Hello Everybody!!

Hi friends! I'm so excited to tell you all that I am having a terrific time in Nanjing. When I got to Hong Kong I was met by a group of my fellow UA students and we flew over to Nanjing together. I had a little trouble getting through customs (I'm a suspicious looking person) and my roommate, Nicole, had her luggage lost. Other than that, it was a successful trip! I am now happily settled in my tiny roach-infested apartment with three great roommates. We took a long trip to IKEA yesterday and bought some bedding and decorations to liven the place up a bit. We may not have a light in our bathroom and the floor may be completely warped from water damage, but at least we all have designer comforters :) my room is actually one of the nicest. I got lucky!

my room post-IKEA

Our first day, we all went to Walmart as a group. China-Walmart is kind of like USA-Walmart, except that everything is pretty much useless. They sell flat pillows, hair dryers with one setting, and meat that I really hope people don't actually eat. It was interesting! That night, we all went out to a night club together and had a really great time. They don't have the same cocktails here that we do at home. Your only option is pretty much whiskey with your choice of tea. It's actually really good!

the temple

Our group of about 40 students has really bonded over the past three days. We all went to a Buddhist temple together on our second day and partook in most of the traditions, incense prayers were my favorite. We climbed to the top of the temple where you can see the entire city. Nanjing is a beautiful place! There is a wall all the way around the city because it was the capitol before Beijing, so we climbed up and walked around it for a while. 

making my incense prayer for good health :)

on the city wall

 It is very very VERY humid here. I've pretty much been sweating since I got off the plane! It's gross, I know. Luckily, I have my own a/c in my room. Actually, when my a/c broke the other night, I called maintenance and since everyone went home for the evening, they sent the police to my apartment to fix it. I almost died laughing as two police officers sat in my room fiddling with the a/c remote for an hour. It just seems silly that this is what the police are for here. There really isn't any violent crime in Nanjing, so the cops don't even carry weapons.
I can't wait to start classes on Monday! I've decided to take a conversational Chinese course, because no one here speaks English and I would like to be able to tell the cab driver that I know he's ripping me off when the meter says 10 and he takes my 20.
Love and miss you all very much!
Skype or email me anytime:
crystal_gamache (skype)
cgamache@email.arizona.edu
I also have pictures up on my facebook page.