I should definitely be writing my essays or studying for 'finals' week, but it's time for a break and I just have to update now since there are ONLY six days left!!!!!
This past weekend our group held a "Secret Santa Party," in which was it a true reminder that we literally have a week left in this country, something that is so hard to believe now that I have passed the 100 day, 3 month mark! It's a complete mixture of happiness and sadness right now: happy to go back to America but sad to leave the people and the location just when I was starting to get comfortable!!
And when I say comfortable this includes the things that I am now not "shocked" to see or do during day-to-day living in Shanghai:
Chinese people (haha)! Chinese people everywhere; which includes the many street cleaners and garbage collectors, side vendors selling school supplies, clothing articles, corn, fake goods, etc., grandparents with little grandchildren (with bottomless pants on), policemen that sit at their stations (and this is what they do everyday), people just squatting on the side of the street, etc.
Asking questions and practicing my Chinese. I am still far from fluent and far from knowing everything about China, so I've gotten over the reactions of being an "ABC 人“ and I try and apply the Chinese I'm learning and practice, even if I don't always understand the full answer, I still get one...
Seeing high-risers and construction everywhere! Buildings, big and uniform and construction for more is a constant. Construction here happens extremely fast, such as the newest "Shanghai Tower" in Pudong has already grown at least 30 floors in the 3 months I've been here (estimate).
Slow and restricted internet access. I have come accustomed and let go of not having to get the 'immediate' gratification of checking up on everything all the time.
Laundry and Hang-drying! Seeing underwear blowing in the wind doesn't phase me to much. And, now that I've gotten used to the stiff-cardboard effect that occurs to my clothes with hang-drying it's really not that bad, and way more eco-friendly!
”下课！” "休息！“ and the lovely music that accompanies these kind of announcements. In China, the signal for class transitions at a university are represented by classical music over the intercom, something that confused me at first but now I recognize and appreciate how much nicer it is than the bell system.
Ordering food: knowing that no matter what size group they will always assume 1 person is paying for everyone, they will only hand out 1-2 menus (for a group of 5), and never serve food to the table at one time. I have learned that if the food hasn't been brought out within 5 minutes, I need not hesitate to call out to the waitress to remind them about the food (it's the expectation!)
**The provided dish-ware is always wrapped in plastic with a complete set for one: a bowl, plate, spoon, cup, chopsticks. Not the 'normal' dish-size, the bowl holds the rice and the plate is only used to catch the food. As well as drinks other than tea are never served in a glass, so be ready to buy a can or bottle.
**Night Market Street Food = hot, delicious, made right in front of you, and cheap cheap cheap! Having skewers and vegetables grilled to perfection is always my regular.
Shopping and Bargaining! I have probably gone to the market tooo many times but the bargaining is too hard to resist and I would say I'm pretty savvy at it! Here's my top tips and tricks that I've learned when bargaining:
**When you say a price, stick with that price (it just means you have to do a little bit of math on the spot to come up with that price) When push comes to shove, the seller will usually (reluctant or not) go with this price, if not, it's China so you can always find someone else that will meet your price!
**Always use strong expressions! Especially as my Chinese isn't the best, short and too the point phrases like "I'm a student" and "It's too expensive" coupled with a 'surprised tone' or 'troubled face' really emphasizes this message and gets the point across!
Reading and understanding the bus/subway system, the rush-hour times (7:30am/5:30pm) and what to expect during these times (aka being smooshed on all sides by asians), and the stations that are always jam-packed. No longer do I get turned around or have difficulty using my transport card. I've learned that the system while complex (mechanically) is actually quite simple!
Riding in Cab's and Rickshaw's, while cheap more often than not the drivers won't know the exact address of where we are going, rather the cross streets and even then, they'll take us to the general area and we'll have to try and direct them to where we want to go.
Of course this includes traffic, for the most part. My heart still skips an extra beat now and than when I see a motorbike zoom by, but for the most part I have overcome the accident (goodness that was at the very beginning of the trip) and understand the way the traffic flows now!
Ok, so that was a longer break than I probably should have taken, but I am going to miss the ample people watching, the cheap but delicious food, and the bargaining. Still, I really am looking forward to being home!!!!
