#connormadriago

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Connor in Shanghai - SJTU - Week 5: Hunan Road and getting into a routine

After my trip to Nanjing last week, week 5 was a lot more low-key and relaxing, and I finally got to settle into a somewhat normal, every day routine. Instead of constantly exploring new places and cities, I got to slow down and enjoy the everyday things and work on studying and homework, which was a nice change of pace.

One thing I've wanted to do since I got here is start going to the gym consistently. There is a gym right by our dorm, but it's not very good—it's pretty small and doesn't have much equipment, and the equipment that they do have is very weird. So instead, a few of us decided to check out the gym on the "bei" (北, which means north) campus, and it was so much better. It had way more equipment, a lot more space, and best of all it was super cheap—only 2 yuan per hour (~27 cents). Compared to the US where a gym membership can be like $30-50 a month, being able to work out for basically pennies still surprises me, something that would never happen in the US.

For some downtime, me and my friends put together a puzzle of the Shanghai skyline that was made using an AI generated image. It was really funny because all of the pieces were the same shape, but it actually ended up being really relaxing, and we built oriental pearl tower, a large tower in Shanghai.

We also played a lot of cards, and the coolest part was that some of the other exchange students taught us a few chinese card games that I had never heard of before. I don't remember the exact name, but they games were so fun and we learned a lot.

I've been getting dumplings every other day. There's a place I keep going back to where they come in this little green tray, and they are so good. I usually get the pork and celery ones, and I put a lot of vinegar on them, which always tastes so good. They're also super cheap compared to anything in the US, and so delicious for the price. If you ever come to china, I strongly recommend finding some dumplings and drowning them in vinegar.

We also found a place selling dog-shaped popsicles, which were so cute and surprisingly detailed. I got a chocolate one and my friend got vanilla, and they were as tasty as they were adorable. My favorite part about exploring Shanghai is finding all these niche restaurants and places with new and cool things to explore.

Planetary gears

On the school side of things, this week in mecheng 250 we learned about planetary gears, which was pretty cool. I had always been curious about how they worked—mostly regarding automatic transmissions in cars, they usually consist of a few planet gears, and a ring gear all spinning together. Getting to actually hold it was pretty interesting. Getting to study mechanical engineering in a completely different country is one of my favorite parts about this study abroad experience.

A night out

Later in the week, we checked out a really fancy mall, and it was on a completely different level than anything I've been to. Almost every store had items well over $1000 USD—they had everything like gucci, rolex, and a bunch of high end chinese brands too. We mostly just walked around and looked, because obviously none of us were about to spend that kind of money, but it was still really cool to see.

To get a taste of home, we went to an actual mexican restaurant called La Diosa. Mexican food is one of the things I've missed most from back in the states, so even though it was pretty expensive compared to normal chinese food, it was 100% worth it. It was super delicious and I ended up getting a quesadilla.

We also went to one of the coolest restaurants I've been to yet—the entire place was built around a giant disco ball hanging from the ceiling. The atmosphere was unlike anywhere I've eaten before, and its another example of how you can find very interesting niche restaurants whoever you walk in Shanghai.

To finish off the week, I have to talk about the lights here. The buildings in Shanghai light up at night in a way that is like nothing that we have in the US. The night cityscape is always beautiful wherever you are. We went to Hunan road and just took in the scenery, and I kept stopping to take pictures. Even after over a month here, the cityscape at night still gets me every time.

Overall, week 5 was a lot more relaxed than the past few weeks, but that was exactly what I needed. Between the gym, the dumplings, the card games, and the nights out, it was still an absolute blast, and I feel like I'm really starting to live here instead of just visiting. Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

拜拜!

Connor Madriago

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering in Shanghai - IPE and SJTU in Shanghai, China.

[umichenginabroad]

Connor in Shanghai - SJTU - Week 4: Visiting a nearby city: Nanjing

I started off week 4 by finishing an assignment for one of the classes that I'm in: Introduction to Chinese culture. I had to interview two Chinese students at SJTU, one from Shanghai, and one who was born somewhere else. I talked to my buddy, who told me a lot about Shanghai. However, soon after I got sick for the first time. Luckily, I was able to use meituan to deliver some headache medicine, which worked very well. I was considering visiting the doctor, since my friend said its common for people to go for simple things like headaches since a visit is free or very cheap, but I decided to just relax and take the day off instead. I ordered this ice cream, which was pretty good.

Some of my friends in the program also took me to a pizza place on campus. It was okay, although we had to use the gloves that they gave us because it fell apart pretty easily. Even though it had no tomato sauce and had steak on It, it was definitely the best pizza that I've had here so far.

The cat, nicknamed 六七, is frequently seen around the dorm. She has lived there for a long time and can be seen lounging on top of cars, and particularly enjoys sitting on this one black seat in specific in the lobby area. We also found out that she does not like any of the food that people try to give her, but it seems like the ladies at the front desk leave food out for her to eat.

The trip to Nanjing

At the start of our trip to Nanjing for the weekend, we had to make our way to the train station. After arriving, we had to go through security, which took longer than expected because they had to check our passports which kept getting denied by the automatic systems. Finally, we got through, although worried because we only had 15 minutes until our train left. Finally we got through, and we were greeted by a super long line.

However, we found out that they were just waiting for the station to open, and when it opened everyone went in quickly. We met up with the rest of the group, and boarded the high speed train. Finding our seats, we boarded the train. It was super modern and polished, feeling more like an airplane than a train. All of the seats had plenty of room and there was even a food compartment on board. One of the things that was most interesting to me was the fact that you can order food online ahead of time, from any restaurant near any of the stations where it stops, and they will bring you the food on board when you reach that station.

Arriving in Nanjing

After a quick hour and a half train ride, we reached the city. Although we had a hotel room without a window, the beds were pretty nice and it was directly in the middle of the city—it was also less than $10 per night which is pretty crazy if you compare it to American hotel prices.

We then explored the city, where we found people playing music, Confucius temple, and beautiful lights around a large shopping district.

A lot of people have a favorite restaurant that they love to order at 2 am while studying or playing mahjong, it's called mixue. It's relatively cheap (around $2 for a drink, and less than 50 cents for ice cream) and they sell fruit-water drinks, boba, and ice cream. While we were in Nanjing, we were lucky to find a giant version of the store that we loved, with multiple floors and a giant mixue snowman.

While in Nanjing, we also visited the Nanjing zoo, where we saw many animals like leopards, pandas, and birds.

Visiting the temple was also an amazing experience. Although we were't aloud to take pictures inside, I was able to get one of the outside.

To finish up the day, we went on a boat ride in motorized duck-shaped boats, and sailed around the river during sunset. It was really beautiful and we got many great pictures of the scenery and surrounding cityscape. Although the city wasn't as big or special as Shanghai's view, it was still a stunning sight.

To finish up my Nanjing trip, we climbed the steps in the Zhongshan mountain scenic area. Me and my friend split off of the main group for this, however, getting to the area was a bit more difficult since neither of us spoke Chinese. After lots of Google Translate and pointing, we finally got tickets and made it in to climb the many steps. It was also a bit hot, so I ended up buying a fan for $1, and it was so nice, I strongly recommend.

That night, we found a person selling puppies and they let them out to play with us, they were so cute that we stayed for almost an hour.

We finished off the night with a game of mahjong (many games) on one of the automatic mahjong tables, which was really convenient and made setting up take less than 10 seconds.

Finishing off the trip, we went to the world renowned niu beer museum, got some of the best sushi I've ever had, and took the high speed train back to Shanghai before midnight.

Overall, my trip to Nanjing was absolutely amazing and if anyone else is interested in studying abroad in China or anywhere else, I encourage exploring cities near you as it can be a really great time. Hopefully I get to travel to more cities while I'm in china.

再见!

[umichenginabroad]

Connor in Shanghai - SJTU - Week 3: Complications and losing my phone

At the end of the last week, during a late night outing with my friends, I ended up losing my phone. It was around 4 am, and we were using a didi (the ride-share service in China), and I accidentally left my American phone in the car when I got out. I was so tired that I didn't even realize that I had lost it until I woke up the next day. After waking up, I immediately panicked and searched my entire room. Fortunately, I was able to call a phone number on the didi app to call my driver—unfortunately they didn't pick up. I assume they must have been some sort of a night-shift worker because they didn't pick up until nearly 7 pm that night, when they told me that my phone wasn't in the car. In the United States, this would nearly guarantee that I would never get my phone back—but luckily I was in China, which is known to be overall much more safe than the US. After a long, 3 day adventure through many police stations, having other people make phone calls for me, and using Google Translate, much to my surprise the police were actually able to get my phone back for me! They were able to track down the driver, and somehow retrieve my phone—which was then sent through the mail. Getting it from the mail actually presented an unexpected challenge, because the didi driver didn't give me a code, but after exchanging Google Translate several times with the delivery driver, I was able to get it back for only 14 Yuan (~$2 USD). Unfortunately, I wasn't really able to blog much for those 3-4 days, but I am able to say that I went downtown a bit, explored some more malls, and ate more pecking duck.

After hearing about TX Mall constantly from my UMich friends, we decided that we had to go see what the hype was all about. So I went to it with 6 of my friends, and we surprisingly all ended up buying something. I bought a white zip up shirt that was a combination of a shirt and outer, zip-up layer in one. It looked pretty cool and was around $80, (similar to US prices). There are definitely cheaper options, but we went to this store because it was easy to get to, and seemed to be marketed towards tourists and foreigners (hence the higher price), as they were playing mostly foreign music and many things were in English.

We then walked back and after splitting up, ate some curry from a small cafe place near the metro station. The curry was actually very delicious and mixed perfectly with the lime flavor and the dragonfruit drink that I got—all for less than $8 USD.

IPE Tour

That Saturday was rather exciting. As part of the IPE program, we got a trip to Shanghai Tower—the third largest building in the world. The tour began with us being picked up in a nice bus outside our dorm, which then drove us to the city—pretty nice compared to having to take the metro for a while or paying $10 for a didi ride. It drove us all the way to the tour, and then we quickly entered into one of the quickest and most stable elevators that I've ever been in. The elevator ascended at nearly 20.5 meters per second (45 miles per hour), making my ears pop multiple times within the span of 30 seconds. We went from floor 1 to above floor 100 in less than a minute.

Although it was pretty foggy at the top, it still was an amazing sight and a really cool experience. I bought overpriced chocolate cake that was also pretty tasty and complimented the view nicely. We promised that we would come back another time at night, so that it would be less foggy and that we could see the night cityscape and lights.

To finish off the day, I spent time inside at a cafe at the 5th floor of the Shanghai tower. It's amazing to me how every floor in that tower is used for something. While it rained for the first time outside, I interviewed one of the buddies (Chinese students at sjtu who volunteered to help us), and he told us about his favorite places in Shanghai and his experience growing up here.

Finally, we finished off the IPE tour with a boat cruise on the river by the bund. It was one of the most stunning views I've ever seen in a city, and it was absolutely a once in a lifetime experience to be so close to the city and the lights on the river.

As always, I'm so glad that I joined this program and it has really made my experience in Shanghai amazing. This day specifically highlights it, as the group tour around Shanghai with the tower and the boat cruise was amazing and allowed us to get to experience things that we wouldn't get to do.

Unfortunately, my blog missed pictures from a few days while I lost my phone, but due to the safety of the city and capability of the systems here, I was happily able to get it back within 4 days time.

So far, studying here has been an amazing and once in a lifetime experience. Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

Connor Madriago

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering in Shanghai - IPE and SJTU in Shanghai, China.

[umichenginabroad]

Connor in Shanghai - SJTU - Week 2: living like a local

During my first week in Shanghai, you may remember that it all went super fast. Each day was full of many activities and too many new experiences to count. However, that's usually the experience for many tourists in China. The experience that I get to have that is different than the average tourist is that I get to experience life in China more similarly to a local. I get to have the downtime, the daily experience where I get to actually get used to living in a new country.

Something that I've picked up while I've been here is the difference in the quality of the bikes. We are able to use this awesome system called "hello bike" which is essentially the Chinese equivalent of lime or spin bikes, except much cheaper. Something that I've noticed is that there is a wide variation of quality between the bikes. Some don't break very well, some don't have a phone stand, etc. The best bikes are the ones with the phone holder and orange rims. They seem to be the newest ones and are always very smooth.

I then met up with my friend from high school, who attends NYU Shanghai. He showed me around the city and his favorite spots, which included a delicious pecking duck restaurant, which I enjoyed with his Chinese friend and him.

Going on a bike ride around new bund, I explored a lot of the areas that foreigners don't typically visit. The everyday streets of Shanghai.

In the mall, we found a beautiful art shop. However, it also had a lot of AI art, which we found very interesting. It was also being listed for tens of thousands of dollars, which we were confused about why someone would pay 20k for AI art. Also, I somehow ended up paying $20 for a Starbucks cheesecake that was mid at best. Note to other people planning to visit china: make sure that you know how much you are paying, and don't be afraid to say no or 太贵了, which means too expensive.

We learned that the school next to us is a very rich international high school, and some of the kids have Ferraris that they park out front.

To get a small taste of home, we went to an Italian restaurant to get some pasta. It was very expensive compared to other Chinese food, but similar prices to a restaurant in America. It ended up being a pretty small portion, but was very delicious.

The bund is always and continues to be absolutely beautiful at night.

Overall, my second week has been an absolute blast, despite being less active than the first week. I've learned so many new things, including starting to be able to speak a little bit of Mandarin. I know some basic phrases, such as how to say hello, thank you, and ask where the bathroom is.

Unfortunately my posts were delayed for a while for a reason, but you'll have to wait until the next post to hear about that! Fortunately China has an amazing system to retrieve lost items that is unlike anything in the US.

Anyways, bye bye!

[umichenginabroad]

Connor in Shanghai - SJTU - Week 1: Exploring the city

Now that I had settled into life in Shanghai, I began exploring the city. One of the first things I did is go to the largest tourist area in Shanghai—Nanjing Road and the Bund. Nanjing road is a long road with many interesting shops and restaurants, mostly catered to tourists and foreigners. This was reflected in relatively higher prices, unlike most of Shanghai where food is extremely cheap.

One of the coolest things I saw was these silver shops that had dragons in the front. It was surprising how many silver stores there were on the same road.

After Nanjing road (which mostly just consisted of shops and food), we went to the Bund. The Bund is a view of the city skyline which, at night when the city is all lit up, is the most beautiful city view I've ever seen. It definitely is an unforgettable view.

Yuyuan Garden was also a beautiful area, with stunning architecture and a beautiful lake with a Michelin star restaurant at the top which we ate at. It didn't end up fulfilling our expectations, but it was still very delicious.

Something unique about Shanghai is that there are plenty of stray cats and dogs around the city and they tend to be quite friendly.

First Day Of Classes

My first day of classes began that Monday morning at 8 am with "introduction to Chinese culture". After touring the campus the day before, I knew exactly where I was supposed to go. The class was actually very interesting and I learned a lot about the history of China and its geography, even just from the first class!

Some other things that I did this week during my exploration of the city included getting hotpot, making my own cologne by combining different scents, and exploring more in the "new bund" area. We also went to a karaoke place in the mall called "KTV" which was really fun, and we sang a combination of English and chinese songs.

After meeting up with my friend from high school who attends NYU Shanghai, he showed me some of his favorite places which included the NYU campus, a street, and a restaurant called pecking duck which was very delicious. We also saw an AI blue yeti restaurant which was intriguing.

Overall, my first main week in Shanghai was an absolute blast. I explored so much, learned so many new things (including my first bit of chinese! which includes how to ask for cold water and hot water, as well as saying thank you). Next week, after syllabus week is over I'll talk about how I really get into my classes. XieXie!

Connor Madriago

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering in Shanghai - IPE and SJTU in Shanghai, China.

[umichenginabroad]

Connor in Shanghai - SJTU - Week 0: Landing in Shanghai

First steps in Shanghai

After a surprisingly easy 16 hour plane flight to China, the first thing that I said when I landed was “this doesn’t seem so different yet”. For context, I have never been outside of the US, so I figured that seizing the opportunity to study abroad in Shanghai would be the opportunity of a lifetime.

The first thing I did when I landed was mentally prepare for a long process through security, however, I was shocked that all I had to do was pick up my suitcase and walk down an aisle with everyone else. It probably took less than 5 minutes to get from baggage claim to outside!

After a small amount of confusion on which gate I was supposed to go to, I met up with my buddy—a student from SJTU that my program organized to help me get set-up for life in Shanghai. He explained the main apps that I would use to get around and communicate, such as DiDi, WeChat, and Alipay. He then bought me a DiDi (a rideshare service that is basically China's version of Uber/Lyft except much cheaper) that took us to my dorm. By the time we got there, it was 10:30 at night, so there wasn't really much time to explore.

Day 1

The next morning I felt very lost. I woke up in my dorm room—a smaller-sized apartment style room with a larger communal space that I shared with my Roomate. This is when I met my Roomate, and some of my first friends in Shanghai. I began feeling quite hungry, so I made my way downstairs, where I found a couple other UMich students as lost as me. We got together, and explored the canteen—the onsite "dining hall" where the food was just as tasty as it was cheap. It cost me just under $2 for a full meal and was better than any food you could find in America for that price. For the rest of the day, me and my new friends in the program toured the campus that we were going to be spending the next few months at. It was so much bigger than we imagined.

The coming days consisted of orientation, exploring the new campus, getting situated, and making friends.

We also explored downtown a little, which was unlike any city I've ever experienced before. But I'll talk more about that on week 1.

Small Complications

Since I've been here, there have been a couple complications, such as setting up cellular data, having to buy a new Chinese phone because my phone didn't support SIM cards, and overall having to use a translation app constantly to get around. But these first few days have been awesome and eye-opening.

Looking forward

I want to make the most of my time in China. In order to do this, I plan to travel to other cities such as beijing, chongqing, and more. I also want to learn as much chinese as possible while I'm here—at least enough to be able to communicate a little when needed. There will be many challenges, but so far this experience has lived up to everything that was promised and has been super cool. I'm thrilled with the possibilities of what I'll be able to see and get to experience while here. Next, il share an update of how my first week went.

拜拜!

Connor Madriago

Mechanical Engineering

Engineering in Shanghai - IPE and SJTU in Shanghai, China.