Internet in China

I arrived in China last night, a lot earlier than expected, so I took the subway to meet my friend. It is very hot, with temperatures hitting over 100 degrees during the day, and hovering in the 90s at night. When using my computer, I realize that facebook, YouTube, and Google are all banned. However, apparently I can access these sites, including blogger, through my phone. 

Not sure what kind of glitch that is, but I am happy about that. Now perhaps I can keep updating my blog while travelling through China! 

My friend lives in a beautiful apartment near Guomao. The subway there, even during rush hour, is not nearly as bad as New York, where we all need to squeeze like puzzle pieces to cram into the subway car. I also like how, for the most part, buildings are not overly air conditioned. 

My best friend is actually working at a University in Beijing, so I went to see her at her dorm. When I went to use the bathrooms, I found the worst combination--it was a squatting toilet, but flushed automatically, so when I first tried to use it, I accidentally triggered the flush and water from the dirty toilet sprayed all over me. Feeling gross, I wanted to go wash my hands, and found there was no soap, in addition to no toilet paper. "Welcome to China," she chirped happily. 

I am awake early today due to jet lag, and I know I will be exhausted this evening. Hopefully I will adjust soon.