Winding Down in China

Today is my last full day in Hangzhou. Things have been good here. There is a lake in the middle of town. The mountains are nice. I get to practice my Chinese. Earlier I didn't know if it was good or not, now I know, it's awful. Chinese grammer has got to be the most complicated subject in the world. I can't for the life of me understand it. At least I know now how difficult this language would be to learn. Nevertheless I would like to come back. Hopefully I can arrange a return here while in grad school.

Last weekend I went to Shanghai. It was my first time there, and the city is impressive. They have an IKEA in Shanghai. We were traveling with a Swede battling a severe case of diahhrea (that word is impossible to spell) induced by a tuna sandwich he ate at a cafe here which I happen to love. I just drink the coffee there you see, no food. He was miserable on the train to Shanghai, and my Dutch friend and I found this hilarious. I wish I didn't do this, but I find myself laughing at minor misfortune now. The Swede spoiled our fun by perking up immensely when we went by the IKEA. My first meal in Shanghai was of Swedish meatballs, eaten in the vastness of the IKEA's retail space. The Swede insisted.

Shanghai has a river down the middle of it, and on one side is the old, colonial Bund. On the other side is Pudong, modern and futuristic. We found a great hostel with a roof-top backpacker cafe just steps from the bund. From there we spent the evening watching the skyscrapers in Pudong light up. Of course we were not sleeping at that hostel. The Swede booked one on the other side of town, much closer to the IKEA.

The air quality in Shanghai did not seem problematic. Both times I've been to Beijing breathing has made me sick. My throat hurts and my sinuses start to act up. In Shanghai, no problem. There is a fairly kitcshy area called the Yu Gardens near the Bund where we spent a bit of time eating. It's supposed to look like "Old Shanghai." It's a little annoying, like Disneyworld. The food is cheaper in the Yu Gardens though. There is also an area of older, colonial building on tree-lined streets called the French Concession. We spent an afternoon there joking about how European it was and how we expected to see men wearing socks with Sandals. The Europeans I was traveling with cannot understand why we Americans insist on separating sandals from socks. They apparently regard their socks as a sort of security blanket.

The problem with Shanghai is that it is very easy to live a European/American life, and you are not forced to learn Chinese. If I come back here and choose to live in Shanghai I will have to be careful not to fall into that.

Tomorrow I go to Qingdao, provided my visa extension comes through as planned, and will meet a friend from undergrad for a few days before heading back to Hong Kong, and then back home.