SMU Update 4/12/11

Here at Shanghai Maritime University we are privileged to have excellent living accommodations. We are staying in one of the school’s hotels. Our hotel is building number 23, and it has six floors. The building is in great condition, and it looks as if it is brand new. Our hotel is home to all International students that our studying here.

      The students that live in this hotel are from all over the world. We are surrounded by students from Poland, Russia, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Mongolia, Cameroon, and there are even more that I have yet to encounter. Mostly all of them speak descent English, which is great. We have had some classes with them, as well as gone out to dinner with most of them. They all are very nice, and have huge interest in American culture. What is even more interesting is that mostly all of them are from maritime schools as well. It’s cool to see the difference in their uniforms, and their regiment. For example the Russians’ uniform are all white and they almost resemble an old navy sailors uniform. The students from Poland wear Dress Blues at all times, and the students from South Korea wear blacks (although they are much different from ours). From my understanding for the most part our regiment at Massachusetts Maritime Academy is taken much more seriously. The German students do not have a regiment at their school, and their college resembles a normal one. It has been a pleasure to meet all of these people, and as time passes our friendship with all of them grows.

   A huge benefit to living among diverse group people is our actual living accommodations. Mostly all of us from MMA live on the same floor, and down the hall from us is a community kitchen with a stovetop oven and microwave. Each student lives with a Chinese roommate. Each student is given the luxury of having two rooms. The first room is where we sleep. This room consists of a bunk bed with full size mattresses. It sure beats our twin bunk beds at home! In this first room I have my own personal closet, bathroom with shower, an air conditioner, a TV and a balcony which overlooks the entire campus. The second room is right across the hall, and it is known as our study room. In our study room is my roommate’s personal bathroom, another flat screen TV, two study desks for our laptops, and another balcony. We are also provided with a fridge, and cold/hot water dispenser. The best part of living here is once a week a house keeper comes in to our rooms. The housekeeper changes our sheets, and cleans our rooms! With all this luxury combined with being in China, I often feel like I am on vacation!