Calligraphy Lessons and Xitang Trip

 I had mentioned in my last post that I am now taking Chinese painting lessons. There is an interesting story as to how this came about. On a Friday afternoon, my friend Maggie and I had decided to play badminton at another University just across the street from our dorms. As we were walking through the campus on our way back to our own university, a friendly old man started to talk to us, asking us where we were from and how long we have studied Chinese. I couldn’t resist striking up a conversation!

Once he found out a bit about us he asked if we liked Chinese painting and calligraphy. When we said yes, he very proudly told us that he is a teacher of painting at the university and then he asked if we would like to see some of his paintings. At first we thought he was going to take us back to his classroom, but alas, he actually took us back to his apartment. As soon as we walked in he began to pull out photo album upon photo album of pictures of the students he has taught. Apparently, he specializes in teaching foreign students. Around the door frame in his living room are flags of every country that he has had a student from. 

So long story short, my friend and I are now taking painting lessons twice a week. For an hour and a half lesson we pay our teacher about $8. Let me tell you, having an actual teacher definitely beats trying to learn from YouTube videos! 

In addition to painting, classes, and my internship I have found some time to go on little excursions around Shanghai and outside of it. Two weekends ago, I took a trip to Xitang, a town about an hour and a half away from Shanghai. As with most of the towns outside of Shanghai, it is known for its canals, scenery, and souvenir shopping. My friends and I had a great time exploring, although we somehow missed most of the “tourist attractions”. There was plenty to do just walking down the streets. To end our day, we even went on a little boat ride down the canal.

 Last weekend we also went a similar type of historic town, but this one is actually located on the outskirts of Shanghai. While not as impressive as Xitang, it was still nice to see and eat some of the snack food. Since it was a Sunday, it was also quite crowded. It was hard to move while walking down the main street. I’m surprised my group managed to stay together.

Since pretty much all of my posts touch on some of the food I eat here, I have to mention this wonderful restaurant that I found. It is called Julie’s Food Experience and it specializes in Canadian food! We first went because we heard they served breakfast food, but that is not all. You can get pretty much any type of American food you can think of. So far, I have had quesadillas, pasta, pancakes, and hummus (not all together though!). Last time I also had a slice of carrot cake which may have been one of the best I’ve ever had. Only problem with Julie’s is that it is kind of expensive; especially since it’s very, very difficult to restrain yourself from ordering more than one dish on the menu.

 
On Wednesdays I have my internship so I end up going out to eat with my coworkers. I have to say, this may be the highlight of my work day. Each time they take me out to a different place. First it was a Noodle restaurant, then the company cafeteria, and today was the best of all. We went to IKEA! The office building is just down the street from the IKEA in Shanghai and apparently it’s super popular among the Chinese, particularly for lunch. I had great Swedish meatballs and a fresh salad. Now I have never eaten a full meal at IKEA before, but I definitely want to go back. I was trying to explain to my coworkers that in American people go to eat at IKEA because it’s so cheap. In China, the meal, which cost me about $4, is actually considered expensive.

Talking with Strangers

I am sorry it has been me so long since my last post; the days go by too quick! In addition to all the time I spend going to my classes and doing my Chinese homework, I now have an internship which eats another 10 hours of my week;14 when you factor in transportation. 

So far, it has been a great experience. I am interning at a Chinese company called VanceInfo which specializes in IT Outsourcing for companies such as Microsoft and Lenovo. They are definitely growing fast and opening up offices around the world. The department I work for is the HR and Training division. So far my duties have consisted of holding phone interviews to test applicants English, creating PowerPoint presentations for the new training program the company wants to develop, and grading English writing samples. 

My first day was a bit overwhelming as my boss and coworkers only really spoke to me in Chinese. They have been using more English since then, but interning here is definitely going to be a test of how much Chinese I know.  They are much more comfortable if they can use Chinese so I try my best to follow along. So far they seem to like my efforts though! I even went out to lunch with a few of them last week. Once again, it was a crash course in Chinese. I felt like I was being thrown into the deep end without fully knowing how to swim. 

While thinking back to the highlights of the past few weeks, I began to notice that quite a few of them began with talking to strangers. In China it is so easy to start talking with the other people that you encounter. Being a foreigner certainly helps since many people are quite curious and ready to ask you where you are from and see if you can speak Chinese. 

Last Friday my Chinese class took a field trip to a nearby park which is a popular hangout place for the older generation of Chinese. Our task was to interview different people and find out how often they came to the park, why they came, and ask them a little about their lifestyle. While a bit intimidating, my classmates and I definitely had a lot of fun. It turned out that pretty much everyone said they come to exercise, chat with friends, and enjoy the atmosphere on a daily basis. I really wish parks were this energetic in America. When you walk through it in the mornings you can really understand why these people love coming here every day. 

Talking with strangers also incidentally led to my first ride on a Moped; quite the experience! Every Monday a Western Sports Bar has a special on burgers and fries so needless to say most of the group was planning to go. I was coming from my internship and decided to try and meet them at the restaurant. 

The only problem was that I only had the address and when I got out of the subway I had no clue where to go. I saw two people with jackets that said “Traffic Assistance” so I decided they would be a good place to start to ask for directions. Once they figured out where I was trying to go, the guy gestured to his Moped and said “Don’t worry, I’ll take you”. Before I even knew what was happening, I found myself flying down one of the main streets in Shanghai, weaving in between lanes, cars, and bikes. Well you may think this sounds somewhat scary, it was actually quite exciting! While I would never want to be the one driving, riding with someone who knows what to do seems to be the way to go. I don’t think I will be repeating this experience anytime soon, but I am definitely glad I it happened!

Much more has happened, but its getting late and I need to finish up some more homework. I'll be sure to write later this week about my weekend trip to Xitang and the story behind how I how I obtained a private Chinese Brush Painting teacher. Once again, this involves meeting a stranger and striking up a conversation. 

Zaijian, 

Rachel