Ok, it has only been a few days since my last blog; so I must be getting back into it. I just realized that I have only been in Shanghai for 6 weeks now. It feels like I've been here 6 months. But I have been working at EF for only 3 weeks now; it actually just feels like 3 weeks. I have noticed more things about China that I have to vent again. Now, it's getting colder and China doesn't believe in a central heating system. Basically everywhere if you want heat, you need to have a space heater. Great, I'm looking forward to a cold winter. At least Shanghai doesn't get bitterly cold like it would be in Oxford, Ohio. Actually, Maryland gets colder than Shanghai as well. So now, I just pack on a lot of layers of clothes. I could turn on the space heater but its so fucking expensive. I keep trying to remind myself that I am not in Beijing or Harbin, which are the coldest cities in China.
Other things about China are still really outdated. Like plumbing. Most bathrooms in China do not have toilets, but squatting pans instead. Squatting pans are basically just a hole in the floor leading to a pipe. Also, you cannot flush toilet paper because the pipes in Shanghai aren't big enough to take in toilet paper. Instead, you toss it in the bin next to the sqatting pan. It always reeks like piss in bathrooms. It's so nasty. Why just get new pipes to hold the toilet paper? And maybe get actual toilets. It's just so much more sanitary. I know Shanghai can afford them; it's the richest city in China, even more so than Hong Kong.
God, I feel like that I keep bitching about China. I am more than happy to be here. Some things are so easy to complain about. But there is one thing I have finally gotten used to: the food. There are bones and fat in the meat and I have learned to ignore it and just spit the bones out. It is not good table manners, but I can't eat it, haha. The Chinese don't really have table manners here. It's not too bad sometimes, you can just not care what others think of your etiquiette when you eat. However, sometimes it can be annoying. Another thing that annoys me a lot about China is how everyone just pushes people out of the way and just spit in front of you. Shanghai hasn't changed much since the 1930s. I have decided to embrace it instead of getting frustrated when I'm pushed; now I push people out of the way. This sounds terrible, but I never get anywhere if people constantly push me out of the metro.
I'm starting to get a lot more comfortable with teaching. However, my TB3A class is my hardest class to teach. They don't seem to like me as a teacher and I have the hardest time to get them motivated to learn English. Most of the time, these kids are there because their parents forced them to. However, I love the other classes I have, especially the High Flyers. They are all really young kids and they are extremely active. It keeps the class fun and I have a lot of fun teaching them English. It's amazing to me how they can produce English for how young they are. I don't mind the older kids sometimes because you can have more serious and slightly intellectual discussions with them. On Thursday, I had a life club with low High Flyers and I was helping another teacher, Claudia, to get the students to make Thanksgiving cards. It was so much fun because I get them to learn about Thanksgiving and they were so excited when they finished their cards. They kept coming up to me saying, "Teacher! Teacher! I finished my card!" It's so cute. In a way, it was a good way for me to celebrate Thanksgiving in China. But I also went out with my co-workers for a few drinks to celebrate the holiday, even the British ones, haha. Basically they just wanted an excuse to drink.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
ahh, comfort and new people
Ok, it has been over two weeks since my last post. This isn't good. It really shows I'm falling behind on my blogging. But the good news is that I have a set routine in my life and things are finally going along smoothly after an extremely rough start here in Shanghai. My roommates are awesome! I am building friendships with them and it is really pleasant to live with them. Come to think of it, I have the best luck with roommates. Even in college, I had great roommates. In DC, I had great roommates. I fianlly met Sarah, the other American that is living here. She moved in around 10 days after I moved in. She said that she had been living in Shanghai since July, but she moved out of her old apartment because her roommates would never talk to her. I found that a little odd because she is really cool. We got along right away and there were never any kind of awkwardness between us like when you can get from meeting someone for the first time.
Davide is still a character. Though, I love talking to him. His Italian accent is pretty amusing sometimes when he messes up some English words. Ha, I feel like I'm mocking him, but it's pretty easy. Sorry, Davide. Nonetheless, we have great conversations as well; he can talk for hours. Chris is a very lighthearted dude. He always makes jokes, though he also has some sarcasm. Chris is also very Swiss. What I mean by that, he is very banker. He is the one that organizes our apartment finances, like bills and things for the apartment. It's really nice to have someone like that so I don't have to worry about what I owe. Franck was quite shy at first, but he is being more extroverted around us now. I have talked to him, though his English is not that good. He really wants to learn more vocabulary. I have had political discussions with him about politics in USA, France and Italy. We learned a lot from each other. It's a bonus for having international roommates!
Albert is still great, still practicing his Chinese. I go out with him quite often on Monday nights to a place called Zapata's in the French Concession. Zapata's has one full hour of free beer for guys and free margarita's for girls on Monday nights. The free beer for guys is great, but the margaritas barely have a drop of alcohol in them. "Government regulations," they said, "no one can get too drunk, especially girls." Whatever. I tried getting beer once, but girls are not allowed. Albert tried to get it for me once, but the small Chinese bouncer (who is actually shorter than me) yelled at me in Mandarin and took the drink out of my hand. Ok, the dude takes his job a little too seriously. If I had a margarita, I would be drinking anyway, so what was the big deal if I had a beer? The next week, I wanted to make sure I had beer. The free beer is served in plastic cups; but if you buy it, it will be served in glass pints. All I did was buy some beer (fucking expensive--Heineken was 45 yuan and Tsingtao was 40 yuan; ok, I don't think that Chinese beer should be expensive as a Heineken, it's not that great) and Albert kept refilling the whole hour.
I love going out in the French Concession. Where Zapata's is, it's on Hengshan Road, the one street in the French Concession that is lined with bars and cool restaurants. If I had to compare Shanghai to DC, I would say that the area I live in, Jing'an District, is like DC's Dupont Circle area and the French Concession is like Georgetown. My work is really close to Hengshan Road. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
So far, I really like working at EF. The more I get to know the teachers, the more I feel comfortable there. At first, I was really introverted; mainly because I was really nervous about belonging there, especially after what happened with KaiEn. But they are a more fun bunch that KaiEn seemed like. I have gone out with them a few times already and have attended two parties with them. It was recently one of my coworkers' 30th birthday, Mike. Also, Lesley had a Thanksgiving party two days ago; it was really that night when I finally developed a friendship with them. I had gotten to know a lot of them. Though at Mike's birthday, I hung out with them but the Thanksgiving party was more relaxing and less of a threatening environment. Mike's party was at a Brazilian steakhouse followed by drinks at a really posh bar and then followed by karaoke. Karaoke? Ok, I can't sing at all, especially in front of people I was already nervous with. I just sung along (quietly, lol) with everyone else. Though they picked really good songs. Plus, I met other EF teachers at other schools. At this point, honestly, I was so worn out from meeting people. I have never had to meet and shake hands with so many people in only 5 weeks. It actually does wear you out. I remember that I kept saying that I love meeting new people, I would have never thought it could actually get tiring. Anyway, Lesley had her party at her apartment. There was chicken (turkey is not easy to get in China apparently) and stuffing. I mingled with the EF people, but only those at my school. I focus on the teachers from other schools next time.
Working at EF and teaching Chinese kids. It is a lot of fun. Managing and disciplining Chinese kids? Easier said than done. These kids are raised by their grandparents because their parents work all the time. Their grandparents give them everything they want. Let's not forget that China has a one child policy, so almost all kids are only childs. Sweet. Most classes at EF are two hours long (though there are some that are 80 minutes). Two hours with loud kids who don't always pay attention or do the work--not easy, but definitely not boring. Think about it, I will have good stories to share. For example, one class I observed, there was a girl, around 6 or 7 years old, got on all fours in the middle of the classroom with the textbook in her mouth. She just stayed there for several minutes while there were screaming 7 year olds around her, going on about their favorite TV shows, in English of course. I have learned that sometimes kids learn English better when they scream it out. But this can only apply for the High Flyers. At EF, we have levels of English according to ages: Small Stars would be 3-6 year olds with 5 levels total, High Flyers are 7-10 year olds with 11 levels total, Trailblazers are 11-15 year olds with 21 levels total, and Real English for older teenagers with 15 levels. I have only taught Trailblazers and one Real English class so far. I have gotten comfortable with the Trailblazers and its textbooks. I have my first High Flyer class this Friday.
Ok, that is it for now; and hopefully I will post again soon enough.
Davide is still a character. Though, I love talking to him. His Italian accent is pretty amusing sometimes when he messes up some English words. Ha, I feel like I'm mocking him, but it's pretty easy. Sorry, Davide. Nonetheless, we have great conversations as well; he can talk for hours. Chris is a very lighthearted dude. He always makes jokes, though he also has some sarcasm. Chris is also very Swiss. What I mean by that, he is very banker. He is the one that organizes our apartment finances, like bills and things for the apartment. It's really nice to have someone like that so I don't have to worry about what I owe. Franck was quite shy at first, but he is being more extroverted around us now. I have talked to him, though his English is not that good. He really wants to learn more vocabulary. I have had political discussions with him about politics in USA, France and Italy. We learned a lot from each other. It's a bonus for having international roommates!
Albert is still great, still practicing his Chinese. I go out with him quite often on Monday nights to a place called Zapata's in the French Concession. Zapata's has one full hour of free beer for guys and free margarita's for girls on Monday nights. The free beer for guys is great, but the margaritas barely have a drop of alcohol in them. "Government regulations," they said, "no one can get too drunk, especially girls." Whatever. I tried getting beer once, but girls are not allowed. Albert tried to get it for me once, but the small Chinese bouncer (who is actually shorter than me) yelled at me in Mandarin and took the drink out of my hand. Ok, the dude takes his job a little too seriously. If I had a margarita, I would be drinking anyway, so what was the big deal if I had a beer? The next week, I wanted to make sure I had beer. The free beer is served in plastic cups; but if you buy it, it will be served in glass pints. All I did was buy some beer (fucking expensive--Heineken was 45 yuan and Tsingtao was 40 yuan; ok, I don't think that Chinese beer should be expensive as a Heineken, it's not that great) and Albert kept refilling the whole hour.
I love going out in the French Concession. Where Zapata's is, it's on Hengshan Road, the one street in the French Concession that is lined with bars and cool restaurants. If I had to compare Shanghai to DC, I would say that the area I live in, Jing'an District, is like DC's Dupont Circle area and the French Concession is like Georgetown. My work is really close to Hengshan Road. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
So far, I really like working at EF. The more I get to know the teachers, the more I feel comfortable there. At first, I was really introverted; mainly because I was really nervous about belonging there, especially after what happened with KaiEn. But they are a more fun bunch that KaiEn seemed like. I have gone out with them a few times already and have attended two parties with them. It was recently one of my coworkers' 30th birthday, Mike. Also, Lesley had a Thanksgiving party two days ago; it was really that night when I finally developed a friendship with them. I had gotten to know a lot of them. Though at Mike's birthday, I hung out with them but the Thanksgiving party was more relaxing and less of a threatening environment. Mike's party was at a Brazilian steakhouse followed by drinks at a really posh bar and then followed by karaoke. Karaoke? Ok, I can't sing at all, especially in front of people I was already nervous with. I just sung along (quietly, lol) with everyone else. Though they picked really good songs. Plus, I met other EF teachers at other schools. At this point, honestly, I was so worn out from meeting people. I have never had to meet and shake hands with so many people in only 5 weeks. It actually does wear you out. I remember that I kept saying that I love meeting new people, I would have never thought it could actually get tiring. Anyway, Lesley had her party at her apartment. There was chicken (turkey is not easy to get in China apparently) and stuffing. I mingled with the EF people, but only those at my school. I focus on the teachers from other schools next time.
Working at EF and teaching Chinese kids. It is a lot of fun. Managing and disciplining Chinese kids? Easier said than done. These kids are raised by their grandparents because their parents work all the time. Their grandparents give them everything they want. Let's not forget that China has a one child policy, so almost all kids are only childs. Sweet. Most classes at EF are two hours long (though there are some that are 80 minutes). Two hours with loud kids who don't always pay attention or do the work--not easy, but definitely not boring. Think about it, I will have good stories to share. For example, one class I observed, there was a girl, around 6 or 7 years old, got on all fours in the middle of the classroom with the textbook in her mouth. She just stayed there for several minutes while there were screaming 7 year olds around her, going on about their favorite TV shows, in English of course. I have learned that sometimes kids learn English better when they scream it out. But this can only apply for the High Flyers. At EF, we have levels of English according to ages: Small Stars would be 3-6 year olds with 5 levels total, High Flyers are 7-10 year olds with 11 levels total, Trailblazers are 11-15 year olds with 21 levels total, and Real English for older teenagers with 15 levels. I have only taught Trailblazers and one Real English class so far. I have gotten comfortable with the Trailblazers and its textbooks. I have my first High Flyer class this Friday.
Ok, that is it for now; and hopefully I will post again soon enough.
Monday, November 10, 2008
new apartment, new job
It has been a little over a week since my last posting. I hope I'm not already starting to fall behind on it. Anyway, I found an apartment! I began my apartment search about a week ago and found many interesting places. I sent off emails letting the landlords and people living in the apartment know that I'm interested. About half rejected me, either because they only wanted to live with a Chinese national or they had already filled the spot. Even one response said that they did not want to live with an American. That was really unfair I thought; but then again, I wouldn't want to live with a person who puts down Americans. "Americans are too pushy and too political," she said. That's not true for every American, but I didn't bother trying to change her mind. But the other half were allowed me to come check out their apartments.
I had looked at four apartments before I found the one I loved! And I got realllllly lucky with the rent price. The apartment I have is in one of the nicest districts of Shanghai and one of the more modern ones. This apartment I have is not typical for Shanghai and the rest of China. It's actually considered a luxury Western-style apartment and fully furnished. It has hardwood floors, leather furniture and big screen tv in the living room; a traditional Chinese dinner table and china cabinet in dining room and 6 bedrooms. Of course, that means I'm sharing with 5 other people. But this apartment is so big, I don't feel crowded at all. I'm living with an Italian guy, Swiss guy, British guy, French guy and another American girl. They all are pretty cool...well, so far at least.
The funny thing is about these roommates, I already knew the British guy, Albert. Albert was staying in the same hostel as I was and we had talked a few times. We knew that we were looking for apartments; one day last week we asked each other what apartments we had found. We discussed what our apartments were like and we realized that our apartments were a little too similar. Then we realized that we actually got the same apartments and will be roommates. It was just the weirdest, most random coincidence ever. I really like Albert a lot, we get along great and we became good friends quickly when we realized we're roommates.
I moved in the apartment last Friday, and all of the guys were already moved in as well. However, Sarah, the other American and the French guy haven't moved in yet. It's now Monday, and they still are not here. Weird. Davide is the Italian one and he seems to be a character. I really like him a lot so far; he wouldn't be boring to live with. He's very Italian, very fancy and very posh. Chris, the Swiss guy, seems very laidback and wants to have a good time. However, he brought 3 German girls and one British guy to stay over with us for the weekend. To be honest, that kind of annoyed me a little bit. I had just moved in and was barely starting to break in the apartment, and he brings all of these people to stay for the weekend. They were a lot of fun; I'm not that pissed off, but i was just annoyed at first. Also, I felt really awkward around them. They all knew each other and I was the odd one out trying to be a part of the group. Sometimes I find Europeans not as friendly as Americans, but they are so much more open-minded than Americans. Plus, it was a little difficult for me to understand their accents when they spoke.
Last weekend was my first real night out in Shanghai. On Friday night, we went over to the French Concession, a nice, pretty, Western-style neighborhood in Shanghai. The French Concession is a well known area for expatriates to live in. My district, Jing'an District, has quite a few expats as well. Shanghai has so many foreign nationals, called expats; so there are many bars that are notorious for expats gathering. There's an American bar near my apartment! Anyway, we went to this bar that was underground and was set up like a dungeon. It was cool and a different setting. They had pretty good music, considering that I wasn't sure what to expect in a Shanghai bar or club. Saturday night, we, Davide, Chris, Albert, the German girls, and the other British guy and myself, all ate at this really nice Japanese restaurant and had lots of food. It was one of the best Japanese food I've ever eaten. It was a little pricey, but so worth it. Considering that this is China, you have to pay a little more to get food quality the same as back home. Afterwards, Albert knew some Chinese girls, one of which I already knew from the hostel, and we met up for Chinese karaoke. Chris and the German girls were not that excited about it; I think they were just being a little stuck up. I was more open to it and wanted to immerse myself in Chinese culture. It wasn't that bad, I watched Chinese pop videos. Some were a little out there from what I'm used to. But of course, we all sang some American and British songs.
That's my weekend. And today was my first day at English First. It wasn't that exciting; I just watched a bunch of powerpoint slides about the company and the school and opened up a bank account. That way I can get paid; that's very important. At least I met the other new teachers, who are all American. At KaiEn, the teachers were more of a British or Austrialian nationalities, but here at EF, they tend to be more Americans and Canadians. I am open to meeting people of other nationalities, but at EF, I feel a lot more comfortable with others than at KaiEn.
I don't mean to judge other nationalities, but sometimes the Europeans can tick me off (as well as other nationalities). I just don't get why they are so quick to insult Americans and our country. "Omg, George Bush is so stupid!" "Americans are so loud and obnoxious!" "Americans don't care about anything except politics." Also, they accuse us of being more closed-minded than other nationalities; however, not all say that. First off, I'm really pissed at Bush for making Americans look bad. Second, other nationalities are judging us based on what they hear in the media; and they also say that they can't believe the stuff the media comes out with because they offer skewed versions of stories. Really? If they really believed that, then they wouldn't judge Americans based on media. Hmmmm... Also, I realized when insulted, Americans usually just shrug it off or say, "Yes, I'm American, hahahaha." If Americans retaliate with something about their nationality or their country, they would hate us forever. It's just not fair to me that they can say shit about us and we really wouldn't care, but when Americans do it, we would be seen as crude and closed-minded. I'm just venting, but when it actually does happen, I just shrug and laugh it off.
The Chinese don't really do it that much, but I've come across some that have. I definitely CANNOT retaliate. Chinese culture is very, very different. There are things that just can't be said, as I wrote in a previous entry, no Chinese politics/government, history, religion, Tibet and anything that bashes on their culture. You can actually be arrested for saying such things. A teacher trainer at EF told us today that sometimes that if a Chinese person hears stuff like that, they might call the police. I don't really know if it's that serious, but I wouldn't do it just to see what happens.
Ok, I've written enough for today.
I had looked at four apartments before I found the one I loved! And I got realllllly lucky with the rent price. The apartment I have is in one of the nicest districts of Shanghai and one of the more modern ones. This apartment I have is not typical for Shanghai and the rest of China. It's actually considered a luxury Western-style apartment and fully furnished. It has hardwood floors, leather furniture and big screen tv in the living room; a traditional Chinese dinner table and china cabinet in dining room and 6 bedrooms. Of course, that means I'm sharing with 5 other people. But this apartment is so big, I don't feel crowded at all. I'm living with an Italian guy, Swiss guy, British guy, French guy and another American girl. They all are pretty cool...well, so far at least.
The funny thing is about these roommates, I already knew the British guy, Albert. Albert was staying in the same hostel as I was and we had talked a few times. We knew that we were looking for apartments; one day last week we asked each other what apartments we had found. We discussed what our apartments were like and we realized that our apartments were a little too similar. Then we realized that we actually got the same apartments and will be roommates. It was just the weirdest, most random coincidence ever. I really like Albert a lot, we get along great and we became good friends quickly when we realized we're roommates.
I moved in the apartment last Friday, and all of the guys were already moved in as well. However, Sarah, the other American and the French guy haven't moved in yet. It's now Monday, and they still are not here. Weird. Davide is the Italian one and he seems to be a character. I really like him a lot so far; he wouldn't be boring to live with. He's very Italian, very fancy and very posh. Chris, the Swiss guy, seems very laidback and wants to have a good time. However, he brought 3 German girls and one British guy to stay over with us for the weekend. To be honest, that kind of annoyed me a little bit. I had just moved in and was barely starting to break in the apartment, and he brings all of these people to stay for the weekend. They were a lot of fun; I'm not that pissed off, but i was just annoyed at first. Also, I felt really awkward around them. They all knew each other and I was the odd one out trying to be a part of the group. Sometimes I find Europeans not as friendly as Americans, but they are so much more open-minded than Americans. Plus, it was a little difficult for me to understand their accents when they spoke.
Last weekend was my first real night out in Shanghai. On Friday night, we went over to the French Concession, a nice, pretty, Western-style neighborhood in Shanghai. The French Concession is a well known area for expatriates to live in. My district, Jing'an District, has quite a few expats as well. Shanghai has so many foreign nationals, called expats; so there are many bars that are notorious for expats gathering. There's an American bar near my apartment! Anyway, we went to this bar that was underground and was set up like a dungeon. It was cool and a different setting. They had pretty good music, considering that I wasn't sure what to expect in a Shanghai bar or club. Saturday night, we, Davide, Chris, Albert, the German girls, and the other British guy and myself, all ate at this really nice Japanese restaurant and had lots of food. It was one of the best Japanese food I've ever eaten. It was a little pricey, but so worth it. Considering that this is China, you have to pay a little more to get food quality the same as back home. Afterwards, Albert knew some Chinese girls, one of which I already knew from the hostel, and we met up for Chinese karaoke. Chris and the German girls were not that excited about it; I think they were just being a little stuck up. I was more open to it and wanted to immerse myself in Chinese culture. It wasn't that bad, I watched Chinese pop videos. Some were a little out there from what I'm used to. But of course, we all sang some American and British songs.
That's my weekend. And today was my first day at English First. It wasn't that exciting; I just watched a bunch of powerpoint slides about the company and the school and opened up a bank account. That way I can get paid; that's very important. At least I met the other new teachers, who are all American. At KaiEn, the teachers were more of a British or Austrialian nationalities, but here at EF, they tend to be more Americans and Canadians. I am open to meeting people of other nationalities, but at EF, I feel a lot more comfortable with others than at KaiEn.
I don't mean to judge other nationalities, but sometimes the Europeans can tick me off (as well as other nationalities). I just don't get why they are so quick to insult Americans and our country. "Omg, George Bush is so stupid!" "Americans are so loud and obnoxious!" "Americans don't care about anything except politics." Also, they accuse us of being more closed-minded than other nationalities; however, not all say that. First off, I'm really pissed at Bush for making Americans look bad. Second, other nationalities are judging us based on what they hear in the media; and they also say that they can't believe the stuff the media comes out with because they offer skewed versions of stories. Really? If they really believed that, then they wouldn't judge Americans based on media. Hmmmm... Also, I realized when insulted, Americans usually just shrug it off or say, "Yes, I'm American, hahahaha." If Americans retaliate with something about their nationality or their country, they would hate us forever. It's just not fair to me that they can say shit about us and we really wouldn't care, but when Americans do it, we would be seen as crude and closed-minded. I'm just venting, but when it actually does happen, I just shrug and laugh it off.
The Chinese don't really do it that much, but I've come across some that have. I definitely CANNOT retaliate. Chinese culture is very, very different. There are things that just can't be said, as I wrote in a previous entry, no Chinese politics/government, history, religion, Tibet and anything that bashes on their culture. You can actually be arrested for saying such things. A teacher trainer at EF told us today that sometimes that if a Chinese person hears stuff like that, they might call the police. I don't really know if it's that serious, but I wouldn't do it just to see what happens.
Ok, I've written enough for today.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Hostel Life
I got offered a job to teach at English First! Finally, I was going crazy out of my mind that I wouldn't have a job and will have to go back home and face everyone. EF is actually paying me more than what KaiEn was going to pay me and they are more helpful in the apartment search process. I am not positive when I start working, but hopefully it will be sometime this week; I'm starting to get bored and running out of things to do in Shanghai that does not cost money. I know at EF, I will go through a 12-week induction program, so unlike KaiEn, they are motivated to keep me at the school. Now, I feel like the next hard process transitioning into Shanghai is the apartment search. I don't really know if it will be easy or it will be hard. I think I might live with another teacher, but not one that also teaches at EF. I prefer to have a different group of friends outside of EF, so that not every aspect of my life is somehow work-related. I am already starting to get really sick of being in the hostel.
I have never had a bad experience in a hostel; and there is nothing wrong with this one. But, I just want to have my own room, my own bed, my own space. I just want to be able to unpack my stuff and access it easily. Living out of a suitcase sucks. I'm also sick of making friends with people that are gone in a few days. I've made my first real friends here; a 25-year old couple from Finland. We shared the same room and they were quiet but still quite friendly. They were always interested in what I was doing and I loved hearing about their travels. However, this is their first time out of Europe and they are on a 7-month tour of the world, literally. They started out in Finland and took the Trans-Siberian Railway into Beijing and are making their way down through China, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America and then to South Africa. I'm actually kind of jealous of them. I would love to do something like that. Maybe I will. At least, I think I might do the Trans-Siberian Railway when I complete my contract here in Shanghai. But that will be a year from now. Anyway, back to the Finnish couple. I really miss them a lot actually. They were here four nights and they left two days ago. We hung out every night and really got to know each other. They were pretty fluent in English, so it wasn't difficult to talk to them at all. I shouldn't be that worried about friends, I'll make some soon enough when I start working.
After they left, I felt kinda shitty all day and wondering how I could really miss them that much; I've only known them four days. But then later that evening was when I got the job offer at English First. Also, new people came into the room...another girl from Finland and a Dutch girl. Apparently they had become friends in Beijing and now decided to travel together. To be honest, when I first hung out with them, I thought they were airheads who were obsessed with getting drunk. That night, I couldn't carry a real conversation with them. Plus, there was always this vibe of awkwardness between us. Other than that, they were nice. I drank with them and also hung out with some British people staying in another room. I thought they were cooler. Last night, I hung out with the Finnish, Dutch and the four British people and we played a really fun drinking game. Things got a little out of hand, but it was the first real fun night I've had. I had a lot of fun with the Finnish couple from a few days before, but they weren't big drinkers-not that I wanted to be like those airheads who like to get drunk. After last night, I started to like the Finnish and Dutch girls a little bit more; I had to give them some credit because they were always inviting me along with them, despite the obvious awkwardness between us. They're leaving tomorrow and honestly, I don't think I will miss them. Ok, that sounded a little cruel, but whatever. They probably won't miss me either. But I like to think the Finnish couple might miss me just a little bit; we got along really well and there wasn't awkwardness between us.
Also, I met some older Irish guys here in the hostel. One night, we actually closed down the hostel bar. Now I think they've left. It would be cool if there were still here. We talked a lot about Ireland and said how much we missed it. They have invited me to hang out with them last night and I didn't. I hung out with the Finnish, Dutch and British people. I felt really bad for some reason. It's not a big deal, but I wanted to have another chat and a round of drinks with them. Oh well, they were kind of my friends here too. And now, they've gone back to Ireland I'm sure.
I shouldn't stake too much on the people I may meet here. It's a hostel; people come and go. I think I'm getting lonely for some friends. I can't develop a relationship with people who I will only know for several days. I didn't really have friends in Texas either. My last group of friends was in DC. Plus, I also really miss my friends from Miami and Ellicott City. I've lived in Texas for two months before I came to Shanghai and didn't really meet anyone at all. I'm really am getting lonely and moving to a Communist country and getting a slow start here isn't helping. I'm actually to the point where I'm desperate to start work so I can meet people. Despite the emotions I'm having now, I am really happy to be here in China. I'm teaching English to non-native speakers in a communist country on the other side of the world. I can make my impression somewhere else in the world. But it would be as exciting if I didn't have friends to share this experience with.
I have never had a bad experience in a hostel; and there is nothing wrong with this one. But, I just want to have my own room, my own bed, my own space. I just want to be able to unpack my stuff and access it easily. Living out of a suitcase sucks. I'm also sick of making friends with people that are gone in a few days. I've made my first real friends here; a 25-year old couple from Finland. We shared the same room and they were quiet but still quite friendly. They were always interested in what I was doing and I loved hearing about their travels. However, this is their first time out of Europe and they are on a 7-month tour of the world, literally. They started out in Finland and took the Trans-Siberian Railway into Beijing and are making their way down through China, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America and then to South Africa. I'm actually kind of jealous of them. I would love to do something like that. Maybe I will. At least, I think I might do the Trans-Siberian Railway when I complete my contract here in Shanghai. But that will be a year from now. Anyway, back to the Finnish couple. I really miss them a lot actually. They were here four nights and they left two days ago. We hung out every night and really got to know each other. They were pretty fluent in English, so it wasn't difficult to talk to them at all. I shouldn't be that worried about friends, I'll make some soon enough when I start working.
After they left, I felt kinda shitty all day and wondering how I could really miss them that much; I've only known them four days. But then later that evening was when I got the job offer at English First. Also, new people came into the room...another girl from Finland and a Dutch girl. Apparently they had become friends in Beijing and now decided to travel together. To be honest, when I first hung out with them, I thought they were airheads who were obsessed with getting drunk. That night, I couldn't carry a real conversation with them. Plus, there was always this vibe of awkwardness between us. Other than that, they were nice. I drank with them and also hung out with some British people staying in another room. I thought they were cooler. Last night, I hung out with the Finnish, Dutch and the four British people and we played a really fun drinking game. Things got a little out of hand, but it was the first real fun night I've had. I had a lot of fun with the Finnish couple from a few days before, but they weren't big drinkers-not that I wanted to be like those airheads who like to get drunk. After last night, I started to like the Finnish and Dutch girls a little bit more; I had to give them some credit because they were always inviting me along with them, despite the obvious awkwardness between us. They're leaving tomorrow and honestly, I don't think I will miss them. Ok, that sounded a little cruel, but whatever. They probably won't miss me either. But I like to think the Finnish couple might miss me just a little bit; we got along really well and there wasn't awkwardness between us.
Also, I met some older Irish guys here in the hostel. One night, we actually closed down the hostel bar. Now I think they've left. It would be cool if there were still here. We talked a lot about Ireland and said how much we missed it. They have invited me to hang out with them last night and I didn't. I hung out with the Finnish, Dutch and British people. I felt really bad for some reason. It's not a big deal, but I wanted to have another chat and a round of drinks with them. Oh well, they were kind of my friends here too. And now, they've gone back to Ireland I'm sure.
I shouldn't stake too much on the people I may meet here. It's a hostel; people come and go. I think I'm getting lonely for some friends. I can't develop a relationship with people who I will only know for several days. I didn't really have friends in Texas either. My last group of friends was in DC. Plus, I also really miss my friends from Miami and Ellicott City. I've lived in Texas for two months before I came to Shanghai and didn't really meet anyone at all. I'm really am getting lonely and moving to a Communist country and getting a slow start here isn't helping. I'm actually to the point where I'm desperate to start work so I can meet people. Despite the emotions I'm having now, I am really happy to be here in China. I'm teaching English to non-native speakers in a communist country on the other side of the world. I can make my impression somewhere else in the world. But it would be as exciting if I didn't have friends to share this experience with.
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