AHHHHHH!

Long time, no post....I must apologize about no posts or pictures, but it is not because I am a slacker. The government over here blocks EVERYTHING! We can't access Wikipedia, or blog spots. I guess it is because the Government doesn't want any information just being shared, for fear that their evil doings will be brought to light.
I have a lot to post, so this one may be a little long. We found out how to use our blog by using an anonymous proxy. So let's hope this works for 3 months.

Our first week here was culture shock for sure! I was warned that I would be stared at, but I didn't know I would be getting crusty glares and daggers my way. Old grandmas would literally stop in their tracks and turn around as I walked past. I always gave the biggest cheeser, but the return response made me want to flee the country. The other thing that made me want to flee the country is that fact that EVERYONE spits! I am talking about literally summoning this dark, dirty, hairy beast from the bowels of hell and then unleash it onto the sidewalk...where ever they want! It is disgusting. It is a million times worse than a loogie. It is funny cuz Robb and I will see a cute little grandma or grandpa and then they summon the beast and release it and they are no longer cute. People pick their nose with their pinky fingers here. (so sorry for posting such disgusting stories, but my sister in law thought others would enjoy them). I am not sure if they eat them like some people I've seen in the states, but one guy I saw was sitting at the subway and people were all around and he was digging for some serious gold. I mean, he must of hit his brain in the process and this went on for a good 5 minutes, and maybe longer because our subway left the station. Makes you hungry doesn't it? I have now seen about 4 kids pooping and 1 guy peeing. Sometimes the kids here have a slit in their pants and when it is time, their mom picks 'em up and squats them right on the side of the street! They do have dogs here, but I am pretty sure that when we are walking down the street or sidewalk, it isn't doggy poop we nearly step in. The guy that we saw peeing was on a bike, and we were on a daily adventure walking around Shanghai, and we see this guy standing really close to this wall...and it is broad daylight, cars are passing along with other motorists and as we get closer we realize he is peeing...as we approached him he quickly zipped up and hopped on his bike and as he passed us he yelled at us in Chinese...I just stared straight ahead wondering what he could possibly be saying. You also have to be careful here with breathing. if you don't breathe through your noise at all times, you are almost guaranteed to get some nasty smell/taste in your mouth. Robb and I walk along and at times hold our breath at the spots we have memorized are unpleasant to the nose. It is funny because I almost pass out...I don't know if it is from me holding my breath or from the stench.
Robb and I made our dorm more homey. We went to IKEA (what a blessing) and bought some rugs, bedding, towels, and a cute plant to do the job. I will post pictures with this so you can get a taste of what it is like. I have more stories to come...but I will wrap this post up and fill you in some more tomorrow. We love it here!