I just wanted to stop in and talk about really how different going to school at a university in China is verse one in the states like Purdue. I also will share of my St. Patty day journey back into the heart of Shanghai to celebrate the Green holiday. It was quite the experience being in an area where the knowledge of this holiday is almost non existent.
On Monday and Tuesday I have class at 8:00 in the morning which really is not too bad. The main difference is that on this campus, all of the classrooms have windows on at least two sides. This is because the academic building are set up in such a way that all the classroom doors lead straight outside. The stairwells and everything are outside with big almost courtyard areas incorporated into their design. It actually causes a great airflow through each classroom which allows them to save money on not installing any air system. It also makes for paying attention much harder than at Purdue. You would not notice the nice sunny day in most classrooms at Purdue, but on this campus, its just tempting you to give it a chance to wonder about. I will make sure to get some pictures of this so you guys understand more of what I am talking about.
Because I do not have classes on Wednesday, a group of guys I hang out with usually go to play some pick up games of basketball on one of the many courts on campus. Whether on either campus, the love of this game is extremely evident. The courts will be full from sun up until sun down with teams usually lining up to play the next game. We usually only have to wait one or two games, and then the games begin. Our overall record is I think 18-3. To clear some things up, most of the guys we play are the same height if not taller. They also have perfected the turn-around-no-look-throw-shot-over-shoulder shot, which happens to go in more times than not it seems. The games are actually much closer than I originally thought they would be. It definitely feels good to get out there and brush up on some skills that may or may not have been lost in the past couple years haha.
There is also a soccer field, track, vball court, and ping pong within a 5 minute walk of our dorm which is really nice. Below is a picture of my dorm room. It is actually much bigger than most of us thought they would be. Each room has its own bathroom and fridge which is extremely convenient.
Mom, I am sorry that I did not make my bed...(its the nearest one)
This campus also had six pretty large cafeterias. Each has its own specialty but most serve the same stuff. My favorite dish so far is fried noodles with beef or chicken. They make it in front of you and only costs about a dollar for the entire meal. I also have been a ton of rice and chicken which has helped me perfect the use of chopsticks even more! This pretty much covers the extent of what the campus has to offer which other than sports, is really not a whole lot. There is not much to do outside the campus either because its on the outskirts of Shanghai. The trip in by metro is about a hour and half ride, but its totally worth it when you know green beer is being served on the other side.
On St. Patty's weekend, we had signed up for a Bar Crawl to celebrate all that is green and lucky. It was a pretty eventful and fun filled night. We got to the first bar to register where we got a free t-shirt, free beer, free shots, and best of all free fries! The bar was packed full of people, maybe 5 or 6 of them were Asian haha. After a couple of beers and shots, the buses came to pick up the masses to head to the next place. We pulled up to a club and started the party. It was at this club I must mention, that Elliot decided to get up on the bar and dance on the stripper pole. It was quite the view...haha leave it to Elliot to be awesome like that. I did get video of it, but for some reason it won't load to Facebook =/ We then made it to the next club where it was even crazier. The picture below was taken by the event staff and shows most of the people who were in our group. It calmed down after that as we ended at a local Irish pub in downtown Shanghai. More green beer was served and our night ended at about 3 AM as we fell asleep in the hostel.
Just look at our facial hair...pretty awesome thats for sure!
It was a pretty awesome weekend! If you are ever in China, you must come visit Shanghai. Its a pretty great city. I am not sure what else to talk about because there really has not been much happening at this new campus.
If you guys have any questions that I have not covered answers, I would love to attempt in answering them. Just email me or Facebook message me =]
I also cannot believe that I have been here for about 3 months. Time flies when you are on an adventure thats for sure! =]
Hope everyone is well!
Corbin
P.S.
This is a kilo burrito that we ordered from downtown. I did not feel well the day after...
This is where I usually get my snacks...nothing like meat on a stick, quite delicious!
No comments:
Post a Comment