Pre-classes
Trip Start
May 28, 2008
1
4
16
Trip End
Aug 02, 2008
Shanghai,
China
Sunday, June 1, 2008
So far Shanghai has been pure fun. Two nights ago we had a welcome banquet with all the teachers (ten for my level) with some interesting food, including jelly fish. Later that night we went to a karaoke place called KTV where you get your own private room and karaoke set. Most of the song lyrics were in Chinese so I couldn't fully participate, but we did sing some classics from Bon Jovi and Britney Spears.
Yesterday we went downtown to the western-ized Bund and went inside the Oriental Pearl Tower. Inside each pearl there is a sightseeing area for pictures as well as a history museum and a roller coaster which was awesome yet a bit... dodgy. It was in the dark and was decorated with disco lights. After the OPT, we went to a pier opposite the Bund where we just walked around like tourists
American food
. Then bused over to People's Square and were told we could take the bus back to campus or come back whenever we wanted. I went with a group further downtown. We took the metro to a bank, then searched for a restaurant. When we finally found one, we could recognize anything on the menu except the word for meat. We all ordered something different but they brought us all the same thing- a noodle soup with beef, greens, and peanuts. It was surprisingly good. One of the group (of six) picked something randomly and ended up with intestine instead of beef, but he liked it nonetheless. We then walked around, got some bubble tea, and found a kind of out door shopping mall where we mostly looked around. Eventually we made it back to campus by metro.Later that night, some of us decided to have dinner at the Bund, which is very westernized. Dinner was ok- it will be hard to forget American chinese food because it's so much more edible than authentic chinese food. Then we had a few drinks at an outdoor area and chatted. Later on, we went out to a club which was eye-opening, mainly because the girls dress much scantily than I expected. Finally we made it back to the dorm and I slept in late this morning. Today I had to venture to the "grocery store" which is more like a Chinese wal-mart to buy drinking water because there is none at the dorm. Since then, I've been studying. We will go through two lessons per day for three days, and day four and five will be tests and language practicums where we go out and speak to Chinese people (which is unavoidable here). I need to get back to work, but I hope you've enjoyed reading and I will post again tomorrow. Please leave comments and I will comment back.
Love, Lauren "罗兰"
Comments
blogg-o-rama
cool! thanks for the update. I hope classes went well today. I'm off to the races. What time do you have to leave your dorm in AM and when do you usually return? Nice photos! Much Love
Thanks!
Hi Lauren,
Thank you so much for your earlier arrival message. I was so happy to know
that you got there without even a tiny hitch. I think the most difficult part of
any trip is just getting there ! Once you're there, well, it's time to relax, or in
your case, STUDY.....and, have a great time. Well, it sounds like you have
been doing just that. Your student group photos are wonderful, and you look
really beautiful atop the Pearl Tower. The city looks futuristic and very
imaginative. Sounds like your classes will be pretty intense, but I love the fact
that you have to go out and speak to the natives. And yes, it's unavoidable.
When I llived in Paris, it was really imperative for me to try to speak with the
locals, even though they spoke so fast! I would simply ask them, in French of
course, to speak more slowly so that I could understand. And they were
always cooperative and helpful. I just spoke to your Mom who is here in NYC
with Julia who came to the city for the weekend to take dance classes at a
very renowned dance school on the Upper West Side and then give a dance
performance, along with the school band from Warrenton, at a public school
down in Greenwich Village. The also went to a Broadway musical, Mary
Poppins, and went to the ballet at Lincoln Center on their second night here.
We went to the flea market in the schoolyard in my neighborhood, had lunch,
and a wonderful day together. Mom even bought cupcakes from the
Magnolia Bakery! We missed having you with us. Looking foward to your
next entry! Lots of love, Aunt Lisa
reply
classes are from 8-11 so i usually leave at 740 and get back around 11.20, but so far we've gone to eat right after class. then there's the 1 hour 1-on-1, which is at a different time every day depending on the teacher's schedule.
ni hao
Hey lauren its matt i just got my mac. Can we video talk? It sounds like your having fun in China. How do they appreciate gingers? You should try out for Ninja Warrior. Theyre starting a new season soon. I graduate in a day and then im off to Myrtle. Do you have any advice for Beach Week? Dont get into trouble in China.
Love, Matt