Life in China: An Update
大家好，
Oh my goodness what a semester this has been. I am pushing my third week now and knew that I couldn't wait any longer without updating you all on my semester here in China.
First, this time around I am in metropolitan city Shanghai. This is the biggest city in Shanghai with 34 million people and, if you're having trouble picturing what this looks like, think about New York City but 4 times larger. This is where I am going to school for this semester.
Shanghai is an immensely global city. This means that many times Chinese aren't surprised to see me. They also don't gawk at me, like in my previous trip to Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province. In fact, I was taken aback at how many foreigners are in Shanghai. With this being said, be careful not to get too greedy. Shanghai is still part of China and, with that, the language of the people is Mandarin. If you're lucky, you'll meet someone who can speak putonghua （普通话）, but since this is Shanghai the dialect here is Shanghai-hua （上海话）. Like many of the Chinese dialects, Shanghainese is hard to understand. This has proved to be challenging at times, as miscommunications have often arose since my arrival.
However, I want to highlight what life in China has been like so far, and I'm hoping to achieve this in a more positive way; starting with the culture shock.
If I'm frank, I don't feel there is much of a difference in Chinese culture versus American. Maybe I'm dense, or maybe I'm too busy taking in the sky-rises and thousands of people around me to pay attention to the little things. All in all, I haven't felt out of place or experienced culture shock. The people of Shanghai have been very accommodating, from helping me pronounce a character I don't recognize to going as far to translate their own speech, I have yet to feel out of place here. If I had to pick something, which took me a few minutes to even do, I would comment on the amount of walking Chinese people do compared to Americans. I have never walked as much in America as I have here, and I don't think that is a bad thing in any way. This allows me to see different parts, and people, of the area. I also don't mind the walking, but it's the humidity that can be hard to bear. If you thought Hawaii had it bad then you wouldn't like Shanghai.
 |
| Pudong |
I've mentioned the Chinese people so many times that I should probably elaborate on them, correct? For starters, the people in Shanghai are very focused on themselves and their priorities. This is the economic hub of China, so you can bet everyone you see has a place to be and is in a rush to get there. So much so that the subway after 3pm is always packed full of people. Above the unground you'll be met with numerous children, at any hour of the day, playing outside. What's struck me is that children play on the sidewalks for fun, oftentimes riding their scooters, bikes, or toy cars in circles. I would go as far as to say there is a certain type of innocence in the children here. They don't have the luxury of a backyard, as the most common type of housing are high-rise buildings, and oftentimes outside large corporations you will see playdates and day-care groups huddled up laughing and playing. On campus during the evening grandmothers and their grandchildren will be walking around, with the children either running in the grass or playing with the stones in the sidewalk. I cannot imagine how they grow up the way they do, but the look of happiness and contentment on their faces convinces me they are happy the way they are.
 |
| View From My Dorm |
Chinese students, however, are a different group of people. The style in China seems to be "whatever suits you goes". In China it seems that if you like the clothing you wear it, and the rule of matching doesn't apply. Girls wear big shirts that hang out from their skirts, platform sneakers, sophisticated skirts with a graphic tee, and more. There is no standard of style in China, and no one cares what you wear. I would like to believe that they look at clothing as a form of expression. It is liberating.
There is a saying in China that goes something along the lines of, "Everyone must learn English, but few are confident enough to use it." This makes for some interesting conversations with the locals. I oftentimes forget that I am the foreigner, that I am speaking a language that many people do not understand, but this does not mean people do not try. In fact, Chinese people are not bashful or conservative with their staring. When I am in public and talking to another person in my group, you can bet there will be a handful of Chinese watching what is happening. Whether they understand me or not is another story, but the people here do not hesitate to give you their attention--whether you've asked for it or not.
I already feel like I've given so much away, but trust that there is so much more to come. I can't wait to share with you my experiences trying the food, going to class, and more. I hope you are as excited to be on this journey as I am.
Until next time,
0 comments