Day 1: Nanjing

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The weather here was hot, humid, and hazy. Today we explored a small portion of Nanjing on foot. We headed towards a park built around a small lake, with some traditional Chinese strctures. We then passed by a variety of storefronts and continued across a river that feeds into the Yangtze farther west in the city. We eventually crossed back over the river, along the ancient city wall. We found another park, which had a Buddhist temple.

Westerners are something of a site for the locals. A number of individuals let us take their photos; a bride, dressed in red, offered to pose with some of our group members.

We returned to the hotel for water and downtime before Dr. Hua and Lisa took us to JIE late in the afternoon. We met Vice President Chengping Zhou and he provided some background on their institution and its mission to prepare science teachers for preK-8 levels. We learned that they face many of the same struggles in better preparing students to be problem solvers rather than test takers.

The JIE representatives took us on a walking tour of the JIE campus before our welcoming dinner. JIE was created in 1952 so many of the buildings have modern architechture. The dinner had a never-ending supply of food and drink. They offered Chinese "wine," which is more like a floral vodka and 90 proof. They serve it in a small wineglass with a bowl the size of a large thimble. Each person is poured a supply in a little pitcher, like one used for cream. Our hosts then proceeded to toast eah person at least once and often multiple times.

The food was great and representative of the region. They served a number of fish and seafood dishes offered only in Nanjing. Lisa provided translation for most of the dishes but did caution us not to ask about one particular dish. The meal was comprised of beef, pork, duck, goose, shrimp, fish, crab, various fruits and vegetables, rice, and noodles. Dr. Hua explained that Chinese cuisine focuses multiple aspects, including color, aroma, taste, presentation, story/name, and presentation.

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