MYSTERY MEAT OF THE DAY

Some things are better done the old fashioned way but I'm not so sure about preserving meat with salt...

Cultural Hub

My favorite thing about living in Shanghai, thus far, is its fascinatingly diverse expat population. I've never been to such an international city that has so much to offer. Timeout, a local expat magazine in Shanghai, stated that the foreign population here is over 200,000 and growing fast. My roommate and I were talking the other day about how we feel Shanghai is the cultural hub of the world. We have met people here from all over, from Russia to Africa and Argentina to Lebanon. In fact, in the last few weeks, we have met at least one person from every continent in the world (minus Antarctica). It's exciting to hear about what has brought everyone to Shanghai. Some are here passing by on business trips, some also to teach English, some to attend one of the universities and some -like my friend from Melbourne, Australia- have moved out here on a whim just to see what all the hype is really about.

There is a palpable energy here that I would best describe as opportunity meets hustle. The endless opportunity for foreigners, especially English speaking Westernes, has drawn expats to Shanghai for countless reasons, but everyone seems to have come to become apart of one of the fastest economic booms the world has ever seen. Jobs are abundant here. And people work hard. If you're looking to make money teaching English, it's not uncommon for job offers to come to you, without even having to search for them. Chinese parents enroll their four-year-olds into extra English Sunday classes before their children even know how to correctly use Chinese tones. Everybody is searching for an English tutor and they're willing to pay extra for a foreigner. As a result, the demand for foreign English teachers is through the roof. If you're willing to put in extra time and, often times, cut your weekends short, there is money to be made.

The best part about being part of such a massive foreign community, are the hundreds of restaurants, clubs and shops that are directed towards Westerners. Several local magazines, written for expats, keep everyone in the know about the newest openings and latest events. On any given night, there are a ton of bars and clubs packed with people from around the world. Although Western food is significantly more expensive than the local Chinese cuisine, sometimes it is just necessary. After being surrounded my millions of Chinese people everyday, there is nothing like the feeling of escaping to Element Fresh, where I am able to enjoy some peace and quiet, a more familiar western crowd and a nice salad.

DVD Lady

Facebook might be banned in China but you can get The Social Network from DVD Lady for a whole $1.50. yayuh!

"So how's China?"

I had been debating the thought of starting a blog for some time. One minute thinking it was a good way to better answer the frequent question, "So how's China?" and the next minute feeling like it was better to just live life as it comes and not spend time posting about it online (the second thought stemming from my irritation of people who seem too busy taking pictures at parties to post for everyone to see later, that it looks as if they have forgotten to actually enjoy the party itself while they are there). But after 2 1/2 months, I have decided to give the popular travel-move-go-abroad blog a-go.

Like moving to any foreign city, I've come to realize that it is the small, odd, daily experiences and bizarre events that have really shaped my time here in Shanghai. Sure the Bund is awesome at night and teaching has been fun, but it's those little incidences that really make me say to myself, "Wow, I'm really living in China". It's those same small stories, however, that are laughed about one minute and forgotten the next...or as soon as China throws another curveball. And let me tell you, China throws at least one curveball a day.

Every time I am asked the question, "So how's China", a jumble of stories about living here and all of China's oddities comes to mind but not knowing where to start or how to explain it all my usual answer is, "China is crazy. It's going really well but WOW, it's so different over here". Vague, I know. Hopefully this blog will help me document and remember these daily experiences that are shaping my time here and also help me better portray what it's really like to live in such a vast and foreign city.

So to wrap up my first post, I will tell a short story about the time that made me really want to start writing things down:

It happened a week or so ago on Friday night, around 7 pm. Alyssa and I knew this day would inevitably come. We had gone across the street to get some street skewers and upon arriving home, we realize that we have both left our keys in the apartment. Oh boy, another curveball. No keys. No Chinese. And we definitely don't have a clue of how to get a hold of our 90 year old landlady. We aren't even sure if she is still alive, she was suppose to come collect rent on the 20th and it had been a week or so since then.

We head down to the first floor and attempt to get help from our security guard (who speaks zero English). After motioning with our hands, "no key", we resort to sitting in the lobby asking every person who walks by if they speak English. After numerous people pass by, a lady who speaks only a few words of English, finally comes to the rescue. She helps us translate and tells us to wait.

About 30 minutes later, an old Chinese fellow walks in with several dirty bags. Where did they find this guy? He's wearing a blazer and ragged white shoes. His gray hair is jelled up in an Elvis-type look. The three of us get into the elevator. Alyssa looks at me and asks, "You think it's the landlady's husband?".

We head up to the 20th floor and arrive at our door. Before doing anything else, he lights a cigarette. He then proceeds to grab a bag of dirty metal tools. A pink Hello Kitty bag. We stand there for about 25 minutes watching him spray WD 40 and jam his metal tool in and out of the hole. His cigarette never leaves his mouth and he ashes all over his blazer.

Finally realizing what he should have 20 minutes prior, he decides that his method isn't going to work and then runs around the corner. He's back in a flash with a wet and dirty plastic bag that he had found in the garbage. Ripping and pulling the bag into long pieces of stretched out plastic, he starts to jam the bag into the hold with another one of his metal tools. Time is ticking and we're beginning to wonder if we'll ever get inside and start our Friday night. Eventually, he figures it out and the gate opens.

Shoving his tools back into his dirty Hello Kitty bag, he demands 160 rmb (you can get a 600ml Tsingtao for about 4 rmb...so we were a little dissapointed to shell out this much cash this early on a Friday night). Bargaining prices down is common here but he was not having it. We decide to let this one go and just pay him the whole 160 rmb. Afterall, he knows where we live and how to get into our house.

Until next time-

CL