Okay, okay, okay, I've finally found a free moment to post an update! I will try to be more frequent in the future, but I'm still trying to figure out internet connectivitity issues. I was given a wireless internet card that give me access anywhere in Shanghai's city-wide wireless network, but certain sites are difficult to access through that. The card allows me to check e-mail and continue working from my apartment after normal office hours, which is important because I am still having to contact folks back in the Houston office and would rather not stick around till 8 or 9 in the evening at the office to do so! Anyway, back to the point, this blog is one of the sites that I can't get access to over the wireless connection, so basically I type a draft at home in the evenings, and take a second the next day to copy and paste it into the blog. Enough excuses, that wasted a lot of valuable space to talk about nothing except I get to work from the apartment in addition to the 10 or 11 hours I'm in the office.
Now, to the fun stuff, my first weekend in Shanghai! Saturday morning I decided that I would take a walk around my general area of town here in Shanghai. The intent was to start learning the areas, see what restuarants were nearby, and really just see my part of town, so off I went. One of the first things you notice about Shanghai is that they have gone to great lengths to make the city appear green (as in plant life). All major highways are continuously flanked by extravagent plant beds and trees for miles and miles, you really have to see it to fully understand it, but it does an excellent job of making you feel your in somewhere other than a city with an population of 19 million. That being said, my assumption was this was only for the benefit of passers through, and that once you got into the inner parts of the city the green would be gone. That assumption was incorrect! Nearly all the streets are linned with trees no matter where you go. Maybe not the slums, but it's not like I am living in a part of town specifically designed for foreiners (more on that in a sec). So in a word, the plant life in this big city is well maintained and impressive.
On to the area I live in. My best guess based on a few days of walking around and getting the lay of the land, is a middle class section of Shanghai locals, not one of the expat enclaves many may picture. Not that it's bad, just makes for an interesting time. There are very few "westerners" around, and none of the locals in the area speak any English (this was not a surprise but I did want to mention it), so I can say I am getting a fairly authentic Chinese experience.
There is a very nice little market where they sell all kinds of things from bonzai trees (hundreds of them) to flowers, to golf clubs to an amazing abundance of aquariums and fish. Aparently bonzai (which originated in Japan but became popular with Americans who returned from our occupation of Japan with them) and aquariums are very popular with the average chinese.
What is not around is anywhere where you can order food in English, I have to go up around the office for that. They are all very local Chinese resturaunts! I'm sure everyone has heard the story by now, but long of the short is I pointed at a picture to order what I thought was beef or pork in a big bowl with peppers and garlic, and what I got was chopped up frog parts! Not just the legs, but tiny spines, chopped off heads, little flippers, you get the picture. Well everyone found this very amusing as they all stopped their conversations to stare at the new dinner entertainment. Well as an ambassador of the states and with everyone watching, what else could I do but order a shot of Chinese rice liquor (tastes horrible), another beer (Heineken was all they sold here oddly enough), and proceed to finish the meal off. Bad decision! That meal was on Saturday evening, it is now Tuesday evening, and I'm just getting sicker!
Okay, hate to cut this off, but I have a shuttle bus to catch back to the apartment. I promise to post pictures of my apartment area tomorrow (or the next day) and to make the next posts more frequent and shorter, but for now I have to pack up and run.
Hope everyone is doing great!
Now, to the fun stuff, my first weekend in Shanghai! Saturday morning I decided that I would take a walk around my general area of town here in Shanghai. The intent was to start learning the areas, see what restuarants were nearby, and really just see my part of town, so off I went. One of the first things you notice about Shanghai is that they have gone to great lengths to make the city appear green (as in plant life). All major highways are continuously flanked by extravagent plant beds and trees for miles and miles, you really have to see it to fully understand it, but it does an excellent job of making you feel your in somewhere other than a city with an population of 19 million. That being said, my assumption was this was only for the benefit of passers through, and that once you got into the inner parts of the city the green would be gone. That assumption was incorrect! Nearly all the streets are linned with trees no matter where you go. Maybe not the slums, but it's not like I am living in a part of town specifically designed for foreiners (more on that in a sec). So in a word, the plant life in this big city is well maintained and impressive.
On to the area I live in. My best guess based on a few days of walking around and getting the lay of the land, is a middle class section of Shanghai locals, not one of the expat enclaves many may picture. Not that it's bad, just makes for an interesting time. There are very few "westerners" around, and none of the locals in the area speak any English (this was not a surprise but I did want to mention it), so I can say I am getting a fairly authentic Chinese experience.
There is a very nice little market where they sell all kinds of things from bonzai trees (hundreds of them) to flowers, to golf clubs to an amazing abundance of aquariums and fish. Aparently bonzai (which originated in Japan but became popular with Americans who returned from our occupation of Japan with them) and aquariums are very popular with the average chinese.
What is not around is anywhere where you can order food in English, I have to go up around the office for that. They are all very local Chinese resturaunts! I'm sure everyone has heard the story by now, but long of the short is I pointed at a picture to order what I thought was beef or pork in a big bowl with peppers and garlic, and what I got was chopped up frog parts! Not just the legs, but tiny spines, chopped off heads, little flippers, you get the picture. Well everyone found this very amusing as they all stopped their conversations to stare at the new dinner entertainment. Well as an ambassador of the states and with everyone watching, what else could I do but order a shot of Chinese rice liquor (tastes horrible), another beer (Heineken was all they sold here oddly enough), and proceed to finish the meal off. Bad decision! That meal was on Saturday evening, it is now Tuesday evening, and I'm just getting sicker!
Okay, hate to cut this off, but I have a shuttle bus to catch back to the apartment. I promise to post pictures of my apartment area tomorrow (or the next day) and to make the next posts more frequent and shorter, but for now I have to pack up and run.
Hope everyone is doing great!
posted by Sabrina at 2:38 AM
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