(Note: I wrote this on March 30th, but due to an inability to access my VPN it was never posted, and then I forgot [was too lazy] to post it. Also, I really am gonna try to get a Xi’an post up soon!)
School started on February 12th. Or rather I should say my program started, but we had an entire week of orientation. (So although I’m officially ending week 5, I’ve really only been having classes for four weeks.) I live in the international dorms with my roommate 倪叶峰. Um, he’s Chinese…. He’s a computer science major, and he’s finishing up his last year with an internship. It’s a regular 9 to 5 job, so he’s not home very often. We actually mostly talk in Chinese, although he’s English is pretty good. I’m not sure if he was directly told to only speak Chinese with me, but I feel like most of the time it’s just easier than speaking English.
I have class Monday through Thursday. Every morning I have two hours of Chinese. All of my other classes are in two hour blocks. Which means that on Tuesdays when I have Chinese and two of my other three classes, it makes for an eight hour class marathon.
Besides Chinese language, I’m taking a sociology class called Issues in Modern China, a film class covering Chinese cinema, and a class on modern Chinese history. Chinese history maybe sounds dull, but I can assure you it’s not. More especially as the professor is an American expat who holds four official positions in the CCP. I honestly think the best way to describe him is as a crazy m———–. Maybe one of these days he’ll get his own post. He could very well be the one of the most interesting person I’ve ever met.
I’m off to Xi’an all next week, and I’ll try to get a post about that up soon.
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