Typhoon bu hao!

Last night many of my Shanghai dwelling classmates received a call telling them not to come in tomorrow since all Shanghai schools have been cancelled because of a typhoon. My roommate John was particularly excited since instead of attending their first day of actually teaching, which involved they would be eight twenty minute classes to kids whose ages and abilities he does not know, he could enjoy his leisure.

I try to read and keep up with what's going on in the world but this surprised me.  Kudos to John's employed because if it wasn't for him I'd have no idea that a typhoon was coming.  Some doppler radar would come in handy over here.

Unlike the rest of Shanghai's academic community, I had another day of training today. STORY OF MY LIFE.

First off, for those of you who don't know a typhoon is the same thing as a hurricane, the only difference is the location.  So as a MIAMI HURRICANE (an alumna of the University of Miami, Go 'Canes!), it should be expected that I may have encountered a storm or two in my four years living in Miami.  false.  I was one of the uber-rare classes who never got to experience the pain (no AC) and joy (no school) of a hurricane.

Before that was Emma Willard where we never had a snow day because most of the students and teachers lived on campus. Apparently the administration lacked concern for the young drivers risking their lives on slippery roads, the school rarely had a snow day.

Don't get me wrong, I don't sit around wishing for natural disasters but I do think that people should be able to stay at home and enjoy the beauty of nature.

After getting caught in the rain twice, that's exactly what I am doing now.

I first got stuck in the storm on my way to the Police Bureau Station.  I got out of work early today (woo!) to go to the PSB to register myself.  Authorities expect you to register with the police within 24 hours of your arrival.  If you are staying in a hotel or a guesthouse you're accounted for.  Even when you enter the country or get a visa to come they ask for an exact address of where you are going.  Authorities here REALLY want to know where the foreigners are.  There was very little communication or attempts to communicate during this interaction and it was over with fast.

The rain let off and I walked to the gym for day one of Operation Get Back Into Shape.  I am hoping that can be done in just 60 minutes a day because after an hour I headed back home... in the typhoon.