I've been in China for less than 48 hours, and I already have the first 4 seasons of The Big Bang Theory and the first 5 seasons of Two and a half Men. It's going to be a good year.
Let me introduce you to the Hopkins Nanjing Center, my home away from home for at least the next 10 months:
When I arrived at the center it was quiet and still. Not knowing my way around I decided to unpack and settle in and then venture out for some food for my rumbling belly. Staying as close to the center as I could so as not to get hopelessly lost on my very first day, I found a little restaurant at one of the side gates of campus. I was ready for dumplings, but the restaurant I stumbled upon happened to serve non-Chinese food. I walked away with some spaghetti in tomato sauce (and a pair of chopsticks with which to eat it) and decided to dine in the safe space of my newly-claimed room. Out of things to do and suffering from a 12 hour time difference, I went to bed at 6 pm. This was a mistake as I found myself awake at 3 am with just as little to do then as when I went to sleep.
However, around (early) breakfast time, the center began to stir with life. I walked around, trying to get my bearings, and, after having discovered the gym, common rooms, auditorium, and music room, I found the cafeteria. Finding food also meant finding other hungry, jet-lagged students. A few of us teamed up and decided to run some errands around the city.
Nanjing is dirty. Filthy, even. One of the Chinese students turned to me and asked whether or not I thought a street we were on was dirty. I smiled and said yes. She also smiled and said how dirty streets are normal in Chinese cities. The southern capital also seems to have a smog problem that takes all the sunlight out of the sky. However, if you can look past this, the city is very dynamic, active, and exciting. The usual mopeds and run-down bicycles zoom by at alarming speeds, unencumbered by traffic laws. Every two steps you smell a different scent, whether an it be an inviting fragrance from the flower shop, an enticing scent from the baozi stand, or a ripe old stench issuing from who-knows-where. Every several hundred meters the district scenery shifts, and you might be in an area with a small-town, run-down feeling and then find yourself in front of the Sofitel hotel, surrounded by glamorous clothing shops, big banks, and an open park.
Once I was out in the city I noticed that I had small cravings for milk tea, dumplings, and green oranges, all of which I devoured in Hangzhou during my last stay. I know this year will have its challenges, but at least it's off to a good start.