Teacher, Teacher, Let Me Try!

So, I am on to the new phase of my Shanghai life. I have finally moved out of the hotel, and I have finally completed training. I live quite near my hotel, near Zhongshan Park, near one of the biggest malls I have ever been in. It's in Puxi (West of the River), while my work is in Pudong (East of the River), but Puxi is more of the city center, and that's where I wanted to live.

I have only met one of my roommates. It is a big apartment, with 5 bedrooms, so I have a lot more meeting to do. My next door roommate is Marion, a French girl. She says a friend of her's will be moving in soon. So apparently I will be living with 2 French girls, 1 French guy, and an Australian girl.

Just in case the news that I am living with girls is off-putting to some of you, I wanted to explain real quick. Shanghai is such an in-and-out city, with people studying for a semester, taking a summer internship, working on a year-long contract, that many expat apartments will experience heavy turnover. Although in Orlando, I would have strongly pulled for a guys-only apartment, that just isn't a possibility here. I am not sure if I even saw 1 available apartment listing that was only guys.

But anyway, my training has been a really fun experience. Teaching classes is a very intense, high energy experience. I got my first class all to myself on Saturday, and it went pretty well. Education here, especially with language, is very chanting based. The title of this blog is what they must shout if they want to play whatever game I have set up. I do a lot of role play. Like when I was teaching about the weather and phrases having to do with rain, I poked a hole in a water bottle, and shot water at the kids, teaching the phrase "You're all wet!" They loved it.

I've made a good amount of friends here. One of my coworkers, as it turns out, is from Florida and is a Christian. She, another friend, and I are planning to visit an international church on Saturday night.

I will show a few photos of my apartment and stuff once I get the Wifi situation figured out there. In the meantime, I am writing this from my local Starbucks. It's literally on the same block.

Now that I have a place and a job and everything, I desperately want visitors. If you ever decide you want to come see me, I promise you it will be worth it. Shanghai is an amazing place!

Water Though Its Frozen

Well, my first weekend has just ended. I am back to work today, still in training though. I don't feel like I should use this blog to say whatever I want about the company I work for, so I'll just say I have really enjoyed it so far, and the kids are adorable. You'll have to get more information in later blogs or in a Skype session.

My free hotel stay is up in a few days, so the last couple days have been a flurry of apartment hunting. The listings online are always very eclectic sounding, like "you'll be rooming with a French guy and a Chinese girl" or "You'll be sharing a bathroom with an Irish club promoter."  I'm kind of bordering desperation at this point, so I'll take anything clean looking. My kind of one luxury that I'm holding out for is a room on a high floor. I want that high floor.

I've gotten to see a lot of the city. On Monday I found Jinling Road, which is just like a half mile stretch of mostly music stores. I went in and out of them, playing pianos and ukuleles. I even found a banjo!

Yesterday, my friend Brittany and I decided we wanted to get a good view of this city, which meant finding the top of a high building. We tried to get to the top of this one, which was our favorite, but no dice.

Then it hit us: hotels usually have restaurants at the top. So we got up to the 39th floor of the JW Marriott. The restaurant prices were a tad steep, so we just got desert. I don't think they liked that. But the Crème Brule was amazing, and so was this view:
















Overall, it's been a good past few days. I've been into way more bars than I care to mention, ordering my ginger ales and lemonades. But I wanted to step out and socialize with people I'm meeting. At least one of the bars had an awesome band doing BeeGees covers.

Monday night was a bit of a bad night for me. I feel a tad depleted. It's been a while since I have had some real, authentic Christian fellowship. Because of my hectic training schedule and plans this weekend, I didn't get to go to church, but now I feel like I'm running on empty. So I'm definitely gearing up to visit a church this weekend. I'm really excited to begin that part of my Shanghai adventure.

ALSO - Pray that God will provide me with the right apartment.

Giving Love a Little Shove

Hey, a lot has happened since my last post, but I'm not going to go over it in full. This isn't much of a recap blog. I'm not just going to log my schedule over the past few days. I don't owe you that; step off.

I'm here just to talk about culture shock and expatriation.

It's difficult to accurately present how my first week in China has gone. I don't want to paint it too obnoxiously bright, because that will omit the important struggles and low points. However, I don't want to over-present its more difficult aspects, because it will paint my overall mood as depressed, which it's not. At all.

I have absolutely loved this first week, but spare moments have been a very special brand of loneliness. Not because I don't know anybody. I could have moved to Boise and not known anybody. But a culture shapes so much of how its people think, and how their personalities develop. It's like everybody in the same culture has their brain tuned into the same radio station. It's an exhilarating and tiring feeling to be one of the few not tuned in.

My dietary habits personally encapsulate the ebb and flow of this experience. When I try new, signature Chinese foods, they sometimes taste amazing. I savor it, and can't wait to try it again. I know if America took a stab at this particular dish, it would taste inferior. However, sometimes the cuisine is completely unappealing. I don't want my chicken cold and slimy. I want to retreat to the American chains. But when I go to KFC and Subway, it tastes somehow off. No restaurant here, even if USA-originated, can truly emulate the food that I grew up with.

Despite this explanation, I want you to all understand just how amazing this week has been. I have made so many new friends. I have visited my school and sat in on classes. I am so excited to get my own class and students, and I know it will be an amazing growing experience. If you want more details on what my company is like, or my school, you can talk to me privately.

This is going to be an amazingly transforming experience. It will be an adventure that I will be desperately thankful that I had, no matter if it last only a year or longer. I know that it will ebb and flow; some days will be harder than others. The only unifying characteristics of these disparate days will be the plans in motion by the loving hands of God. So my purpose in glorifying God will propel the days forward. Be praying that I can palpably feel God's hands in my life, and that my heart would be stilled to listen to Him every moment of every day!

Because I was Craving Duck Blood

So it's been a few days, I've been able to fudge my existence with China a little. The past few days have entailed opening a Chinese bank account, registering at the police station, and doing some sightseeing with the other new hire Kyle. We went to the Bund, which is an area next to the river with beautiful buildings and architecture. It looks like this.

But other than trying some new Chinese dishes (while avoiding ones advertising Bull Frog meet and duck blood), it's been a pretty low-key past few days. So I'll use this blog to just talk about just a few first impressions on the differences in China.

1) The pedestrian is not top dog in China. In the US, hitting a pedestrian can cost you big time. Cross-walks are like holy force fields. Here pedestrians exist on a very Frogger-like playing field. The vehicle is king, and they do not watch out for you. Watching out for you is your job.

2) Although I'm sure rural areas have a much bigger hoopla over seeing foreigners, we're not so uncommon in Shanghai. On any walking trip or subway trip, I'll see at least a couple non-Chinese people.  There's still a small enough number that I will catch people looking me over. People try to be discreet about it, but I still catch them.

 But I very rarely get the long, unadulterated stare from people. While at the Bund, my buddy Kyle was approached by Chinese tourists in Shanghai. They asked for a photo of him, saying he was the first white person they saw and he was handsome. However, there are still plenty of expats enough that our presence is no big deal.

3) China has a very, very specific smell, BUT it is not at all bad. Most of you who know me well know that in the past I have made a slightly diva-like dramatic emphasis on my sensitive nose. Coming here, I was legitimately worried about what smells I would encounter. Having come here, though, stay in a hotel, walk down a busy street, be harassed by an army of beggars, and hang out on crowded subways, I have not run into any problems. It's not always pleasant, but the US isn't always a rose either.

4) Finally, I want to clarify a little on how international churches work here. To the best of my knowledge, I believe an international church for expats was set up in the 90s. Since then, quite a few official, well-sized international churches have sprung up in Shanghai. These churches are open only to expats. Beyond this restriction, however, the churches function just like churches in the US. They have contemporary worship services, retreats, youth groups, and cell groups. This is all legitimate and state recognized.

That's all I got right now. Tomorrow I start orientation! Here's another photo to part with.

I'm a Shell; I Have Nothing Left to Give!

Ok, so I'll try to keep this one short, as there will be no photos accompanying it. I did take photos today, but only on my iPhone, which you may have to wait a few weeks before you see.

Today was the great day of subway. I had looked up an international church I wanted to visit, mapped out the route, and took it. This particular church met weekly in a Marriott.

Surprisingly, I did not get lost while taking connecting subways. I surprised myself. One of the metros is above ground and has a beautiful view. Somehwhere between computer searching and the actual trek to the church, my brain must have had a mini-stroke and switched the name of Marriott to Ramada in my brain. Therefore I was unable to find until after the first service had started. There was another service at 11 though, so I decided to wait in a nearby Starbucks.

 It was there that I started creeping on a conversation of international expats nearby. Hearing trigger words like "fellowship," I asked them who they were. Turns out, they were a group of locals who were promoting and dealing out tickets for Hillsong, who just so happens to be coming to Shanghai soon. When I told them I had only been here two days, they all let out a hearty laugh and invited me to sit with them.

They told me about another church that most of them went to in another part of town. So I ended up going to that church in the afternoon. It was in this beautiful brick chapel, with vines falling down. The service was amazing. Everybody in there was just so passionate, awesome.

Upon leaving the church, however, I get super harassed. It felt like I was a celebrity whose location had been found by a hive of paparazzi, but instead of journalists, it was beggars. There at least 7 people who started yelling at me and sticking cups in my faces, two of them little girls. I gave out as much as I could before trying to get a way, a few of them following me down the street a ways. It was a bit jarring.

I was so exhausted by the time I got back to my hotel. I had spent around 3 hours in the subway yesterday, so I just skipped the hassle of dinner and got Pocky and Green Apple Fanta from the little Family Mart.

So that was yesterday!

Pasty White Glory

Alright, so it's 5 PM of my first full day in Shanghai! Today has been a blast so far, and also very exhausting. I know I mentioned it in my last post, but I'm going to mention it again: It is very, very hot here. At one point, I couldn't help but think, ya know, maybe I'm being rude to my body, forcing it to function in the weather. Maybe the only polite thing to do is to let it die. But I kept going.

Now, I didn't have to meet my company contact, Joe, until about 3, so I had the first half of the day to do whatever. Last night I went to bed at 6 PM Shanghai time, and managed to sleep for 11 hours. I'm telling you, my jetlag has not been bad at all since I've been here. I woke up around 5 and took my time getting up.

Around 7, I went walking around looking for an ATM. After the ATM, I went into a little convenience store to get a little breakfast snack. I found some what I think were raspberry and blueberry Oreos and some chocolate pretzel-like sticks. They were yummy and nutritious.

After that, I went to a nearby park I had seen on a map. It was way larger than I thought. And beautiful. There were winding paths, with flowers, ponds, gazebos. There were endless senior citizens doing tai chi. Like everywhere. My path led me to a little bench where I sat and had a brief but friendly chat with a nice old Chinese man. Then I went down into the metro card looking to buy a metro card with no luck.

It was still pretty early when I got back to the hotel room. I was hot and exhausted, so after Skyping with my parents I sat down and watched a movie. My Skype session made me realize I had hardly taken any photos of my morning adventure, so before I grabbed something to eat, I went back into the park and took the photos that are on Facebook.

The second time around, I was walking, and a woman far away on another path started shouting "Ni guo lai!" (Come over here) I walked over, and she starts asking me all these questions, most of which I couldn't understand. I talked with her as long as I could. By the end of the conversation, I sensed that she wanted to spend more time with me, so I barfed out a weird Chinese sentence along the lines of "I want to go find a restaurant now, goodbye." and left.

Another man stopped me and started asking me questions, most of which I again couldn't understand. He kept talking and exaggeratingly running his hands through his hair and flipping his hair back. I couldn't tell if he was mocking my hair or complimenting it so I had no idea how to respond. Either, "Oh thank you for noticing" or "You know, menopausal women in my country pay for this hair, so step off."

I found a KFC/Pizza Hut, and since I was too nervous to begin my journey of authentic Chinese cuisine and the diarrheal adventure that accompanies it, I went into the KFC. I went in expecting to walk up to the counter and order, but upon entering, a women asks "One person?" I respond affirmatively and am whisked to my seat, upon which I learn that KFCs in China are sit-down affairs. I ordered a black pepper steak pizza, which was very good.

After that, went back to my hotel, waiting for stomach problems that never came (Yay!) and met up with Joe. Joe and another new hire, Kyle. We went to a Starbucks, got cold drinks and discussed the contract that I eventually signed. They were both very nice guys, nice and white.

Out of the three, I am the palest, which for just one year, will be a good thing.

I also took some photos that I will use for various documents, so cool.

I am tired from the heat, but I have accomplished a lot. I have done my first store transaction, been to my first restaurant, gotten my metro card, and met with my new coworkers. I might just call it a day, but we'll see.

One last note. If you are reading this and plan to stay tuned in to this blog, it'd be awesome if you got a Google account to post comments to my blog posts. All you need is a Gmail, which will automatically give you a Google + account, and then you can follow me and post comments. I would like my blog to be interactive, and I would like to know who is reading this. Thanks!

Be in touch again soon!

I Write This with Sweaty Hands

So I'm here. I've made it. And my jet lag isn't all that bad, up until now, the only huge symptom is that my face has felt numb and stiff, like it's been under a recent Botox operation.

I'm starting to crash now, though. It's a little past 5 PM here, which means I've been up for 24 hours, 18 of these hours spent on an airplane.

Thankfully, I was seated on the international flight next to two really cool guys, with whom I exchanged contacts. I watched 5 movies, and nearly 2 episodes of New Girl on the flight. It wasn't actually that torturous of a flight.

I wish I could have had a more profound thought as I took my first step off the plane, but the first thought to slip my brain was "Holy crap." And that was in response to the heat. I wouldn't say it reaches the heat of, say, hell, but like a demi-version of hell. In terms of kitchen appliances, Shanghai is the Easy Bake Oven of Hell.

There was a driver to pick me, whose American name is Tom. He spoke very little English, so most of our conversation relied on my Mandarin. Now, keep in mind that I haven't been in Chinese class since April, and I had just been through 18 hours of air travel, so the fact that we could have conversations discussing American and Chinese Idol and "Shanghai is hot!" should impress you.

The drive into Shanghai was crazy. I couldn't help smiling. This place is completely unlike anything I've ever known. It was all new and foreign to me. It was indescribable...it was another vague, abstract descriptor.

It was huge; that's what it was. Starting on the outskirts from the airport and driving into the heart of the city, Shanghai just seems to go on forever. The buildings are tall and impressive.

I'm in my hotel room now, and I'm thinking about whether or not I should go back out. After I settled into my hotel room, I did a lap around my giant city block, half-sight seeing, half-looking for an ATM to get some more cash out. I'm feeling very intimidated, and also exhausted. I should have plenty of time to go exploring tomorrow.

Signing out.