Orientation Day 1

So yesterday, we went on a campus tour. Fudan is gigantic, compared to SCU! I was so tired after walking around campus all day! I think I might have to buy a bike to ride around campus to get to my classes this semester... but I hear a lot of bikes get stolen if they aren't locked properly.

During our tour, my group went to eat at this xiao long bao place, which was delicious! We went and toured on the outskirts of the school as well, so we knew where each convenience store or restaurant was. I wasn't paying very much attention, because I stopped trying to figure out where we were half the time. I'm going to need a map everyday to take me to class!

After the tour, a bunch of us went to Wal-Mart to buy our essentials. I've mostly got everything except bleach (to wash the bathroom), a bathroom mat, and a Swiffer type of thing to clean my dorm floor. I've only been living here two nights, and the floor is already dusty and dirty.

After Wal-Mart, we dropped all of our stuff off at the dorms and then headed out for dinner. The walk from campus to dinner was grueling and FOREVER! The soles of my feet were so tight and sore by the end of the night. Dinner was great! The food was delicious, and it was nice being able to mingle with the other IES students. Overall, I had a great time.

We left the restaurant around 9 PM and I was pooped! I just wanted to go back and sleep. But, I tried to stay up for as long as I could so I could Skype with my mom and Steven. I passed out at 11:45 and woke up around 6 AM this morning. I hope this jet lag stays with me. I'm actually getting more things done when I wake up early in the morning. So far, I've hand washed my clothes [I don't have a student ID yet, so I can't use the washing machines =(], cleaned my bathroom, and sort of cleaned the floors. My mom would be proud of me =)

It's about 8 AM now, and I'm going to get ready to head out for breakfast before I take my oral exam this morning. Enjoy the pictures!


Us with our tour guide and a scenic garden on the school campus


Front entrance of the school; us with Chairman Mao Zedong in the background


Around a shopping district. I absolutely love this picture! We're like the kids who live in a shoe!


We were trying to get a picture of the man with all of the plastic bottles in the background... and we didn't want to make it so obvious we were taking a picture of him, so I posed =)