Three days ago, a bunch of us woke up at 6:30 to get on a 7:45 AM train. Why did the four of us wake up on a Saturday morning instead of sleeping in? The reason: Caen, Normandy.

I am now halfway done with my internship in Berlin, times like these are always a good reason to stop, think and reflect on the matter at hand.

Wow! It has only been a week since my last blog entry but I feel like so much has happened. As I get more used to my life here in Beijing, the days go by as fast as a teenage girl changes clothes (aka rapid-fire pace).  The most important event that has taken place has been my recent career change. Although I enjoyed the people that I worked with at China Renmin Publishing Press, I was not completely satisfied with the type of work that I was doing. Because I was the first intern, let alone the first foreign intern to work there, they were having difficulty finding tasks for me to do.

I'm one of those people that adjusts slowly. And it takes about this long for me to get into the swing of things, where I can autopilot the daily routine and let the whole experience wash over me. Tokyo has much to be explored still, but I know chance will bring me where I need to go. There's something about being on your own that is liberating enough to let fortune take the reins for once. I'm normally terrified of being thrown into the world on my own.

 Hello everyone,

My workload has been steadily increasing. In between that and my excursions, I haven't had much time to write much. But since I have some time today I'm going to cover my travels to Montparnasse and INSEAD.

So it's about time I talked about what I spent majority of my time in Berlin doing: the internship.

Today is Wednesday. "Hump day" we so aptly call it in the States. Maybe its the honeymoon  stages of my internship, but I don't necessarily have that "I can't wait till Friday" feeling. Today was a pretty important day I would say. A few memorable things happened.

My job continues to surprise me from day to day. Though I haven't been given any particularly monumental tasks, I have been doing research for the company regarding university programs as well as opportunities for growth for the company. Ryugaku plans to revamp its English website, and I was able to offer my suggestions comparing the current site with those of other competitors. Both myself and my fellow co-worker/intern were also interviewed for Ryugaku's blog, which was a flattering personal opportunity to reflect on this experience at large.

So here is the deal. Remember when you were a kid and the idea of learning how to ride a bike was just about one of the coolest things ever...well, the feeling of being in Beijing and making myself comfortable is something along those lines. Just like a child who is unsteady and wobbly when their training wheels first come off, I still feel a little vulnerable and jumpy in Beijing. I want so badly to kick those two silly little baby wheels away and ride on my own, but I know I need to watch myself or I could fall. And fall hard, if I am not mindful.