First days

I started my first couple days finishing the only book I brought along for the trip, Endurance (which, by the way, is next up on the MBA Reading List that Kyle Polanski put together in the spring). It reminded me of a really good classical composition (by Timothy Mahr if interested) we played in high school concert band based on this same story. Now, back to China…

The Shanghainese couple I am staying with lives about 25 minutes walking distance from the main campus of Jiao Tong University. I devoted the first two days to exploring campus and the surrounding area to get familiar with the where everything is, and to scout out potential apartment complexes. As I would find out, getting an apartment s much easier said than done, as China has a far different real-estate market than we are used to. More on this later. Jiao Tong University’s Xujiahui campus is just a few blocks from one of the more popular shopping centers in the city (Central Hauihai Road), but the campus is surprisingly quiet and separated from the loud streets. The College of Management and Economics, where the MBA program is housed, has its own small campus about 25 minutes away. The building is really nice- yes, even nicer than Balmer- with AC and new classrooms.

The surrounding streets are all pretty similar to each other, with the exception of the major roads (Huashan Lu, Hongqiao Lu). Lots of small shops with activities including making food, fixing bikes and scooters, complete remodel, cutting hair, making copies...

Lots to do, and even more to see.