Thanksgiving

     Needless to say, celebrating Thanksgiving in China has been a little rough; going to class while one’s family back home is celebrating  their togetherness can feel quite lonely. Ironically, the one things that comes to mind to fully describe the way I feel at the moment is this Chinese poem:

九月九日忆山东兄弟 

唐 ·王维

独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。

遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人。

     This poem’s title is “Recalling the Brothers of Shandong on the 9th Day of the 9th Month” by WangWei, and was written during the Tang Dynasty. The 9th day of the 9th month is especially important in Chinese culture because it is a holiday to celebrate amongst family, much like Thanksgiving. The content of the poem describes a foreigner in a town that is strange to him, and every holiday, he misses his loved ones. He knows his brothers are climbing to a high place to plant a tree, with one person missing (him).
     Although I was unable to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family this year, I was able to celebrate with one of my good friends. Together, we decided to get a fancy dinner at a Beijing roast duck restaurant, and ate roast duck in replacement of turkey, since turkey is very hard to find in China. Although the duck was very tasty, it did not satisfy my cravings for Thanksgiving dinner.

     Thank you for reading! Please feel free to post any comments or ask any questions.

Museums and Other Excusrions!

      Sorry everybody! I haven’t posted for a while, so I thought I would write an extra long update this time.  

Entrance to the mausoleum

          First off, I would like to talk about the various museums I have been to in Nanjing! Since the Flagship program understands that its students are very busy, they make a point to organize field trips to take us out and around the city. One of our first field trips was to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.   

Kissin' one if the creatures
in the garden

Melissa and I out on the town

     











      It was quite a hike to get to the mausoleum, and there were a ridiculous amount of people there, but it was well worth the climb; the view of Nanjing was beyond incredible, and the whole city was in view ( I didn't get a good picture of it though). 
     In addition, around the mausoleum, there are many parks, and quite a few cute little shops. Personally, my favorite portion of the mausoleum were the extensive parks filled with various trees and ancient statues. If I have time, I hope to go to the mausoleum again. However, if I were to go, I would stay the entire day given that it is quite a ways away from the city.

     Another field trip I took with the Flagship program was to the Nanjing Massacre Museum, in addition to another smaller museum, also relating to the massacre that occurred in Nanjing. Needless to say, this field trip was very necessary in order to better understand the history of Nanjing, and gave me a deep, solemn impression. Inside these museums, I learned that, between 1937-1938, Japanese soldiers came to mainland China and killed a total of 300,000 people. To put this in perspective, the Nanjing Massacre Museum scattered 300,000 pebbles throughout the museum, one to represent every life taken during the massacre.  In result, the grounds around the museum were filled with pebbles.     

Jade Armor!

     Another museum that I went to with the Flagship program was the Nanjing City Museum. Within this museum, there are so many exhibits, and their content varies so widely, it is impossible to see it all in one go. However, my favorite exhibit had to be the one with dinosaur bones. There are also exhibits relating to ancient Chinese pottery, jade, Buddhism, clocks, technology, and much more.     

The Porcelain Tower!

     


     So far, my most favorite museum that I have been to in Nanjing was not with the Flagship program. One day, my friends 

Buddhist Statue

and I decided to tour the Porcelain Tower Museum. Inside, there are numerous things to see, from ancient temples, artifacts, and pieces of art, all relating to Buddhism. Also, it does not take a great deal of time to make the trip out to this museum, unlike many other famous places in Nanjing. Also, there is a large porcelain tower right next to the museum, and there are some great views from the top!

Views from the tower

     Thank you all for reading! Questions and comments are always welcome.

    

Midterms

     This week, I have been extremely busy with midterms. Every Chinese language class I have been taking through the Flagship Program (not through Nanjing University) has two separate midterms, and it has been very difficult keeping up with everything. However, somehow, I have been making it through. Going to the bar has definitely helped; meeting up with friends and having a few drinks is a surefire way to take the edge off. 
     My favorite bar in Nanjing so far has to be Helens. Everyday this month from 9-10, 

Kebab, or "shaokao" carts usually look like this and can
easily be pulled around by a small vehicle like a bike
or motor scooter.

anyone who stops by gets unlimited free beer. In addition, their other drinks are really cheap, really big, and pack a punch.Because of how cheap and great Helens is, I haven’t been to many other bars. The other bars that I have been to, Clockwork and Club 86, don't hold a candle to Helen's; their drinks are just as expensive and a quarter of the size. But, I do have a favorite place I go to after I go to Helens; the food carts.
       Every night around 10 down the street from Helens, right by the McDonald’s closest to Nanjing University, a group of food carts congregate. There are quite a few different food options, from wontons, fried noodles, and shaokao (the Chinese version of a kebab), but the fried noodles, in my opinion, are especially good. However, if Chinese food doesn’t sound appealing, McDonald’s is always open.
      Thanks for reading! As always, feel free to write comments and ask questions.

     

 

A trash can full of discarded kebab skewers