Where to start...

My visit to China had so many experiences that to document them all would be incredibly tiresome. I will tell the stories here that I feel are most notable and that I like to tell my friends that weren't there.

Broken Washing Machine
The old washing machine in our dorms at Wuyi University broke. It sat in a room with a towel cart, soaps, toothbrushes, a dirty sink and other mysterious large appliances. Chris had his laundry stuck in the machine and he got the desk downstairs to send up help by tommorrow. Instead, the help came later that night. Who is that smoking man? Is he going to steal our clothes? They are wet...who steals wet clothes. This is china! In any case, this man very cooly smoking a cigarette, was a mechnanical badass. The punchline to this story is how he fixed the machine. He took a screw driver, jammed it in each of the holes of the wall outlet aggressively and then slammed the machine 3 times line fonzie and the thing actually turned on. Chris and I looked at eachother in awe, and clapped for everyones amusement and ran to tell the rest of the group this story. We were so giddy over it because it was like some secret art of beating the crap out of a machine.

Morning Walk
In summary this tale involves a man we can assume just was walking down the street to the community bath quickly. He didn't expect a group of Americans in rickshaws with cameras to laugh and take pictures in amazement. He cursed at us. It is like a sitcom moment, what is the chances of such a media hungry group crossing in his morning path? haha

Dinner of Horror
Everyone didn't feel well either before, after or during this meal. We went to what seemed to be a promising ordeal, a hotpot eatery. The menu however was composed things such as bullfrog (ordered by Chris) and the most shocking cattle dick. Yes, cattle dick. No one ordered it thankfully, but I simply HAD to get pizza after this experience. Also nothing looking too appetizing, I said screw cooking things and just went to town on an appetizer plate of "mini lobsters". They were messy and I thought, well if I eat one or two I might as well eat the rest.

Pleasant Surprize
After researching our accomadations online, it seemed our stay in Shanghai was at a hotel closer to a brothel. We all were expecting a horrific fleabag hotel, but instead it must have been renovated recently because it was t arguably the best hotel on the trip. With flat screen tvs, mini bars, view of the radio tower on the bund, beautiful bathroom, nice beds, chairs, ottoman, huge closets, hell even in the single you could watch tv in the shower through the glass wall.

Discount Kareoke
When we all went out for Kareoke we found a place and we got a translator on the phone and everything seemed to be settled. The cost seemed to be 380 and we agreed. We got in the room and ordered beers and they asked for 180 for the assumed deposit. So after we sing and have a nice night we went to the counter to pay the rest. They said no you are all set. Kate tried to explain we owed more. They said no you all set! We said okay. we-are-leaving-now-then and they are like okay byeee! and we ran. They won't see us again anyway. I assume that was supposed to be that cheap anyway.

Toilet Volcano
One of the funniest moments on the trip was actually at my professors expense. (sorry) Late at night I heard a strange noise down the hall like something shaking and pounding. A little while later, the professor comes frantically down the hall asking "Is your toilet erupting too? My toilet is belching hot water everywhere like a volcano!" I broke out laughing. Maybe I still have 3rd grade toilet humor, but an exploding toilet never ceases to amuse me.

other brief notes
90% of ice cream tastes like corn in China.
$15 buys the most expensive thing on most menus.
A backpack of alcohol will run you about $7.
Cheese is rare.
Yogurt is spelled yoghurt or youghurt and is more like sour cream. I think thats the noise you make while grabbing your stomach after eating it "Yoooggggg huurrtt"
Pizza costs as much as it does in America however doesn't always taste the same.
Hong Kong uses the $ for money so even though you paid $12 US for something it looks like it cost $100.

more to come!