Notes on Shanghai!

1) In Shanghai they speak Shanghai-ese, versus Pu Tong Hua (the Beijing dialect I've been studying). This doesn't seem like a big deal, until someone finally tells you that the reason everyone smiles at you when you say "Hello" in Chinese is not because they are thrilled a foreigner is attempting Chinese. It is because you are saying it wrong.

2) In Shanghai-ese you say "Nong-ho" instead of "Ni-hao" for hello. FYI.

3) Periodically the nod and smile approach gets you surrounded by a group of very excited old ladies who begin speaking in rapid Shanghai-ese. By the end of the conversation I think they were trying to invite me to dinner, but I had finally figured a way out, so I quickly begged off.

4) At one week in, some of the farm workers believe that I speak Mandarin, and about half still think I don't know any. It is really funny to listen to the two halves argue about it.

5) Picking sprouts seems like a super easy job, however after about one hour in both of your legs are exhausted from practicing the "Chinese squat" and you realize that all of your sprouts look like crap compared to the ones the Aunties have pulled.

6) However, separating rotted bean sprouts from the fabric mat they grow on by hand is a much worse job. The only way to get through it is to try not to think about what exactly you are touching, and try to avoid the slimiest mats. Also, breathe through your mouth.

7) When you have to choose between profusely sweating while sleeping under a mosquito net or getting eaten alive without a mosquito net ALWAYS sleep with the net. I didn't have a choice for the first couple of days, and now it looks like I either have the chicken pox or a scary, itchy skin disease.

8) There has also been some talk that some of the bites aren't from mosquitos... which is also terrifying. I have since switched bedding and haven't gotten many new bites.

9) Aloe gel hands-down the best treatment for bug bites. You may be sticky and smell slightly strange, but the relief is totally worth it.

10) Apparently the aloe plant is edible, so they grow tons of it on the farm.

11) There is a Chinese cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" which plays on the radio periodically. A guy and a girl sing it as a duet, with an acappella group as their back-up, and they totally changed around the notes and rhythms... this never fails to throw me off.

12) Even though Shanghai has tons of beautiful parks, there is almost no one in them. No old people dancing or doing Tai-chi, no young couples walking hand and hand, and not even very many random tourists. If no one is in a park on Sunday afternoon... does anyone other than the garden cleaners visit?

13) A lot of Chinese guys have super long fingernails. Not sure how I missed this before, but I now see it everywhere... and it kind of freaks me out.

14) There are good coffee shops in Shanghai city!!! Their prices aren't even all that bad! And I can just buy a regular cup of non-instant coffee!!!!

15) I'm used to the open-air fruit and veggie markets, even the raw hunks meat laid out on tables doesn't really phase me anymore, but today I saw an entire block dedicated to selling fish, squid, turtles, and frogs (both live and dead, whole and chopped). The smell... oh lord the smell...

16) Then a few blocks later I saw a pet market. That was way worse. Turtles of all sizes piled up on top of each other in tiny boxes with water, 4-6 birds stuffed into tiny cages together, bunnies and kittens squished together, and crickets making a racket in the background. It was just so sad. That was probably the only time in my life I've considered just opening cages and telling the animals, "Be free!"

17) The strangest market I've seen thus far, is the marriage market in the People's Square in Shanghai. Older parents write up personal adds on pieces of paper (or make posters if they are more desperate) and post them all over the park railings, lamp posts, and even umbrellas placed on the ground. They then spend the entire day sitting by the poster talking with passers-by and try to hook up their sons or daughters. I happened to sit down by a poster (because I was tired and it was kind of hard to avoid them) and was nearly proposed to by a creepy old man.

18) Shanghai had it's very first farmer's market on Saturday. All I can really say about it is good on them for finally getting the ball rolling, but they've got a lot of room for growth.

19) From what I've seen thus far, Shanghai (and really all of China) has many times more European and Australian tourists than Americans. And nearly all of the Americans I have seen or met are students on a specific study abroad program.

20) Maggie can never ever come to China. All Chinese people are very noisy while they eat. That is the cultural norm, and how you show that you enjoy what your eating. It may also have something to do with the fact that there simply isn't a way to quietly, cleanly, and quickly eat noodles while using chopsticks... but I'm just speculating.

21) Don't wear a white shirt while eating noodles. Actually, just never wear any clothing that you care about or will show oil stains while eating noodles. If you are anything like me, your shirt will quickly be spotted with sauce.

22) Also, learn the characters for "la" and "ma" very quickly. These are two different kinds of spicy-ness. La (辣）is heat from chili peppers, which is tasty and something you want to try. Ma (麻）is heat from black pepper, and simply causes your entire mouth to go tingly and numb. Doctors will warn you not to eat too much of this, but it is in nearly all Cantonese dishes. I like La, and I can't stand Ma.

23) When you ask the girls (because the workers are always girls) at the Milk Tea shops which flavor is the best, you get some interesting suggestions. Today's flavor included rice or beans... I'm not entirely sure, but it was tasty.

24) Alway bring a raincoat.

25) If you don't bring a raincoat, at least buy an umbrella from the old ladies outside of your first subway station... because there might not be another one at your last stop, and then you get to walk home in a thunderstorm.

26) Timbuk2 bags are waterproof. Trust me, my camera survived the hour-long drenching.

27) When you are soaking wet, wearing a dress, and walking through 3" puddles, smile. The smart Chinese people who brought ponchos or umbrellas will always laugh at the silly foreigner who is soaking wet.

28) At some point in an extended trip to China, you will try some traditional Chinese medicine. Thankfully, mine has been limited to some soup and a salve for my bug bites, neither of which smelled all that bad.

29) At some point you will be really homesick... mostly for whole-wheat bread and sandwiches, but it is a pressing problem none the less.

30) The only way to get any sleep during sweltering hot nights tangled up in a mosquito net is to sleep on a bamboo mat over your mattress... I never thought that it could make such a difference.

And now some random pictures!

These are from the beautiful Stone Forest outside of the city of Kunming. We got to hike through these beautiful limestone formations with our home-stay student partners as a kind of bonding activity. Unfortunately my student wasn't able to miss school that day, so I mostly climbed ahead of the group, and spent a lot of time gawking at these awesome rocks.