That’s it: my semester abroad at Fudan University finally began! The 13-hour train ride went very well (slept right through it:)) and I got to my Fudan apartment without any problems. Soon after the arrival, we started our week-long orientation. I got to know the American student in my program, the IES Shanghai staff, and our beautiful campus. I also started meeting the Chinese students at Fudan. I knew this university was one of China’s top educational institutions, but students here really impress me with their level of intelligence, devotion to learning, and involvement on and off the campus.  Last week I started classes (a Mandarin course and three classes in English) as well as my part-time internship with Becton Dickinson. Therefore, the past two weeks have been extremely busy, especially as I’m still trying to get everything organized in the new city. That being said, I promise to soon provide you with a lot more details about my life in Shanghai and more specifically, my studies at Fudan.