Class Field Trip: City Dump
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2010
1
67
70
Trip End
Ongoing
Nanjing, Jiangsu Sheng, China
Saturday, December 17, 2011
This past Wednesday, my classmates and I were delighted to learn that our teacher had organized to take us on a field trip to the Nanjing City Trash Management Center, i.e. the dump. Though seemingly irrelevant to classwork, there was in fact a reason for us to go. This class is called "Social Issues of China's Modernization," and topics we've studied include urbanization, migrant workers, over-population, one child policy, social stratification and mobilization, and most recently, pollution and the environment. We also discussed how China produces far more trash than it can manage. For this reason, we visited the dump.
The facility wasn't too far away, about 40 minutes south of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center by bus. It was separated from the crux of the nearest road by a long enough dirt driveway. As soon as I stepped of the bus, it was undeniable- we were at the dump. It smelled terrible. Heeding my teacher's warning, I had brought a scarf to wrap around my face, but it wasn't really effective enough. We walked and observed, listening to the facility's manager who showed us around.
To the right were mountains made of trash, or rather, landfills. Most were covered with black tarp, but punctured by large tubes which allowed the methane to escape (hence the smell). These mountains were 1-2 years old. We could also see heaps of new trash at the very top, which was itself spotted with real people, not employees, who were digging through the trash for... who knows what- maybe food, or things to sell. To the left were pools of what I assumed to be chemical treatment fluids, as well as other large-scale equipment.
There wasn't too much to see, but it was really interesting to see a site like this that none of us would have had the chance to see without our teacher.
In other news- you may remember that I have been maintaining my "second room" at my previous place of residence at Nanjing Uni while living at the Center. Well, just a week or two ago, I found a piece of paper that had been slipped under my door. It informed me that the building was undergoing renovations on floors 4-17 (I live on 7) starting Dec 20th, and I had to move out by that date. I had three choices: 1- stay in a hotel that they arranged, with a roommate, for free; 2- stay in the same hotel in a private room, but pay for the extra cost; or, 3- find somewhere else to stay, and receive monthly compensation.
Obviously I chose the third option- which I why I spent my day today moving things back over to my room in the Center. Fortunately, the two buildings are only 1 block apart, and many Center friends helped me both move and store some things. But man- what a hassle! The construction is rumored to only take 1 month's time, but in my experience, it'll be more like 2 months. Oh well!
Photos are from the dump, and the last three were taken by other Center classmates. Enjoy!
Comments
Well, now that's what I call sightseeing......the real nitty gritty! Interesting and enlightening that your Professor wanted you to have this perspective. I'm sure you enjoyed the trip, well maybe 'enjoy' isn't exactly the appropriate word to describe the experience, but unforgettable might be.
Sending you lots of love, and missing you too! Aunt Lisa
It's actually fascinating, Lauren. And, the "class photo" at the dump, equally so : )
Happy Western New Year to you! May 2012 be a year of health and happiness and filled with excitement !
XX
Deborah