Archive for May, 2010
Hotel #3
1We have finally arrived at our “home” in Shanghai. But it wasn’t easy getting here. We learned that it’s almost impossible to get a taxi on a rainy Saturday in Shanghai. But we got one, eventually. And it was worth the wait.
The SISU Guest House is the nicest place we’ve stayed yet. Thanks to Professor Huang Yu from Hong Kong Baptist University, we got a great rate. We’re on the 10th floor, overlooking the lovely, but smoggy city of Shanghai, at the campus of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). The professor also took us out for a fabulous art exhibit a few miles from the hotel. Then, we enjoyed one of the simple pleasures of home, coffee from Starbucks.
This hotel is a subway ride away from the World Expo and downtown, places we’ll be visiting a lot over the next two weeks. No Wal-Mart near here; but there are plenty of shops and restaurants right outside. Location, location, location! Next stop, dinner with some of our neighbors.
The utensil conundrum
1Apparently there is a right way and a wrong way to use chopsticks, and then there is my way. Last night while enjoying a wonderful meal with my Ball State University comrades, I discovered that I am not using chopsticks correctly. Now mind you, I have been in China for five days and believe me have not missed a meal, but my performance with chopsticks caused a great deal of laughter among the wait staff at the hotel restaurant. It seems that I am so bad with the chopsticks that that same wait staff, after watching me struggle for quite some time, hurried to the kitchen of the restaurant and brought forks back to our table. Xie, xie (Shi shi) I responded but determined to conquer all, I continued on with the chopsticks and my meal. While I am far from an expert, I’m doing ok, and doubt that it will deter me from finishing a meal. By the way, the food is great here!
First Impression Are Good, but Sometime Second Impressions Are Better
0After being in China for three days, I feel like I have a good first impression of it, or second impression rather. I decided to hold off on writing my first thoughts about China because I really wanted to immerse myself into the culture in order to understand what it has to offer.
From chopsticks and bizarre meals at breakfast to getting stared down by locals on the streets of Shanghai, this place seems to be very different from home. It seemed obvious at first that this new land was in stark contrast to what I have been used to. But as I thought more, I came to the conclusion that underneath all the cultural differences, we are all just human beings. So I challenged myself, to reexamine my preconceived ideas about China to prove them wrong. I was determined to find similarities between myself as an American, and the people of China.
I found that the only thing that sets me, and other Americans apart from Chinese locals is culture. Culture is a huge part of people’s lives. It is the outer most layer of a nation, and often times people do not look beyond it. While culturally we are very different, humanly we are alike. I think the best examples of this can be seen through our conversations with the Chinese. Every time I have ordered food it has been a challenge because of our language barrier. Half of the time I have no idea what the other is saying, or I end up ordering something that I did not intend. While language is cultural, there was something human that was always shared: laughter and smiles.
Field trip to Wal-Mart
2Now that we’ve settled into our new hotel (which we leave tomorrow), we needed some supplies. Luckily, down the street there’s a Wal-Mart. Yes, you have to beware of falling prices, even in China. So as good Amercans, we had to visit it. And I must give Wal-Mart some credit. The store was quite nice. There was a good variety of merchandise, very fresh produce and meat, and just like in the U.S., low prices. The place was crowded, too. My proof is just anecdotal, but it appears that Wal-Mart is just as popular here as at home.
Today, we visited the Expo for the first time. I’m sure others will comment on that. Tomorrow, we check into our final home in Shanghai, the SISU Guest House. We’re looking forward to finally unpacking.
What a day!
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Terry gives up on his U.S. cell phone and buys a Chinese phone. It's already paid for itself.
First Impressions
0It’s not hard to get excited about a place that’s so full of life. Endless mopeds, bicycle carts and interested glances from locals make for fun walks past hundreds of open-doored business on the muggy streets. Although obvious differences in culture can be seen in the street signs and markets that line the walkways from place to place, seeing a local get as upset as I did at seeing the Orlando Magic losing game two of the NBA playoffs to the Boston Celtics on a CCTV Fox Sports feed in a Chinese cafe reminded me that we are not all necessarily so different.
We Are Here!
0After about 28 hours of traveling and one of the most beautiful rides I have ever taken on a highway, we have finally made it to the Far East in the city of Shanghai.
It seems like the moment we entered our hotel rooms we passed out from exhaustion. Amazingly, we all woke up bright and early in the morning to sit down for our first Chinese breakfast, and it was just what we needed. There were no forks, no knives, and no coffee. We had a lovely Dim Sum breakfast, which included my new favorite food item; the Dim Sum dumpling (with a sausage like meat). The meal gave me a great amount of confidence in the group because we had no problem making and eating our meal. I think we did a good job fitting in with our fellow Chinese guests.
We have taken a walk around some nearby neighborhoods and have already interacted with some of the local people.
As I am writing this I am sitting in a canteen enjoying a cappuccino smoothie from HollySong (which is delicious and costs less than an American dollar). I have to admit; I do not feel as if I am in a whole different part of the world. So much is different here and yet so much is very similar (American celebrities are all over the billboards). On an internal level, I’m curious to see how much we are going to change as people the more we interact with others with vastly different values than us.
Liquid Watermelon
2Ni Hao from Shanghai!
After traveling for about 30 hours, we were completely exhausted. The beds are like rocks, which is apparently quite common here, but after about 24 hours of no sleeping, I could have slept anywhere, with the exception of another plane.
We woke up to a lovely breakfast of fried rice, dumplings, noodles, spicy vegetables, eggs, sweet potatoes (or something similar), and warm “orange juice,” which can best be described as America’s Tang.
After breakfast, we decided to take to the streets to just take everything in. The sights, sounds, smells, and people are fascinating. Almost everyone stares, waves, or takes a picture of us as they pass.
I am currently sipping on some watermelon juice, which is basically just a whole watermelon put into a blender. The man that I sat next to on the plane recommended it. He grew up in Salt Lake City and moved to China shortly after graduating. He gave me a lot of tips and tricks to get around and since his drink suggestion is a success, I will have to follow his advice.
Watermelon Juice
Our First Day in China
15After a breakfast of dumplings, yams, rice and warm, and what can only be described as “Tang”, we set off to walk the streets of Shanghai. My first impressions are not unlike my impressions of New York City. A large, bustling center of commerce with streets filled with vendors and shopkeepers. Narrow side streets make way to wide pedestrian only boulevards filled with shoppers and tourists and although we look somewhat out of place, we certainly don’t feel that way. The Chinese people are friendly and willing to help, trying to use the English they do know to help us find our way, or find what we are looking for.
There are information booths welcoming World Exposition visitor along many streets in downtown Shanghai. The workers at these booths are able to speak English, which we have found helpful.
We stopped into a shopping center to buy a Chinese cell phone. This shopping center looked like any Macy’s in any large U.S. metropolitan city, with floors upon floors of goods.
While we have lots more to explore, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are extremely thrilled to be here, and excited to learn about this incredible country.
Scooters and motor bikes are everywhere in this city. Street lights are a mere suggestion for drivers to stop.
Street side cafe in Shanghai
This wide pedestrian friendly boulevard has many shopping centers.
Chinese students on a field trip in Shanghai.
These motor bikes were parked outside of a police station. Wonder if they are all on break.
We’re Here!
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Were finally here! After a full nights rest, our intrepid crew has taken to the streets, beginning our explorations of the city. . .