Keeping you all up to date

Work has become easier of late and the “naughty” students seem to be finding a routine, although one boy did deicide to throw his book across the class the other day for whatever reason. I dealt with it accordingly and I think he now realises where the boundaries lie in what he can and cannot do.

As Aaron mentioned in his previous post about internet speeds, theoretically I am on a 2MB ADSL line which is slightly faster than what I had back in Melbourne but it is nothing like the speeds I am used to. In actual fact it is a painfully slow experience using the internet. Some say it’s the overwhelming traffic passing through the lines under the oceans to the US where the majority of websites are hosted; others suggest the Great F!rewall is in action. I did read in the paper today that China plans to rollout superfast broadband with 100MB lines but the way a 2MB line works here, I don’t think it will do much good if you plan on visiting foreign websites.

Hi Aaron. Shanghai is more a developing city but by no means developed. It is the financial hub of China vying for exclusivity with Hong Kong. I think if I was to venture to the rural areas I would be faced with a much different experience to what I get here.

Shanghai so far
- Cheap food
- Luxury goods are astronomically expensive
- Most Chinese wine is awful but a few well priced and drinkable bottles do exist
- Tsing Tao is cheap :D
- Efficient, reliable, prompt and clean public transport system which makes Melbourne’s system look third world (And I am actually understating when I say this)
- Cheap DVD’s
- The concept of putting ones rubbish in a bin hasn’t caught on here yet
- People are generally friendly
- I am a movie star on the street, especially when I wear sunglasses, lol
- Crossing the road is like having a death wish
- Many Chinese yell when they talk
- If you look past the main streets, Shanghai has some wonderful and amazing laneways full of creative and artistic designers selling a range of things from clothes to art.

Hope this gives people a feel of the place.