Motorbikes are Terrifying and other tidbits

Crossing the street in Shanghai is like an extreme sport. The pedestrian does not have the right of way, so when the 'cross' sign appears, it really means 'cross at your peril." Motorcyclists and bikes don't stop just because the traffic light turns red, and they are ready to mow you down if you chance to step in front of them. Actually I am convinced that sometimes they aim their bikes at me but that is just paranoia right?? Also, it is possible to turn right on red, and usually by the time the light changes a fifteen-strong horde of motorbikes has appeared in the right turn lane, so when the pedestrian crossing sign blinks on, there is definitely no crossing happening as the army of motorbikes growls into gear and rushes around the corner. It's not just motorbikes though. I've been nearly hit by many a bus, the driver glaring at me and honking his horn, for forgetting my second-class status as a pedestrian. Generally the rule is to wait for the Chinese person next to me to cross and then walk too. Pretend like I know what I'm doing. No sudden movements must be made, and that includes no sudden stops. If a motorcyclist is bearing down on me, I should definitely not stop to let him decide how to go around me. That throws him off, and instead of curving to go around me, he forgets to curve at all and then I have to dash out of the way. Instead, i must keep walking straight and hope that he has a decent enough grasp of physics to determine where he can aim the motorbike so as not to hit me. It's a barrel of hahas, let me tell ya. The other thing about the motorbikes is that if traffic isn't going fast enough they just shift into what I like to call the "right right lane," or the sidewalk. Yes it's true, they just drive along the sidewalk, steering between pedestrians and making no small use of their horns. It is a different life here.

Also, today I had my second encounter with a squat toilet. The first one I saw was in this bar I went to last week. The one today was in the school building. Thank god the place I am living has a normal toilet because it is no fun to squat over a hole in the ground to make a wee wee. Also, the toilet didn't come with its own toilet paper. I guess I missed the memo where we have to bring our own toilet paper from stall to stall.

The last thing I learned about recently is this. Every freshman class in college gets training from the army. My roommate explained that this is so that maybe, in the future, they can be in the army. Now to my understanding to be in the army in China is not that easy to do. They are hardly like the US army, which will at this point take just about everything it can get. To be admitted to the Chinese military is something of an honor, and you have to be quite qualified. So maybe this program is to instill interest in them, to make sure every student (who will, ostensibly, become qualified at some point because of having a college degree? I want to learn more about this) gets exposure. So every morning this week I have seen loads of freshmen students, boys and girls, running around in oversized urban camouflage, little communist style caps perched on their heads. Today as I was going to the 食堂 (dining hall) to eat lunch, I saw a bunch of them in front of me in training. I guess they were being taught how to march. And I mean march seriously, like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91Bd2JtyYFo Like i am not even kidding. Not that they were all that good at it. But anyway, I thought it was sort of interesting because can you imagine if the army showed up at universities in the US and gave training to all first years? Do you think this would increase enrollment in the army by college educated people, or not really have an effect? Do you think Americans would stand for it? I know Swarthmore wouldn't and I doubt the rest of the country would but jeez. Anyway, I'll try to take some pictures or something.