s | t h e o r y

It's the end of the second week, and the last night of course add/drop. I have sat through interesting ones like development economics, the study of characteristics of developing countries and the process of development. Especially interesting from the Chinese perspective. Esepcially interesting when the professor has no concept of political correctness and at times lets slip sweeping generalizations. I like it so much in fact, that I spent considerable time on a paper due today. The topic was whatever we would like to write on development economics. The only other component of the class grade is a presentation on whatever we like on development economics. I am getting the idea that the professor does not like a lot of planning.

I wrote mine on inequality traps, and the many complex, multi-layered forms including gender, social and cultural inequalities that exist in developing countries, repeatedly preventing lower groups from realizing their full potential. A prime example was the repressive caste system prevailent in Nepal, where the social networks are often so rooted in cultural customs and unyielding in their rigidity that they can be called a resource that is unequally distributed between the poor and the rich.

My second class is intermediate macroeconomics, and it's pretty whatever. Third is the course Global Business Team Analysis Project where the professor had done so little planning for the course he forgot to read the syllabus and discover that it was supposed to be taught in english. I rallied up a team of exchange students to see him this week and offer to write him an english case on cross-cultural communication. He surprised us all by being well-prepared with a hefty assignment in hand; a research paper on Disney World. Like, really Professor Shi? Do it seem like I'm looking for an easy way out of doing work? It's not like I'm on vacation here. And what is this you say about potential on-site research in Disneyland Hong Kong? Definitely asking too much of me.

My fourth and final class, Introduction to Commercial Science, is only during the last four weeks of the semester, which leaves me with only two classes a week right now. Which makes for excellent opportunity to explore the city on my off days. This weekend will be spent in Beijing on Saturday and Tianjing, a nearby town, on Sunday. Tianjin is very small, and its only claim to fame is being the birthtown of these delicious pork buns called Goubuli baozi. There is not much else there to see so we will head back in the evening. But since I just worked myself out a sweet schedule, I am definitely better equipped to travel. Next week's agenda will be to head to wherever CTrip decides to put on flight sales. Hopefully it will be somewhere warmer, because earth to global warming?? Arn't you supposed to be all up in our bidnass?? Instead this feels as cold as Canada, and incredibly enough it seems to be getting colder everyday.

I listen to this to keep me warm.



Utterly beautiful.

Everything good comes from Sweden. Ikea, meatballs, ABBA, H&M, lingonberry jam, Robyn, my roomate, and Lykke. I asked my roomate how to pronounce Lykke's name. The proper Svedish vershion, I wanted, and apparently it's Looh-keh Li-h. She's so bomb. But of course you would be, if your father and mother were in Swedish punk rock bands, and you bust out Tribe like you were born with it.