Week 2

It’s been a tough week. On the plus side I’m starting to feel a lot more chilled out about being here, on the down side there was so much stuff going on at home this week I really wanted to be there. So it’s been tough.

I thought long and hard about posting all this as it makes me sound like I’m regretting being out here – I’m not at all. It’s just when you’re still in this transition period as I am, everything seems heightened somewhat and you don’t have a circle of friends or family around you to help you deal with things. So I wanted to be honest about how I’ve felt this week.

One thing I think everyone kind of pays lip service to but no-one really understands until you’ve done it is how much you miss your family and friends. Particularly at the start, when you have no friends where you are.  I knew I was going to miss them, I didn’t realise quite how much.

So, that’s been my state of mind this week -  now onto less heavy things. One thing I am getting used to is being stared at. Sure, there are Westerners here but they’re still few and far between. And being a 5ft 10 blonde Westerner means you’re guaranteed to get stared at, and 9 times out of 10 you’re also being talked about. (Tip: if you hear the word ‘Laowai’, you’re definitely being talked about. It means ‘Westerner’.)

What it does mean is that you have to develop a thick skin. From constantly fretting what people were saying about me, I’ve gone to really not caring in the space of a couple of weeks. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Wonder if I’ll keep it up when I get home…

Speaking of home, last week I booked 2 trips home – one in August for Standon Calling and a quick holiday with the family, then two whole weeks at Christmas  - which I’m already excited about…

Good news on the apartment front – I found one! It’s on the Puxi side of the river, about a 10 minute walk to the Metro Station and then 4 stops (I think) to my office. It’s near Jingan Temple – which is this area here:

 

 

 

Had confirmation today that I can move in on Saturday, and the shipping company can deliver my stuff on Saturday too! So hopefully by this time next week I’ll be a lot more settled and will have my things around me which will be great.

One more thing from this week- I had my first real ‘smog’ day on Sunday. So far, as the weather’s been fairly interchangeable, it’s not been too bad. But Sunday was definitely a stay indoors day. They have an air quality index (AQI) here, which is in real time so you can check the pollution/smog levels – in particular the PM2.5 levels, which are the ones that are harmful to your health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says anything below 100 is acceptable, 100-150 is unhealthy, and anything over 150 is really unhealthy. And anything over 200 is really really unhealthy. So Shanghai at 1pm yesterday afternoon was 209!!!!!!! In comparison, London was 40…… http://aqicn.org/city/shanghai/ (use the search bar to compare to London).

And you could taste it when you went outside, it was kind of like when you’ve been sat in a traffic jam on a hot day and all you can smell is the heat of other people’s cars, it was a bit like that. Very strange. Luckily those days are few and far between, and there’s always indoors with the air con on as an alternative.

Two things to talk about in more detail next time – dress sense and language lessons…

Things I’ve learned this week:

‘Coffee’ is the same in every language, as is pizza

Staying inside when the pollution index is over 200 is perfectly acceptable

Apartment hunting is soul destroying no matter what country you’re in

Never go outside in June without an umbrella – no matter how hot it currently is, unless you want all the Chinese people with umbrellas to laugh at you as you get absolutely soaked.

Apparently it’s OK to bring your pet kitten into work for the day (no I’m not joking).

I've arrived...

So here I am. After what was a massively emotional final week in the UK, I made it to Shanghai. I'm on a 3 year contract, working for a new car company which is hugely exciting.

The reason for starting to blog is there is so much going on and so much to learn that I can't put it all on Facebook, it's just not possible. So I thought I'd give this a go instead - let's see how long I can keep it up for.

It's definitely a culture shock being here, but not as bad as I expected. I think the biggest thing for me without a doubt is language barrier. Most countires you go to most people have a grasp of English - taxi drivers, waitresses etc. Not here. Or only in the more 'Western-y' kind of places. And as I am currently trying to not be that person and really experience everything Shanghai has to offer, I feel guilty for only knowing how to say 'hello' and 'thank you.' I've had my hotel name printed out in Chinese on countless pieces of paper and I take those with me wherever I go. Mandarin lessons start on Monday, so I'm hoping after that I won't have to be a rubbish Westerner who doesn't speak any Mandarin.

So far my first week has been - quiet. No nights out, no wild parties. I think it's safe to say I'm definitely in the adjustment phase. I'm a nightmare to walk with anywhere as I'm constantly gawping up at the buildings etc. Particularly where I work. It's here:

 

That's pretty damn cool. Of course, this image may have been Photoshopped as I have yet to see a day that clear. Even when it's warm and sunny, it's still kind of grey (probably due to the smog). As I'm currently staying on the 46th floor, on the days when it's cloudy and raining, I actually can't see out of the window - it's like I'm in the cloud.It's pretty weird.

 

Hotel has been great for a readjustment period but I'm ready to move out into my own place. There's two areas here: Puxi and Pudong. The heart of Pudong is the financial district which is where I work. Hard to belive they didn't start building any of Pudong until the early 90s, it was still fields before that. Now it's massive and is like a little city all of it's own. On the other side of the Bund (the river) is Puxi which is 'real' Shanghai. There's always lots of debate with ex-pats as to which side of the river to live, the general consensus being if you're married with kids, live in Pudong as the air's better and you may be able to get a garden. If you're single (ie me) then live in Puxi as all the nightlife is on your doorstep. So that's where I'm looking. Saw about 11 apartments today in various compounds but 2 stood out - both of which have 2 beds, 2 baths, one more expensive but better location. Both quite popular compounds so think I'm sorted either way hopefully. Ready to get the rest of my stuff together and really start living here! 

 

 

In terms of ticking things off a checklist, this week I have:

 

- been into a supermarket

- caught a taxi across the city by myself

- bought a Chinese Sim card for my phone

- had my ex-pat medical (which was very strange, you go through about 8 rooms and they do different things to you in all the rooms)

- Topped up my 'food hall' card to eat at the 'Super Brand Mall' (yes really) opposite my office. Massive bowl of soup and dumplings = £2. And that's expensive

- Had a traditional Chinese meal with my relocation agent (and it was grim.)

- Been apartment hunting

 

Things to do next week:

 

- go into a bar!

- go on the subway (it terrifies me)

- move out of this hotel and into an apartment

 

Things I've learned this week:

 

- Wine is expensive, even in the supermarket (£11!!!)

- Beer is cheap, particularly in the supermarket (about 20p a can)

- green men on traffic crossings mean nothing, the cars will run you over no matter what.

- becoming a vegetarian might be a good idea....

- taxis are ridiculously cheap - a 30 minute taxi journey cost me £6

- Internet here is horrifically slow

- No-one starts work until 930 in the morning (score)

- there's no such thing as central heating

- watching Red Dwarf on a Chinese TV makes it funnier somehow (if that's even possible)

 

Random things I've seen this week:

 

- Ladies doing some sort of dancing/aerobics class on the corner opposite my hotel every evening(apparently this is a cultural thing that happens all over Shanghai)

- M&S (very random indeed)

- Outdoor escalators! All over the district where I work. It's like working in one big outdoor mall.