My Growth As A Writer Essay Example for Free

My Growth As A Writer Essay Writing has seemed to be a difficult process for me over the years. This is why it was my choice to enroll myself in creative writing classes over the last 6 years. The most difficult process for me in writing is generating ideas. You can learn to use proper structures for sentences but sadly creativity is something you can learn. In my play, The Doctor and the Patient, I displayed my best writing, and it gives a good example of what I have learned in this class. â€Å"THE PATIENT: Look,  man—we’re all different. Each individual can’t be typed into a group. All minds—souls, even— are different. But we all have something in common: we’re human. And it’s beautiful. † Is an allegory, often used in poetry. Due to the depressed nature of the patient, he finds something that can bring light into his world. Though he is stubborn, and rejects medicating and therapy sessions, he finds a false sense of security. My style of writing is usually freeform, in my spare time I usually write  post-apocalyptic situations, dark comedy, or serious. I have grown majorly at imagery and developing characters and dialogue. The tone of my writing is usually mellow, and flows rather quickly. And I have learned to construct a story arc that does not change too erratically. Future goals of mine would to get a few of my works published in a few small newsletters. Overall, I think my writing has improved drastically, I have learned how to style many different types of stories and writings.

Importance of chemical reactor

Importance of chemical reactor INTRODUCTION The most important unit operation in a chemical process is generally a chemical reactor. Chemical reactions are either exothermic (release energy) or endothermic (require energy input) and therefore require that energy either be removed or added to the reactor for a constant temperature to be maintained. Exothermic reactions are the most interesting systems to study because of potential safety problems (rapid increases in temperature, sometimes called ignition behavior) and the possibility of exotic behavior such as multiple steady-states (for the same value of the input variable there may be several possible values of the output variable). In this module we consider a perfectly mixed, continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR), shown in Figure 1. The case of a single, first-order exothermic irreversible reaction, A > B. We will show that very interesting behavior that can arise in such a simple system. In Figure 1 we see that a fluid stream is continuously fed to the reactor and another fluid stream is continuously removed from the reactor. Since the reactor is perfectly mixed, the exit stream has the same concentration and temperature as the reactor fluid. Notice that a jacket surrounding the reactor also has feed and exit streams. The jacket is assumed to be perfectly mixed and at a lower temperature than the reactor. Energy then passes through the reactor walls into the jacket, removed the heat generated by reaction. There are many examples of reactors in industry similar to this one. Examples include various types of polymerization reactors, which produce polymers that are used in plastic products such as polystyrene coolers or plastic bottles. The industrial reactors typically have more complicated kinetics than we study in this module, but the characteristic behavior is similar. The Modeling Equations For simplicity we assume that the cooling jacket temperature can be directly manipulated, so that an energy balance around the jacket is not required. We also make the following assumptions Perfect mixing (product stream values are the same as the bulk reactor fluid) Constant volume Constant parameter values The constant volume and parameter value assumptions can easily be relaxed by the reader, for further study. Parameters and Variables A Area for heat exchange CA Concentration of A in reactor CAf Concentration of A in feed stream cp Heat capacity (energy/mass*temperature) F Volumetric flowrate (volume/time) k0 Pre-exponential factor (time-1) R Ideal gas constant (energy/mol*temperature) r Rate of reaction per unit volume (mol/volume*time) t Time T Reactor temperature Tf Feed temperature Tj Jacket temperature Tref Reference temperature U Overall heat transfer coefficient (energy/(time*area*temperature)) V Reactor volume DE Activation energy (energy/mol) (-DH) Heat of reaction (energy/mol) r Density (mass/volume) The parameters and variables that will appear in the modeling equations are listed Overall material balance The rate of accumulation of material in the reactor is equal to the rate of material in by flow-the material out by flow. Balance on Component A The balance on component A is where r is the rate of reaction per unit volume. Energy Balance The energy balance is where Tref represents an arbitrary reference temperature for enthalpy. State Variable form of Dynamic Equations We can write (1) and (2) in the following state variable form (since dV/dt = 0) where we have assumed that the volume is constant. The reaction rate per unit volume (Arrhenius expression) is where we have assumed that the reaction is first-order. Steady-State Solution The steady-state solution is obtained when dCA/dt = 0 and dT/dt = 0, that is To solve these two equations, all parameters and variables except for two (CA and T) must be specified. Given numerical values for all of the parameters and variables we can use Newtons method (chapter 3) to solve for the steady-state values of CA and T. For convenience, we use an à «sà ­ subscript to denote a steady-state value (so we solve for CAs and Ts). Dynamic Behavior We noted in the previous section that were three different steady-state solutions to the case 2 parameter set. Here we wish to study the dynamic behavior under this same parameter set. Recall that numerical integration techniques were presented in chapter 4. The m-file to integrate the modeling equations iscstr_dyn.m, shown in Appendix 2. The command to integrate the equations is [t,x] = ode45(cstr_dyn,t0,tf,x0); wheret0is the initial time (usually 0),tfis the final time,x0is the initial condition vector.tis the time vector andxis the state variable solution vector. Before performing the integration it is necessary to define the global parameter vectorCSTR_PAR. To plot only concentration or temperature as a function of time, useplot(t,x(:,1))andplot(t,x(:,2)), respectively. Initial condition 1 Here we use initial conditions that are close to the low temperature steady-state. The initial condition vector is [ conc , temp] = [9,300]. The curves plotted in Figure 2 show that the state variables converge to the low temperature steady-state. Initial condition 2 Here we use initial conditions that are close to the intermediate temperature steady-state. The initial condition vector for the solid curve in Figure 3 is [conc, temp] = [5,350], which converges to the high temperature steady-state. The initial condition vector for the dotted curve in Figure 3 is [conc, temp] = [5,325], which converges to the low temperature steady-state. If we perform many simulations with initial conditions close to the intermediate temperature steady-state, we find that the temperature always converges to either the low temperature or high temperature steady-states, but not the intermediate temperature steady-state. This indicates to us that the intermediate temperature steady-state isunstable. This will be shown clearly by the stability analysis in section 5. Initial condition 3 Here we use initial conditions that are close to the high temperature steady-state. The initial condition vector is [conc, temp] = [1,400]. The curves plotted in Figure 4 show that the state variables converge to the high temperature steady-state. In this section we have performed several simulations and presented several plots. In section 6 we will show how these solutions can be compared on the same à ¬phase planeà ® plot. Linearization of Dynamic Equations The stability of the nonlinear equations can be determined by finding the following state-space form and determining the eigenvalues of theA(state-space) matrix. The nonlinear dynamic state equations (1a) and (2a) are let the state, and input variables be defined in deviation variable form Stability Analysis Performing the linearization, we obtain the following elements forA where we define the following parameters for more compact representation From the analysis presented above, the state-space A matrix is The stability characteristics are determined by the eigenvalues ofA, which are obtained by solving det (lI-A) = 0. det (lI-A)=(l-A11)(l-A22)-A12A21 =l2-(A11+A22)l+A11A22-A12A21 =l2-(trA)l+det (A) the Eigen values are the solution to the second-order polynomial l2-(trA)l+det (A) =0(13) The stability of a particular operating point is determined by finding theAmatrix for that particular operating point, and finding the Eigen values of the A matrix. Here we show the Eigen values for each of the three case 2 steady-state operating points. Input / Output Transfer Function Analysis The input-output transfer functions can be found from G(s)=C(sI-A)-1B(14) where the elements of theBmatrix corresponding to the first input (u1 = Tj-Tjs) are the reader should find the elements of the B matrix that correspond to the second and third input variables (see exercise 8) Here we show only the transfer functions for the low temperature steady-state for case 2. The input/output transfer function relating jacket temperature to reactor concentration (state 1) is and the input/output transfer function relating jacket temperature to reactor temperature (state 2) is Notice that the transfer function for concentration is a pure second-order system (no numerator polynomial) while the transfer function for temperature has a first-order numerator and second-order denominator. This indicates that there is a greater à ¬lagà ® between jacket temperature and concentration than between jacket temperature and reactor temperature. This makes physical sense, because a change in jacket temperature must first affect the reactor temperature before affecting the reactor concentration. Phase-plane Analysis In section 4 we provided the results of a few dynamic simulations, noting that different initial conditions caused the system to converge to different steady-state operating points. In this section we construct a phase-plane plot by performing simulations for a large number of initial conditions. The phase-plane plot shown in Figure 6 was generated usingcstr_run.mandcstr.mfrom the appendix. Three steady-state values are clearly shown; 2 are stable (the high and low temperature steady-states, shown as à «oà ­), while one is unstable (the intermediate temperature steady-state, shown as à «+à ­). Notice that initial conditions of low concentration (0.5 kgmol/m3) and relatively low-to-intermediate temperatures (300 to 365 K) all converge to the low temperature steady-state. When the initial temperature is increased above 365 K, convergence to the high temperature steady-state is achieved. Now, consider initial conditions with a high concentration (9.5 kgmol/m3) and low temperature (300 to 325 K); these converge to the low temperature steady-state. Once the initial temperature is increased to above 325 K, convergence to the high temperature steady-state is achieved. Also notice that, once the initial temperature is increased to around 340 K, a very high overshoot to above 425 K occurs, before the system settles down to the high temperature steady-state. Although not shown on this phase-plane plot, higher initial temperatures can have overshoot to over 500 K before settling to the high temperature steady-state. This could cause potential safety problems if, for example, secondary decomposition reactions occur at high temperatures. The phase plane analysis then, is able to à ¬point-outà ® problem initial conditions. Also notice that no initial conditions have converged to the intermediate temperature steady-state, since it is unstable. The reader should perform an eigenvalue/eigenvector analysis for theAmatrix at each steady-state (low, intermediate and high temperature) (see exercise 3). You will find that the low, intermediate and high temperature steady-states have stable node, saddle point (unstable) and stable focus behavior (see chapter 13), respectively. It should be noted that feedback control can be used to operate at the unstable intermediate temperature steady-state. The feedback controller would measure the reactor temperature and manipulate the cooling jacket temperature (or flowrate) to maintain the intermediate temperature steady-state. Also, a feedback controller could be used to make certain that the large overshoot to high temperatures does not occur from certain initial conditions. Understanding Multiple Steady-state Behavior In previous sections we found that there were three steady-state solutions for case 2 parameters. The objective of this section is to determine how multiple steady-states might arise. Also, we show how to generate steady-state input-output curves that show, for example, how the steady-state reactor temperature varies as a function of the steady-state jacket temperature. Heat generation and heat removal curves In section 3 we used numerical methods to solve for the steady-states, by solving 2 equations with 2 unknowns. In this section we show that it is easy to reduce the 2 equations in 2 unknowns to a single equation with one unknown. This will give us physical insight about the possible occurance of multiple steady-states. Solving for Concentration of A as a function of Temperature The steady-state concentration solution (dCA/dt) = 0) for concentration is We can rearrange this equation to find the steady-state concentration for any given steady-state reactor temperature, Ts Solving for Temperature The steady-state temperature solution (dT/dt = 0) is The terms in (17) are related to the energy removed and generated. If we multiply (17) by VrCp we find that Qrem=Qgen Energy Removed by flow and heat exchange Heat Generated by reaction Note the form of Qrem Notice that this is an equation for a line, where the independent variable is reactor temperature (Ts). The slope of the line is and the intercept is. Changes in jacket or feed temperature shift the intercept, but not the slope. Changes in UA or F effect both the slope and intercept. Now, consider the Q gen term Substituting (16) into (20), we find that Equation (21) has a characteristic S shape for Q gen as a function of reactor temperature. From equation (18) we see that a steady-state solution exists when there is an intersection of the Q rem and Q gen curves. Effect of Design Parameters In Figure 6 we show different possible intersections of the heat removal and heat generation curves. If the slope of the heat removal curve is greater than the maximum slope of the heat generation curve, there is only one possible intersection (see Figure 6a). As the jacket or feed temperature is changed, the heat removal lines shifts to the left or right, so the intersection can be at a high or low temperature depending on the value of jacket or feed temperature. Notice that as long as the slope of the heat removal curve is less than the maximum slope of the heat generation curve, there will always be the possibility of three intersections (see Figure 6b) with proper adjustment of the jacket or feed temperature (intercept). If the jacket or feed temperature is changed, the removal line shifts to the right or left, where only one intersection occurs (either low or high temperature). This case is analyzed in more detail in section 7.3. Multiple Steady-State Behavior In Figure 7 we superimpose several possible linear heat removal curves with the S-shaped heat generation curve. Curve A intersects the heat generation curve at a low temperature; curve B intersects at a low temperature and is tangent at a high temperature; curve C intersects at low, intermediate and high temperatures; curve D is tangent to a low temperature and intersects at a high temperature; curve E has only a high temperature intersection. Curves A, B, C, D and E are all based on the same system parameters, except that the jacket temperature increases as we move from curve A to E (from equation (7) we see that changing the jacket temperature changes the intercept but not the slope of the heat removal curve). We can use Figure 7 to construct the steady-state input-ouput diagram shown in Figure 8, where jacket temperature is the input and reactor temperature is the output. Note that Figure 8 exhibits hysteresis behavior, which was first discussed in chapter 15. The term hysteresis is used to indicate that the behavior is different depending on the direction that the inputs are moved. For example, if we start at a low jacket temperature the reactor operates at a low temperature (point 1). As the jacket temperature is increased, the reactor temperature increases (points 2 and 3) until the low temperature limit point(point 4) is reached. If the jacket temperature is slightly increased further, the reactor temperature jumps (ignites) to a high temperature (point 8); further jacket temperature increases result in slight reactor temperature increases. Contrast the input-output behavior discussed in the previous paragraph (starting at a low jacket temperature) with that of the case of starting at a high jacket temperture. If one starts at a high jacket temperature (point 9) there is a single high reactor temperature, which decreases as the jacket temperature is decreased (points 8 and 7). As we move slighly lower than the high temperature limit point (point 6), the reactor temperature drops (also known asextinction) to a low temperature (point 2). Further decreases in jacket temperature lead to small decreases in reactor temperature. The hysteresis behavior discussed above is also known asignition-extinctionbehavior, for obvious reasons. Notice that region between points 4 and 6 appears to be unstable, because the reactor does not appear to operate in this region (at least in a steady-state sense). Physical reasoning for stability is discussed in the following section. Conclusion and future work Finally the conclusion is that a small study on the continuous stirred tank reactor and its model equation after going through we come to know its importance in the chemical engineering field and also its significance as a chemical reactor The future work is that we have to calculate and prove the equation of the continuous stirred tank reactor using Laplace transformation and check it using the MATLAB he equation of the continuous stirred tank reactor using Laplace transformation and check it using the MATLAB

Suffering and The Book of Job Essay example -- Holy Bible Book Job Ess

Suffering and The Book of Job      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concepts of suffering addressed in "The Book of Job" have no relevance to the ideas of suffering expressed in eastern religions such as Buddhism and Jainism. In fact, for Buddhists, the cause of suffering was discovered some 2,500 years ago by a prince from India named Sidhartha Gautama. This man, who was known as the Buddha, taught that suffering was caused by the craving for material things; ergo, cessation from suffering could be attained by detaching oneself from the things of this world (Ianuale). Had Job been exposed to these strictly eastern concepts of suffering, his outlook on his vicissitudes would have been quite different indeed.    "The Book of Job" is an epic tale of pious pessimism from the Old Testament of the Bible about a righteous, God-fearing man named Job. Job has been blessed with many children, and great material wealth. But all of that soon comes to an end as Satan and God begin their debate on whether or not Job would keep his piety in the face of adversity.    Satan is allowed, by God, to test Job, once by taking away his family and wealth, and a second time, by afflicting him with sickness and sores. In the first test, Job holds fast to his conviction and never blames God for his misfortunes. The second test, however, proves to be more challenging, and Job curses the day he was born.    In the next section of the story, three of Job's friends come to visit him upon hearing of his misfortunes. Each one of them tries, in separate speeches, to offer Job an explanation as to why such tragedy has befallen him. They insist that Job must have done something to deserve his adversity, saying that all men are, in some way,... ...of Major World Religions" Oral Lecture,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 December 2000. Middlesex County College. Edison, NJ. "Job." Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 7th ed. Ed.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Addison     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wesley Longman, 2000:407-433. Kutz, Ilan. "Job and His 'Doctors'; Bedside Wisdom in The Book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of  Ã‚   Job." BMJ 321. December 23-30, 2000; 1613-1615. PA     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   RESEARCH II. ProQuest Direct. Middlesex County College     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Library, Edison. 4 February 2001. 2000.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.proquest.umi.com. MacLeish, Archibald. "God Has Need of Man." Writing and     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reading   Across the Curriculum. 7th ed. Ed. Laurence Behrens,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Addison Wesley Longman,     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2000; 474-480. Smith, Huston. The World's Religions. San Francisco: Harper, 1958.   

Are Spinozistic Ideas Cartesian Judgements? :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Are Spinozistic Ideas Cartesian Judgements? Abstract Some commentators of Spinoza maintain that Spinozistic ideas are judgements. I shall call this view the common interpretation, since it is popular to interpret Spinoza as reacting against Descartes’s theory of ideas and accordingly consider Spinozistic ideas not as Cartesian ideas, but as Cartesian judgements. The clearest difference between Descartes and Spinoza here is that whereas Descartes thought that ideas are passive, Spinoza thought the opposite. The concept of activity plays accordingly an important role in interpreting Spinoza’s theory of ideas. According to the common interpretation Spinoza and Descartes use the concept of activity in the same way. And since Descartes thought that judgements are active, it is maintained that the Spinozistic, active ideas are like Cartesian judgements. I find that the considerations according to which the activity of Spinozistic ideas is seen in the light of Descartes’s distinction between action and passion are based on too superficial an interpretation of Spinoza. I argue that what Spinoza means by saying that ideas are active does not merely mean that they are active in a Cartesian sense. He has in mind something additional to the mere Cartesian activity. Whereas Spinoza wants to say that active ideas incorporate the property of truth or certainty, Descartes does not think in that way about judgements. Thus, the Spinozistic ideas can be called truth-expressing. Introduction Renà © Descartes brought the concept of idea into a central place in epistemology. Another famous rationalist—Benedictus de Spinoza—made use of the same term "idea", but had an entirely different view concerning the nature of ideas. Whereas Descartes thought that ideas are passive, Spinoza had the opposite view according to which ideas are active. In this paper I shall examine what Spinoza means by the activity of ideas. According to some commentators Spinozistic ideas should be seen as Cartesian judgements. I call this view the common interpretation and I shall argue that it does not capture the whole of Spinoza’s theory of active ideas. The activity of Spinozistic ideas is something more than merely the kind of activity found in Cartesian judgements. In the first part I will sketch Descartes’ conception of ideas as passive. In the second and third part I move on the outline Spinoza’s position and point out that there are passages which motivate the common interpretation. In the fourth part I will proceed to argue that the activity of Spinozistic ideas is not merely that of Cartesian judgements.

One Hundred Years of Solitude: Linear and Circular Time :: One Hundred Years of Solitude

One Hundred Years of Solitude: Linear and Circular Time Cien Anos de Soledad Style in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude is closely linked to myth. Marquez chooses magic realism over the literal, thereby placing the novel's emphasis on the surreal. To complement this style, time in One Hundred Years of Solitude is also mythical, simultaneously incorporating circular and linear structure (McMurray 76). Most novels are structured linearly. Events occur chronologically, and one can map the novel's exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. One Hundred Years of Solitude is also linear in its broad outlines (Bell-Villida 98). The plot of the novel is simple: Jose Arcadio Buendia marries his cousin Ursula, they found Macondo, the family grows, declines, and is eventually blown off the face of the earth by a hurricane. There is a beginning, and time moves the story to a total, apocalyptic conclusion (117). Within this linear background, the structure of One Hundred Years of Solitude is circular (McMurray 77). Events throughout the entire novel repeat themselves in cycles. The names Aureliano and Jose Arcadio are repeated in each generation, resulting in a total of five Jose Arcadios and 22 Aurelianos. The men's personalities also seem to be repeated; the Jose Arcadios are "impulsive and enterprising," and the Aurelianos are "lucid and withdrawn" (77). The cyclical rhythm is reinforced by six instances of incest that occur over five of the family's six generations. One of the most striking instances of cyclical structure is found in the novel's opening line: "Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice" (Garcia Marquez 1). Two generations later, chapter eleven opens the same way: "Years later on his death bed, Aureliano Segundo would remember the rainy afternoon in June when he went into the bedroom to meet his first son" (186). These two sentences are grammatically parallel . They open with an adverbial phrase ("Years later"), followed by the subject and then the predicate in exactly the same verb tense. The sentences begin with an event in the distant future and conclude with an allusion to a future event that, in both cases, occurs within the same chapter. As critic Barroa notes, "the words 'many years later' appear so often they become the heartbeat of the novel" (104).

GEs Talent Machine Solution Essay

?Question NO 1:While most companies have difficulty producing sufficient quality candidates for top management succession, how has GE been able to create a surplus? What philosophy policies and practices have made it a â€Å"CEO factor6y† as Fortune and Economist call it? Really producing sufficient quality top executives is very difficult task for companies, but if we see case of General Electric, it was producing managers not only for own, GE was producing these executives in enough quantity to meet the need of industry. The philosophy adopted by GE includes some techniques, policies and practiceswhich enable GE to fill vacant top positions. Following are these techniques that wehave analyzed in this case study. Continuous Improvement:Management development process of GE was very effective in which employees aredeveloped step by step. Every manager was continuously involved in diversified andinnovative task in which every employee is rotate in different departments which enablethe employees to be expert in almost every field. The company was providing on jobtraining to its employees through training programs conducted in university which wasestablished by GE. Self succession plan and session C was also good for improving and polishing talent. Focus Strategy:To fill the vacant top positions GE was focusing on internal source. For this GE wasconducting a lot of training programs for its employees because when these were trained by company, it was easy for company to adjust existing employees at top positions. Emerging Culture:Company is try not only to gain objectives but also to merge the new employees withthe existing culture followed at GE. New employees are encouraged to adopt the cultureof GE which was very helpful in transferring the culture and value from senior executivesto junior executives. Company Strategy:Company was considering the employees as the asset of the GE. Company was notonly focusing on business development but also on employees development. It wasspending 10% of its pre tax income on employees development. It was also givingtraining to employees in university established by GEMeritocracy:In GE employee’s performance was measured by quantitative and qualitatively andthe basis of this evaluation the employees were promoted. While concluding we analyze that actually GE’s policies and practices were so goodthat it was producing the surplus managers. Values, culture, training programs, and performance appraisal measures are factor that help GE in exposing and polishing thetalent of employees. Question No2:How generalizable are GE’s , management development policies and practices? Howtransferable across cultures? Across industries ? Aross companies ? Overall policies and practices are very good and fulfill the requirement and need of management development. These policies and practices are generalizable in every wherein world up to some extent not completely. Their extent of generazibility depends uponthe circumstances and situation and environment of geographical areas, laws andregulations of state because these factors vary from culture to culture. E. g. moral valuesand ethics followed in American culture are not followed in Pakistan so we cannot saythat policies adopted by HR department in American organizations fully implemented inHR department of Pakistani organizations. Transferability across Culture, Industries and Companies:Of course policies and practices are implemented in European culture but it seemsvery difficult to implement these policies in Asian culture because HR policies have todeal with human behavior and culture. Human behaviors are different in differentcountries in same situations. In GE employees are recruited which are fresh graduate. Then these employees were polished by GE by taking into account future requirements. Employees at GE have onlyand only experience in GE company but This situation may not happened in other organizations because they do not have such employees who are trained and developed by only one company because almost all organizations are involved in external hiring, so policies to develop employees cannot be implemented in those companies. How we transfer policies and practices to other culture, industries and companies. For transferring these policies it is necessary to change and create the circumstances andsituations according to that of GE. HR departments have to deal with factors like value,culture and behavior and these things are different from culture to culture, company tocompany.

China Reflection Paper

We traveled by plane, boat, subway, car, bus, and even a let train. The first day was a long day of travel and we landed In Belong around pm. This was my first time ever being do far from and It was an exciting feeling. Our group was all pretty new with each other, but right away we clicked and started making friendships. After we checked into our hotel we went on our first walk. It was a lot different then and any city I have been and I was excited right away. We had a beer while walking down the street (who knew you could do that) and smoked a cigarette with the group.At this point In time I knew nothing about the people and how they loud treat us, but after buying a beer and one walking up to me right away with a bottle opener after seeing me struggling I knew it was going to be a great trip. Not because of the beer although everyone loves beer, but because of how nice everyone was to us that first three hours we were in Beijing. The first couple days were definitely a culture sho ck. Everything was new! Our tour guide was a little hard to understand and it was a lot hotter than expected. On the first full day I was glad I brought a camera with. We went to the heart of Beijing.The Forbidden City. Attainment square, A bike ride through the oldest part of Belling, a Tea ceremony and to top it off we all got foot massages. This one day set the pace for the whole trip and I think got us all over our culture. I wish however that this day would been a little later in the trip so I could of really understood what was going on the whole time. Lisa was easy to understand after the first day and even started cracking a few jokes. Belong was amazing and my most memorable part was the Great Wall of China. The wall was huge to say the least. It took over 1 million people to build.It hard to explain its size without posting pictures. As soon we approached it and got in it I immediately respected the people who built it. Yeah it's a huge wall. A lot of people don't understa nd that the wall is built on top of basically a mountain ridge. It is only oft high, but If a person falls of they are rolling down the mountain side. Also a lot of people Including myself thought It was flat on top almost like a road. I never knew It was more Like a broken escalator. Once we walked and crawled to the end we were daring enough to explore past the part of the wall that still being kept up and tapped foot on the original wall.In my opinion this was the best part it showed the age and strength of it and how it lasted so many years. I never knew the wall was actually a bad thing for the Chinese. It separated China from the rest of the world and they used all of their recourses building It. I think they could of thought of a better way to keep to Mongolia's out with 1,000,000 people. All the wonders of tea and the health benefits certain teas give you. The ceremony is hard to explain, I could repeat it for you some time with my authentic teapot. I liked owe she explained each kind of tea individually and what temperatures they should be served at.I guess I'm not supposed to put green tea in boiling water†¦ Oops. Another one of the cool things we did in Beijing that I don't think I will ever see again is go to the Pearl Market. This wasn't Just any market the market was strictly for knock-off or look alike items. This market really put my bargaining skills to the test. The market was 4 floors of vendors each floor was as big as the Kirby Lounge. They had everything from pearls to statues. Every vendor started at a price and through his market Ryan and I really honed our bargaining skills.Some of the things we did we questionable, but effective. First things first you have to walk away at least twice. And keep walking the first time. They are really persuasive. They all think that we are â€Å"dumb† Americans and don't really know what the price should be. So Just keep saying a lower price and stand firm on the price. They always can go l ower. Sometimes it takes a good 15 minute argument, but it's satisfying knowing you paid the lowest price possible. Another trick we did which kind of upset a few people was elk to multiple venders. Play the â€Å"Over there well she said this price† game.Those weren't the only awesome things we did in Beijing, but if I talked about them it all it would literally take me three days. After Beijing we went to Tannin. Tannin was amazing. We spent 2 weeks there studying business and visiting businesses. I learned a lot about the Chinese culture in those two weeks from the tours, classes and the people we met. Instead of talking about the businesses and classes I would rather talk about the friends I made there. I learned a lot from them and they are the most memorable part. ICC, Iris, Tony, Niles, Jon, Jason, Lisa, and even Terry the club owner were all great people.Miss ICC was great she was out going and bubbly and really help us break the ice with the other Chinese students wh en we were together. She taught us all about the dating life. She was interested in older men because they were more mature and set in life. I feel like this is a common thing over there. She also talked about how marriage is not considered complete until the guy has a house and a car. Iris was very interesting. Her friends called her Superwoman on the account f that she was great at sports. She even took the time to teach Ryan and I few things about tennis.I don't think there is any hope for me in that sport. Tony was an interesting little guy. He taught us about how is China it is really is frowned upon to fail. That is why there aren't a lot of entrepreneurs there. He also helped me order a few times. He was interested in our gun laws compared to his. I never noticed that it was illegal over there to own a firearm. I Just thought of it as a nonchalant thing. He was very intrigued when I was telling him about hunting and the rights we have as Americans. Niles was awesome we got al ong very well. I don't think you ever met him Dry.L', but he was a world traveler from Germany. He wrestled in Minnesota during high school, went to college in France, studied abroad to China where I met him, on his way to south Asia for a month and then to South Africa for his last semester. He taught me a lot about how to communicate effectively with the Chinese. He had decent mandarin, effectively and how to be really respectful to the Chinese. He kind of inspired me to travel a lot more. Life's too short not to travel the world. Little Jon and Lisa were awesome too. They showed us everything and brought us everywhere.They were basically our guides around Tannin. They taught me about how the schooling and grades were actually set up. They explained that it is really hard to get into college, but once you're there it is basically a pass/fail. They took the time to show us around during their finals week which they would have otherwise spent studying. They broke the stereotype that all Chinese students do is spend their time in the library studying and never have any fun.. They even came out with us a few times and let loose, which was awesome to see. Jason did a good Job showing us around the city and explaining things.He let us have enough room to branch out on our own and explore stuff on our own which I think was the best part. It was cool meeting him and his family. I still remember his contagious laugh after he would crack a Joke. Terry the manager of the club still Heehaws me very once in a while Just to see how America is and how life is. He actually seems like a pretty nice person. After we left Tannin it was a sad goodbye, but it was exciting to start traveling again 2 weeks was plenty enough time to spend in the city of Tannin. The next city we went to was Wax. We met our new tour guide there named Joe.He went to school for Tourism and English and was originally from Wax. In Wax we visited the Tiger Hill pagoda which was one of the most beautiful p laces we had visited in my opinion and a Tea pot museum. The pagoda stood 7 stories tall and was built to honor and emperor. The emperor was said to have been buried with 7,000 swords. Wax stands for no more Iron. Wax used to be full of iron and was fought over because of it. It used to be a battle ground because of this precious metal, but once it was gone the city was named Wax Just to make sure no one would come back. It's hard to explain the beauty of all these laces.I guess that's why I took almost 1,000 pictures. The Tea Pot Museum was amazing. I love interesting facts and learning about random things like the teapot. The tea pots in it represented Chinese culture and history. People dedicated their lives to the art of Tea Pot making and we learned about the process of how the pots were made, History of the material, what makes a good quality Pot, and how they should be properly used. I had to buy one. I bought the 2nd lowest grade of pot, but it is the most traditional. It do esn't drip and can be perfectly balanced in water. After Wax we went to Ouzos then Hangout.One was known for its green tea and the other for silk. I had to buy some of both. They made great gifts for my girlfriend.. I could go on and on about the shows, tours and places we went, but I would be writing for over a month. I will have to end my reflection by talking about the food. The food was amazing I had the expectation that I would like it, I never thought I would miss it. In fact I'm pretty sure I gained a few pounds over there from it. Lets start with the breakfast. The breakfasts we had we usually at the hotel, which in America means a few bagels and cold cereal.In China is was pretty awesome most places we went had everything a person could think of and more. One place even had sushi. The breakfasts were pretty Americanizes in my opinion. They had the standard Chinese food a person could get here. The best lunch I had was at the dumpling place you brought us to. That place was amazing I wish Duluth had a place cooked. The dinners were interesting as well. They were all family style around a round table Which I am not used to. Also a big difference is the size of plate a person gets. The Pates in China Are comparable too Tea cup plate.