Dalian University of Technology

It’s Sunday night and I start two classes tomorrow at Dalian Institute for Technology.  I am extremely excited!  Since the last blog, not too much has happened, except for lots of recuperation from all of the activities that we did in Beijing, and of course, arrival at the university that I will be studying at for the next five weeks.  I feel well rested and refreshed for the first time in two weeks.  Time to brew some green tea!



The view from the train on the way to Dalian.



The first thing that I would like to mention about Dalian is my room situation here.  The room is relatively nice, considering it is only a 2-star hotel, and my roommate is quite unique.  I will talk about the room first.  We are on the fifth floor of this little hotel directly across from the University campus (no elevators), and amongst some housing for international students and Asian students.  The room has two single beds, a TV which I probably won’t turn on, and a bathroom that gives me the luxury of using the toilet and showering at the same time.  Not quite what I expected for a bathroom, but I actually enjoy it.  Yesterday I brushed my teeth, used the bathroom, and boiled up some rice all while showering. Haha I didn’t actually boil rice in there, but this bathroom is rather versatile.

The roommate that I decided to go with for the second part of the trip goes by the name of Elbert.  He is a 75 year old that is trying to finish up his undergrad degree that he was unable to finish back in the fifties.  Besides me having to look after him and make sure he stays alive (he got sick recently), he will be a good roommate to have.  I like my quiet time when I am in the bedroom, which I probably won’t be in too often, so he is most likely the best option for a roommate. I could not imagine experiencing China for the first time at 75 years old!  He is a trooper for sure.

Our entire group at The Great Wall.  There is Elbert up front holding the flag

Our location in Dalian is great.  There are plenty of convenience stores and local markets in close walking distance, and the university and dining hall is less than a minute walk away.  One of the great things about being in Dalian, which is a primarily made up of Chinese people and very little tourists, is that the prices are a lot cheaper, especially for food.  I have spent no more than 8 Yuan for a meal here thus far—only a little over a dollar.  The meals have been the best that I have had in China, and they are cheap and filling.  Today in the Dalian Dining hall I ate two large scoops of rice and some tasty sweet and sour chicken, all for the equivalency of 50 US cents.  To get satisfied for a meal that costs 50 cents in America is near impossible.  If anyone is aware of a fifty cent meal, other than roman noodles, I would love to hear about it!

I am excited about being here for the next five weeks.  Well, we are actually headed out to western China for part of one week, but I will talk about that when the time comes near.  Either way, it feels good to be able to get situated in one spot and get to know the area and people for a while.  I will most likely be partnered with a Chinese student while here and will have 3 Chinese students in my 5 person class.  Talk about a great student-to-teacher ratio.  I also will have a class made up of all of the students on this trip.  I will discuss more about these classes later.  I’m definitely looking forward to all that Dalian has to offer.  Time to get back into the books!