June 14, 2011
*Throughout the journal comments made in real time, while on the ground in China, are designated in italics. Everything else was written after returning. Side notes are random thoughts I had that do now particularly fit in anywhere.
Fudan University: The “Princeton of China.” The Dean, who took a minute to talk to us seemed, was charismatic and seemed very pleasant. Dr. Chen went to the University of MD from 84-88.
At Fudan University today we met several students. For all the differences we’ve seen in American and Chinese culture they were all typical college student, just better informed. Weh-Zhe, a student who will be training at Goldman Sachs in Jersey City this summer, asked us several questions about the US, the economy, and the death of Bin Laden that my sister (who is the same age) would never think to ask.
Side note 6/14/11: Shanghai – The city never ends. We’ve been on the road for 30 minutes and there hasn’t been a single break in the high rises… and they’re all freaking apartments.
More Notes about June 14th: A recounting of past events
Yesterday was an early one. Out by 8am, off to Fundan University, and we met with some very pleasant students and faculty. There was a nice group lunch with the students. Who were surprisingly informed and intelligent. My sister is around the same agi and she cannot hold a candle to these kids intellectually; if there is anything America needs to be worried about it, it is this, education. Their students are so better prepared, at least academically. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent person and there is no way in hell I could ever get into MIT for a masters in finance at 22 years old. We need to step it up.
Side note: Caitlin posed a question about Chinese financial markets, consumer education, and China to the doctoral student yesterday and it got me thinking.
She talked about how without any barriers of entry into the markets anyone can partake, perhaps lending to some of the current financial difficulties of America. If investors were better informed perhaps everyone would fare better. If investors are ignorant, perhaps they harm everyone.
Consider Blackjack. Blackjack is considered a game of chance, as is the stock market. But in Blackjack people know how the system works, and they fare very well. When a card counter sits next to a novice, who doesn’t understand the system than the counters chances are harmed. I think Blackjack and card counters could make a very persuasive metaphor for the stock market.
After a decent lunch we made our way back to the hotel to change and drop off our belongings before heading to a “water village.”The town is built right on the water, like Venice.
During the bus ride back to the hotel the professor asked for volunteers to speak about their thoughts. I rose my hand and walked to the front of the bus. I made my point about how effective the speaker had been. When I finished the professor took the microphone and said, “What can I say? It’s Bill.” Which has now become my official tag line for the trip.
It rained all day, no better time to wander around a town built on the water than when its pouring down rain. I wore flip-flops and I immediately regretted my decision. We walked around for the afternoon, had a couple of beers while the Prof and the girls haggled over pearls. There were stalls everywhere selling the same things as everywhere else. There was a smell throughout much of the village that came from something the Professor called Stinky Tofu. The smell truly was monstrous. Being the adventurous type I tried some, but have regretted it since. I can still feel the smell permeating my body. I can still smell it, in me, on me, coming out of me… The stuff actually turned my stomach, which NEVER happens, just thinking about it gives my stomach a little flip.
During that afternoon we took a boat ride around the canals, which was really nice. It probably would have been incredible had the weather been nicer, but it was fun none the less. The water village was an impromptu activity that several people wanted to go on, but since everyone wanted to go we all gave up our free afternoon. The time was originally supposed to be ours. In the evening there was a planned dinner at the Pearl Tower in a rotating restaurant high above the skyline of Shanghai. Because we originally we supposed to have an easy afternoon many of us planned on actually going out for a night on the town on recommendations from Lina. But because we spent the day at the water village we were forced to head right to dinner, drenched, cold, and covered in water village muck. By the time dinner ended no one had any energy to do much of anything.
Dinner at the Pearl was a western style buffet. As the restaurant rotated diners had access to separate parts of the stations, each one having a different theme. Many of the younger women on the trip were excited to see an Italian station. The food was okay, I was honestly bored and underwhelmed with most of it, but I had a couple glasses of wine, so I was good. Eventually someone found escargot at the European station, served in the shell. It was, without a doubt, some of the best damn escargot I have ever had. I was amazed. At first I thought I must be crazy, but Jose and a couple of other totally agree, it was some of the best.
We did not have to be up early the next day and it seemed like such a waste to just stay in that night, but all I really wanted was a shower. So as soon as I got back I ran upstairs and rinsed off the film of stinky tofu, sweat, water village, and international buffet. When I got done I gathered up some things and headed back downstairs. If nothing else I was going to sit, have a beer, check some email, and read. I sat there at a computer until the bar closed; at some point Lacey came down to Skype and called me an alcoholic… Just as I had resided myself to the fact that I was going to have to call it a night, Olachi and Sarah came down to have a cigarette, so I was saved from having to go to bed. We hung out with Marlon for a bit, drank some Chinese liquor Olachi had bought, which I couldn’t place, and I went to bed feeling pretty good.
