0h, the Weather Outside is Frightful

Brrrrrrr….
this is for sure the coldest winter I've ever had. It is 3 degrees Celsius in Shanghai (which would be 37 degrees Fahrenheit in the United States). I came prepared this time though, unlike the last time I was abroad. When I studied abroad in Rome, Italy, in the spring time, it snowed for the first time in 30 years. I had not planned on traveling to Switzerland and the Netherlands either. I didn't bring a single coat on that trip besides my black peacoat, which was seeing its last days. I had to hand over way too many euros for a coat suitable for the snow. So, this time I brought two thick coats, two nice jackets, a hat, scarf, and gloves. I'm certainly glad I did. Even with my thorough packing however, I still had to buy another scarf and a pair of fuzzy leggings. I never thought Shanghai would get this cold (I admit that I didn't believe the weather reports I looked up before moving here). The nice, warm pearl milk teas do help though…especially ones from Coco. And, my new roommate Lauren figured out how to use our heaters in our apartment! No more going to bed with three layers of clothing!

The weekend after I completed my smog video for my internship, the air quality index levels rose to an all-time high of 500 in shanghai, which is extremely hazardous for everyone. The government advised people to stay indoors, especially children. I bought a cloth mask for that weekend, and fortunately have not had to wear it since.
   
I can't believe I have been here for four months already. Although it seems like it has been a long time since orientation, the weeks feel shorter and shorter. Sean is coming to visit in a week which will make the entire month of January speed by. I can't wait until he gets here! I feel like I have been here long enough now where I can be his Shanghai tour guide. It is the first time I haven't been home for Christmas, but he's bringing some to me.

In other news, I recently got my first freelance photography job! My friend at my internship recommended me to her friend who needed someone to take photos at this realty show at this hotel in downtown Shanghai. I took a bunch of pictures for MSM Luxury Estates, located in Beverly Hills, and had a blast going out with them after the event to this club called the Mint, which has its own shark tanks.

My internship also wanted me to take some pictures this past week of this Christmas tree at this mall that lights up when two people kiss beneath it. I took some great pictures of couples kissing underneath the tree for a local charity that donates money for surgeries for children with cleft palette. Then, they changed their mind. Instead of taking the pictures, they wanted me in the picture. The night before the deadline I had to pose for the picture, and I had to bring someone to kiss! My poor roommate Lauren agreed to come with me, and now we have a funny story to laugh about. The picture is in the recent City Weekend magazine taking up a full page with a blurb I wrote about the event. Now I'm thinking about taking Sean there…he just can't be jealous that I kissed Lauren there first!

Besides all this, I have bought my flight to Hong Kong for Spring Festival! I will be there for four days with my friend and coming back to Shanghai on Chinese New Year! Looking forward to ringing in 2014, chinese style!

Stuck in the Smog

This is a video I did for my internship at City Weekend, here in Shanghai:  

   

Article Version:

Is China Stuck in the Smog?

Now under the rule of Chinese President Xi Jinping, China has the second-biggest economy, behind the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. China is also the world’s most populated country even with the “one-child policy,” according to the World Population Review.

But, an unprecedented amount of air pollution in China has caused the central government to place environmental concerns over economic ones. In September, at the 18^th Air Pollution Control Conference in Beijing, the government initiated a new goal of reducing the amount of air pollutants by 10% by 2017, according to CNN.

One of these pollutants is coal. The World Coal Association states that China relies on the fossil fuel for 70 to 80% of their energy needs, the most in the world. The government plans to stop the production of coal in power plants located in heavily polluted cities, CNN says.

However, Nitin Dani, president of the nonprofit GreenDrinks, believes that the amount is going to increase. He says: “Everyone wants the latest smart phone, the latest TV. Some of them might be energy-saving, but a lot of them are very energy-intensive. A lot of the things in the past you could do without energy, but you need these things now, right? So, I mean, I think one of the main reasons is definitely the change in lifestyle if you look at it from an individual level, but from an industrial level, products, services…they are all increasing. Population is increasing. “

Shanghai, China’s and the world’s most populous city, has reached an unhealthy amount of PM 2.5 in their air. Lately, they have been at a 169 reading, according to the Real-time Air Quality Index, which puts Shanghai on equal ground as Beijing.

Ping Zhuang of the International Fund for China’s Environment, talks about what makes up the air pollution. “In China, the primary contributing factors for PM 2.5 are largely because the increasing amount of vehicles. Actually, Shanghai in a way is better than Beijing, but still Shanghai everyday is increasing the amount of vehicles. The emissions from the exhaust, and also many factories, and also many construction sites always stir up pollutants.”

He adds, “And it use to be PM 10, larger particles, now 2.5, meaning because the smaller particles can actually go through your lungs, you know, stay there. You walk in the streets, one day you come down and your collar is like black.”

An average of five and a half years has been reduced from the life expectancy for residents of northern China, according to CNN. Instead of facing the problem of pollution and risk the loss of jobs, local authorities build national parks and endorse green projects, according to Reuters.  

Mr. Zhuang says, “I think what China is really lacking is a strict enforcement of these policies and regulations. If everyone showed more concern, and put more pressure on the government and industries, polluting industries, then it will change.”

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and best-selling author of The Third Industrial Revolution, thinks China can lead the third industrial revolution if they stop using fossil fuels and concentrate on their renewable energies, like geothermal heat, biomass, and wind and solar power.

A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That

Hi everyone!

So I realize I haven't written a blog post in a little while. I have no excuse except that I have actually been pretty busy these last fews weeks. It is suddenly like winter came and along with the cold (I don't have a heater in my room--my fingers are cold while typing this) came all this work.

Shanghai International Beer Festival

Let me begin by saying that five people have quit the program. Two of them are flying back to the states tomorrow and three of them are finding different jobs in Shanghai. At first our program didn't know what to do with us, we were English teachers without any students. Since we were placed at a supplemental school that mostly focuses on SAT tutoring, they were trying to find us real classrooms where we could actually teach and not simply sit around all day and create practice PowerPoints. Even though they have justified reasons for quitting, this is a good time for me to reflex on why I came to China to begin with.  

First of all, I came to China because I had no idea what I wanted to do back home. I had applied to a few jobs that I never heard back from, and then I happened upon Ameson Year in China at my University Job Fair. I love to travel and discover new cultures, and that still rings true. Also, even though I have always said I have never wanted to be a teacher, I thought I would try my hand at teaching since I do love kids and it is a field open to English majors. Moreover, since this job is part time, I can have an internship at the same time and gain international work experience, all while trying to learn Chinese.

I am beginning to miss home a lot though, especially as it gets colder here and as more people are leaving the program. I miss my friends, family, California, mac and cheese, bacon, In N Out….
However, Sean is going to come visit me next month!!! I am so excited. He is going to stay for three weeks.

Mr.Pitt

Kids on Halloween

Meanwhile, I have been trying to do more work at City Weekend. I reviewed this bar for the magazine called Mr.Pitt which serves the best traditional cocktails, and I'm working on a video project about the smog in Shanghai. As for teaching, I have picked up seven more classes this week alone. I now teach at three different schools throughout the week. I mostly still teach 2nd graders (we taught them all about Halloween and the kids dressed up), but now on Saturday I teach little babies, like 4 to 6 year-olds!!! They are all so cute! One of the little girls cried this weekend when she lost one of the games we played. It broke my heart.

In other news, I went to the International Beer Festival here in Shanghai which was pretty cool and randomly ran into some City Weekend people. Also, we had our Dumpling Fest 2013 where my friend Taylor made us some amazing dumplings like the pizza bite dumpling, mexican bean burrito dumpling, and Nutella dumpling…one word: delicious. I tried to find the Propaganda Museum, but got lost….sort of ironic when I think about it.

Shanghai International Beer Festival

After a struggle to find blonde hair dye and peroxide, I finally dyed my hair by ordering some hair dye online and buying this stuff called "Double Oxygen Milk" at a store near work. The mixture turned purple before I put it on my head, but it worked in the end. Definitely glad I still have my hair. Another struggle came last weekend when my iPhone was stolen on the subway. Yep. I miss my phone. Luckily, I can still use my iPod to WeChat and play Candy Crush (I lost all my levels though--I am literally crushed).

But throughout all the madness, there is a silver lining--I took my GRE test this past weekend and did pretty good! It was stressful finding the school, but I was so relieved when it was all over. I have been studying for weeks now with my friend Brittany. We decided to reward ourselves and go out to lunch at this great Thai place we found! I, of course, got a Starbucks too (one with a red Christmas cup!). Now I just have a few essays to write for my applications and I'm good to go! I am applying to UC Berkeley, NYU, and Columbia University. Go big or go home!

From Dumpling Fest 2013!

 

Beijing and Back Again: Two Expats' Tale of Tackling the Chinese Capital

“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

~*~

Finally, I have given myself enough space from the trip to actually write the blog about it. As any English major would, I have called this trip "Beijing and Back Again: Two Expats' Tale of Tackling the Chinese Capital."Yes, I was inspired by The Hobbit to title this trip. My friend Julia and I had to go through many perils in order to enjoy Beijing during the Chinese National Holiday while we were there from Oct. 2nd-5th. We had to conjure up Bilbo's courage to make it through.

For those of you who don't know, the Chinese National Holiday is a week-long holiday used to celebrate the day the People's Republic of China (PRC) was founded on October 1st, 1949, at a ceremony in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.  In many ways, it was perfect to visit the Chinese capital during National Week, 64 years after the PRC was founded. During the week, Tiananmen Square is decorated in festive attire showing pictures of Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the PRC. Tiananmen Square has even more history, having been the setting of the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.

Before we left on our little voyage we joked that since Julia and I were voyaging together we would need a chaperone. Little did we know, that that was exactly what we needed, preferably one that could speak Chinese. In appropriate fashion, we got to the train station a whole hour ahead of time and patiently waited by our platform for the fast 5-hour train to Beijing. We even got some McDonalds so we wouldn't be hungry on the train. So as the minutes clocked down, we were getting anxious that a train wasn't arriving at our gate. We got up and asked some officials if we were at the right gate and they all assured us that we were. Then one person said, "the middle."

We panicked and finally saw the line we were supposed to be in, except it was for the next train. We had missed ours. It turned out that the only seats left were in first class and we had to pay for them, along with a ticket exchange fee. It was painful to hand over those bills. Even more painful, however, was the ticket teller explaining to us in Chinenglish that the new ticket was for tomorrow, and not today. We walked away totally disappointed, but willing to come back at 5pm the next day, giving us only two days in Beijing. I wanted to make sure though so I asked someone at the line forming at our new platform.  Apparently the teller mixed up her "today" with "tomorrow." We were soon on our way in comfortable first class seats.

We arrived in Beijing and quickly got on the subway. The subway stop we were supposed to get off at was closed, so we took a cab with this other expat couple. The taxi driver was really nice, but to a fault. There were times where we stopped the cab and walk around so he could get his bearings. A lost taxi driver is never a good sign. Finally, we got a map from a nearby hostel and walked over to it, ditching the cab driver on the way, although he looked pretty content with coming with us.

The front desk worker couldn't speak English and couldn't find our reservation which we made a week ago, so gave us an empty room instead. The next morning we woke up early and went on a Great Wall Tour. It took us four hours in traffic to reach the Wall but when we did it was worth it. There were very few tourists in our "secret" location. We hiked up and down the mountains through the history that has shaped modern day China.

An archaeological survey has found that the entire wall with all its fortifications measures 13, 171 miles. It was beautiful and I took some of the best pictures that I have in a long time. My legs hurt for days after though. The Wall is not the easiest thing to master, especially when it is extremely windy and you didn't bring a jacket.

We took the long bus ride home that night feeling accomplished--we had hiked on The Great Wall of China! Success! When we got to our hostel, however, the owner was there apologizing that they were fully booked and we would have to find another hostel. I tried to summon my inner travel agent mom who would have never accepted this, but she was a nice woman who offered to take us to a partner hostel and receive 20% off. Unfortunately, the hostel was further than our previous hostel to the Forbidden City where we were going the next day.

Ironically, the Forbidden City is easy to enter,
with the huge picture of Mao ushering you in, but difficult to leave. Julia and I had to pay 2RMB to leave….which is like 20 cents, but still! Overall though, the Forbidden City was awesome to see, even with the Beijing smog. We saw the Dragon Wall, a golden throne, art pieces galore, and the architecture that has become symbols for the Chinese people and culture. I also found a Beijing spoon! (I collect spoons from each new city I go to).

Afterwards, we were planning to meet up with my friend Henry who is a teacher in Beijing, who is the son of a friend of my dad's. At the meeting time my phone ran out of money and the Forbidden City was closing (guards barely let us exit the way we came back to meet under the picture). We jumped on the metro to the next stop to add money to my phone, but we couldn't find a store. Instead, Costa Coffee came to the rescue! I emailed Henry who met us there.

He took us to this great famous Peking Duck restaurant and then to KTV (karaoke) afterwards. The duck was the best I have ever eaten. There was a special sauce that makes the duck taste exquisite. The karaoke was a blast! KTV is really popular in China and it was fun to finally do it and with people who like to sing!

The next day, and final day, we walked around Tiananamen Square where the smog is the main thing in all of our pictures. Even through the rough patches, Julia and I made it back to Shanghai, this time with a 2nd class ticket and the right train, with a bunch of memories and stories to tell our friends.

A video I created with clips of my Beijing trip for my internship with City Weekend:

One Month Down...

Hi readers...

I have been in China for a good month now and I think I might just be getting used to the culture here. A lot of things happened this week. 

1. I got a Chinese name!!! My Chinese name is Li Aisi, which means "thinking of love!" I have always wanted a Chinese name since I found out that a lot of Chinese people have English ones! 

2. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a classic Chinese holiday and people are off for two days. :D My friends and I are taking this time to be tourists. We might go to the zoo to see pandas or go to the top of the Pearl Tower. Around this time, people eat these mooncakes, which are these pastries filled with red bean paste or egg or fruit. I have tried them and I think they are just ok. Red bean paste is not my favorite. 

3. I got a job at a school! I now teach 2nd graders at Da Hushan First Primary School! It is a really nice school, the "model" school for the area. I have about 25 students in each class. Right now I will be teaching 2 classes at this school per week. I have to pick up stickers this week for my students (They love stickers here! Especially cute panda stickers). Two guys who work in Shanghai with me were needed because they have way more male students in China than girl students because of their one child law. At the other school I was placed at, I might be teaching an AP English course...but we will see.

4. I turned in my first video for City Weekend! My boss really liked it. I will post it on here as soon as the final version is put on the website. It is how the metro system functions in Shanghai...you know, for those clueless expats (aka me). 

5. My friend told me today that she can go to Beijing with me on the National Holiday week! So excited! I will email my friend Henry to see if he would like to hang out with us  while we are up there. You can't go to China without seeing the Great Wall after all!

6. Last Saturday Quibao where we had a nice little feast set up by Ameson and went on a little boat ride through the ancient city. People here sell everything in the streets and there was a cricket museum that has cricket fights sometimes. There was an open door where this butcher was chopping up lambs. Interesting... 

7. My Internet was setup in my apartment today, but we don't have a router yet...being unplugged is hard. Thank goodness for this internet cafe :) 

P.S.: Shanghai has the cutest dogs everywhere! Although, this guy I saw on Nanjing Road is pretty bizarre. He has booties though!

"This is China!"

T.I.C.:

"This is China" refers to everything that happens in China that is out of the ordinary for anyone from a western country. We say it here at least three times a day. When someone on the subway spits on your foot--"This is China." When babies don't wear diapers so that they can relieve themselves on the street--"This is China." When you realize how packed the country actually is with a trip to IKEA--"This is China."When it becomes the Hunger Games to get a seat on the subway--"This is China!" When MacDonalds has black and white burger buns--"This is China." When you are a celebrity just because you have blond hair and even the waiter at the hotel you are staying at wants a picture with you--"This is China!"

These are all the cultural things that we will have to get used to over the next couple of months. There might be a lot of these culture shock moments, but when weighed with all the positives, it is all worth it. For instance, the people here are so nice, the food is great, and my fellow teachers are super smart and nice. There is a local Muslim family who makes the best noodles which are really affordable. One of the big




dishes is 8 RMB which is about $1.20 in the states.

This trip so far has been interesting, to say the least. Actually it has been a bunch of things combined in these past two weeks, which feels more like a month. I have already tried bullfrog, dumplings, the Chinese version of a crepe, and real bubble tea! I had my first class last friday at one of the top middle schools in Shanghai. My group of 6th graders had a pretty firm grasp on English and I think my lesson that I prepared was too easy. But, it was my first attempt at teaching, and overall I think I did a good job. One girl came up to me at the end of my lesson and said I was the most interesting teacher she ever had. Made my heart melt.

At first we thought we were all going to be forced to work forty hours a week when our contracts only say 25. Eventually, we got the school to look at our contracts and got things settled. Out of everything, I love my apartment!!! It's very cute, modern, and colorful, complete with a red kitchen and some orange walls. My favorite part is probably the air conditioner in the living room since it has been extremely humid here. In other news I have already made great friends who are mostly from the east coast.

Along with our 25 hours a week teaching, we were promised chances to get internships. I got one at an English magazine called City Weekend! I am excited to do some video and blog work for them :)

First Post...The Adventure is soon to begin

Ni Hao! 
Welcome to my blog all about teaching English in China, my adventures in China, and other travel adventures while in Asia.

I will depart this fine country in less than two weeks to teach abroad in Shanghai for around 9 months. Honestly, I am more nervous about teaching middle schoolers than I am about living in China. I have only a little bit of experience teaching--I have tutored kids before and have sat in on some elementary school classes, but that is it. Gulp. I am up to the challenge though! Supposedly, Chinese students are more behaved in the classroom than American students and teachers are widely respected over in the "Mainland," as they say. I am preparing for the 35-50 students I will be teaching in my class by looking up middle school activities on Pinterest. Haha there's not much I am actually able to prepare at this point. When I get there they will provide me with a textbook to use for my classes. I will only be teaching 25 hours a week, which is nothing to complain about. Since I'm going to have some extra time on my hands, I hope to find some kind of internship as well.

Right now I am at the tail end of my preparation....now I just actually have to pack all of my stuff into one giant suitcase. So far, I have masks for all the smog I will encounter, a water heater, warm clothes, and a decent stash of American food such as Pop Tarts, popcorn, mac and cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate chips to name a few things. Is there some food items I'm missing? There will be no shortage of noodles and tea over there!

I now have my tourist visa which I will have to exchange for a work visa once I am over there. I can't lie, I'm a little nervous about that part since the laws have recently become more stringent. I will most likely be traveling to Hong Kong to get that within two months of my entrance into Shanghai. When I first get there, I will have orientation for a week while staying at a hotel in Shanghai, and then be placed in a furnished apartment with either one or two roommates.

One of the things I am most excited about is probably all of the food! Shanghai is the most populated city in the world, and naturally has some of the best food in the world. Since Shanghai is a port city, there is a great supply of fresh seafood including a specialty called "hairy crab." On top of that, there are dumplings, stinky tofu (which is actually stinky, but supposedly good), tons of noodle dishes, frog legs, this dish called drunk chicken, etc...I want to try it all! And yes, that means I will try a little bit of dog, although they are more often considered pets over there now.

In other news, I have the Rosetta Stone for Mandarin so I am trying to learn a little bit in my free time right now. It is a tough language with no official alphabet and four different tones, but I'm trying! I know that I will stand out no matter what I do over there (pale with blond hair isn't something most Chinese see on a daily basis)...although my height fits in rather nicely. All the clothes and shoes are going to fit me over there!

I'm super excited for this new experience, and who knows, maybe I will even fall in love with teaching! I am determined to come back in nine months though, even though a lot of expats (foreigners who work in the country) end up staying for awhile longer.

I will update this blog regularly. I will try to write a post at least once every two weeks once I'm in China so keep reading if you are interested in my travels and especially if you think you might also want to do this someday!