First Impressions of Shanghai

First, a disclaimer.  I'm not necessarily promising that this will be entertaining or witty or anything... I'm just writing it.  Moving on to life... our wireless isn't up and running yet, so I'm in the lobby of the Tonghe International Students Village.  That's where I live.  Shanghai is awesome.  And crazy.  And very Chinese.  The apartment is clean... it wouldn't hurt to give it a good scrubbing, but it is much better than I thought it would be.  There were no towels, so I'm glad I brought a hand towel.  After we (meaning all of us) ate dinner at a local place down the road (also, clean--- I saw quite a few clean restaurants on the road as I walked, and I have actually been pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness thus far), my Chinese roommate, Yehong, took the rest of us roommates to Walmart.  It is down the street probably 15 minutes away.  Yes, it is Walmart but completely in Chinese.  Whilst at Walmart, I experienced my first salesperson speaking at me rapidly and not understanding anything.  That was fun.  I was buying a pot so I can boil water.  She was telling me about the differences between all of the pots.  And the prices just sound so high!  39 yuan (or colloquially, 39 kuai)... but then I remember that that equals like 6 dollars.  Yeah.  I also got a big towel and an instant noodles packet so I can eat on Sunday.  Sadly, we have the last day of orientation on Sunday, so I won't be able to go to church, but I suppose I couldn't go to church the first week in Scotland, either.  We walked on and I felt like I was in a movie about a Chinese city.  Seriously.  The lights, and so many characters!  Very cool.  It's really weird that I am here.  We took a taxi home.  Twas Yehong's idea.  There were no seatbelts!  Aah!  But it was fine.  Actually, the thing that makes Shanghainese drivers scary is not the speed they go--it is the blatant disregard of lane markings.  People weave in and out of lanes, sometimes straddling the line for blocks.  If there is a biker or pedestrians, they only go as far as they must not to hit them.  Nothing more.  It is insane. Even more crazy is that I've yet to see a wreck.  I saw two cars on the side of the road, but i haven't seen a wreck yet.  These people are insane and tough and will not stop at anything.  Motorbikes are everywhere! Funnily enough, the first thing I saw when I exited the plane at Heathrow was an advertisement for HBSC Bank.  The first thing I saw when I exited the plane in Shanghai was also an advertisement for HBSC Bank.  Only 10 minutes out of the spotless, completely modern airport, there were people living underneath freeways.  I don't mean homeless people.  I mean people have houses and fields that go under the freeways and almost go all the way up to the freeway when they are on the same level.  There are fields and more fields and in the distance there are high rise apartments that look all the same and then you see more high rise buildings...

Freeway, fields, and city

We drove up to this, I read the words, and I knew this was the place I would call home for the next two months.  Tonghe International Student Village.  My building is situated farther inside the compound.

The view out of the window from my bed.  I'm on the seventh floor.

The view out of the window from my bed.  The window covers an entire corner.  It's awesome.