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. . .
We’re off on an adventure of a lifetime
2So we’ve begun. Six students and two instructors took off from Indianapolis International Airport at 6:35am on Monday May 17th for a six week China adventure. It was a good start–everyone made it on time! A relatively painless flight to Los Angeles and now we await boarding for our flight to Tokyo and then on to Shanghai. Everyone is tired but excited at the adventure that lies ahead. Keep an eye on this site for a look at all of the fun and interesting things that are planned.