Day One
My Neighborhood!
Well it’s about 9:30pm in Shanghai and I officially spent my first day here and survived! It was a very full day of errands. I had breakfast with one old friend and one new friend (Matt and Bowen; both from Georgetown, both have internships here). We found a little bagel place of all things near our apartment–we weren’t quite ready to have a Chinese breakfast. I spent most of the breakfast picking up some mandarin words and Shanghai tips from them. They both have lived here before and were full of useful information (you don’t tip waiters/drivers/etc here!).
After breakfast we went grocery shopping, checked out a local gym, walked to the school I will be attending, and bought a chinese cell phone. Somehow the day was almost over after all these errands, so we returned to our apartment to rest, since I definitely have some major jet-lag. We are attempting to go check out some local hot spots/bars tonight, so hopefully I can stay awake for that…
Some things that immediately were interesting to me: there is no word for “excuse me” here. Matt told me he usually uses the chinese word for “sorry” if he needs to get by someone. Additionally, I am intrigued by all the beautiful architecture and futuristic buildings in the city. Some things that I didn’t expect: it rains constantly…I mean it literally has not stopped my whole two days here. It is the rainy season and I cannot see the sun since everything is very foggy and grey. It was actually pretty chilly today too. Another surprise was the cost of things. I guess I expected everything to be relatively inexpensive with 6.5rpm to a dollar, but I failed to realize I am living in one of the nicest areas in Shanghai, i.e. Western prices everywhere. Hopefully I can find some hideaway places the locals frequent. I still need to have a really authentic Chinese meal! I’ll have to scour my Fodor’s for tips ASAP.
Anyway, tomorrow I have a private tutoring session prior to starting mandarin classes on Monday, since I currently know about 3 words. Afterwards I’m sure there will be many more errands and settling in–hopefully even a trip to the gym. We’ll see.
Susie in Shanghai 
Great first entry and website looks good. Agree about finding the out of way spots – they will be about a quarter of the price of downtown where you are. Make sure you find a way to “get lost” amongst all the side streets and vendors – definitely fascinating.
Look forward to more posts!
Links are also great
Dear Susie,
Your Dad put me on your blog list and I am happy to hear about your experiences in Shanghai. I was there in early March. I was on a Princess cruise which started in Beijing and for 16 days we visited many Asian countries and then ended up in Singapore.The day I was in Shanghai, it was sunny and gorgeous though I was told that it had been raining for a number of days before. I had also been to Shanghai in 2001 in the summertime, and I had a lovely cruise on the river. This time, we went to the top of the tallest building and the views were fabulous though people said that it was very foggy the whole week before. Shanghai is so modern, but i am sure you will see the old section which is so much more interesting and doesn’t seem as if you are New York City. Ed and I will leave Houston on June 29th to fly first to visit friends in Hamburg and then to Copenhagen where we will go on another Princess cruise through the Scandinavian countries and Estonia (where I have never been) and then to St. Petersburg and returning to Copenhagen. We will be back home on July 18th. We would enjoy hearing from you again but I won’t be able to write while I am gone. By the way, congratulations on your graduation. Your father wrote us all about it. He and your mother are so very proud of you, and as a cousin, so am I. Wish you didn’t live so far away. We still remember so fondly when we spent the day with you at your St. Louis house a few years ago. Please have lots of fun in Shanghai and hope you learn some Chinese. I have heard it is not easy !
With love, Cousin Annette and love from Ed as well.
Wow you are in major travel mode, sounds like a blast! I definitely want to go up in that tall building as soon as the rainy season is over (which should only be another week). I am also going to go into some of the less developed areas of Shanghai as well. This weekend we are going to some markets and maybe even getting suits tailored. Have an amazing time on your cruise, and thank you so much for looking at the blog! Hope you find it interesting. xo susie