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Jiuzhaigou National Park - Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan Province, China - July 2009

My year as a visiting scholar at Fudan University in China came to a somber end on July 24th 2009. The skies of Shanghai were gray and the humidity was being a champ by enhancing the smoldering summer temperature. The heat made lugging my three massive suitcases and three carry-on bags to the taxi that much more challenging. Thankfully, Jue and Alejandra were able to escort me to the car where I gave them both one heck of a final hug.

Slinging solar eclipse glasses at Raffles in People's Square

There was quite a bit of hype leading up to the solar eclipse that was to be the first of its kind in this part of the world in 500 years. I even bought an eclipse T-shirt from eno!

Gay Pride is a new concept for many in China

Out and proud was the sentiment at 294 Xinhua Lu in Shanghai, China on Saturday afternoon. Outdoor lounge and restaurant, Cotton’s, played host to Mainland China’s first ever gay pride celebration.

F1 fans in Shanghai

When I open up a newspaper, the last section I glance over is the sports. I didn’t know much about the popularity of sports in China until I got here. More specifically, when an editor from the Shanghai Daily dropped by one of my classes last semester and was asked by a student to list the top sports in China. She said…

Roxana Saberi (courtesy of Reuters), Euna Lee & Laura Ling (courtesy of Getty Images) and Esha Momeni (courtesy of Sanam Dolatshahi)

Think about all of the information that you never would’ve known had someone not put their safety or life at risk. Think about how many scandals have been uncovered by investigative reporters and how the truth obtained changed the world. Heck, a U.S. president resigned due to the investigative work of reporters at The Washington Post.

Roommate, Take 2

Remember back in January when I mentioned awaiting the arrival of my new roommate for the spring term? Not knowing exactly when this mystery person was going to show up, I made sure that the room was spotless everyday before I left in the event that she showed up when I wasn’t around. Sure enough, I came home one afternoon to find luggage on the side of the room that was once occupied by Jenn. Later that night, I met my South Korean roommate Senng Hua… also known in Chinese as Cheng He… or in English as (and I refuse to call her this) Bambi.

Sun sets on Nanjing

After spending two amazing weeks in Taiwan, my batteries were recharged and I was ready to get back to Shanghai. The Chinese New Year was quickly approaching and based on what I learned during the National Holiday, traveling in China is extremely hectic when the whole country is on vacation. Having just finished reading the book Chinese Lessons by John Pomfret, a reporter at The Washington Post who spent some of his college years in Nanjing, I was inspired to travel to the former capital of China. As one of the first Americans to live and study in China after the revolution, he used the lives of his classmates at NANDA (Nanjing University) in the early 80s to shape a tale of the history and evolution of China. I eagerly anticipated going to Nanjing, a city oozing with ancient history and only two and a half hours via train from Shanghai. I decided to go this trip alone.

Tower of Terror has a whole new meaning

Many college students from all over the world venture to China to study abroad. Sometimes I hear kids from the U.S. (usually California) talk about how Shanghai isn’t much different from back home. Weird concept, but at times, this idea works because Shanghai is one of the more Westernized cities (if not the most Westernized city) in China. However, there are still wacky things seen on the streets, or heard on TV, that make you stop and think, no WAY would this ever happen in the U.S. and be considered OK. Well, two weeks ago I had my first real deal taste of the awkward weirdness that is China in a place that should be less apt to have awkward weirdness… the Fudan University Foreign Student Dormitory.

And we’re back!

As soon as we arrived at the Tainan (台南) train station, we hopped in a cab to our accommodation. With a name like Hotel Dynasty, how could it not be promising?