I live in a flat that's smaller than most people's kitchen, I sweat so much that I don't know if it's worth taking showers anymore, I watch my life flash before my eyes every time I cross the street, and I haven't had a real salad in a month...
But I'm still living the 'Hai life! For another two weeks, in fact.
But I'm still living the 'Hai life! For another two weeks, in fact.
Yes, there are many things I miss -- seeing my friends and family, exercising outside, walking on an empty street, chillin' at my favorite coffee shop, and Corollin' in my janky Toyota, just to name a few, but I'm glad to have some more time to experience Shanghai, to travel within China, to hang out with the other Stanford interns, and of course, to try crazy and delicious foods...
Life in Shanghai right now is sometimes laughable, sometimes annoying, and always memorable. Take the layout of the lane house where Amit and I are living for example.
The microflat is many rooms combined into one small space. It looks a bit daunting to live in for a month total, but it's smartly designed and easy to air condition, and both its size and location guarantee that we get out of the apartment as much as possible.
The microflat is many rooms combined into one small space. It looks a bit daunting to live in for a month total, but it's smartly designed and easy to air condition, and both its size and location guarantee that we get out of the apartment as much as possible.
So things are certainly not the same as they are at home, for better or for worse -- but the new experience is definitely worth the sometimes jarring differences. Food is a microcosm of this truth. Almost everything I eat is something I've never eaten before.
I miss exercising outside as I can back home, but last weekend the AQI (air quality index) gods answered my prayers and permitted me to go on a run outside. I started at Zhongshan Park, looped through East China Normal University's campus, and traced back, getting lost/racking up extra mileage along the way.
Of course, my friends and I continue to go on fun weekend outings. Most recently we visited Thames Town, a ghost town in the Songjiang district. It's one of nine towns built on the outskirts of Shanghai in an urban planning initiative to counteract overpopulation in the city. This one's modeled after an English town, although to me it looks German or even East Coast American in some places.
In Songjiang, we also visited Songjiang Mosque, the oldest mosque in Shanghai.
And now, your moment of zen...
Everyday things that would be considered absolutely absurd in any other place, but are totally normal in China:
Escalators in a restaurant. Bustling street markets at 7:00am. The absence of a 4th floor (4 is an unlucky number in Chinese culture).
Everyday things that are considered absolutely absurd in China, but are totally normal in any other place:
A completely empty bench in the metro. An actual 7 Eleven. Foreigners who are single-handedly sustaining China's yogurt market.