Anyways, my first week in Shanghai was spent going around the city for NYU's orientation. We went to pretty much all the places any tourist would go to and then some. About 120 students are studying abroad in Shanghai with NYU this semester and it's pretty evenly split when it comes to housing. Half are staying on-campus (ECNU...East China Normal University, where NYU in Shanghai is located) and half are staying off-campus in these REALLY REALLY NICE apartments. Needless to say, Justin (MOI) is staying off-campus. Hardwood floors, marble bathrooms, living room, dining room, my own bedroom and bathroom. DIVINE!
I will post pictures of my apartment soon. My computer is being slightly incompetent at the moment. OHH! and the internet here is soooo SLOW! I ACTUALLY almost die every time I try to do anything online, including updating this blog. Which is weird because I hear the internet in other parts of China is blazing. So, best apreesh.
These are the pictures I have as of now, and of course they are all out of order because it would just make too much for sense for them not to be...
They sold this candy at Xitong, a water town that we went to. It's kind of like Venice except Chinese. I really liked the candy. Didn't taste as good as it was fun to play with though, shame...
Walking through the water town. It was a nice escape from the glass and concrete of modern Shanghai. 
RawwWWWwwwwW MEAT! Yummmmmmmmmmmm. Chinese people like to hang their laundry out to dry. Same with their dinners to i guess...
Mexicano Carlos being all touristy. (Carlos is also documenting this trip for his blog. He is attempting to beat me at my own game. Fool.)
THE CUTEST KITTEN IN THE WORLD!!!!!!
*Meow*
Getting on our boats at the water town. This town is where a part of Mission Impossible 3 was filmed! We found a large poster of Tom Cruise. 
Carlos, Me, Wendy, and Tiffany on our boat. Chooo CHOOOO!
NYU also took us to a native Shanghai family's home where they taught us how to play mahjong. Their home is in one of the ancient neighborhoods that the government has been ruthlessly tearing down to replace with shiny new skyscrapers. It's sad to see so many years of culture be torn apart. :( Their home was scheduled to be demolished last year but has since been delayed. 
Don't let the smile fool you. I am actually as bad at mahjong as I am at keeping this blog updated. The table we are playing on was quite the crowd pleaser. It was this super high-tech thing that would open up in the middle so we could push all the used pieces in and new pieces would pop out in front of each player in holes that would magically appear and then disappear. Seeing such a table in such an old house was pretty reminiscent of the rest of Shanghai. Hundred-floor glass and concrete buildings as far as the eye can see built in styles only imaginable in Star Wars (stole that from Carlos) but then the occasional rickshaw piled high with bamboo or boxes sitting on random street corners. It's hard to describe. You have to see it for yourself. 
On the way to our homestay in the ancient neighborhood. I can't speak for the other families but the one we visited actually had a very nice house. The outside was old like the rest of the neighborhood, but the inside was completely redone. Pretty neat. 
Their subways are infinitely cleaner than New York's. 
And because the dryer they supplied us merely throws our clothes around and blows cold air on them when it feels like it, we bought this thing. ITS A DRYING RACK. You would never be able to find something like this in the states. Looks more like the monkey bars I had in kindergarden than something you hang clothes on. Oh well. Oh and that's Steven on the left. He is our roommate from China (Him, Carlos and I share the apartment). He is actually a student at a Chinese university on a scholarship from a Spanish bank to study at NYU's campus in Shanghai. He's been a good resource for solving the mysteries of living in China. Also, notice the MASSIVE space our drying rack is sitting in. That's the random nook that we were originally going to put our new white grand piano in, Steinway of course ;). So weird having TOO much space to live in. Now that's something that has never happened to me before, especially in New York! 
Walking through Zhong Shan Park, a nice little park near our apartment. We saw this old man writing calligraphy on the ground using water and a brush. 
Shanghai is FILLED with buildings that look like this. I guess you need to give those 20 million (give or take a few million...but probably give) somewhere to live huh?
The ENTIRE WALL of Pocky at Carrefour!!! Every flavor imaginable from blueberry to mushroom!
More of Zhong Shan Park. It even has a theme park and a dim sum restaurant inside! We were told that the park is usually filled with kids flying their kites but it was too cold and foggy that day. I will have to go back when it is sunny to see them!
Since our plane got in last week around four AM, we were all hungry from some Chinese breakfast! Steven took us to a nice breakfast place across the street from our apartment. See the fried bread stick in the middle? You dip that in the peanut soy milk in the bowl on the right. The things on the left are pork buns. MMmmm!
Carlos and Tiffany on the plane! Carlos prepping his Chinese picture posin!
Starbucks on every corner, I AM HOME! Oh and they speak English at all the Starbucks here! 
This was one of the meals they served us on the plane. We had the choice of Chinese or "Western." This is Chinese. It wasn't bad. So, thats it for the pictures. Today was my first day of class. First was Advertising and Public Relations. A little boring and also too similar to my Intro to Marketing class I took last semester. I think I will switch into a class about Shanghai and Globalization instead. Sounds more interesting to me. I also met with my Chinese tutor for the first time today. Her name is Norah and she started to teach me pinyin (spelling Chinese phonetically).
Now, I'm just sitting at my desk taking a quick break from my trip to the gym. The gym here is really nice! Its on the twelfth floor in a neighborhood mall called Cloud 9 (Hi to everyone back home at Cloud Nine Marketing! haha) Anyways, the gym has this awesome view of the really big street that I walk up and down everyday and if you look hard enough you can even see the Best Buy on the other end. Guess I can't really say I miss America when I am constantly reminded of it by all the McDonalds, Starbucks, Best Buys, and every other American brand you can think of here in Shanghai.
Ok, well that's it for now. I need to get ready for bed and for class tomorrow. Good night!
THE END!
p.s. Sorry about the ten years that passed since my last post, I will try to update more frequently from now on. Also, I will get those pictures of my apartment up soon too!
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