Overview of my Time Abroad Thus Far

      Hi All! I wrote this article for my Gilman Scholarship experiences abroad. Feel free to leave comments and questions below.

       Before I came to China to participate in a rigorous language program called Chinese Flagship Capstone, I was determined to improve my Chinese to the best of my ability; this meant working very hard in all of my classes, in addition to exploring my surroundings and getting in tune with the local culture. Before arriving in China, I was confident that since my Mandarin abilities were already at an advanced level that I would be practically fluent by the end of my year abroad, since the program I am currently participating in only accepts those who are already somewhat proficient in Chinese. However, as I am reaching the midway point of this program, although I am extremely satisfied with how my Chinese ability has progressed thus far, I am beginning to realize, if I plan on being completely fluent in Mandarin, I still have a long way to go.

      If I had one word to describe my study abroad experience thus far, it would be enlightening. This is due to the fact that I have recently had a change of heart concerning my language goals; although I can communicate most of my ideas in my second language, and understand what is being said in conversation and in classes, I cannot yet express my ideas the way a native Chinese speaker can. Simply put, I still use my native language, English, to translate my ideas, and I do not have the strongest grasp on Chinese language and culture in order to optimally communicate in my second language.

       I quickly came to this realization after being immersed with many other American students learning Chinese. No longer was I one of the best students in my language classes; not even close. However, instead of deterring me from further studying Mandarin, I have decided to keep on pushing, and have become inspired by my classmate’s knowledge and perseverance in their language studies. From this experience, I have learned that, no matter how well I might think I understand a subject, there is always room to improve.

       Thus, my current goals have greatly changed. Even though, at the moment, I am in an intensive program in order to improve my Mandarin, I have begun to consider ways to keep up my language abilities during the internship portion of my time abroad, and after I return back home to the United States. The latter goal, keeping up my Mandarin abilities after I return to the United States, will undoubtedly be a huge task. This is especially apparent because I will no longer have access to the language resources that provided by my college after I graduate, and I won’t be constantly immersed in my second language. Therefore, I am very motivated to find a job that utilizes my second language ability soon after I arrive back in the United States so I can easily keep up my language skills, and hopefully, continue to improve.

       In conclusion, although this experience abroad in Nanjing, China has been one of the hardest experiences I have had to go through in my life, during my time here, I have undoubtedly learned quite a few life lessons, and have a more humble perception of my language ability. For this experience, I will be forever grateful.

Spending the Holidays in China

A terrible photo of me

A not so nice photo of Melissa

     Unfortunately, Flagship has provided no time off for any western holidays. However, I do get New Years Day off! So far, I have no specific plans to celebrate New Years.

     As for Christmas, many of my classmates came together and organized an big holiday get together, complete with decorations, food and presents. Although the event was fairly small, with only those involved in Flagship and their roommates in attendance, it was still a lot of fun. Melissa and I spent most of our time there at the photo booth, and even then we failed to take any nice photos.

    

Christmas Toast

Hot Pot!

     Also, this last weekend, a good friend from Shanghai came out
 to Nanjing, and we got together on Christmas Eve and had a big meal of hot pot in celebration and had a great time! 
     Much to my surprise, on Christmas Eve in China, it seems to be customary to give away apples (I mention this because I received a ton of apples on this day, from restaurants, my teachers, and my roommate. Needless to say I was good on fiber for the rest of the week). In part, this might have to do with the fact that the word for “peace” and “apple” 

平安夜苹果
Peace Night Apples

in Chinese are somewhat similar. However, it is strange that this custom is common practice in China in the first place given that it is appears to be closely related to Christmas, which is not a widely celebrated holiday in China. I have probed a few of my Chinese friends about it, but they have all claimed that this practice was originally Western. However, although I was born and raised in the West, I have never experienced nor heard of such a custom. Thanks for reading! Feel free to ask questions/leave comments. 

Community Service

     Since arriving in Nanjing at the end of August, I have completed 10 hours of community service required by my program. However, I have not completed all of my community service hours at the same place; for the first two hours, I helped out at a Chinese nursing home, for the second two hours I picked up trash on a mountain, and for the last six hours I tutored at an elementary school. 

Melissa Hanging Out

     My least favorite community service experience by far was working at the nursing home. This is because, before going to the nursing home, my friends and I prepared to play various games, such as majiang, with the residents of the nursing home we were about to meet, and have pleasant conversations. However, after arriving, we found out that it was a nursing home for those who needed intensive care, thus most of the residents wanted to do their own thing and needed a lot more individual attention. Although providing these people with companionship was rewarding in its own way, it was very difficult to communicate and care for these people with no prior training.   

(Some of) the trash we picked up!

     Trash picking on one of the various mountain of Nanjing was fun, but we had to climb up a lengthy amount of stairs for about an hour to reach the garbage pile we were looking for.In addition, the trash we had to pick up was very gross (surprise). However, it was a great bonding experience, and I regret not doing it again while the weather was still somewhat warm and sunny (which made the trash stinkier, but what are you gonna do). 

If you look closely, I'm pointing at the word
 "look" while the children were all looking 
(I found this humorous)

Melissa teaching

For the last six hours of my community service, I went to a nearby school to teach English for kids who wanted extra tutoring on Saturdays. In total, I went to this school twice, once for two hours, another for four. The first time I went, I went to various lengths in an effort to teach my student English, from taking him on a walk, pointing out different colors and various items, to writing jargon on a blackboard in an effort to get him to remember anything. However, during the last fifteen minutes of a two hour class, my student whipped out his textbook and started reading about sustainability in English relatively fluently. I was in shock, and was embarrassed that I had spent so much effort trying to create my own curriculum.
The second time I went to tutor at the school, I was not paired up with a single student since there were not enough students for the volunteers. Instead, I sat in on a class of fifth graders learning English, and helped out with their pronunciation and homework. Afterward, we had a wonderful lunch of homemade Chinese food, and then headed home.

Thank you all for reading! Feel free to ask questions and write comments!

Clara playing soccer with the kids!

Eating Habits

Not much has been happening in Nanjing these days. For the most part, I have been gearing up for finals to start (they begin January 1st), and trying to finish up my thesis. My thesis topic has to do with popularity of food delivery services in China, their societal and environmental impact, and how to (potentially) change the system in a more sustainable way. 
In the mean time, I have been trying to make a huge effort to cut down on spending; this means that I have been cutting out a lot of expensive western food out of my diet (such as salads and sandwiches) since I haven’t been missing home so much lately, and have gathered the courage to eat at more hole-in-the wall restaurants, and to try more street food. My favorite meal of the day in China has to be breakfast; not only is the food cheap, but it's super tasty! Here's a list of some of my favorites:

Baozi!

Baozi: Baozi are large steamed buns stuffed with meat, veggies, or bean paste. My favorite flavors must be either the turnip or greens and mushrooms.

Soymilk: Soymilk in China tastes much better than it is in the States, most likely because, in the States, soy milk comes from a box. In China, oftentimes vendors will make it right in front of you, hot and ready. This means the milk is super fresh and foamy, and that you can ask the vendor to make it to your liking. I don't like that much sugar in my soy milk, and one vendor I go to will even add coffee!

Porridge!

I thought it was funny that this store
translated "rice porridge" to "gruel"

Rice Porridge: Rice Porridge is a great homey dish. This dish can either be sweet or savory (I always ordered the savory rice porridge, and you can ask to put just about anything in it. However, there are some classic ingredients that go in rice porridge, the most popular being perhaps the pork and thousand year old egg combination (don't knock it until you try it). 

Fried Stuffed Bread

Fried Stuffed Bread: This food item is exactly what it sounds like: stuffed bread (or pancake). Inside of the outer, almost thin crispy skin is usually a savory mixture of well seasoned meat and/or veggies.

Jian Bing!

The jian bing at this place tended to have more
cumin in it (unlike the most popular kinds of
jian bing), and the wrapper was paper thin. 

    











Jian Bing: Although this dish seems to be getting more and more popular in the West, still, many are unfamiliar with the jian bing outside of China. Many liken the jian bing to a Chinese version of the crepe, but I like to think of it more as a burrito. Basically, the wrapper is made on a giant flat surface, and the vendor puts whatever you want on it, such as eggs, hot dogs, lettuce, vegetables (even seaweed and kimchi), fried crunchy chips, and various sauces, and is wrapped up like a burrito. However, there are many different kinds of jian bing; on my block, there were (at least) three different jian bing vendors, and each had their own distinct wrappings and overall taste. So,if you have the opportunity, I would encourage you to not only try a jian bing, but try a few different kinds from a few different places, and see which one you like best!

Also, it's important to note also that what I eat in Nanjing is not necessarily what people eat all over China too; while I was in Yunnan a couple months ago, I ate rice noodles for breakfast every day (and it was soooo good), so don't get mad if I didn't post your favorites! That's the end of my post today, please feel free to comment which dish looked best to you, and what kinds of Chinese breakfast items you like to eat if I didn't list your favorite! Thank you for reading!

     

Old Friends and Cooking Crabs

This week, I was able to visit with quite a few old friends that I haven’t seen in over a year. They were all students from the Flagship program spring cohort; they were back in Nanjing to take their final tests after completing the internship portion of the program. While they were in Nanjing, I went out to karaoke with them, and they introduced me to some of their favorite spots to eat out. My favorite was Gugu Chicken, a place that specializes in Korean fried chicken not far from school.

Besides getting together and doing some fun activities, they also provided me with much needed advice and encouragement. For example, although the schooling portion of the program is quite intense, the internship portion is quite lax. All of the friends I talked to said that, during their internships, they were able to take mid afternoon naps every day. Thus, I am very excited to start my internship; I really need a break!

Meeting with these friends definitely changed my perception of this program. I am starting to realize that a year really isn’t that long, and that I can definitely make it through this program. 

 Crab!

Eating Crab

Another activity that I did this week that was worth mentioning was I cooked some live crabs with my friend Melissa and her roommate! Melissa’s aunt sent her 10 live crabs through the mail, and we had to cook them all within two days before they died. Thus, we feasted on crabs! 我真的是世界上第一个吃螃蟹的人！
Thanks for reading! Feel free to ask any questions or add any comments!

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

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!

Paris Toilette/My Favorite Places to Eat

Hi all!

My poor computer

     Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted anything, my computer broke from the torrential downpour that came down on Monday. The streets literally turned in to rivers on that day, and the sewage even backed up in Paris Baguette, a snack shop just down the road from the school, which turned it into a real Paris Toilette (pardon my French).

     Other than the torrential downpour, not many exciting things have been happening. My classes have been a little disappointing since there seems to be no real structure in my classes, and I wish we were learning more vocabulary and sentence structure instead of having motivational speech contests (my class split into two, and each group chose one student to represent their group and give a motivational speech in front of the class, and whichever group's speech was more motivational won extra credit). 

     However, when things get rough and school gets to be simply too much, the food here is definetly very comforting. Here's a list of my favorite places to eat in Nanjing!
Side note (s): I didn't put a lot of the more hole in the wall places in my list (there are a lot!). Also, I would be very cautious eating fish, especially at places with questionable hygiene practices (places that are more high-scale should be fine). I say this because I got food poisoning from fish on three separate occasions! Lastly, I haven't mentioned any of my favorite breakfast places, I'll save that for another time.

Chinese Food

Celebrating a friend's birthday at 海底捞! 

老妈: Halal food, cheap, down the street from school

辛香汇 (Spicy Joint): Sichuan style food, Upscale
楼兰：Xianjiang Food, Upscale

海底捞：Hot pot, Upscale (They'll even massage your hands while you're waiting)
Hot Pot in the 水游城 Mall: Again, I forget the name, but it's very good
成都娃娃：Sichuan style food, Upscale
Fish in Paper: Seafood, Upscale
Food Carts: Be careful, but the food they have is usually great                 

Me n the crew at Spicy Joint!

Nanjing style food at 狮子桥：again, I forget the name of the place, but there are a lot of great option around 狮子桥
鲁氐汤包王：Great soup dumplings by the Confucian Temple

Nanjing style food at 狮子桥

Salmon Eggs Benedict at Eat                   

Not Chinese Food
Uncle's Pizza: Pizza (who would have guessed), close to school
Blue Frog: Burgers and nachos and the like
The Korean places on 汉口路: There are two and they're both ok, I forget their names
Skyways: Great sandwiches
This Thai place in 新街口: I forget the name of the place, but it's by a mediocre Vietnamese place called Rice Paper
Taj Mahal: Indian, close to school
Eat: Brunch Food/American Food, Close to school
McDonalds: Because why not?      

Me and my boi Chris Wu at McD's         

Cafes                                          
Lava: Close to school, comfortable, there is a very cute cat that lives there!
Human Coffee: Doubles as a bar at night!
Nannar: Expensive but comfortable

Coffee helping me write my thesis

Melissa at the Bassman

Bars
Helen's: Awful atmosphere, cheap drinks (great specials)
Revolution: Expensive drinks, great for dancing                                              

The Bassman: Scary basement vibes
Tap Planet: Expensive, tasty beer

    Well, that concludes my list! Feel free to ask about any of these places, or post about any more places that you liked to eat at! For next week, I'll be posting about something that I have very much been looking forward to: a week long break for the mid-autumn festival! During this time, my good friend Melissa and I are planning on visiting a town called Suzhou, and then Shanghai. Next week, I plan to share some of my experiences from these two places! Also, as always, any comments or questions are welcome.