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I can't believe that we're already a week into December! 

We have a Christmas Day trip planned for the 25th (not sure where they're taking us, but last year the students went to a roller coaster park and went out for a Chinese classic: hot pot). 

Our research project presentations will also take place at the end of December. I'm basically done with all my research and just need to neaten it up and practice presenting it. 

We'll have three days off in total for New Year's Day (元旦 yuan dan), but I'd actually rather not because the government makes up the missed days by taking away our weekend (having two weeks straight of school with no break does not sound fabulous to me). 

After we take our finals (early January) and the HSK on January 11th, we get our month-long break for the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival (春节 chun jie), for which I am totally stoked. 

The air pollution this week was horrendous. We saw the most severe levels that Shanghai has ever had. 

Levels of PM2.5 (particulate matter of 2.5 nanometers) were above 500 (0-50 is good; 50-100 is moderate; 101-150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups; 151-200 is unhealthy; 201-300 is very unhealthy and 300+ is hazardous). 

Check out this website if you'd like more information and for a real-time air quality index of Chinese cities. 

Notice that the track is closed due to the air. Although it may look like morning mist, it's not. The first picture above was snapped just outside my dorm.

Although some schools closed down completely because of the pollution, Jiao Da Fu Zhong marched on (our track was closed though and our daily morning exercises and flag raising were canceled due to the conditions). 

I've been wearing my scarf wrapped around my face as a mask, but our teachers are ordering us special masks with filters for the future. Luckily, the levels are a supposed to go way down after this weekend though. 

Because of the pollution, of course we spent our PE classes this week indoors: we've been playing ping pong, learning a kung fu sequence and I have now come to realize how unbelievably fun jazzercise can be. I love our PE (jazzercise!) teacher. She also asked me teach yoga to the class and is just the coolest. 

Also due to the pollution, our NSLI-Y excursion to Tianzifang this weekend was canceled (everyone was encouraged to stay inside), so I'm taking this weekend to study and chill out a little bit. 

I'll be working on my first Chinese poem (for a speaking competition in late December that is happening along with a photography competition in which I'll also compete)! 

Although the air quality has been pretty disturbing, I feel like it's a very real Chinese experience and one that is so important in tangibly understanding why we need to act in ways that sustain and protect our environment--the consequences of not doing so are very severe. 

That being said, I have been very lucky in my life not to have been directly exposed to environmental hazards or injustice and still feel lucky to be living in a city now where this is at least not the norm, compared to many other cities in China.

Stay safe everyone!