Whore of the Orient

I arrived in Shanghai today, after a 13 hour plane ride with my classmates, and a 40 minute scanning of the hazmat team pictured below. When they came on board it was as if the paparazzi had somehow emerged from the locals all around us, as hundreds of camera flashes went off to capture the event. One man had a temperature, but after further testing he was deemed to be "swine free" and the airplane broke out into applause. We took a bus  to our dormitory and drove through thick thick smog. Imagine if all of New York City decided to fire up their BBQs and laid on some extra wood chips. We meet our roommates on Saturday, so until then we have the room to our own. We have a remote control AC / Dehumidifier / TV as well as a private bathroom with "shower" and western toilet. There is also a balcony with a pretty good view from the ninth floor. All of the program heads are very welcoming and have been happy to assist us. There is a backstreet behind our campus referred to as "Ghetto Lane" by the staff. There are so many faces here that beg for photos, the whole ambiance is what I had always imagined. Where in previous trips abroad I have been swept away by travel brochures and promises of foreign landscapes only to meet multitudes of westernized surroundings, Shanghai has gone above and beyond my expectations. Tonight the streets were filled with people selling live crawfish, random baubles, herbal medicines, sex, and free smells. We ate dinner at a nicer restaurant and had various tofu / chicken / fish dishes. I went ahead and took the first plunge by eating fish cheeks and neck. Now, I think I will get some much needed rest, and relax with a Harbin and Tsingtao. I am trying to post new pictures, however, the Chinese ban is VERY difficult to get around. If you have a Facebook account I encourage you to view the pictures listed in my album on my profile.