Just Ducky Tours

Our first full day was fun-filled and action-packed. Most of us slept like rocks (considering the beds are rocks) after our previous day of travel, and were ready to experience the culture. We began our day with breakfast at the hotel. Wait, let me clarify that...we attempted to begin our day with breakfast at the hotel. Definitely not what we're used to and once I saw there was no coffee, I passed. Actually I couldn't tolerate the odor coming from the food (I think it was too early!). I was proud of some of the students who gave it the old college try.

After meeting 4 Northern Jiaotong University (NJU) students, they took us for a campus tour. There are about 10,000 students; the same as Duquesne. The student guides were very nice, and Matt and I were proud of our students for engaging in conversation with them. Some students played sports with other Chinese students. Matt was playing catch (baseball), Laura played a little badminton, and Adam shot some hoops. The campus has a couple gardens that were serene.

We then ventured out to have our first Chinese lunch and went to a noodle place. It was interesting to eat them with plastic chopsticks -- actually it's a cruel joke since the Chinese have a difficult time doing so. Everyone seems to enjoy it and all manners were out the window!

After lunch, we had our first lecture on how to begin a business in China. It was a slight change in the schedule as the professor's availability had changed. It was very interesting to see how foreign firms can be successful and our students seemed to enjoy it.

Finally, dinner was held at one of the Peking duck restaurants and Rai (our professor contact at NJU) along with one of his colleagues treated us to an amazing experience. We tried many local dishes including lamb, beef, pork, snails, duck liver, tofu, duck soup, local vegetables, and of course, the world-famous Peking duck. Some students were a little more brave than others. The service was spectacular and our hosts were honored that we were so willing to embrace their culture. Most of us used chopsticks and were pretty good with it (no slippery noodles this time!). The huge lazy Susan in the middle of the table was fun as well.

Many of us hit the wall (pun intended) and are exhausted after our busy day. The old people (at least this one!) fell asleep as soon as we arrived back to the hotel. On Thursday, we'll visit the great Wall and the Forbidden City. Both of which will be exciting for all!