My NYU Shanghai

I am a student at NYU Shanghai, class of 2020. Ask me everything!

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

Missing Shanghai more so than usual. The bright lights and architecture are truly so unique

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

Found a nice little park by the dorms. Will be heading here often when I need some greenery.

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

Celebrating Spring at the Chenshan Botanical Gardens. If you ever find yourself needing some nature in 上海(Shanghai), this is the pace to go. NYUSH was kind enough offer a free day trip to release post-midterm stress. ☺️

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

The Phoenix and Dragons, symbols for male and female success. In Intermediate Chinese 1 we learned two phrases ”望男成龙” (direct translation: hope son becomes a dragon, but means to hope your son is successful) and ”望女成凤” (direct translation: hope daughter becomes a phoenix, but means to hope your daughter is successful). Wishing everyone success in the future.

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

Welcoming the Spring Festival spirit with violet #NYU

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

I came to Shanghai for Chinese food, but am currently living off some great Japanese food. Right across from the NYU Shanghai dorms you can get Ramen(@Ajisen Ramen)🍜, Curry(@CoCo Curry)🍛, and even conveyor belt sushi🍣!!!

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

From Indian food to tacos to western wraps at Wagas, Shanghai has high quality international food to fit anyone's tastes.

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

About a five minute walk from the NYU Shanghai dorms is a local restaurant that sells great soup dumplings (either steamed or fried) for about $1. Some say money can't buy happiness, but those people haven't bought soup dumplings.

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

Puxi is a Beauty

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

First year in Shanghai Reflection: the bad and the good

This time last year, I was so excited to begin my first year at college in another country. I was a bit nervous, but overall optimistic about beginning a new chapter in my life. Well, as with the colors in the pictures I have chosen, my first year has been a wild ride. It’s been filled with many ups and downs. I’ve been more depressed and filled with anxiety than ever. I lost all sense of direction on a path I was so sure of, but at the end of it all, I feel quite proud of myself as a person and have a deeper understanding of myself and my direction in life.

NYUSH challenged me more than I thought it would. I predicted the difficulty with living in another country, but I did not predict the workload of college and how culture shock could pile on top of that to shake me. I knew the school was going to be tough and competitive, but didn’t realize just how much Chinese homework I’d have or how the talent of fellow classmates could not only be inspiring, but intimidating. I didn’t realize that the high workload would interfere with my interest in exploring the city and experiencing Shanghai. I didn’t think that I would spend most of my time in either the AB or Dorms studying and not out and about, learning about the city I was supposedly a part of. I didn’t realize how the pollution would suck away not only the air in my lungs, but the brightness from my days, that the interactions with classmates would consist mostly of conversations of the foods we missed from home or how tired we were. These factors lead to me questioning by the end of the year if I wanted to return. By Spring finals time I was set on dropping out, taking a break from school, and giving myself time to travel on my own. I wanted to see the world, not only the library day after day after day. I wanted to feel the world, not the bubble of NYUSH.

And yet, here I am in August, excited to start my Sophomore semester at NYUSH. Because despite the aching homesickness, the anxiety biting at my stomach every Chinese class, the uncertainty of the future and the taste of failure I experienced, I feel it was worth it. I set out to China, not only to experience a new city, but to transform as a person. While I may have been in a constant cycle of classes and tests, those classes were filled with people from around the world and the tests pushed me to work harder than I thought I could. It’s not the experience I imagined. It’s not all about travel and tasting food and partying all night. It’s not all about the fun stuff. While there are opportunities to do all these, at the end of the day NYUSH is a university. As such, the biggest take away should be learning. And a lot of that lesson is learning to work hard, how to struggle and juggle many situations all while in a new country. While I think our school does a great job of hi lighting all the flashy bits of living in Shanghai, at the end of the day, it’s not just a four year study abroad party. It’s a competitive university. And I think students should be mentally prepared for that. NYU Shanghai has been extremely difficult, but also very rewarding in ways I didn’t quite expect. If you’re coming here just to travel the world, I think you may not find your reason. But if you want to receive a good education, that happens to be in another country, and are prepared to work (and play) hard, this is the place for you. This is NYU Shanghai.

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

Shanghai Nights From the Bund to our school on Century Avenue Shanghai at night will be on of my favorite sights

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

A big advantage of living in Shanghai is the close proximity to other Asian countries. During Spring break, it seems as if almost everyone is traveling. Here are a few photos from my Spring break trip to Cebu, Philippines.

[sleepless-in-shanghai]

Took a few photos at Jing'an temple today for my class assignment on tourism.