Day 3: More Observations

The hotel is good, but it seems everyone smokes here, so the room smells like smoke, and I'm having a hard time adjusting.  I feel like I've ingested several packs worth of cigarettes, and I haven't even been here 24 hours! The only English TV channel I get is CNN. CCTV (Communist China TV) is all propaganda!

Last night's banquet with the Shanghai teachers and administrators was probably one of the biggest dinners I will ever have. They had a private banquet room reserved, and it was very shiny and
 laquery (I think I just made up that word), and there were several mirrors, chandeliers, and pillows with sequins.  We had tea first, and then we went into the larger banquet room that had a table with rose petals scattered in the middle of a huge glass lazy Susan.

The server came around with a choice of drinks:  yogurt, blueberry juice, orange juice, and lychee juice.  We also had wine, and the serving size was about one thimble full for a serving.  They had about eight different toasts, which I didn't understand because they were in Mandarin, and once I
drank my thimble-full, someone raced over and filled my glass again (another thimble).  I didn't really want anymore, and one of the teachers picked up on that.  She said that they will keep refilling your glass until you tell them no.

Then, a barrage of foods came.  There were many things that were completely unrecognizable.  Most of them were some kind of mushroom or bean curd.  There was shrimp, something that looked like a mussel, crab, and several side dishes.  Just when I thought we were done (and I was already stuffed!), they brought individual entrees of fish.  It was really good.  Then, they had soup, dumplings, more bean curd, more mushrooms, fruit, some kind of tapioca coconut soup, and more tea.  I was really surprised at the table manners--a lot of slurping and crunching. When they were eating the crab, they would just bite into the shells and spit them out on the plate.  Often, the shells would bounce off their plates and land on the table.  Funny.

 One thing I like here is that people don't hug.  They sometimes shake hands, and they do a little bit of bowing.  They don't talk much about their personal lives, but I did show pictures of my stepson, my husband, and my cats.  They said that both my husband and stepson looked handsome and "really smart."  They were right! They loved the cats, and one teacher (Dongping--aka "Jane") said that Miles had big eyes just like me.  They also said that I represent the school well because I am young and pretty.  Looks seem to be a big thing here.  The women have beautiful clothes and jewelry, but I haven't seen one yet who wears makeup.
Today, I got to sleep in a little, which was good. I had breakfast here at the hotel--it's free for guests. I was by myself, and one of the waiters must've felt bad for me because he handed me a plate and walked me around--pointing out what he thought I would like.  It was awkward and funny at the same time.  It's the weirdest breakfast ever, though. It is a buffet that has some fruit, but it's mostly rice, noodles, dumplings, and pastries that aren't very sweet. I can't find enough of one thing I like to fill up on, so feel like I'm always hungry. I weighed myself, and I like Chinese scales--they always weigh me lighter than I know I am! To make up for my skimpy breakfast, I had a bunch of Digestif cookies with chocolate that I bought at Lawson--my favorite convenience store on the way to school. 

The other food we have eaten is--well, I'm just going to say it--mostly disgusting. I'm pretty open-minded about food and want to try new things, but I'm already tired of noodles, rice, dumplings, and unidentifiable slimey slabs of meat.  The hotel also has room service breakfast. Here are the choices: Congee (like rice mush), assorted vegetables, fried rice, stuffed shrimp small sumplings, steamed bread, and noodle soup with seafood. The dinner room service includes fried shredded eel and shark fin soup. There is a free breakfast buffet downstairs every day, and I just head straight for the pastries. I'm just not into beef stew and fish with heads for breakfast. Nevertheless, I don't think I've lost any weight because whenever I see a McDonald's or convenience store, I go in and binge on something bad for me. Oh, well.

After breakfast, I came back to my room and we went to the school around 12:00. They took us on an amazing boat ride down the Huangpu River. The skyline is so cool! On one side of the river, you have futuristic, mod buildings. On the opposite side of the river, you have the old Shanghai--the area called The Bund. These are the buildings that the British built in the 1800s after the first Opium War. After the cruise, we walked The Bund. It was strange how people would openly gawk at us. Whenever we stopped to take pictures as a group, other people would always take pictures of us, too. Sometimes, people would follow us for a while when we walked. It's just weird. There aren't many white people, though.

After our trip, Tim and I came back to the hotel. He wanted to eat dinner at a place he went to last year. It's called the "Little Fat Sheep.' It's a hot pot restaurant. We took a taxi, and it cost 20 RMB ($3.00) for a ride that was at least 10-15 minutes away. So cheap! The meal was good. The funniest thing is that you have to pay for napkins! I was also the only white person in this restaurant that was full of hundreds of diners. So, of course, staring... 

We just came back to the hotel, and I'm going to pack for our two-day trip to Suzhou tomorrow. The students have three days off for the Qing Ming Festival, so they will come with us. The kids will share rooms with their host brothers/sisters, and I will have my own room. It's supposedly another 4-star hotel. We will check out of this hotel for one day and store our things at the front desk. Then, we'll come back the following day and check back in.

 I'm getting used to the money here--I did my first cash exchange today.  They charge a $15 transaction fee at the hotel, but it was more convenient than going to the bank.  So far, I haven't spent a ton of money.

It's weird that hardly anyone seems to speak English here.  I thought there would be many more who would.  I'm picking up a few phrases.  I learned today that "Ching bang  wo" means "Please help me." 

Day 2: First Day of School (on a Sunday!)

Today, I went downstairs in the hotel for breakfast, and I could barely tell what any of the food was.  I was by myself, and one of the waiters must've felt bad for me, because he handed me a plate and walked me around--pointing out what he thought I'd like.  It was funny and embarrassing.  Then, Tim and I walked to the school.  The traffic is ridiculous here--it's like a warzone when you're trying to cross the street.  There are electric scooters everywhere.  I had to give a little speech at the school, and Tim told me that all the teachers and principals kept saying how young I was.  And tall.  And pretty.  It's a little intense the way people stare.  I hope I'm not too conceited when I get back after all this!  :)  We took a tour of the school, and I sat in for a while in an English class.  Two of our students were in there, too, and the teacher actually asked one of my male students to look at all the girls and tell the class which one he thought was prettiest.  Poor kid!  He was so embarrassed!  Luckily, he just said they were all pretty.  Good answer! 

Tim and I left to come back to the hotel at about 10:30, and I asked him to help me buy some food.  Of course, Iike a dumb American, I went to McDonald's and got a cheeseburger and fries. Tasted exactly the same.  When I walked in, the girl behind the counter slapped a picture menu on the counter and gestured for me to point at what I wanted.  It was, again, funny and awkward. 

 As for Diet Coke.It does not exist here!Even when it says "Diet Coke" on the menu, it is "Coke Light." I know that Mexican Coke Light has sugar in it, and I swear this one does, too, although the can says it doesn't. It tastes like Coke Classic. Maybe it's Coke Zero.WHATEVER it is, I don't like it.I've had a lot of water.I feel very dehydrated.

I came back to the hotel, ate my McDonald's, and then the maid knocked on my door.  I have no idea what she was trying to tell me, but she kept pointing at her uniform, and then she came in and looked in one of the drawers.  I think she left something.  Then, I tried to ask her how to turn on the TV.  Well, she couldn't do it, either, so she brought in the Great Helmsman of the Tianping Hotel (he really did look a little like Mao), and he not only gave me a full tutorial in English, but he hooked up my computer to the internet.  Luckily, you don't tip here. Otherwise, after all the help they gave me, I'd be broke from tipping.  I have been able to mumble "xie xie" quite a bit.  I find that whenever you don't know what to say, you can just say that or "dui."

Later, the teachers are coming to the hotel for a banquet.  No kids--just the teachers, Tim, and me.  It's at 5:30, so I'm hoping to make an early night of it tonight.  Tomorrow morning, we go back to the school and then on the Huangpu River Cruise (which the teachers keep calling a "cruiser, " as in--tomorrow, we're taking a cruiser.)  Now, I'm going to watch CNN and take a little nap.  I wonder if I won the Mega Millions??

The Flight and First Day

We're all here and safe!  Everyone's baggage arrived, although one student did pick up the wrong bag.  Luckily, someone brought her correct bag to her host family's house, so it got fixed rather quickly.  The flight was long! Luckily, I did manage to sleep a little, and I watched several movies--many of which I had already seen.  I saw all or some of: The Descendants, The Artist, J. Edgar, Hugo, New Year's Eve, and My Week With Marilyn.  We had three meals and several snacks, too.  The first meal was a choice of pizza or dim sum.  I felt weird about getting the pizza until I saw every other person--including the native Chinese people next to me--getting it, too.  That made me feel better. 

After 14 hours of butt-numbing sitting, we finally arrived at the Pudong Airport.  It was about 7:30 PM. shanghai time.  We were met by the teachers from Shanghai High School No. 4 ,and they herded us to a shuttle bus that would take us to the school.  It was about an hour-long trip, and I sat next to Dongping, who will be my travel companion for most of the trip.  She is an English teacher, so her English is quite good.  She pointed out sights to us as we drove to the school.

Once at school, the students met their host families and left for the evening.  Tim and I went to our hotel and got settled into our rooms.  His three friends from Taiwan had flown in to hang out with him over the weekend.  They asked me to come out with them.  I was really tired, but these girls were so nice, and I wanted to see what a Chinese karaoke place was like.  We went to "Party World," which was surreal.  It was basically this huge office building with private rooms.  They brought us dumplings, beer, and whisky.  I barely had anything to eat or drink, but  I sure don't feel great today.  One of the girls had so much to drink that she passed out, and when I insisted that we should take her home, they just laughed and said she'd be fine.  They kept checking her breathing to make sure she was still alive.  To me, that's a good sign of when it's time to go home.  For them, though, that was just the beginning of a good karaoke night.   I only got about four hours of sleep, because we had to be to the school at 8:00.  I'm glad that I went, though.  It was such a strange place.  I liked the Tawainese girls a lot.  They are so nice and wanted me to teach them how to "pop"--their word for hip hop dancing.  Why they thought I would know how to do that is beyond me.  They kept saying I was pretty, so tall and skinny, and that I look just like Nicole Kidman!  That made me laugh.  I look NOTHING like Nicole Kidman.  I don't even have red hair, which to me, would at least be some starting point of resemblance.

Los Angeles to Shanghai: The Details

**Picture is of Shanghai School No. 4

Ever since I became the coordinator of the foreign language magnet at my school last August, I wondered if I'd actually get to visit any foreign countries. I have to admit that the hope of just maybe getting to travel somewhere was a huge draw for me to even consider this job. I really haven't been anywhere. (Okay--I did once go on a cruise that stopped in Cozumel, Mexico, and Grand Cayman), but I've never really been overseas. Little did I know that my first big foray into foreign travel would be to China. Even though I've lived in Los Angeles for 12 years, I still consider myself a midwesterner--an Iowan--and it makes me laugh to imagine myself in China. Sure, Los Angeles has toughened me up--even weathered me, a bit. But, still, the thought of me traipsing the streets of Shanghai still cracks me up. 

Today, I received our itinerary. I'm traveling with the school's Mandarin teacher and ten students. The students will stay with host families, but the Mandarin teacher and I will be staying at the Tianping Hotel in the Xujiahui district of Shanghai. The Mandarin teacher told me that it's considered a 4-star hotel--mostly because they have ice. I'm just hoping there's a western toilet. Here's what else I know:

Day 1: Leaving Los Angeles at 2:50 P.M. The direct flight is 14 hours long and arrives at Pudong International Airport at 7:45 P.M. the following day. We will go directly the Shanghai Secondary School No. 4, where students will meet and go home with their host families. Mandarin teacher and I will make our way to Tianping Hotel. Since he's a guy, we get separate rooms. Fine with me. Check out Tianping Hotel: http://www.tianpinghotel.com/en/guestroom.html#

I like these descriptions from the site:

When the evening lights are lit, the bright light in Xujiahui Centre draws the unforgettable nocturne captures the unforgettable night in Shanghai.

and

Checking into luxury suite at Tianping Hotel is the a great opportunity to get more surprise be pleasantly surprised and receive a courteous reception.

Here is the rest of the itinerary so far:

Day 2: Greeting ceremony, school history exhibition hall visit, school tour, lunch, Chinese knot-tying class, and greeting banquet at Shanghai School No. 4

Day 3: Paper dyeing and cutting class and kite flying in Gong Qing National Forest Park

Day 4: Chinese Wushu lesson and Yu Garden sightseeing

Day 5: Chinese painting class, visits to Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center (People's Square), Shanghai Museum, and Nanjing Road

Day 6: Visit the first day of the Qing Ming Festival: view Rape Flower Festival and urban gardens in the Fenxian District

Day 7 and 8: Free time--Junkgirl loose in the largest city in the world!

Day 9: Chinese calligraphy class, Huangpu River Cruise and visit to the Bund

Day 10: Farewell ceremony

I still have to go get my Chinese Visa and register with the embassy. I'm going to write updates here and post pictures as things progress.