Spring in Shanghai

Spring rain in Shanghai

Tourist season has begun in earnest. The weather is pretty nice most days although it does rain every few days. It is much more common to see foreigners everywhere you go in Shanghai. I am assuming this is just a preview for summer when more people take vacations. Although I have been warned it does get pretty humid here in the summer months. Good thing I lived in Georgia for two summers so the mugginess will not be a complete shock!

Every teacher always has a couple kids in class that are behavior problems and that continue to challenge you. We did have training for Behavior Management a couple weeks ago and that was helpful, but I do have a couple boys in two of my classes that are disruptive in every class. The other kids are active but not defiant and if Teacher Heather sets a boundary they will obey it. These two boys are definitely a challenge and I am still searching for a way to engage them in a positive way without punishment. What would life be without a few challenges, right? 

I am officially certified to teach English as a foreign language to children. Now if I could just figure out how to do that...

My AT Coco hard at work.

Transportation is proving quite fascinating to me especially since I have never lived in such a metropolis of a city. I have discovered a definite hierarchy when it comes to transportation in Shanghai. Buses stop for no one. They are the top of the transportation pyramid and will run you over with no regrets. Taxis might stop if you force them to even when the pedestrian has the green walking signal that says they have the right to be crossing the street. Bikes will run you over but somehow always seem to avoid it at the last moment. I really don't know how there are not more accidents. Bikes also compete with pedestrians for space on the sidewalk. Other pedestrians will move around you most of the time. Though I have been shoved a number of times in a crowded area. All in all, it is an adventure every time I go somewhere.

It constantly amazes me how well a native English speaker can get around Shanghai knowing only a handful of Mandarin phrases. That's not to say that I shouldn't learn as much as I can but it is a relief to know that it is not vital to my existence that I be fluent because this is not an easy language to learn by any means. It is so far removed from English that there are very few similarities. I am trying my best, though, and use what I do know as much as possible.

My roommate Liz and I visited the Shanghai Zoo and the Aquarium recently. They were not the best I have been to but definitely worth a visit. I did see a real live panda in China which was pretty cool, and the Aquarium had the longest underwater tunnels in the world that you can walk through which was the best part of that visit.

Had first observation by LLD of one of my classes. So nerve wracking to have someone sitting there poker faced and writing down every move you make. According to my supervisor, I did better than I thought, but I'm always harder on myself. There are definite areas for improvement, but I am moving in the right direction. Yay!

A colleague told me this week that I live in the largest/most populated city in the world. This makes it difficult for an introvert to find some alone time. There are times I miss driving by myself in my car just to have some peace while traveling. Sometimes I miss the routine and comfortable. I love change and the new/undiscovered but sometimes I do not want to experience a dozen new things everyday! Calling for wait staff at a restaurant is a different custom. There is no tipping and therefore no motivation for a server to go above and beyond when it comes to service. Communal toilet paper and no paper towels is also something to get used to when using public restrooms. Fortunately these are mostly minor inconveniences that you simply have to get used to when living in a different place.

Movie night with my roommate might become a regular thing. We invited some friends but they had to cancel at last minute. Since I had cleaned the apartment and gone to the grocery store to prepare for the evening while she was at work, my wonderful roommate Liz bought me Coldstone ice cream as a thank you. We had a great night just the two of us so we have decided to do it again when our schedules line up accordingly. It's the little things in life, ya know?

Movie night is about to commense!

The ice that kept the Coldstone ice cream cold on its journey to our home turned out to be dry ice. Kinda cool surprise!

Celebrated Earth Day at work with some games and a song as part of our teaching content. Not sure how much the kids really understood about the purpose of the holiday, but I hope they understood that everyone can help by at least picking up trash and keeping our planet clean. So thankful that my parents are carrying on my recycling efforts back in Georgia. I do the best I can here, but there's really no sure way for me to know if the recycling I put in the bins actually are recycled. Ah well, I do what I can. I also help by either walking or taking public transportation everywhere, and I try to always carry a reusable shopping bag with me. We don't have a clothes dryer so we hang everything to dry which saves electricity too. Like I said, I do what I can even when I'm living in a foreign country. Such a tree hugging hippy, I know :)

Cutie riding the Metro

This guy's job is to wave that green flag when the train is all clear to leave the station.  Everyone has a job here no matter how menial or trivial it may seem.

New Beginnings

So here are some highlights from my last couple weeks in Shanghai, China.

Nanjing Dong Lu

My roommate and I met up with a friend of hers at a place called Mr. Pancake House. This is the place to go for a delicious breakfast. It was a tiny place but well worth a repeat visit whenever I am craving some french toast or crepes. Also found a store called Fresh Mart where you can find some imported Western goods like cheese and baking items. It is definitely nice to live in a city like Shanghai where it is possible to find some things from home as long as you are willing to pay for it.

Mr. Pancake House is awesome!

Jing'An Temple is right down the street from Mr. Pancake

Crazy fountains we found on our walk back to the apartment

We paid rent & bills for first time which was relatively painless. Our apartment is pretty much set for everyday living. I still want to find a few pictures for the walls but we did finally get our water dispenser and water delivery set up. The water here in Shanghai is not safe to drink so we have to have it delivered whenever we start to run low. Just one of those things you learn to live with in a different country.

One bedroom wall decorated with pictures from home

We have agua!!

I continue to have interesting interactions with locals here. I was walking back to my center after a break and a man stopped to have a conversation with me. It went like this:

Man: Hello. 

Me: Hello.

Man: Where are you from? 

Me: California. 

Man: Welcome! 

Me: Thank you!

And then he walked away and I went back to work. I did have a couple of young girls point and stare at me on the Metro last week but they were harmless. Then, three guys said ‘Hello‘ as I got on the Metro the other day and then got a kick out of how they talked to the foreigner. I’m starting to get used to being so different but it still feels strange. What’s even stranger is that it seems strange to me now when I see a foreigner here. Crazy!

Public Transportation

Inner Workings of the Metro

Spring has officially arrived in Shanghai. The days are getting warmer but it still cools down at night. Trees and flowers are blooming. There is still the occasional spring shower and we actually had our first thunderstorm the other night. At first I wasn’t sure if it was a storm or just a big public event going on downtown, but it was definitely raining with thunder and lightning.

Everyone is out and enjoying the nice weather!

Would be hard to keep the coat clean but he's so beautiful!

 

I taught my first 3 classes last Wednesday night. The learners are so cute especially the ones who are excited to be at Disney English. As long as I make learning fun but structured, they behave well. They look up at you with those big dark eyes and your heart melts. I was told to expect lots of upset little kids who are experiencing a bit of separation anxiety but we only had one crier in the whole group. 

Also experienced my first holiday in China which completely messes with the teaching schedule but gave us an extra day so I can’t complain. It was a Tomb Sweeping holiday which means the locals pay their respects to their ancestors and “sweep the tombs.” I don’t know much but I do know I had an extra day off yesterday which meant I could meet up with some friends at a Mexican restaurant to catch up with people I haven’t seen in a while. Then My roomie Liz and I did a little shopping and came home to chill. It was a nice, relaxing holiday!

View of the river from the opposite side of our building

Another highlight is that my AT (Assistant Trainer) Coco treated me to some street food which had some noodles made from peas apparently. It was pretty good especially since she made it not spicy for me. She had the spicy kind which made her cry it was so hot so I am very grateful I had the mild kind!

Had a night out for dinner with my roommate a couple days ago at a restaurant called the Blue Frog. It was quite good food and company. We traveled under the river to get to the Pudong side of Shanghai which is the newer part of the city and has some spectacular new buildings to admire against the night sky.

Blue Frog Bar and Grill

Jin Mao Tower

Oriental Pearl Tower

World Financial Center

I am just getting over the on again, off again battle I have had over the last month or so with a cold that kept circling around a sore throat, sinus congestion and a cough. Apparently hot water cures everything in China, so I have been drinking that while at work and it does help me be able to speak for longer periods of time. Who knew!

All in all, still doing well in China. I am subbing for some classes tonight and will be seeing my own students again on Saturday afternoon and evening. Easter is coming up on Sunday and I am going to check out a community to celebrate with that afternoon. Until next time!

Art pieces decorating the outside of the mall where I work - pretty darn awesome :)