Hello Nanjing!

Now I am finally in Nanjing, the "southern capital" of China, where I will be studying at Nanjing University (we call it Nan Da or 南大). In addition to my studies in Nanjing, and thanks to a little bit of help from one of my friends in Beijing, I also have an internship in Nanjing working with Aoky Consulting, an IT consulting company that specializes in foreign export companies. Not only am I very excited to be studying at the prestigious Nanjing University (it is normally ranked between 3rd and 5th best school in China) but I am also thrilled by the prospect of working with a Chinese company, especially one that focuses on such a developing field as foreign export.

Nanjing is a beautiful city. It has much less pollution than Beijing and it has much more vegetation all throughout the city. Nanjing also has a much more home-like feel to it and it doesn't suffer from the often overwhelming hustle and bustle of a massive city like Beijing.

On the morning of my second day in Nanjing I stumbled into the CIEE Office (CIEE is the name of my foreign exchange program) and ran into a fellow named Andy who actually studied in Nanjing a few years ago and is currently researching in China with a Fullbright Scholarship. Andy was kind enough to show me and a few of my friends the lay of the land and within the first few days we were able to see many of the good restaurants, bars, and markets in Nanjing. While Andy is leaving today to continue on his research, his help was invaluable in our first few days in Nanjing.The people that I am studying with in Nanjing are also great. Not only are they all very friendly but they are also quite an interesting bunch.

My accommodations are also high quality. The dorm I am staying in was built only a year ago. I only have a few gripes about my room in Nanjing. While my bed in Nanjing is nice, I think that I slept much more comfortably in Beijing. On a similar note, the shower here requires that the hot water be turned on two hours before hand to ensure that it's hot, so I would say the showering situation in Beijing was also much more enjoyable. Overall, however, my room is very nice. Check out this picture that I snapped on the first day. The true test of my dorm room comes tomorrow - when my Chinese roommate moves in.

I started classes today and both of my teachers seem to be very helpful and intelligent. I think that my studies this summer in Beijing definitely helped prepare me for my experience in Nanjing. I am off to go do my homework now, but I will leave you with a picture of my favorite part of my room in Nanjing - the view.