The rain has been coming down nonstop over the last five minutes, and is only picking up in intensity. It’s rare for it to rain so much in Beijing. The city usually doesn’t get enough precipitation, so this kind of rain is actually a big welcome. Hopefully, this is an indication of cooler days to come…if not, then at least a less humid start of the week.
Month: August 2009
Bye Bye, CITIC
Friday was the last day of my three week internship at China CITIC Bank. It’s been quite an experience, and to be honest, I can’t believe it went by this fast. I feel that I have learned a lot in the last three weeks, not so much technical things, but definitely a better sense of how commercial banking works from the inside out. Being part of the Financial Institutions Division, I was able to experience some of the day to day interactions between CITIC’s head office and its branch offices, as well as the Bank’s relationships with foreign banks. I feel that the F.I. business is a good field for young people to get into, as it involves a lot of relationship building and communication with other institutions. Furthermore, you get the chance to meet a lot of people all around the world, so it’s a good opportunity to build a network early in your career. Although my stay at CITIC was short, I felt that I made some valuable contributions during my time there, especially my preparation of key materials for CITIC’s first RMB Cross Border Settlement Conference in Beijing. Most of all, I’ve made a lot of friends at CITIC, and I have no doubt that they will prove to be valuable connections in the future.
On the Road
Work has slowed down considerably since the conclusion of last Monday’s meeting. I’ve been helping out mainly with small tasks, such as photocopying and updating visitation schedules in Excel. Still, I can’t believe that three weeks have passed by so fast, and I’ll be sad to leave on Friday.
I finished Jack Kerouac’s On the Road today in one sitting today. It’s the kind of book that’s extremely hard to put down after you start reading. And I now realize why it’s considered one of the defining works of the Beat generation. The desperate yet contagious sense of restless as portrayed by the main characters Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty reflects the mentality of an entire generation (“the Beatniks”) that grew up in the aftermath of WWII. Their story, which Kerouac narrates brilliantly, is one of humor, exuberance, and profound sadness. Kerouac brings to life the unceasing sense of restlessness felt by many of the country’s young men and women at the time, as well their tireless wanderings and cross-country treks (often on little or no money at all) in search of some ultimate purpose or object (what Dean refers to as the “IT”) that for many never materialized.
It you have never encountered any literature from the Beat generation, then I highly recommend this novel. It’ll probably be unlike anything you’ve ever read before, but Kerouac’s writing style and superb character development (especially of the “mad” Dean Moriarty) will certainly make On the Road a quick read.
Too damn humid
The weather over the last week has consisted of alternating waves of extreme heat and downpour The result is often a stifling humidity during the day that doesn’t let up until 8:00 or 9:00 in the evening. And without air conditioning at my grandma’s house, doing anything more than walking around is uncomfortable, to say the least. Since I’m staying in China a bit longer than usual this summer, I hope I get to see things cool down before I go. From what I hear, autumn in Beijing is actually quite comfortable.