Shanghai!!!

I'm officially in Shanghai! It's incredible here, but I'm actually not as culture shocked as I expected to be. Shanghai reminds me a lot of Chinatown in New York City (parts of which look almost exactly like Shanghai) and also of Los Angelos. Some major differences though:  - crazy drivers. It literally seems like they stuck everyone who's ever failed Driver's Ed onto the roads. Traffic is crazy, and the rule for pedestrians is basically weave and dash, and pray you don't get hit. There's no such thing as orderly lane changing or merging, cars drive in the middle of lanes, and getting around is basically a free for all. But it makes life interesting, right? - pollution: as our plane was going down, we thought we were passing clouds, but it was actually grey smog. The night sky is permanently purple from all the smog, and I can't see any stars.  - the people (well obviously): People here seem a lot more comfortable with their bodies, themselves, and things that we would consider "socially unacceptable" For instance, this morning I walked into the elevator with an old man wearing only his old boxers and carrying a huge box of fruit. While I might have looked twice if this happened at home, here it just kinda fits with the custom and the feel of the environment.  - the laundry: it's kinda crazy how much laundry hanging on every street and building changes the feel of an atmostphere. I kinda like it though, it gives the city some character.  Of course, the food deserves it's own little section. Weird things I've already eaten that I would never try had I been in the States: Congealed Duck Blood, Pig Liver, some type of weird mushroom (ikf you know me, this is crazy, I actually never go near mushrooms), fish head, frog, and some type of tree fungus. However strange that might sound, most of it was actually delicious, minus the pig liver and mushrooms which I still couldn't bring myself to like. Even the duck blood wasn't that bad- I think it was more of the thought that I was chewing on duck blood that grossed me out more than the taste or texture. Nevertheless, really odd things are the exception, and I've eaten some of the best food I've ever had in my life. We discovered this store called Yang's Fried Dumplings that's basically heaven on earth, I think I've found my true love.  Unfortunately, classes have also started up. There are three level of classes, and I was put in the "Dolphin Class" (as opposed to the Whale and Shark Class). We're working on speaking, reading, and writing. Classes begin at 8 and end at 12, after which is lunch and cultural activities. We've already learned about Chinese Tea, and we're learning how to sing Chinese Folk Songs. Today, we also went on a tour of Shanghai, and visited famous shopping centers in Pudong. Shanghai is split into "Pudong" (East Pu) and "Puxi" (West Pu) by a river. I live and go to school in West Pu, which is less developed and less like the postcard Shanghai you typically imagine. Today was also my first day haggling- I haggled for a pair of fake RayBan Sunglasses. I was terrible at it, but hey, I got the price lowered, so good enough for me! Lastly, my host family. They're absolutely amazing, and so nice. They've already taken me out to dinner, shopping, and to get my nails done. I somehow accidentally picked bright orange nails, so I think they think Americans are a little extravagant...oops. My host sister's aunt has also promised she'd take me out at night and teach me how to dance (at night, people gather in plazas and parks to dance- it's kinda like swing dancing but calmer). They keeep feeding me massive amounts of food- as soon as I insist I'm full, they bring out another full course meal. Literally, every day is like a Thanksgiving Dinner, I wasn't even aware I could fit this much food. Still, considering the fact that no one drives and you walk everywhere (I walk to school every day), hopefully there isn't a chance of me being obese by the end of this trip. That's basically it for now, I figured I'd do a long post to catch up for the lack of posting over the past couple of days. Yay for Shanghai!