I'm employed

Well, I gave in a got an internship for fall semester at, Praxis Language, as their marketing intern. The company is an started-up that provides language services using podcasts. Chinesepod is one of their most popular products. I started working last week and the job is not that demanding. I'm just doing some market research on a couple of products and services. I don't have any formal marketing training, so I'm not really sure why I got the job. Oh well, it should be fun though. The company is really young so corporate culture is very relaxed. I think that's why I picked this company instead of the HR firm. I hope I've made the right choice.

Bob - the hiking pack

Since my hiking pack will be with me all year, I have decided that it deserves some recognition. I have decided to name it Bob to give it some character. So here are some pictures of my 30 pound pack and me.

I'm here

I got to Shanghai a day before the my program started. Lucky, I was able to meet up with Andrew Maas at the airport. Andrew became my lifesaver. I think I would still be at the airport if it wasn't for Andrew. With his Chinese, we were able to get from the airport to the hostel and from the hostel to the college.

Shanghai thus far has been excellent, except for its pollution and smog. I didn't expect the pollution to be this severe. Within the city limit, it was difficult to see anything beyond a 5 mile radius. Although Shanghai's pollution level is not as severe as Beijing's, it is still very polluted. Despite the pollution, I still enjoyed the city. I think the best part, thus far, has been the cuisine, which is not only taste, but also every affordable.

I don't have a picture of my school yet or the surrounding neighborhood because I have been very lazy. I'll post those pictures next time. I promise. For now, you guys will just have to settled for pictures of the latest high-raiser in Shanghai: the World Financial Center. It just opened on August 30th. It is the second highest building in the world, after the 101 tower in Taipei.