back to school

I went to Fudan University for the 1st time on Wednesday. I've been telling ppl, especially relatives, when they ask exactly WHAT do I plan on doing with all this time in Shanghai, that I'm going to audit classes at Fudan. I finally dragged my ass over there, after being here for 3 weeks. It was sorta nostalgic for Harvard. It's great to be in a campus environment with all these youthful looking students, people my age everywhere. I got a meal card and ate dinner in the cafeteria. Though the food's much cheaper, it tasted a million times better, homier, than anything I've ever had in Adams!

I randomly showed up at a class about Marxism (a basic, required core class here). I sat in the back and fell asleep within half an hour... My first class in 5 months and it's still boring :) So during the bathroom break, I grabbed my bag and left. I love that freedom of not actually being in school, so I don't have to sit through anything I don't feel like! On my way out of campus, I saw a poster about the Mexican University of Colima fokloric dance group performing, right then. So I rushed over to the auditorium and saw a great show. It was packed, and apparently, Chinese students were all in love with the brilliantly colored cloths and the exciting atmosphere they generated, even though the technical skills were nothing compared to Chinese performances. It's heartwarming to see this authentic cultural exchange that happens directly between two periphery nations, w/out going through the center of the world/the West. But, they did communicate with each other in English, the common language...

I feel really happy and satisfied that I'm living my life this way at the moment. Not being in school is great. I really had enough of wasting my life in such an academic bubble and getting wrapped up in all the extracurriculars as if they really mattered like the real world. I love this free flowing lifestyle of being able to do whatever I want, waking up whenever, just learning and experiencing and getting in touch with this world of mine that has been so far away for so many years. Of course, I had to prepare for this by working and saving up a lot of money, but it's totally worth it.