One of the hardest things to find in Chengdu is a comfortable place to study. The school has a couple of libraries, but they are cold, dark, and have limited seating. They also lack internet access, and the English books are pretty much off limits.
My classmate Deborah and I have been lamenting this problem ever since we arrived. Studying at home is hard because it's distracting, studying at a coffee shop is too expensive, and tea houses are smoky, loud, or both.
Rumor has it that SU's new campus, located about half an hour outside of town had a brand new library complete with wireless internet access. The main campus where my classes are located has a shuttle bus that runs regularly between the two schools. After figuring out the logistics of how and when to go, Deborah and I packed up and headed out.
The new campus is large, but unlike the one where I attend classes, isn't crowded from dawn to dusk nor jam-packed with buildings. As if that wasn't remarkable enough, the library itself was stunning.
"Windows! It has windows!!!" We kept whispering loudly to each other.
"And a view! Windows with a view!"
"Wow! An elevator! A real, working elevator!"
"Lights! The lights are on and I can see!"
"Internet, it has wireless internet!"
The downside to the library was that in order to get in, you must have a library card. We had inquired about library cards earlier in the year and were told that if we wanted one, we had to put down a 2000 kuai deposit. This time however, we went to our representative at the foreign student office and asked for one. Voila! They gave us one for free.
I have yet to make use of my new found library freedom, but next week starts tomorrow and I have plenty of time.
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