If you’re reading this, that means you’re still interested in going to Shanghai–and that I haven’t scared you away, yet. Now that you can say hello and goodbye, you’re probably pretty proud of yourself. Those are important words, but there are some others that might help make your transition a little simpler. Food and transportation are two things that you are going to have to deal with, regardless of what you’re doing in China or how long you are staying. The food you’re used to (name brands, cheese, frozen food) are available in China, but you’ll be amazed how expensive they can be! If it’s imported, it’ll cost you an arm and a leg. If you really, really want that bag of potato chips or frozen dinner, you can get it at a Western grocery store (such as City Shop or Tesco, both popular chains in Shanghai).

But for those who don’t want to spend $10 for a pack of noodles to keep in the freezer, you can either buy Chinese brands (which you have to guess what’s in it–intuition tells you what it should be, but the label and packaging is entirely in Chinese!) or you can spend a lot of your time eating out. Without a car, buying bags of groceries is not as good of an idea as it is back home–remember, you have to carry those bags all the way to your housing, and Shanghai can be oppressively hot! Just make sure your groceries have a logo with a white S over a blue background–that’s the Chinese seal of quality.

For me, it made more sense to eat out. It’s a little more expensive than cooking for yourself, but the food in Shanghai is tasty and a social event. If you’re in China with a group, I’ve found that food is the best way to make friendships and talk to new people. Shanghai has an entire range of food types, but know that they’re probably not the same as the ones you’re used to back home. They have American food, Italian food, and Mexican food, but it all has a bit of a Chinese flair. You’ll get used to it–and miss it as soon as you get home from your trip!

An important topic is Chinese eating etiquette, which means (you guessed it!) chopsticks. They’re devilishly tricky if you’ve never used them before, but you’ll learn quickly… it’s either that or you’ll be hungry for the first couple of days! I can’t explain how to use chopsticks on here, it’s something you have to try for yourself. I suggest practicing before you get to China in order to avoid unwanted chuckling at your expense! As soon as you do learn how to use chopsticks, there are some things you need to know about them. First of all, do not stick your chopsticks directly into a pile of rice and leave them there–that’s offensive because it resembles burning funeral incense. A lot of Chinese restaurants serve their food family style, in which you have a large number of different dishes you share with the rest of the table. This gives you a great opportunity to taste a bunch of dishes you would have never thought to try before. Take what you want, but remember the rest of the table wants to eat, too! Although in America we assume Chinese food usually includes rice, it is important to know that rice and noodles are considered “poor man’s food”–cheaper staple foods that fill you up quickly. Therefore, restaurants or families will serve the more expensive, elaborate, and ornate meat dishes first. Noodles or rice are usually served last to fill you up if you still have room.

Now that you know all of that, it’s time for you to learn some vocabulary! Before you know it, you’ll be eating like a pro.

Me and my classmates enjoying some authentic Chinese food and Keke Kele (Coca Cola) after class!

My laoshi (teacher) from Mandarin House teaching us our colors in Chinese!

Greetings from Shanghai, China–the city of inspiration! It has been my extreme pleasure to spend the last two months in this enormous, fast-paced, breathtaking city, the largest proper by population in the world. This was my second time going to a country by myself, and each time I surprised by the intensity of the culture shock–and the shock to emotion.

So, over the course of these next several blog posts, it is my goal to help you manage your transition from America to Shanghai. I loved my time in China, but I understand (and went through) many of the difficulties associated with moving to such a different environment. I hope that my experiences–some triumphs, some travails–will help you with your journey to the Far East.

A great place to start is with some of the words you really need to know before you get to China. I spent my first month in China studying Mandarin Chinese (the language understood by the Chinese people of Shanghai). This is a great start to communicating with the locals and many millions of people in the world’s most populous country. I do have to warn you though: Mandarin is only one of the languages spoken in China–Mandarin and Cantonese are the two predominate languages, but the people in Shanghai speak a variation of Mandarin known as Shanghainese. In addition, a huge number of people you will probably be communicating with in China are expats (short for expatriates, people who have emigrated from their home country and now live in a foreign country). These expats are from all over Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and there are a large number of restaurants and social events geared toward this group.

Regardless of where a person comes from or what their native tongue, I found most people living in Shanghai were able to understand either Mandarin or English–so you’re in luck. Most expats understand some English, but you will need some Mandarin for basic communication with the local Shanghai population. Since you are coming from the University of Louisville, you’re good on the English side of things; the Mandarin, on the other hand, might be a little more difficult!

I won’t lie to you–Mandarin is an incredibly difficult language, especially for native English speakers. Mandarin does not share a language root with English, and therefore grammar and sentence structure is impressively different. It takes about four years of intense study to be certified fluent in Mandarin, but there are a couple words that can help you get around.

Seoul, South Korea – I cannot even begin to express my love for this place! The overall journey began with the 14 hour flight of course…it in itself was an experience of a lifetime into the Asian culture! Asiana Airlines is simply the best flight ever. The first thing that intrigued me was the professional and feminine attire of the flight attendants. It was also Asian inspired from color to style. The next great thing was the three rows of seating. The sight of 95% Asian and 5% other cultures of people on a huge international plane was amazing. On the flight, there were many great “gifts”. We were given slippers, nice blankets, pillows, toothbrush/toothpaste, mouthwash, and three GREAT meals. I made friends on the plane as well, that was a plus. This was just the flight!
My first night in Korea was busy. We unpacked and immediately went to hang out with other ISS students we met at the airport. The city of Seoul is full of lights, people, action, and buildings! It is truly a place for the young and able. LoL. The story of my short living in Korea only gets better. 🙂