GPC in Nanjing: Day trip to Zheng Jiang: On this past Sunday afternoon, we took a half-day long trip to Zheng Jiang, about 1.5 hours south of Nanjing. Along with a Chan Buddhist temple, we toured the remnants of the palace complex of the Wu emperor. Ascending to the palace compound was quite pleasant. My friends who are reading this blog know that I always enjoy a good hike. The view of the Yang tze river from the portico at the top was definitely worth the climb up. In the old days, the palace sat in the middle of the river, but now the riverbed has moved, leaving the palace to one side. In the photo to the left, you can see Brian, Sean, and Andrew from our group along with our tour guide (in blue) and Prof. Sherry Cheng's daughter, Annie (in pink), also with us on this trip.

GPC in Nanjing--Week 1 Day 2: Today was our second day of classes at Nanjing Normal University. I decided to take a Chinese class, took a placement test, and attended class just like our students. There are a few English speakers in my class--a couple of Africans and an American--and the rest are Koreans. I was placed into a level 4 class, and I was pleased at how well I held up. I had to pay very close attention and found the lessons both challenging and enjoyable, so I think the level of difficulty was about right. Incidentally, there's a McDonalds right outside our university's gate, but right across the street from the McD's is a great little shop that serves steaming rice bowls with all kinds of delicious meats and vegetables, such as the one that you see above. The rice bowls cost half of what they charge for a Big Mac combo, so I can eat healthy for less money. No wonder there isn't any obesity in China...yet.

Nanjing day 1: Our group arrived in Nanjing by overnite train last Friday morning. The sleeper car was set up six persons to a compartment, but because the bottom-rung beds in all the compartments had been reserved for our group, we had to share our cabins with other Chinese people who occupied the upper bunks of each compartment. (Bottom-rung beds are considered more desirable because they also serve as seats at the window level, whereas persons who occupy higher bunks have to sit on fold-out seats built into the side of the train car if they want to sit down for tea or to look out the window). So we had to trade privacy for some convenience which some members of our group considered a bad trade. On the whole, I'd say that that deal is pretty typical of the China experience. More on our new life at Nanjing Normal University in my next entry...!

Beijing Day 5: Here's a photo of our group taken in the Forbidden City on our last day in Beijing. The Forbidden City is a palace complex that has so many rooms that you could sleep in a different room every night for more than 20 years without sleeping in the same room twice (at least so we were told--I did not count them ; ) As you can see from the photo, I bleached my hair on a dare from some other guys in our group that did the same. Soon, I'll know if blondes really have more fun. I plan to have more fun either way.

Beijing Day 3--The Great Wall: Yesterday was fun but kind of crazy, too. We took a long busride out to a place called Ba Da Ling, well-known for being the highest point on the Great Wall near Beijing. Heavy clouds had come in during the night, and we had heavy rains all the way out to the Wall. We had fun slipping and sliding up and down the Wall since it rained most of the time we were up there. We saw a funny mispelled sign that said, "Sleep slope: treading forward carefully." I love Chinglish!

GPC in China: Day 2 (cont.): After Tiananmen Square, we drove to the Imperial Gardens that are on a hilltop that overlooks the Forbidden City. The gardens and the little mountain "Jing Shan" that lies within it were a nice change from the typical topography of Beijing (the city lies on a broad plain and is the landscape is quite flat). On the hilltop, we enjoyed some cool breezes, great views, and some fine ice-cream. About these two guys in the photo with me, I have really been enjoying getting to know Nicholas (on my right) and Brian (on my left). Nicholas is a cool hand, a pretty good Chinese speaker, and also knows his way around Bangkok--always a plus in my book. Brian is new to speaking Chinese, but his pronunciation is good, and he is a hit with the ladies here--I predict he will have a Chinese wife in the future!

GPC in China: Day 2--Tiananmen Square: Today was just great! We started with a combination Chinese-style & American-style breakfast and then headed out to Tiananmen Square. We did some of the fun touristy stuff--bought Chairman Mao wristwatches, bargained for postcards, and practiced using our Chinese to buy cold Coca-colas. Of course, in Chinese, Coca-cola means, "taste good, feel happy!" Everything we ate tasted good today, and everybody was feeling pretty happy about that.

GPC in China Day 1 (cont.): Last night after dinner, we walked around our neighborhood and had a chance to meet some families with kids playing in a nearby park. The kids had a lot of fun making pictures with us : )!

GPC in Beijing Day 1 (cont.): Last night's dinner was one of the best of its kind that I've ever had. In this photo, you can see GPC students Monique, Heather, Nicholas, and Stephanie chowing down on the delicious Chinese fare. Along with staples such as egg fried rice and sweet and sour chicken, there were tasty dishes I'd never had including a spicy egg and tomato soup, and flavorful confab of fried squash, chickpeas, and sunflower seeds. More to come...!

GPC's China Study Abroad: Day 1: Hi everyone! We touched down in Beijing yesterday afternoon about 3pm. The ride in from the airport really showcased some of the astonishing changes that are taking place here. First, I was very impressed with how green the city is now. There were many trees along almost every avenue and along the canal, which made for a particularly lovely sight. The greenery really makes for a much more relaxed atmosphere, and being in the city didn't feel stressful at all. We have a good hotel about 2.5 miles from Tiananmen Square. It's not too big, but very cozy with a friendly staff. Last night, we had the best welcome banquet that I've had yet on this sort of trip. I'll post pics and more details about the amazing food we had last night in my next posting. Today, it's off to the Forbidden City. The mood in our group is very good. Everyone really seems to be enjoying one another, and I haven't seen big signs of culture shock yet. More to come....