I Left My Heart in Shanghai

I've been home for a good two days now, and I can't help but feel nostalgic and depressed. Of course I'm glad to be home and am enjoying the comforts of being at home... but I miss my friends and the connections I made back in Shanghai. Before I left for Shanghai, I never imagined I'd meet such a great group of people. The first week was full of awkwardness and silence between everyone. Little did I know, I would make life-long bonds with the other 25 students who journeyed with me to China. But, enough of that! I promised myself I would stop being sad... and it's time for me to do a little reflection on my whole experience in Shanghai!

Friends

I lived in a shell before I decided to go study abroad. I was hardly social since I spent most of my time with my ex-boyfriend and his group of friends. I didn’t live on campus for college; an integral part of college life. I think I was always in the mindset that I’d get in college and graduate in three years… trying to cram so hard that socializing never crossed my mind. Living the dorm life gave me a taste of what college could have been had I decided to go somewhere else for school, or had I decided to spend an extra $10,000 on housing for a school 10 minutes away from where I lived (yeah, right). But, it was so convenient to just have your friends a couple of rooms down, or a couple of floors apart. Walk a couple of steps, and you could knock on your neighbor’s door to see if they wanted to get lunch or dinner.

It was also nice being able to bond with these people these past couple of months. If we ever needed each other for anything, we were only a phone call or a knock away. I think being in a foreign country with a bunch of kids like yourself really gives you that extra boost of energy. We were always looking out for each other—whether it was making sure everyone was eating right, or taking each other to the hospital when we were sick, or making sure we weren’t dead after a night of hard-clubbing.

I’ve made connections with people that will never be severed. Saying good-bye to everyone when we were all leaving was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life. I have never cried so much in such a short span of time! It was like a dominoes effect—one by one, we walked each departure out, and one by one, we would all start to bawl. It just goes to show how deep our relationships with each other are. I can truly say that I’ve made lifelong friendships during this trip, and I am so glad that I got the chance to meet such wonderful people.

Lifestyle in Shanghai

Living in China is so different than living in the States (duh). I kind of expected it to be like life in Taiwan, but it was different from that as well! Adjusting to life there was a bit hard at first, and I don’t think it got any easier as we moved forward during the semester. Having my own room was definitely a plus, because I got my own privacy and space. I felt a lot of freedom, being able to do whatever I wanted to do in my own room, and I cleaned it more often than I clean my own room at home!

Eating was one of the hardest parts. Although there are delicious foods in Shanghai, my stomach (and my skin!) had trouble adjusting to oily Chinese foods. Even though it got progressively better throughout the semester, there would be times where I’d break out in a massive stomach-ache and had to make mad bathroom runs. I’m so glad to be going home and finally eating foods that I’m used to, especially SALAD (this doesn’t seem to exist in China). But, I’m going to miss the accessibility of street food and the cheap prices of xiao long baos or shen jien baos!

Currently, Shanghai is remodeling itself to prepare for the 2010 Expo, so the city is a hot mess! The roads are full of construction, and there are fences everywhere, blocking off random parts of the road. It seemed to get progressively worse as the semester went on. As if traffic wasn’t bad enough… every time I got in a cab, I would see new bumps in the road and would sigh at the deafening construction drilling right below our international dorm. I hope Shanghai will be cleaned up for the Expo, and be as pretty as Beijing was when it remodeled itself for the Olympics (although, Beijing was a bit creepy because nobody would be out on the roads past 10 PM). I look forward to seeing the differences pre-and post-Expo.

One thing I’m not going to miss is taking cabs. It’s so hard to live in the city and not be able to drive yourself. Of course, I don’t think I would ever drive myself if I lived somewhere like Shanghai. Public transportation was something different, and I really enjoyed taking those long subway rides to get to places as far as Pudong. However, I missed driving, and I missed having the freedom to go anywhere I want, anytime I want. Plus, I always felt like I was getting ripped off when I sat in cabs—especially during the first few months we got there and we had no idea where to get anywhere!

I will also not miss the occasional rude Shanghai people. I think most Shanghai people are just inherently rude. They don’t even realize it because they’re just so numb to their lifestyle. Crowds are the worst, people bump into you really hardly and there is no such thing as personal space! I always hated going into non-upscale stores because the customer service was always terrible. When I go to Watson’s, and it takes forever for me to find something, I always have to ask around. The service people are always rude and look at you like you’re an idiot when you ask them where something is. They’re not really helpful either—when I ask where something is, they make no eye contact whatsoever and just point in the general direction. When you ask again, they do the same thing. Oh, but sometimes, customer service is just too much! I hated it when people would follow me around in stores, suggesting which clothes would look good on me. Again, personal space issues. And the staring? Yes, I'm foreign! Stop staring at me! It wasn't as bad for me as it was for my friends who actually look foreign, but whenever I would speak in Chinese, the natives could tell I wasn't from around there.

I won’t miss being pick-pocketed. That was the worst! Being in a crowded place like Qi Pu Lu seemed exciting and fun the first two times, but it just got draining after that. But, I learned my lesson with that fiasco— don’t take all your things out with you when you’re going to someplace like that, especially in Asia. Going through with reporting my stolen passport, credit cards, etc… and having to replace my passport as well as my visa was way too much of a hassle. I never want to have to go through that again! But hey, at least now, I know the Shanghai metro system very well! I even had a bit of trouble getting through customs back in the States, but they let me through after questioning me for a while.

Shanghai

I will definitely miss Shanghai, the city. It sucks that I won't be able to hop on the metro and within half an hour's time, I'll be on the other side of the city (Pudong), looking at the skyline. I will miss the street food that comforts our stomach when we're in desperate need of something to fill our stomachs at 12 AM in the morning. I will miss my Chinese teacher, and the IES staff who worked so hard to accommodate our needs. I will miss walking around in the city (because back at home, no one walks anymore... we're too reliant on cars!) and seeing strange sights like people getting into fist-fights or children peeing on the streets. I've had a great experience abroad, and despite some hiccups during my trip, I will never, ever regret going to China! In the end, it's about the memories that I made... and oh boy, have I made memories! =) These memories can only be captured through pictures--and lots of them!


Great view and great friends


Watching Lucho and Taylor's soccer match against each other


Happy birthday, Michele!


Eli and I at the Thanksgiving dinner


Chinese 401 girls <3


The whole IES crew + parents at the Thanksgiving dinner


Eating dinner and drinking at Yu Hai's house... and watching him whistle! That man can carry a tune pretty well


A group of us with our homestay girls, Jojo and Summer


Us inside the Jin Mao tower


Happy birthday, Joe!! We love you!


Laverne, Jess, me, Mariko and Saitavius at Bon Bon


Jen, Laverne, Saitavius, Lisa and I at the Christmas party


Phil and Abe at the Christmas party in the IES office


Laverne, Saitavius, Jen and Hope at the IES Christmas party


Hope, Wendy, Sarah, Laverne, me and Jen before a night out


The girls at Jean-something's for dinner


We were lucky enough to be escorted by these handsome men =)


In front of the Christmas tree at the restaurant


Eli and I in front of the Bund


Girls at the Korean bar, celebrating Abe's 22nd!


Happy birthday, buddy!


Jess, Michele, me, Mariko and Laverne at the graduation dinner


Me, Jess and Cao Laoshi at the graduation dinner (isn't our teacher beautiful??)


Matt, Phil, Eli and Joe making a thank-you speech


The girls saying good-bye to Matty as he departs for Mumbai =(. You can probably tell that we'd been crying (not just for Matt, but for everyone who left that day)


Scott, Wendy, Laverne and Derek at Hard Rock Cafe... our last dinner together in Shanghai =(


Hope, Taylor, me and Scott at Hard Rock


Scott, Laverne, Derek and I at the Pudong airport


These guys went to Hong Kong and Macao for three days, while Laverne and I went home


Laverne and I at the airport... this was the last picture I took in Shanghai =(

I will always remember Shanghai, and I look forward to attending the 2010 Expo in two years (just about)! Thanks for the great memories, guys... I love you all!

Goodbye Shanghai

I can't believe I'm leaving Shanghai in almost 12 hour's time. I haven't been very good about keeping up with my blogging because the last month in Shanghai was full of work (and fun, of course).

I wanted to do a reflection entry, but I realized that I want to spend my last hours here with the friends who haven't left yet.

I promise I will make a reflection entry once I get back home. Stay tuned.

-Claudia

Getting Pickpocketed & Going to Beijing

Well, the title says it all. The day I left for Beijing, I went shopping for some nice, warm, Winter clothes at QiPu Road (this overcrowded building with tons of clothing stands). I had just exchanged US$300 for shopping and my trip to Beijing, and had around 2,000RMB in my wallet. I knew I should have taken some money out and left it in my room, but I was in such a hurry that day because we were on such a time crunch that I didn't bother. Silly me, thinking that my wallet would be safe in my hoodie pocket because I would keep my hands on it at all times. I stopped to look at something with Laverne and Mariko and took my hands out. We proceeded to walk a couple of steps and once we stepped out of a crowded aisle of people, I reached into my pocket and realized my wallet was missing.

I freaked out and told Laverne and Mariko. I hadn't even thought about my passport until Mariko asked where it was. Double whammy... I'd put my passport inside my wallet. D'oh! We stayed in the building for a good 15 minutes until I could figure out what to do. We went back and forth the aisles, hoping that I'd just dropped it. But, it was impossible to find because 1.) there were just too many people there, and 2.) I'd definitely been pickpocketed.

I called our program admin, and she had me call the American Consulate. From there, I went back to school to report it to our campus police. But, I had to go back to QiPu Road because the campus police said I had to go back to the "scene of the crime". Long story short, I ended up having to go to three different police stations, telling my story three times. But, I finally got my police report and headed to the train station with Laverne to go to Beijing. I needed an official police report in order to prove my passport was stolen to the Exit/Entry Bureau. Then, I have to go to the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai to apply for a new passport.

I was worried that I couldn't go to Beijing because I needed my passport in order to stay at the hostel we booked in Beijing. But, there were 17 of us going, so it was really easy for me to sneak in. The hostel we stayed at was so nice! I wish I'd taken pictures of it, but we were only there for two days, and those two days were jam packed with activities.

We went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, ate Peking Roast Duck, ate on a street full of weird food (my friends ate small scorpions, big scorpions, silk worms, snake meat, cockroaches). The only thing I dared to eat was a starfish!

I really enjoyed my time in Beijing. I think my two most favorite sights were the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. To be in a place that was constructed thousands of years ago was absolutely breathtaking. I couldn't believe I actually walked up that thing (believe me, it was tiring) and trekked a good part of it. We spent a good two and half to three hours just walking up there. But, we didn't have the energy or time to walk down, so we took a gondola down.

The Forbidden City was also breathtaking, just because of the sheer size of it... I think it would have taken me a good 10 hours to actually walk through the whole thing and observe every little room and detail. There were so many people visiting the Forbidden City when we went, so I didn't bother pushing my way through the crowds to look at every hall, but I snapped a couple of pictures of the halls that I thought were cool.

We also had Peking roast duck in Beijing! It was delicious! I tried duck heart and duck tongue (not a fan, but it was all right). Overall, I wish we could have stayed in Beijing for more than just one weekend, but our program doesn't give us many days off. We wanted to plan a trip to Xi'An to see the Terracotta Army, but I don't think we'll have much time left =(. Perhaps, my next visit to China will allow me more time to see different things.

Well, I think that's enough narration--here are some pictures:


Laverne came with me to three police stations to file a report for my lost passport and wallet in order for me to apply for a new passport. We're sitting inside a police car in this picture, haha.


Me, Laverne, Jen D., and Lisa eating lunch in Beijing


Me, Sarah, Laverne and Wendy on a bridge, in a garden, on our way to Tiananmen Square


Tiananmen Square


Matt, Eli and Joe


Lisa, Me, Laverne and Sarah


Soldiers marching about


Me with a soldier =)


Monumental statue


Trekking up the Great Wall!


Beautiful view from the Great Wall


Me on the Great Wall


Eli and me


The West coast kids! Scott, Tina, Abe and me


East coast kids (boo!): Joe, Wendy, Luis, Jen D., Derek, Eli


The Forbidden City


The longest stone carving in the Forbidden City


One of the courtyards in the Forbidden City


Silly friends making a pyramid in the middle of the Forbidden City


Eating Peking roast duck! It was delicious


The group of us and Wendy's relative


Posing in front of Chairman Mao's words


At the Olympic stadium. We got there too late, and all the lights were shut off, except for these buildings, which are supposed to look like a diving board


Even though the lights were turned off, we managed to had a great time... we played freeze tag, capture the flag and red rover (in FREEZING temperatures)


We went back again the next morning to actually go inside the Bird's Nest


Me in front of the Bird's Nest


Sarah, Lisa, Wendy, Jen D., Laverne and I inside the National Stadium with the Olympic mascots