First Week in Nanjing

 

Ron and Marilyn Bjorkman

On August 16, 2014, we completed our training at the BYU Kennedy Center in Provo, Utah.  Our assignments are for Marilyn to teach oral English and Ron to teach American law courses at Nanjing University in China.

"Nanjing University, NJU or NU, is one of the oldest universities in China.  A comprehensive university, Nanjing is highly ranked among Chinese institutions of higher learning."

"Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu province in eastern China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions. Its present name means "Southern Capital".  Nanjing has long been one of China's most important cities. It is recognized as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.  With an urban population of over seven million (2011), Nanjing is the second-largest commercial center in the East China region after Shanghai."

On August 26 we flew from Seattle to Nanjing via Shanghai.  Happily we arrived with our luggage after a long, but uneventful, flight.  We were greeted by Emma (English name), a graduate law student, who with the help of a driver for a van and taxi transported us, another couple and our luggage to our apartments.  (Americans do not travel light.  The van took the other couple and our luggage while we rode with Emma in the Taxi.)  Jet lag did not interfere with a sound sleep the first night in China.

Wednesday morning we met Emma who helped us establish bank accounts and obtain cell phones.  We had our first Chinese meal at a Chinese fast food restaurant.  I had chicken soup, cooked lettuce in a broth, rice topped with egg plant cooked in a hot sauce and a mango drink.  Chop sticks work if your are hungry and the meal was tasty.  

On Thursday with the help of Emma and Paul, two graduate law students who both speak very good English, we met with a representative of the office that supervises foreign teachers and signed contracts, one in English and one in Chinese. We also had a brief tour of the old campus.  We stay on the old campus.  There is also a new campus, about one hour away by bus, where Marilyn will teach all of her classes and I will teach one class.  We needed more passport size pictures so we had our pictures taken and obtained 8 for each of us at a cost of 40 Chinese dollars, about $7, and the quality was superb.

Friday morning we had our first trip on the subway and presented our health records and passports to a Chinese health office.  In the afternoon we had a Chinese language lesson from a local resident.  We probably could get by without learning Chinese because of the many helpful people, but our goal is to open another window by learning as much Chinese as we can.

Our first impressions of China are very positive.  The people are gracious and helpful.  The big adjustment is living in a city with about five times the population of all of Idaho.

Campus Tour

 





 

Parasols come out when the sun shines. 

 

Washing clothes.

 

 



Who is taking whose picture?

View from one of our apartment windows.

 We have shopped at this store for groceries a couple of times.  It is a few blocks from where we live.
Skippy peanut butter, Tide and some other American brands appear on the shelves.

Bicycles, scooters and space compete for space on sidewalks. 

 

 

 

Marilyn will teach her first class on September 2.  I will teach Introduction to American Law and American Business law, also starting this coming week.