Thursday, May 29
Photo 1: The rock wall at Nanjing Normal University
Photo 2: Late-night study session
Once again, like the day before, we woke up to China's high humidity and sweltering 35 degrees Celsius heat. Fortunately that was only outside, because inside, Tim and I kept the room at a very comfortable 16 degrees. As usual, Judy and I went to class together in the morning. Given that I'm a heritage speaker (but highly illiterate) and Judy's high level of reading and writing, the two of us were placed in the standard Nanjing University classes, alongside other international students, many of whom have been in the country for nearly a year. Our classmates included predominantly Italians, French, and Koreans. It was very interesting to learn about the culture and social norms of our classmates in addition to the lesson plan. Despite the fact that class had already been in session for a few months, I found joining the regular classes to be very rewarding in the sense that it gave me a first hand perspective of what being an international student in China may be like.
Following morning classes, we took a group portrait with the assistant dean and several faculty members. Shortly after, well all had lunch at our hotel's restaurant. There were quite a few dishes including a large plate of shrimp. Most of the students didn't care for the shrimp. Perhaps it was due to them having the shell on, or most people just don't like shrimp, but whatever the case, I pretty much had the whole plate to my self, which led to eating over 30 shrimp.
After lunch, Judy and I took our final exam administered by Alex. I'm sure Judy did fine on her test, though I can't say the same about myself. The rest of the students spent the majority of their afternoon preparing for their exams, which are to take place on Friday. Deciding to take a break, Jimmy and Tim accompanied me to go rock climbing. Unlike in America where rock climbing has seen exponential growth in recent years, China's rock climbing is still in its infant stages. Recreational fitness (as we know it) is generally still a foreign concept in China. This may be a result of being a developing country, where energy produced by consuming food should be used towards labor and work, instead of needlessly burning calories. Or perhaps as a result of a high vegetable diet and an obesity rate of less than 4%, most people don't find it necessary to exercise. Though if you looked carefully, you would see the occasional lycra-clad bicyclist or jogger.
Walking back from the rock climbing gym, we noticed Alvin, Molly, Tyler and many others still studying at Skyways, a nearby German bakery. Having already finished my exams, I decided to take a nap. I got back up around 11PM and decided to see what everyone else was up to. Across the hall from hall was Judy and Seong's room, and inside I found Kimberly and Conley sprawled out on the floor with papers and textbooks all around them. I sure hope everyone does well on tomorrow's exam, especially after all the hard work they've put in.
- Hochiang
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