Yesterday was my 21st birthday and I was able to celebrate it in China! My friends here were amazing and they got me presents and made sure I was able to do whatever I wanted for my birthday. Right at midnight, all of my friends marched into my room and sang happy birthday to me! My friend Robert (from Germany) then came in with his guitar and played happy birthday to me. The next day, my birthday, I went to class and then had lunch at Skyways deli with my fri...

This is going to be short but I thought I would share my recent cultural findings here in China. Liang, our residence advisor, and I got to talking and we were talking about what she should get her boyfriend (he is American and lives in Colorado) for Christmas. I started naming a bunch of things and she told me the cultural chinese explanations for why you can't give certain things as gifts: You can't give the person you're dating shoes, because it will be eas...

Ni Hao! It's about 9:00pm on Monday night and I just got back from quite a food adventure. We went to a little restraunt down an allie near the University that serves Hotpot. Hotpot is a bunch of vegetables and meat that you throw into a big pot in the middle of the table and watch it cook right in front of you. It has tons of spices and is cooked in this oil water. Our hotpot was cooked on a hotplate but most are built into the table with a flame. I woul...

It is monday night in Nanjing, China (September 7, 2009) and I just returned from "Birdflu Alley" where I had noodles for dinner and did some browsing at the night market. China is so different and unique and I feel amazed I have this opportunity to come and live here. People in the states have such a negative connotation about China and its ways, and I have to say, a lot of these beliefs are turning out to be false. Yes living here is very different...

I finally have internet here in Nanjing, China! It has been a tiring last few days in Shanghai but we are finally in our dorms at Nanjing University. This city is smaller than Shanghai, but still 7.5 million people. My window has a view of the Nanjing city skyline. There are beautiful mountains all around us. Nanjing itself is very nice. It has tree lined streets with Chinese style houses and gates all around. At the same time it has it's main 3 shopping a...