China!

Greetings from the Coffee Bean in Shanghai!

I forgot to mention that I'll be in China for the next two weeks. I've come for two reasons: first, to present my thesis at the Shanghai International Conference on Social Science, and second, to visit friends and (host) family who I haven't seen in almost two years. A huge thanks to the Croft Institute and the SMB Honors College at Ole Miss for funding!

Shanghai is HOT and HUMID, but I'm used to it, so it's not unbearable. The sky seems a little clearer here, but it may just be because the rain/monsoon has washed some of the smog away. I'm sure when it heats back up, I'll see those beautiful orange skies I'm used to.

I have a pretty exciting schedule of things to do while I'm here. On Monday, I'm meeting with the author of a book on water pollution and droughts along the Yellow River in China, Bert van Dijk. He also writes for a newspaper in the Netherlands, so he's basically doing exactly what I'd like to do for a career, at least before I go back for a PhD (if I decide to do that). On Wednesday, I have to go register for my conference, and after that I'm going to an LSE send-off party hosted by the Alumni Association. I couldn't go to the one in Atlanta because it was too close to my China trip, so hopefully this will be a good way to meet some people before I leave for London in September. The next day is the first day of the conference, and I'll present my paper on Saturday. Needless to say, I'm very excited. I'll leave Shanghai on Monday, August 22.

I'll try to post again before I leave.

Until then,
Matthew