Terrance Johnson - April 26, 2010

Hello JSU. I am in Nanjing, China making you proud.

Along with going to class, I have been interning with the Pfrang Association(www.pfrang-association.org). On the job, I was assigned as a project coordinator of the 10th Annual Pfrang Gala this past weekend. Through major German partnerships and the Nanjing community, we raised over 200,000 RMB during the evening. Sixty more children will join the over 600 students that have received scholarships to give a gift for life, education. Charity is a huge part of my life.

So many of you have been a blessing to me, it's only fair for me to live a life helping others. After witnessing such an amazing event, I feel great going into exam week. I have been so nervous that I have lost two cell phones. Three is one of my lucky numbers so I hope to hang on to the third phone. JSU, I look forward to giving you an overall feedback of this new opportunity. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,



Terrance Johnson

Antonay Hughes - April 20, 2010

Hey again fellow Jacksonians & visitors! Aside from the fact that I found a GREAT new pizza joint in this area called "Xin Jie Kou," nothing much has changed since the last time I wrote.

The weather here is similar to Jackson's. One day it's a bit warm, then next day it's cold and then it rains for days. However, I am still enjoying myself and living stress free. My Chinese classes are going well and I am even doing better in my painting classes than I was 2 years ago in Zibo. My teacher thinks that I'm quite the little artist and although my gold fish look like shrimp at times, I totally agree with her! I am missing my family, line sisters and friends a whole lot so if any of you are reading this, Wo Ai Nimen( I Love You All)!!! I'm about to go ahead and lay down, but before I do I want to tell you guys about my dinner guest. Ok, so I was at this little restaurant right across from the school. We don't know the name of it so we call it the "Hole in the Wall" and the food is Hen Hao( Very Good).

Anyway, I went to the Hole in the Wall for dinner with my classmate Jamyla. We ordered the usual Teng Cuo Li Ji( Sweet & Sour Chicken) and Mi Fan( Steamed White Rice). As we ate our food and talked about our days, in walks this little cat. I thought that maybe I was losing my mind because NO ONE in the restaurant reacted to it. It was almost as if the cat was another customer instead of a cat. So I asked Jamyla what just walked past me and she laughed and said um a cat. So we watched the cat walk from table to table and eat scraps that people may have dropped on the floor. Once he finished, he walked right out and it was like he was never there. Since no one else said anything about it, not even the waiters, neither did we. We finished that food and went on with our night just like the locals. Until next time Wan'an & Zai Jian.

Terrance Johnson - April 15, 2010

Hello JSU and family

This morning I woke up feeling amazing. I woke up to see the extraordinary view of the trees on campus through my dorm window. I am an alpha man so after prayer, I had to put on a golden tie. Today I intern at Pfrang, a German non-profit that provides scholarships to children for junior and high schools from rural China. I grabbed my usual breakfast, an egg and sea weed local dish, as I headed to the bus stop. My task were to create a power point with sponsors information, design a program, frame photos and check on ticket sales for the tenth year Pfrang Gala.

I divided the work with Christian, the guy that is interning with me from Austria. After working from 9am to 6pm, I visited Hunan Lu, a popular street in China, to get my favorite food. The duck head is prepared great here. Everyone laughs at me for eating them so much. The food is different here so it is smart to find what you like and enjoy it.

Antonay Hughes - April 8, 2010

Hey fellow Jacksonians and site visitors.

As you see I loved China so much that I decided to come back again. Visiting Zibo the first time was the most life changing and memorable experience that I could ever have and being here in Nanjing so far is just as great if not better. Though our cultures are quite different and I miss my family and friends a great deal, I kind of feel like I am home here. Not to mention the fact that my Chinese is getting even better and shopping is GREAT!!

I've met so many new people here from so many different cultures and countries including Africa, Germany and Europe. Not only am I diversifying myself even more, but I'm also gaining new friendships while networking. Chinese language classes are going very well and my internship is with a well established company called SkyRun. I was a little skeptical and sad to come at first because I am missing the end of my senior year, but I don't think that I could have ended my collegiate years at Jackson State as an undergrad any other way. Well I'll write you guys later. I'm going to finish my homework, running my mouth and feeding my face now.

Gabrielle P. Frazier - April 4, 2010

Pfrang: Northern Jiangsu Province, China

The Pfrang trip to Northern Jiangsu Province, China was amazing. I didn’t expect to experience anything like it. Pfrang is a nonprofit organization that started about ten years ago, sponsoring over six hundred students in need. These children that qualify for sponsorship have either lost both of their parents and are orphans, or their parents are disabled. I was actually in the home of a sixteen year old male orphan who lost his mother some time ago and his father just last month. He rents out rooms in the house for income for his food, which he cooks one week at a time.

I stood right beside his meal, so emotional I walked out. Most of the children applying for the scholarship wrote maybe a page of family history and why they should receive the scholarship. This young boy only wrote, "Both my parents died and I'm only a child."


I have so much to be grateful for!

Tyeisha Walton - April 13, 2010

Sheraton Hotel - Nanjing, China

Today was another interesting day in China. I woke up with a ready attitude to work. My partner and I took a fifteen minute cab ride off to the Sheraton, beating most of the morning traffic. I was sure today would be a great day. This was my initial day in the Public Relations department, which allowed me to begin my hands on input. When we arrived, we eagerly met with our supervisor, Eric, for the day’s task. Instead of the usual one, he introduced a well awaited two for today. These tasks, both, pertained to the large upcoming event for the Sheraton and Nanjing community, the Sheraton Dragon Boat Race.

This year is the Ten Year Anniversary, and far more participants will be involved. After our assignments were completed, my partner and I ventured out for more teams for the race. After arriving back at the school, I met with my roommate and her partner for lunch. Luckily, since my work was already completed, I had the remaining of the day to myself. My roommate and I left to get fruit and walk around the neighborhood. Later tonight, we met with the rest of our group to address issues concerning our adjustments here in China.

Tishira Echols - April 3, 2010

Finding a taxi is hard, especially when it rains, I have discovered.

My internship partner and I were late for work this week because at least five taxi drivers said no, they would not take us to where we needed to go. I am not sure if it was because we were American, if our Chinese was poor, or if they were late picking up someone else. When we realized we could not get a taxi, we started walking to look for a bus stop. We never did find one that went past our internship. We kept walking aimlessly through, they city, made a phone call to say we were lost, and finally, we reached our destination. We walked in wet and cold, and my hair that had been beautifully curled that morning, no longer had a curl in sight.

Tishira Echols - March 22, 2010

From my perspective, markets and shopping in China are quite different from shopping in the United States.............

and Jackson, Miss. in general. First and foremost, one is able to bargain on most things in China, whereas, in the U.S., products and services have set prices.


Aside from this, there are four different types of stores I have noticed: street stands, street shops, markets, and department stores. Street stands are usually extremely cheap. They sell everything from fruit to newspapers, to comforter sets. Usually, there is no bargaining on food because a meal is already about $1 in American currency, which equals 6.75 PMB (Chinese currency). However, vendors will allow customers to bargain on other items.

Street shops are little shops that cater to something in specific, such as clothing, books, or pictures. They are indoors, and unlike America, they do not have cameras to monitor customers. Sometimes, the shop owner will follow you to offer help, and sometimes, they will talk on the phone and not pay any attention to you. This is probably because if you are caught stealing, you go straight to jail. I have found it difficult to bargain in street shops, but it is possible.

Markets sell food. They showcase animals ad other fresh foods. They kill the animal on the spot, so you will know it is fresh. I have yet to experience a live animal killing, and do not care to see one.

Department stores are indoors. They carry many items and do not bargain, at least not that I am aware of. People seem to be extremely friendly here, and are always willing to help you out or engage in conversation. People are also in more of hurry here. Other shoppers may bump or push you out of the way without saying “sorry” or “excuse me” (Yes, I was shocked when this first happened to me). However, this is not considered rude as it would be in the U.S. It is simply a part of their culture.

Places I Love Here: Fruit stands (They have delicious, yummy fruit for cheap)

Fashion Lady (A huge underground mall, mainly for women).

Magazine stand (They are on every street corner).

Street stands (I especially love the night vendors because you can

buy almost anything, including my favorite new snack,

glazed strawberries.

Tishira Echols - April 11, 2010

Nanjing, China

Today was the least busy of all my days in China so far. Today, I woke up late for breakfast, but my roommate ordered breakfast in bed for us (McDonald's) It rained all day, so we stayed in bed nearly the whole day and talked, did homework, and talked to friends on Skype. At noon, the rest of the group returned from church and told us about their experience there. I am very excited about going next week. Then we all discussed the way we were feeling about our overall experience in China so far. Finally, at around 6:00 p.m., about five of us went to eat at a restaurant on campus. I didn't like it very much. I had chicken, rice, potatoes, noodles, sweet and sour chicken, and another type of chicken with a tangy smell and flavor. After the meal, we all went back to my room and shared snacks. Then everyone returned to their own rooms to do homework.




Much love,

from Nanjing, China,

Tishira Echols

Gabrielle P. Frazier - April 8, 2010

Skyrun International Shoe Company - Nanjing, China

What an interesting day! My experience here today at Skyrun was very informative. We discussed the logistics of this company in terms of transporting goods internationally. Skyrun International transports goods all around the world to different countries. This company chooses to ship their products mainly by sea. The manager of the company is extremely nice. Although at times a challenge to completely understand, the warm hearted gestures spoke louder than any tone. We also brainstormed ideas for future business proposals, as well as discussed the ups and downfalls of any business.


An actual shoe factory was toured prior to this visit where pictures were taken. Today those pictures were used to complete a PowerPoint presentation on basic fundamentals of making a shoe. What an honor to complete such a task for one of the biggest international companies in China. A report was also submitted to compliment the presentation. All is well here in Nanjing, and the possibilities are endless!