Camp-i

Shandong University has a handful of campuses, most in Jinan but a few are elsewhere. Personally, I think my boss set up shop on the wrong one, seeing as we could have been in Qingdao, a rather large beach town not far from here. Perhaps you know it by the old spelling, Tsingtao? Yes like the beer; years and years ago German colonists (?) set up shop there, and they've certainly left their mark.
So, no beer and no beaches, but campus isn't bad here, either. There are a few locations in the city, each with a really helpful name:
There's East Campus and South Campus, except within East Campus, there's New Campus, which is also called West East Campus, and Old Campus, which is also called East East Campus... and there's New South Campus, aka New New Campus, aka South South Campus. South Campus is also called the Engineering Campus, which is not so clear seeing as how both South Campus and South South Campus are Engineering Campuses. And then there's the Software Technology Campus.
Noone gives you a straight answer in China, so when I first arrived and asked for clarification on all this, perhaps in the form of a campus map, the answer I received multiple times was, "Yes, that's funny, isn't it? Many names!" So the first 2 weeks here I basically never knew where I was, ever.

I have my bearings these days and can tell you that I live, teach, and study Chinese on New Campus, and that I work on South Campus. They're a 20-30 min cab ride apart, which is annoying but gives me an excuse to see different areas of Jinan. I've asked 5 or so cab drivers what the "proper" name for South Campus is, and each time I get a different answer.

Speaking of South Campus... today was take your camera to work day! So I have pictures:

Entrance/main building.
The first time I walked through here, the StarWars theme was playing.
Outdoors, very loud, shit you not.

walking to my building...


walking to my building...


walking to my building...
This is the most annoying sidewalk I have ever encountered. Maybe with tiny Chinese feet it's ok, but I can't NOT step in the dirt.


Here we are! The Geotechnical Engineering Center!

and this is my lovely office


and these are the lovely cabinets you can't see from that 1st picture.
Because THAT'S how big my office is.

Too much furniture, actually, but I'm ok with that. I'm NOT ok with the fact that the office on the other side of 1 of my very thin walls has been turned into some sort of student rec room, and there is a ping-pong table and people play constantly. Ping-pong ping-pong ping-pong, eating away at my soul every single day. I'm thinking about breaking in and stealing the balls. I wonder how many times I'd have to do that before they got the hint.

This concludes our tour.