So I was looking back at my earlier blogpost and reading my journal and thinking about how I was so close to leaving Shanghai. So close to missing out on this AMAZING experience. I am so so so SO happy I ended up staying because this was just one big, GNARLY adventure I'll never ever be able to repeat. All the things I hated at first, now make me love this place. I love that I can't speak the language that well and getting around is challenging. I love how it's NOT easy. At first it was scary, and shit, coming here by myself like the chick in the book I'm reading takes BALLS, but it's fun. The only way to ever really learn about a culture is to immerse yourelf completely in it. Shanghai is SUCH an amazing city and I really can't think of any other way to describe it. People here are so interested in what you have to say, people here are so interested in foreigners and what attracts people to their country. Shopkeepers would always want to know where I'm from and what I was doing in China. They would be a little bit shocked, a little bit impressed at my ability to converse with them. I mean, yeah China is hot, has a SHITTON of people & equal amounts of mosquitos and yeah it's not the prettiest or the cleanest place to be, but goddamn this city has charm.
& after all is said and done, you really just end up falling in love with the place.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
我爱上海
history of shanghai museum pictures...
crazy ass bride carriage
i don't know..
silly girls..
do silly things...
she was tempting me up to her 'massage' parlour
the bundddd, in like the 50's
funny cutouts of asian people in a time share place thing or sorts.
我的宿舍...[my dorm]
jennifer begging the spanish boys to come out..
my pile of clothes in a controlled state..
keepin' it tidy..
&& Zapatas of course, for our last free night of margaritas :[
anna and godknowswho. all i know is that I'M not on the bar (yessss!)
because he can never make normal faces in pictures..
crazy ass bride carriage
i don't know..
silly girls..
do silly things...
she was tempting me up to her 'massage' parlour
the bundddd, in like the 50's
funny cutouts of asian people in a time share place thing or sorts.
我的宿舍...[my dorm]
jennifer begging the spanish boys to come out..
my pile of clothes in a controlled state..
keepin' it tidy..
&& Zapatas of course, for our last free night of margaritas :[
anna and godknowswho. all i know is that I'M not on the bar (yessss!)
because he can never make normal faces in pictures..
only a few more days...
so so so so sad!
i can't believe it's been a month already!
it's so funny because in the beginning i totally hated it here and i was like...3 weeks to go...
but now i don't want to go backkkk.
there's so much to see, so much to do here.
*sigh.
i'm seriously, SERIOUSLY thinking about studying abroad again in China.
if i had already been to europe i would definitely come back.
but there's too many places in the world to see!
anyone want to come live here with me in a few years?
we'll get sweet jobs and dance our life away.
yeah yeah?
anyways, pictures..
dumpling place. mmm, i'm going to miss the dumplings. dollar dumplings.
pearl tower again.
but this time, inside!
mmm smog
the sun exists..somewhere, behind all those layers of smogg
the tallest building...in the woooorld.
i can't believe it's been a month already!
it's so funny because in the beginning i totally hated it here and i was like...3 weeks to go...
but now i don't want to go backkkk.
there's so much to see, so much to do here.
*sigh.
i'm seriously, SERIOUSLY thinking about studying abroad again in China.
if i had already been to europe i would definitely come back.
but there's too many places in the world to see!
anyone want to come live here with me in a few years?
we'll get sweet jobs and dance our life away.
yeah yeah?
anyways, pictures..
dumpling place. mmm, i'm going to miss the dumplings. dollar dumplings.
pearl tower again.
but this time, inside!
mmm smog
the sun exists..somewhere, behind all those layers of smogg
the tallest building...in the woooorld.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
i still haven't read harry potter..
Yesterday was the last day of a boy in our program so we all went Kareoke-ing again. SERIOUSLY. they should TOTALLY have kareoke places in America. no joke no joke. Afterwards we went to McDonald's for like the 13984239042th time in my life this last month. We were devouring our food and then I look up and I'm like ohh a hummingbird.
it was not a hummingbird.
it was a FATASS f-ing bug.
it was SO GROSS AND SO BIG.
ahhh.
I will seriously never eat McDonald's again. although this city should totally have more places open 24/7. BESIDES clubs.
anyways, I saw the sunrise again, for about the 5th time this last week.
Today, after my restful 3 hours of sleep, I managed to drag myself to the first half of class (guilty conscience) but after falling asleep in class, decided it might be better to just sleep in my bed. Then we went to go get massages.
O.
M.
G.
it's true, everything they say is true. 90 minute massage, 118 kuai (about 16 bucks). HEAVEN HEAVEN HEAVEN.
tonight. food + clubbing.
of course.
last week, gotta live it up.
it was not a hummingbird.
it was a FATASS f-ing bug.
it was SO GROSS AND SO BIG.
ahhh.
I will seriously never eat McDonald's again. although this city should totally have more places open 24/7. BESIDES clubs.
anyways, I saw the sunrise again, for about the 5th time this last week.
Today, after my restful 3 hours of sleep, I managed to drag myself to the first half of class (guilty conscience) but after falling asleep in class, decided it might be better to just sleep in my bed. Then we went to go get massages.
O.
M.
G.
it's true, everything they say is true. 90 minute massage, 118 kuai (about 16 bucks). HEAVEN HEAVEN HEAVEN.
tonight. food + clubbing.
of course.
last week, gotta live it up.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Bund at night because Shanghai is sexy..
we didn't have time to eat dinner, so we hit up a convenience store...
the other side of the Bund, European styled buildings..
Zapatas for good measure.
There are these apartments on the Bund, with probably the most amazing view of Shanghai ever. They go for $1 billion. That doesn't even make sense in my brain.
Needless to say, they've sold like one so far.
yi bai san shi ba hao huai hai zhong lu.
So, my fanlings....
I suppose there's nothing desperately new and exciting to update you on. We've gotten more comfortable getting around and figuring out where we want to go and what we want to do so it's more about repeating what we like rather than incessantly trying new things. Although there is still so so so SOOOO much in Shanghai to see. I dont think I could ever grow bored in this city. [Nina, seriously, so excited for you...] I still have to get used to transportation, which actually forbids me from venturing too far, but given enough time i swear i could figure out. The metro is actually probably easier to take then BART. & also the weather. It's just too damned hot here. This week is going to be the high 90s. & NOT EVERYWHERE IS AIR CONDITIONED! you try exploring a historical garden in 97 degrees.
The last couple nights have degenerated into bar-ing and clubbing because it's just THAT amazing here. Every morning we wake up and swear 'never again' but every night we somehow end up out again. I suppose I will probably never get to be quite as frivolous as this ever again, so i guess "when in shanghai..." Whenever I miss class (I swear only a few times!!) I just tell myself that I'll make up learning Chinese by talking to shopkeepers and bargaining. My mastery of the chinese language only extend to shopping & bargaining. & that only consists of "tai guai le, ni keyi pianyi yi dian, wo shi xuesheng, wo meiyou qian" (that's too expensive, can you make it cheaper, i'm a student, i dont have money). I still have to figure out phrases like YOU SUCK, and STOP RIPPING ME OFF, and THE QUALITY IS SHIT. Baby steps man.
So, because my days & nights have become a regulated pattern of eating, shopping and going out, the last couple days are slightly indistinguishable. I know that somewhere in the last few days there was shopping, eating and going out but for the life of me I could not tell you when and where. I know we hit up a lot of KFC and McDonalds (only place open 24/7) & i swear to god if i see one more french fry again i'm going to cry. I've eaten so much fast food here, more than like my whole life at home, it's ridiculous. I'm reading a book, recommended by my boyfriend dear, called "Foreign Babes in Beijing" which is actually really appropriate reading right now because it's about a girl who ends up getting a job at a PR firm in Beijing and just moves there by herself and it chronicles her adventures and getting used to life in China. She also randomly ends up getting a job on a Chinese soap opera as a foreign girl - kind of ends up playing herself on TV. Anyways, the book is pretty spot on and it's cool to be able to relate to her observations on a personal level ("oh my god i totally know what you're talking about" and the like). She talks about how the emergence of McDonald's has led to an increase in the obesity rate among children in China from 4ish% to 12ish% (oh the horror! what is it in America, like 85%???) and so a worried government increased funding on health & fat awareness (like pamphlets i guess?) i would say that i'm totally coming back fatter, if it wasn't for the fact that i drink about 10 water bottles a day, and sweat it out in my 1000 miles of walking a day.
lots of walking.
that and the dancing.
lots of dancing.
in related news, here are some pictures of a sunrise in shanghai:
it has come to my attention that i didn't ever come back to the title.
it's an address.
it's the address of the club Babyface.
it's the address we've told cab drivers for about 4 nights in a row.
it's the address of the sunrise pictures.
that is all.
I suppose there's nothing desperately new and exciting to update you on. We've gotten more comfortable getting around and figuring out where we want to go and what we want to do so it's more about repeating what we like rather than incessantly trying new things. Although there is still so so so SOOOO much in Shanghai to see. I dont think I could ever grow bored in this city. [Nina, seriously, so excited for you...] I still have to get used to transportation, which actually forbids me from venturing too far, but given enough time i swear i could figure out. The metro is actually probably easier to take then BART. & also the weather. It's just too damned hot here. This week is going to be the high 90s. & NOT EVERYWHERE IS AIR CONDITIONED! you try exploring a historical garden in 97 degrees.
The last couple nights have degenerated into bar-ing and clubbing because it's just THAT amazing here. Every morning we wake up and swear 'never again' but every night we somehow end up out again. I suppose I will probably never get to be quite as frivolous as this ever again, so i guess "when in shanghai..." Whenever I miss class (I swear only a few times!!) I just tell myself that I'll make up learning Chinese by talking to shopkeepers and bargaining. My mastery of the chinese language only extend to shopping & bargaining. & that only consists of "tai guai le, ni keyi pianyi yi dian, wo shi xuesheng, wo meiyou qian" (that's too expensive, can you make it cheaper, i'm a student, i dont have money). I still have to figure out phrases like YOU SUCK, and STOP RIPPING ME OFF, and THE QUALITY IS SHIT. Baby steps man.
So, because my days & nights have become a regulated pattern of eating, shopping and going out, the last couple days are slightly indistinguishable. I know that somewhere in the last few days there was shopping, eating and going out but for the life of me I could not tell you when and where. I know we hit up a lot of KFC and McDonalds (only place open 24/7) & i swear to god if i see one more french fry again i'm going to cry. I've eaten so much fast food here, more than like my whole life at home, it's ridiculous. I'm reading a book, recommended by my boyfriend dear, called "Foreign Babes in Beijing" which is actually really appropriate reading right now because it's about a girl who ends up getting a job at a PR firm in Beijing and just moves there by herself and it chronicles her adventures and getting used to life in China. She also randomly ends up getting a job on a Chinese soap opera as a foreign girl - kind of ends up playing herself on TV. Anyways, the book is pretty spot on and it's cool to be able to relate to her observations on a personal level ("oh my god i totally know what you're talking about" and the like). She talks about how the emergence of McDonald's has led to an increase in the obesity rate among children in China from 4ish% to 12ish% (oh the horror! what is it in America, like 85%???) and so a worried government increased funding on health & fat awareness (like pamphlets i guess?) i would say that i'm totally coming back fatter, if it wasn't for the fact that i drink about 10 water bottles a day, and sweat it out in my 1000 miles of walking a day.
lots of walking.
that and the dancing.
lots of dancing.
in related news, here are some pictures of a sunrise in shanghai:
it has come to my attention that i didn't ever come back to the title.
it's an address.
it's the address of the club Babyface.
it's the address we've told cab drivers for about 4 nights in a row.
it's the address of the sunrise pictures.
that is all.
my day with the barthelona boys
crazy boyyy
crazy boyy and shopkeepers
shanghai museum + barca boys. pimpinnnn' hahha.
i love the people's square skyline.
birds! in shanghai!!
people's square
people's square
they actually work and keep you cooler
shanghai museum
i swear they kept making other people take pictures. i have like 60 pictures of us in various parts of the museum..
arrr
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