Typical college campus?
We live on a college campus, and there are some very familiar aspects of living in this environment, and some things that are quite different from a university in America.
As I rode my bike around campus tonight for some exercise, I noticed these things:
Similar to America:
* Guys were playing basketball out on the courts, even though the sun went down a long time ago and there was little to no light to play by!* Couples throughout campus attempted to hide themselves in the darkness while kissing and whispering quietly to each other.
* Many different languages are heard as you pass through the campus
* Students stay up all hours of the night to study
* Dorm room lights were on, and the buildings were buzzing with activity
Differences:
* Nearly all men here smoke (at least 90-95%). There is a constant cloud of smokey haze that hangs. It is nearly impossible to get away from the smell of smoke, even when you're going really fast on a bicycle- it still gets in your nose (as I learned tonight!)
* There are all ages on our campus. I passed four "lao ren" (or elderly ladies) walking shoulder-to-shoulder in a line out in front of the campus bookstore. After I passed them, I almost hit a little boy (maybe 8 years old?) who was running to catch a basketball he and a friend were bouncing back and forth.
* The teachers and faculty live on one side of the campus, in apartments, and the students live on the other side, in dorms. We live on the side with the teachers, even though we are students, because we are a family.
* The dorm rooms here are small and the students are packed in them like sardines. Imagine the typical dorm room in America- small, cramped, but manageable between the 2 roommates. Here, the same size room is shared by 8 people. No room for dressers, trunks, a flashy chair, or even a bookshelf. 4 bunkbeds line the walls, with personal items stored on the wall by each bed (B.Y.O.S.--bring your own shelf!). And everyone shares community bathrooms...
...come to think of it, maybe SOME things are universal! :)
* There are all ages on our campus. I passed four "lao ren" (or elderly ladies) walking shoulder-to-shoulder in a line out in front of the campus bookstore. After I passed them, I almost hit a little boy (maybe 8 years old?) who was running to catch a basketball he and a friend were bouncing back and forth.
* The teachers and faculty live on one side of the campus, in apartments, and the students live on the other side, in dorms. We live on the side with the teachers, even though we are students, because we are a family.
* The dorm rooms here are small and the students are packed in them like sardines. Imagine the typical dorm room in America- small, cramped, but manageable between the 2 roommates. Here, the same size room is shared by 8 people. No room for dressers, trunks, a flashy chair, or even a bookshelf. 4 bunkbeds line the walls, with personal items stored on the wall by each bed (B.Y.O.S.--bring your own shelf!). And everyone shares community bathrooms...
...come to think of it, maybe SOME things are universal! :)
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