Day One in China

All,

 My first day here was good. I woke up early as my body is still trying to adjust from the 13 hour time difference from Minnesota and South Dakota. My day started out by talking to a professor here from Austrailia. It was very interesting that I would meet and assuie for the first time in China. It was extremely interesting to hear his insight on China as he has been here for a about 6 years teaching and doing some consulting at cattle feed lots and dairies. I am Traveling with Zhichun Yan tomorrow to visit a new swine site and an existing one where we will meet with the 2 managers. I am realizing what it is like to be on the minority side of the language barrier. It makes things a lot harder and I have a new sympathy for those who are minorities in our area. Things are definitely a lot different than at home. I am already eating things that I never thought I would have just because it is what I have for an option. I had supper with Dr. Li (one of the head individuals at MAFIC (a segment of China Ag University)) tonight which was good had some clam, lobster, fish and a few different dishes of vegetables and meat, this was  very spicy. I also had a “dessert” soup, he explained it as wood mushrooms (tasted exactly like pairs to me lol) it was very sweet. I had some of their local beer and "wine" more like whisky in my book.  They do ALOT of toasts here. The breakfast is pretty bland compared to the sweet foods we eat at home. Also they serve warm milk instead of other drinks at breakfast. The room is great, it has ac. J The Beds are really hard though, Geoff, the professor here from Australia told me to put the comforters under me when I slept to make them softer. It is hot here it still is 33 c here which is like 91F at 9 30 at night.

Overall it was a good day with a few translation hiccups but I was given a tour of the campus and learned a lot about how they set up the universities over here.

Ethan Spronk