I finally moved into my new apartment, which is very nice though a bit far from my school. Shanghai is mind blowing enormous, so everything is really far from everything. So far, I am really liking it here. The city is really neat, and has a totally different energy than any city I've ever been too. There are people from all over the world here, and the city has some sort of 1930s swinging vibe to it. Last night John and I went with some friends to a bar called the Cotton Club, which was a very classy establishment- all red velvet, candles and dark wood inside. We listened to the best jazz band I've ever heard play- and the singer was a big black woman from Alabama who called herself Sugar Mama and sang some ... read more

Hello from Japan! I think I have figured out the time difference between here and Texas, finally. Add two or three hours to whatever time it is, and then switch the am/pm. I am writing this at 8:55pm here, so I think it must be 6:55am there. So that, combined with 20+ hours of travel through continuous sunshine has amounted to the worst (and first) jet lag I have ever experienced. Nevertheless. Japan, you are worth it. So far I really like Tokyo. A lot of things really surprised me about the city. Here are some things that did not: 1. It smells bad. Ranging from pretty bad to horribly bad. Sometimes it smells like car exuast, or human sweat, or dog and human pee, or trash. Sometimes it also smells like curry and incense, which ... read more