Soochow Daxue de Sushe

First of all, let me preface this entry by saying that I am living in the Overseas Student Dorm; I’m fairly certain that my accommodations, and thus, those of my roommate, are much nicer than what other Chinese students have here.

Some of you have been asking, though, for a more specific description of my dorm room. Well, you are in luck: not only am I going to tell you, but I will even SHOW you, now that I have my own computer up and running!

My bed is the one on the left. Our arrangement is, I would think, one of a typical dorm room anywhere, with a shared TV, refrigerator, and cabinet in the middle and our own possessions under our own bed - including our desk, complete with attached lamp, and wardrobe. This room has no closet, but it does have its own spacious bathroom...all of my clothes, shoes, and accessories for three months fit into the wardrobe with space to spare, anyway. Plus, my desk has plenty of storage, especially since it has a hutch with four shelves and a drawer on top.

There are wood floors in the dorm rooms and tile in the bathrooms. There is a nice, big window on the outside wall opposite the TV cabinet, which is on the bathroom wall. The window provides a view of part of the yard area outside as well as to other buildings in a quad of international dorms.

My biggest (and probably only) complaint is the mattress: I don’t know that anyone in China actually has a comfy bed, for that matter, as I complained about the hotel beds, as well: they seem to just sleep on wood, a pad so thin that it may as well not be there, and a sheet, with a heavy, cushion-y comforter going to waste as a blanket rather than padding underneath. I would simply sleep on top of said comforter if I didn’t have a complex about going to sleep without a blanket. Also, I’m sure that I will need it in the winter.
Which reminds me: the dorm is nicely air-conditioned with personal units in each room; however, lately, we’ve often just been opening the window, as Suzhou has been unseasonably cool.