I can now post nerdy pictures of myself and laugh hysterically. But seriously, accessing Facebox is quite difficult and unreliable, so that's going to fall by the wayside. Email is best, followed by Skype, which I've found to be fun and effective, besides the fact that they send me notification emails in Chinese.
My dorm is ridiculously nice. I have a double bed and ample storage. THERE ARE SHELVES AND CUPBOARDS EVERYWHERE! Like I said, it's an IKEA showroom. I feel slightly, but not overwhelmingly, guilty that ECNU built this dormitory for Westerners to attract them to study here. Chinese student dorms have 4 to 6 people in a room and no bathroom nearby. They must walk outside to some other building, swipe their student card, and cold water will come out of the shower head. Being a CIEE roomie, like Matilda, is incredibly competitive. She has to prove her dedication to teaching me Chinese and being a good person. Ha. Not that it's a problem for her. She's very nice and takes me to buy SIM cards and dinner and talks very slowly.
Yesterday, we were the object of some curiosity at dinner. White people are "waiguos" and therefore very fascinating. Most people in Shanghai don't really care, but some from outside the city are quite rapt.
Today I'm going sightseeing with my group after our language placement test. I'm planning on telling the testers my name in Chinese and going from there. It could be abject failure, I'll let you know.
As of now, I have not been hit by a car! Knock on wood!
ellen
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