computer.
     As for my Nanjing University classes, I have officially chosen a nutrition class and a environmental pollution and health class. In my health class, we have already learned about various topics from angiogenesis to GMOs to gut health. So far, my favorite lecture has been the one to do with angiogenesis. Angiogenesis, simply put, means the growth of new blood vessels. Although this bodily phenomenon sounds like a good thing, sometimes, it can cause some negative side-effects, such as supplying blood and nutrients to a tumor, thereby allowing it to grow bigger. To prevent angiogenesis and tumor growth, it is said that changing one’s diet can help; consuming more foods with anti angiogenesic properties, such as tomatoes, green tea, red grapes, and dark chocolate has been proved to slow tumor growth. 
     As for my environmental pollution and heath class, we have not had an extremely formal lecture yet. Thus far, the teacher has mostly went over guidelines and class expectations.
     As always, questions and comments are welcome! next week, I plan to talk about customs that are common in China that I have not seen in the United States, along with other exiting topics that come up in the next week.

Amy sleeping gin class

   

Vacation/Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋节

Some really good food

     Over the past week, my friend Melissa and I ventured out of Nanjing to Suzhou and Shanghai for our week long break. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience and would strongly encourage those who are planning to participate in the Flagship Capstone Program to travel whenever possible; The train from Nanjing to Suzhou takes only an hour or so. In Suzhou, Melissa and I toured many beautiful parks and gardens, and were even able to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with her family.

Humble Administrator's Garden

     One of the first attractions Melissa and I encountered in Suzhou was the Humble Administrator's Garden. This specific garden is perhaps the biggest and most well known out of all of the gardens in Suzhou. Even though the garden was definitely worth seeing with all of it's well-kept, unique architecture and it's abundance of greenery, there were so many people, it was almost impossible to wade through the crowds at times. This was undoubtably due to the fact that many people had time off because of the mid-autumn festival and wanted to get out with their families. Regardless, we were still able to see all around the gardens and take many beautiful pictures. 

Tongli Old Town

I think I've heard somebody call Suzhou 
"The Venice of the East"

     Our second most memorable excursion was to Tongli Old Town. It's a little ways out of the heart of Suzhou, but it is 
definitely worth the trip. The 
old architecture surrounded by canals of water was an amazing sight to see. There were many little gardens to tour, and many shops lined the streets, selling knick-knacks and the like.

    

Chinese Medicine that I'm not

sure is still legal to consume in

China anymore

     Although I had a lot of fun in Suzhou touring the Humble Administrator's Garden, Tongli Town, and trying different foods, I fell violently ill with a case of food poisoning on our third night there. However, I took this opportunity to try out some Chinese medicine pictured below. Because of the food poisoning, I wasn't able to eat that much of the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, but since I'm not the biggest fan of Cantonese style food (Melissa's family took us to a Cantonese restaurant), maybe it all worked out in the end. 

The Bund!

     At our next stop in Shanghai, we were able to meet up with an old friend and explore the city. In the span of three or so days we explored so many places: The Bund, Lu Xun Park, the Marriage Market, The People's Square etc.

Melissa emerging from the mist in Lu Xun Park

     In my opinion, the Bund is super overrated, too many people (人山人海). In addition, the water is gross, and the area around it is too commercial for my taste.

     

     
     As for Lu Xun Park, we spent a lot of time around there since our friend Mace, who we stayed with, lived near there. It was a decent park with a decent amount of foliage, great for taking walks.

    
     For those who have never visited Shanghai before, the People's Square (人民广场) is a must, namely because the world famous marriage market is there! The marriage market consists of many older parents looking to find their children a life partner. Some say that this phenomenon 
emerged because many young Chinese people do not have time to date due to 
their busy work lives, so they have to rely on their parents to do the dating for them! On a 

Parents advertising their children at
the Marriage Market

side note, it is important to be careful in the marriage market; my friend Melissa was chased by man looking to pair her up with a suitor!

A more scenic shot of the Marriage Market

     All in all, this week was pretty action packed, and I had a ton of fun exploring both Suzhou and Shanghai for the first time, and I hope to return to both cities, maybe for a weekend trip. I am very happy I made the most of my weeklong vacation since I won't get any long breaks until the end of January!