Susie in Shanghai

Well I just got home from my first mandarin class and I am so wiped out. I did make it out to some bars last night and still had to be at class at 9:30am… needless to say, I am exhausted today.  Anyway, last night was a blast! We went to a bar called Muse. It was fairly upscale, beautiful, and totally packed.  I expected there to be a lot of Westerners there because all the music was American, but it was actually full of Chinese people primarily.  The music was great and I honestly don’t think I stopped dancing once.  I would definitely recommend it.

So after my short night of sleep and my early wake-up call, I headed to the Shanghai Centre (see pic below) where I am taking my classes. When I learned my classes were going to be here I was completely blown away. In this center is the Ritz Carlton, swanky restaurants, designer boutiques, and an outrageously pricey supermarket with all American brands.  It definitely is a nice locale! Oh, did I mention there’s a Starbucks?? I had a three hour class this morning and I it was so much fun learning how to pronounce the letters, picking up “survival phrases,” and chatting with my teacher. She is an absolute sweetheart.  Today was a little private session to make sure I am not completely lost on the first day of class, but apparently my beginner class only has one other student! I haven’t met her yet, but apparently she is a 50-something woman from Germany.  I definitely am looking forward to starting the course.

Not sure what the plan is for today, I think I need to take a 10 hour nap to be honest. My friend will be over to grab lunch soon, so I’ve got to run. Tune in tomorrow for news on my first official day of classes and some Shanghai exploring I plan on doing!

Beautiful location of my classes