exchange rates

. . . are a tricky business, but are also only the beginning. I devoted a portion of today (last day on earth as I know it) to managing all issues financial in preparation for the tomorrow's departure. Calibrating costs in a new area and making economic decisions accordingly is an interesting education, equipped with inevitable pitfalls, and (thankfully) a steep learning curve. I expect to automate conversions for at least a little while (one U.S. dollar is valued at approximately 7.75 rmb), since it's only natural to consider foreign experiences relative to familiar ones. I hope, however, that to have a rough sense of "expensive" vs "inexpensive by the end of the week.
Along the same lines, I set my computer's virtual weather feed unit to 'Celsius' this morning. It's currently "12" in Shanghai. Some sloppy mental math tells that I can therefore expect a relatively mild winter climate. Time zone recalibration will be simpler - Canton is exactly thirteen hours ahead of New York. It's, as of now, unlikely that I'll remain out there long enough to internalize the metric system (or, on a grander scale, the language), but I'd be curious as to how long this process takes. (My mother, having been an American for slightly over half of her lifetime, says that she still dreams exclusively in Mandarin, although she slips effortlessly between the metric and English systems.)
Much more on this, when I have actual knowledge.