Snapshot Yangzhou: daily life

Against the drab beige of the dorm buildings, laundry popped like little pieces of art brightening an empty canvas. We also hung our laundry out to dry in the international dorms, but in a little courtyard area, not out our windows. I really loved the way it was sort of all on display, bras and all.

I had my favorite little campus store where I would buy bottled water for 1 RMB each (that means seven of them for one dollar!) and "fiber cookies" (my breakfast/snack food essential) and peanut butter Oreos, among other things. This little walk-up, however, was a popular stop for Chinese students, a cafeteria-of-sorts that was open longer into the night than the larger eatery. Little things like this made the campus charming in a way that American universities are not; then again, the dreary exterior building and the white sky were not as sunny as their American counterparts. Even so, people and life seemed to drift through the campus, under the spell of its steady calm and beautiful greenery. (2007)