Day 2

This morning there was supposed to be a breakfast included but we couldn’t find it so we bought breakfast at the same restaurant we ate at last night.  So far I like the foods I’ve tried.  I don’t know what everything is that I am eating but so far I like all the foods I’ve tried.  The restaurant is a buffet so I can see what my choices are.

Carrie, Julie, Cara and I walked around the campus trying to follow a map that told us where a store was.  Third times a charm and that was true of us finding the store.  We walked in circles about three times before we found our way off the campus.  The store was actually quite close so the walk back was a lot shorter.  Below is the main gate into the campus.  The campus is completely fenced in and locked each night at midnight.

 

After lunch we met with ECNU faculty and students.  The chairman gave a summary of their program.  Most of it sounded similar to our program, but the part that jumped out at me was that their Special Education program was started in 1997.  That’s really recent!  There were a few language clarifications that I needed to understand their programing.  Kindergarten refers to 3-6 year old classrooms, but the university education department is called Preschool Education.

 

Each of our students was paired with an ECNU student for the campus tour.  We were able to talk about the differences and similarities in our program and we were able to ask questions to our partner without having to feel like we were on the spot in front of a whole group and we didn’t have to wait our turn in the whole group setting, which was really nice.

We ate dinner with the faculty and students from ECNU at a restaurant in the Global Harbor Mall (pictured below).  I think I liked the buffet at our dorm better because I could just take what I wanted and not feel pressured to try so many foods or eat more than I wanted.  The servers brought food out and set it on a lazy susan in the center of our table.  We each served our selves and rotated the food around the table.  It was all traditional foods that our hosts picked out for us.  There was an unspoken expectation that we would try all the foods and even after I was full, more food was brought to our table and I was expected to try those foods also.  There were frog legs that I didn't like, jelly fish that I didn't like, and some other foods that we don't eat in the U.S.  I did like the BBQ beef and pork and the salad was good.

Outside of the Global Harbor before we went inside.

Inside of the Global Harbor looking up in the center.

Following dinner we could go shopping in the Global Harbor mall which is the largest mall in the world.  Unfortunately, everyone else was feeling tired and wanted to go back sooner than I did.  I was able to buy some Hello Kitty phones and sunglasses for Mena and Maggie.  I did not know how much the items cost and was shocked that my total was 536 Chinese yuan.  That converts to $86 in U.S. currency!  Pretty sure I just paid for the brand name.  It is Hello Kitty's 40th anniversary and there was a big gold Hello Kitty that I got a picture of.

Global Harbor lit up at night when we left.

It would be nice to go back to the mall when I could walk more leisurely through it to see everything there is.  I wanted to get more pictures of the Hello Kitty display for my girls and see more of the mall.  It was surprising to me how much the mall looked like our malls back in the U.S.  Their clothes are just like our clothes and I expected to find more traditional clothing.  I knew they don't wear traditional clothing on a daily basis, but I guess I thought there would be more for sale for special occasions.  Maybe there will be more in the silk market that we go to on Saturday.