Spring Break/life update/etc etc

Only two more days until Spring break! I will be soaking up the sun in Hainan, which is a gorgeous island in China. I am going with some of my best friends and we rented this beautiful villa right off of the beach. We are so excited! This weekend I ran sixteen miles on a treadmill because the air pollution was too nasty to run in. It was absolutely exhausting, but I got through it, and I am looking forward to an easy 12 miles next weekend. As this semester winds down my friends and I are already choosing classes and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new freshmen! After spring break, all of the accepted students are being flown to Shanghai to meets us and learn about the school! We are so excited to meet new people and welcome them to our school.

After this semester I have decided that I am not continuing with business and finance. Instead I am beginning a new chapter in design engineering. We offer a major here called Interactive Media Arts, which is all about creating new technologies and developing programs that can help all kinds of people. It's really interesting and hands on, and its the one program you only hear good things about. We learn how to program and work with different types of software, and I think that its a great background to have. The good news is that I never have to take another math class again.

Tonight I am going to dinner with the Starrs'! They arrived in Shanghai yesterday and I am so excited to visit with them!

I can't believe this semester is almost over! In just over a month I will be running my marathon and taking my finals!

Love from Shanghai,
Maddie

One year anniversary

Today marks the one year anniversary of when I got the email I had been accepted into NYU Shanghai. It was one of the proudest moments of my life and I am so thankful to be here one year later.

These next couple weeks are very exciting! Tonight I am meeting Ms. Munson's husband for dinner at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Shanghai, Grandma's. It's great authentic food, and its where my friends and I have already decided to take our parents when they come for graduation. My mom also got together a suitcase for me that Cook is bringing tonight!

Next week the Starrs' are coming to visit me too! (I am one lucky college student to have all these visitors this far away from home) They have suggested some international food, so I am taking them to one of the prettiest views of the Bund. It's great food and hopefully the weather will be nice and we can sit outside for dinner!

Also spring break is coming up and My friends and I are going to Hainan! It's probably one of the prettiest parts in China and we are so excited for 80 degree weather and beaches. We are staying in this beautiful house right off the beach. We can hardly wait. (Pictures and Posts to come from that trip)

This weekend is another candidate weekend for the Chinese and I was asked to be on the student panel. I look forward to answering their questions and meeting some new faces!

I am also up to the 15 mile mark in my marathon training. It's becoming so fun! This week I ran a mile of stairs in preparation for the wall on top of my other training, it wasn't as bad as I thought!

Next week is midterms, I can't believe I only have two more months of my freshmen year of college. Time flies.

Love from Shanghai,

Maddie

Inner Mongolia Pictures!

Busy Busy Busy! Hope you enjoy and I'll try to post again this week. I'm trying to get myself to Thailand for spring break. (A much needed break from all the studying)_ However, there are some issues with my passport that I need to resolve first.

Love always!
Maddie