Our humble abode

I didn't live in the dormitories while at Purdue, and now is my chance to go back and experience dorm life. We are living in the International Center at the CUC. Our room is actually quite cozy, and Val and I have made some attempts to decorate with the pamphlets we get from the places we visit. That, and pictures from the magazines we brought. We are also representing for the Olympics with some patriotic paraphernalia around the room(which doubles as our attire for going to cheer on our athletes at the Games).

I am back to a twin sized bed which makes me really appreciate my new queen waiting back in Naperville. It's okay though because there are drawers underneath where I keep my clothes. I'm going to have to do laundry soon, which is a little tricky. Some people tried to use the washing machines and they don't really wring all of the water out of the clothing. Others have hand-washed their stuff, which still leaves you with some dripping water all over the room while things air dry. I think I'll put it off for another day.

The TV works, and we have tuned in to the CCTV sports channel. Right now they show old Olympic events in an attempt (we think) to help teach the people here more about all of the sports. A pretty good idea, if you ask me. Anyway, we are thoroughly entertained by that as well as the Tour de France coverage. The Chinese commercials are also pretty great. There is everything from L'Oreal to infomercials advertising these corsets that supposedly make you lose weight.

The view ranges from hazy buildings to clear buildings with sunlight reflecting on the windows, depending on the day. There is a restaurant downstairs that is pretty great (menus with pictures) and a lecture hall that has no clock. I would die in class without a clock to tick away the minutes...

I think my favorite part about the room is this fantastic 'magic box' which is basically a nightstand that has all of these switches to power everything in the room. It is phenomenal-- beats the 'Clap On Clap Off' lights any day.

Our bathroom is interesting because the shower and the toilet are together. I don't really know what better way to say it, but here's a photo. I haven't taken a warm shower since I got here, let alone hot, but I'm getting used to it. You will hear a shriek from our room every time we use the shower because it's so cold. Note the water bottles on the sink; we use those because we can't use tap water to brush our teeth. We also have to use a converter and adapter to use a blow drier. Val's straightener bit the dust because it's too high voltage for this place. Ahh I miss the simple life sometimes...