Visitors!!

We started our second class, International Business Law last Monday, but that is not my big news for the week. That goes to the visit from my cousin (Jamie) and her friend (Justin). Ahh, family...

Who knew Jamie would be studying in China during the same time as me? But as it stands, she’s been in Beijing and came down to Shanghai for her long weekend. Not only did we get to spend time with each other in Shanghai, but we also did a lot of exploration of the city since this was her friend, Justin’s first time here. We visited the business side of town, Lujiazui, which is totally on the opposite side of the city as me, since the 4th tallest building in the world (Jin Mao) and the next tallest building are located there. We also meandered down the Huang Pu and found the air-conditioned ferry to take us across the river for 2 RMB. We never actually used the air conditioner since it was cool out, but we could not find the entrance for the .5 RMB local ferry. We walked from East to West Nanjing Lu, got some really good beef jerky, and then headed back so we could meet everyone and then some for dinner and a drink at a bar on Hengshan Lu. The next few days also consisted of a lot of walking and exploring.

This visit re-enforced the difference between the way Chinese treat themselves versus foreigners. Not only do Jamie and Justin agree with Matt’s statement about the great quality of service they receive here, but they also get the numerous stares and are constantly approached to buy the fake goods. It was interesting that when I was walking around with them, I did not get a single card shoved into my face and that many thought I was their tour guide (apparently we don’t look the same – see picture). They tried to speak to me so I could translate for the 2 haole people (who happen to know more of this language than me!). And then, I got a “ting de dong!?” in our elevator from the service guy who was in awe that I could understand what they were saying. Yet it all worked out well since their language skills, in addition to all their bargaining practice in Beijing, helped us to get some good deals.

They did mention many times how much more expensive Shanghai is than Beijing, so you can really see where the money is in China. Other differences include the lack of street vendors, abundance of tall buildings and advanced metro system in Shanghai. (It’s still nowhere near the level of Hong Kong’s subway). Yet, if Shanghai goes though with their subway expansion plan as detailed in the Planning Exhibition Hall, it will get very complicated very quickly. (The plans show 18 lines by 2020! And there are currently 4 in use.) Now, I want to go to Beijing, not to see the same main tourist attractions again, but to see how they live and compare our exchange experiences.

More pictures coming your way.