Swine Flu and La Du Zi Free!

Hello again. Sorry about the lack of updates, I know I always update in these huge chunks. What can I say, I like my blogs like i like my soup (CAMPBELL'S CHUNKY CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER....THERE IS NOTHING BETTER IN THIS WORLD). So, since my last update a few things have happened. Just a few though. Like one or two. Maybe three. Or a "couple," that means two. I was informed of this once during one of my morning shifts at starbucks when somebody asked for a couple of miniature vanilla bean scones and I was like "How many?" and they were like "a couple" and I was like "HOW MANY?!" and they were like "a couple", you get the idea...

SOOooo, in the pictures to follow I've gone on two field trips for my Shanghai and Globalization class, hiking in Huangshan for a weekend, and basically just lived life in Shanghai. 

This coming week is my second "study break." Its kind of like our second spring break. Weird, right? People in the U.S. are already starting summer break and I still have more than a month. I think they said it was because of Chinese New Year. Apparently the entire country shuts down (much like Mexico City at the moment) to celebrate (not like Mexico City). I guess this also happens in America with football games, or with that little known event called the Super Bowl where large sweaty men with poor grammar throw a piece of dead pig skin around a field. The entire country shuts down for this cultural bonanza. Class. thats what I miss about America. Us Americans, we're just a classy bunch. Meatloaf. I also miss that more than anyone can imagine. I will even go as far as to say that I've dreamt of meatloaf. MMMMmmm. 

Oops, got sidetracked. So during this break we are taking three planes and two trains. Lots of traveling! We are going from Shanghai to Chengdu (PANDAS!!!), Chengdu to Lanzhou, Lanzhou to Dunhuang, Dunhuang back to Lanzhou, and then Lanzhou back to Shanghai. I've been told that we will be riding camels through the Gobi desert at one point. That is what I am looking forward to the most. Maybe I will see a cactus! Oh Arizona, how I miss thou! And no worries, I will probably update with another "chunk" after my trip. 

On to the pictures!

They were selling these at Carrefour so naturally I had to buy one. The ox, pumpkin and pig are just little things of bread filled with sweet red bean. The thing with the white stuff in the middle is really sticky and sweet rice. The pig was good. The rest is rotting in my fridge. 

I found it! American Apparel in Shanghai. Do the ones in America have the "crafted with pride in LA" thing on the window? Prices were just as ridiculous. 

The location is not very good. It is in one of the many old and abandoned factories turned "creative" centers. Shanghai used to be a very industrial city but as it developed the economy has become more service oriented and the factories have all moved out. The physical remnants, though, remain. These old factories are being turned into art galleries, office buildings, book stores, coffee shops, cafes, etc... It's actually pretty cool. This American Apparel was in one of these buildings. This one used to be a slaughterhouse. 

In the old slaughterhouse. To keep the cows busy and confused they built tons of these ramps. They go absolutely nowhere. Maybe I am a cow, but I was definitely confused. Also kind of reminds me of Hogwarts.

On the day we were visiting they had some sort of photo gallery with lots of wedding pictures.

Again, awesome building. Tenants are still moving in. I think they said a restaurant is moving into this particular space.

More confusing-ness. MOOOOOOO! Eat more CHIKIN! (brought to you by chick-fil-a)

This is another factory. The developer of this one turned the surroundings into a Zen garden. He was Taoist so everything is very integrated with nature. 

A traditional chinese medicine tea house. You tell them what is wrong with you and they make you some sort of concoction to drink. 

Herbs and stuff. Looks like an ant farm to me...

Their tables. They really went all out at this place.

China loves its circular doorways. Just another lawsuit waiting to happen if you ask me. Oh shoot, theres my American coming through again. Football, lawsuits, and cellulite...America!

More nature. I could definitely see some sort of swanky cocktail party happening here. 

I don't think this tree likes that wall very much. 

"Haibo." He is the mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. A major design flaw if you ask me. Looks more fitting for Lysol than an international event.

This is one of the made-from-scratch communities that Shanghai is building. Basically an entire mini city built out of nothing. Most of these cities are still deserted, yet they keep building. They have definitely adopted the whole "if we build it they will come" attitude. 

Oh look. Starbucks is here. We have reached civilization. 

There are a bunch of old buildings like this that were built by the Nationalist government before it was overthrown by the Communists. While buildings that weren't built by the Nationalists become historical and cultural monuments, these become decaying piles of bricks. Sad, really.  

I was told this used to be a very popular and beautiful library during the Nationalist era. Now it is blocked off by barb wire fences and boarded up. Despite its historical significance, it doesn't even show up on any tourist books. Many locals don't even know about it. Weird when you think about it. A rock that Mao pissed on becomes national treasure, and a beautiful library like this just gets closed off and forgotten (or so the Communists hope). 

This beautiful ceiling was in a hospital. Again, built during the Nationalist era. You can tell. Does it remind you of a certain flag? No wonder China doesn't want people to see it. 

This was a small city outside of Huangshan. There were hundreds of these people sitting around and painting! I think there was an art school nearby. That or they plan on scamming us poor Americans for all we're worth. Oh wait, that already happened. 

These geese owned the road. Weren't scared of people at all. Just walked right through us. 

Chinese people like to pose like this. 

Scenes from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon were filmed here. Please note the number of people. 

Cheese popsicle. One of the many wonderful things China has to offer...

Emperor John and his concubine Carlos. 

Waiting for the cable car to take us up Huangshan. See how many people there are? Welcome to Chinur. 

This is Huangshan, it is named after an emperor. Our tour guide said that hundreds of people fall of this mountain and when they fall off people just say, "Oh he is just going to visit the emperor"

50% will result in divorce. 

Oh hey! You can tell we're American because we like to tan. Chinese people are allergic to the sun. 

The soccer ball at the top of the mountain. 

Being Chinese because this is how they pose #2. 

Ugh. Ruined by the people in the corner. Hello Emperor!

See the bridge with the little people on it? 

Hi, my name is Justin. I am a creeper. Actually I am just looking for my contact. It fell out. 

A traditional tea pouring ceremony. 

Chinese tea is crazy!

Tiffany: This is good for your eyes *puts her eye over a steaming cup of tea*

Everyone: OOOHHHHH *does the same*

Chinese Woman: ROFL *dies laughing*

When you put this in hot water it blossoms!

Into this! It was really good!

At the Astor Hotel in Shanghai. The oldest Western hotel in Shanghai. Lots of famous people stayed here. Ulysses Grant was among them. 

The entire hotel looks like this. Like time stood still. Or like the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.

Their ballroom. They were having a photo shoot there that day. Lots of pretty people in a pretty hotel. 

Pretty hardwood floors.

The Suzhou Creek. Once the most polluted waterway in the entire world. They said that at its worst, it would sometimes spontaneously combust. The government has started a decade long cleanup project and the creek is now clean enough to support fish. The entire creek is also lined with the old factories that are being turned into "creative" places. 

Part of the developed waterfront. The rest is still under construction (along with the rest of China)

Inside of the old factories. This one sold wedding dresses. 

I think this is some sort of Chinese superstition. Every time it rains people leave their umbrellas opened up outside the doorway of the room they are in. This makes for some pretty congested hallways! I also have a tendency to not look where I am walking and walk right into them. I once opened a door, took two steps, tripped over an open umbrella and fell right on my face. 

Carlos bitchin' his way through the streets of Shanghai. Oh and that drink he was holding we got from some HUGE marketing gimmick where they were handing them out to anyone with arms. Only thing is...you weren't allowed to keep the lid. 

This is where I get ridiculously cheap baozis (buns). They are probably made with the cheapest ingredients possible and cardboard, but what the hell, they are soo good!

The restaurant we call "la du zi" central because it will give even those with the strongest stomachs diarrhea. They recently tore down the entire thing and rebuilt it from scratch...all within the time frame of about a month. Chinese efficiency! No word on the la du zi status yet though...

Here is where we got those free peach flavored drinks. They even put in trees, umbrellas, snow, and other trinkets to match!

It was hot that day and unfortunately the snow was not real. The drinks weren't that good either. 

The front gate of ECNU. Our NYU center is located here. This is also where taxis drop me off when I miss the bus in the morning. 

Us NYU students came all the way to Shanghai to get a quad. Students have started picnic-ing here.

My daily walk to class.

Carlos being an idiot.

Chinese pose #3. ECNU has rivers that run through it like this one. 

Mao looming in the background. 

This is the giant Mao statue at the center of campus. AKA where Chinese skateboarders grind. 

NYU is on the third floor of this building. 

THE END! Ugh, that was exhausting. 

p.s. football is a great sport. i love football. WHOOO football!!