*A car stopped for me when I was crossing the street. This is unheard of. Could it be a sign of the apocalypse?
*At work I was going through employee files and was completely stumped when I found two scientists with the exact same name (not just the same pinyin… they were the same characters!), who both worked in the same department and had the same position title. Yikes…
*During my metro commute home, I watched a National Geographic podcast about a weird species of fish. They live in harems of females dominated by one male, but if the male disappears, a female will undergo a transformation… she will become more aggressive and develop male hormones, and within a couple of weeks she transforms into a male and can fertilize the harem’s eggs!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
My First Business Trip
Two weekends ago I went on my first business trip! Thursday afternoon I left the office with the rest of the HR department (in total, only 5 of us). We went to the airport to meet our HR counterparts from all of the other China offices, and then were taken by bus to Suzhou. We stayed at a fancy 4-star hotel (which are VERY deluxe in China).
Friday we all went to an all-day conference in the hotel. The conference was a string of presentations made in Mandarin, so I was left sitting there in boredom. I could only pick out a fraction of the words (most were business words beyond my comprehension), and not nearly enough to have much of an idea what they were talking about. Lunch was a very fancy affair, and a nice respite from the conference. The afternoon was filled with more of the same. One thing did pique my interest, however. Since the slides were in English, I could sort of follow the topic of discussion. During the “best practices sharing,” though, I couldn’t figure out what “POO communication” stood for. (Instead it just left me laughing and thinking of Bubba.)
Saturday we had ‘team-building’ excursions to Zhouzhuang and Suzhou. Zhouzhuang is famous for its classic bridges and waterways. It was so beautiful! But it was also incredibly hot and humid (probably the worst I’d yet experienced here), to the point where it was hard to enjoy sightseeing… especially given the throngs of people. Luckily, in the afternoon it cooled down, so visiting Suzhou was much nicer. We visited one of the four famous gardens, the Lion Grove Garden, which holds special appeal for me because it used to be my Grammy’s family’s summer home. It was such a nice estate (and HUGE!). The lakes and rocks (the classic ones with the holes all over them) were really beautiful.
After a boat tour in the evening we returned to the hotel just in time to watch the World Cup semi-finals. I was ecstatic to discover that our hotel suite allowed me to raise the bathroom’s window blinds and watch the came from the comfort of a warm bath! In a country like China, that feels somewhat perpetually dirty, a weekend getaway to a fancy and pristine hotel can be heavenly!
People trying to throw coins into an alter (not sure what you'd call this thing) for good luck in front of a temple.
Zhouzhuang
Me on a bridge in Zhouzhuang
A painting of Obama for sale at Zhouzhuang. Amazing!
In front of the iconic rock at Lion's Grove Garden
A worker clearing weeds from the lake at Lion's Grove
At Lion's Grove Garden
Suzhou night cruise
Friday we all went to an all-day conference in the hotel. The conference was a string of presentations made in Mandarin, so I was left sitting there in boredom. I could only pick out a fraction of the words (most were business words beyond my comprehension), and not nearly enough to have much of an idea what they were talking about. Lunch was a very fancy affair, and a nice respite from the conference. The afternoon was filled with more of the same. One thing did pique my interest, however. Since the slides were in English, I could sort of follow the topic of discussion. During the “best practices sharing,” though, I couldn’t figure out what “POO communication” stood for. (Instead it just left me laughing and thinking of Bubba.)
Saturday we had ‘team-building’ excursions to Zhouzhuang and Suzhou. Zhouzhuang is famous for its classic bridges and waterways. It was so beautiful! But it was also incredibly hot and humid (probably the worst I’d yet experienced here), to the point where it was hard to enjoy sightseeing… especially given the throngs of people. Luckily, in the afternoon it cooled down, so visiting Suzhou was much nicer. We visited one of the four famous gardens, the Lion Grove Garden, which holds special appeal for me because it used to be my Grammy’s family’s summer home. It was such a nice estate (and HUGE!). The lakes and rocks (the classic ones with the holes all over them) were really beautiful.
After a boat tour in the evening we returned to the hotel just in time to watch the World Cup semi-finals. I was ecstatic to discover that our hotel suite allowed me to raise the bathroom’s window blinds and watch the came from the comfort of a warm bath! In a country like China, that feels somewhat perpetually dirty, a weekend getaway to a fancy and pristine hotel can be heavenly!
People trying to throw coins into an alter (not sure what you'd call this thing) for good luck in front of a temple.
Zhouzhuang
Me on a bridge in Zhouzhuang
A painting of Obama for sale at Zhouzhuang. Amazing!
In front of the iconic rock at Lion's Grove Garden
A worker clearing weeds from the lake at Lion's Grove
At Lion's Grove Garden
Suzhou night cruise
4th of July
Friday, July 9, 2010
Last Sunday was the Fourth of July, and even on this side of the globe American ex-pats celebrated in style. The Strip (the restaurant owned by some Harvard alums) had a barbeque to celebrate its opening, so Panpan and I went there around noon and spent the day with friends there. The worst of the humidity had, thankfully, passed, so we were able to enjoy the day on the restaurant’s balcony.
The Fourth of July celebration was just one instance among many that make me acutely aware of how separately most expats live from the locals. Although Shanghai is thought to be a very Westernized city, it is only Westernized for the richest few. There are main roads with glitzy storefronts, but one street over will be shack-like homes and hidden poverty.
It is possible (even likely) for many expats to spend years in Shanghai sequestered off in their own little expat world. Although the British and French Concessions are mostly historical relics now, new Expat Concessions seem to have sprung up in their place.
This wasn’t what I had expected, after spending last summer living in an older Chinese city integrated with the local people, and I’ve definitely had to adjust my expectations of my time here. I guess I had been expecting to get more Chinese culture and language than I actually am. (In fact, I could get by perfectly fine without speaking a word of Chinese. And plenty of Shanghai’s inhabitants do just that for YEARS!) Oddly enough, the culture shock for me isn’t China vs. America. Instead, it’s the strangeness of living in a city, especially such a large and cosmopolitan one as Shanghai. It hasn’t been the experience that I’d expected, but it’s been a good one nonetheless.
Last Sunday was the Fourth of July, and even on this side of the globe American ex-pats celebrated in style. The Strip (the restaurant owned by some Harvard alums) had a barbeque to celebrate its opening, so Panpan and I went there around noon and spent the day with friends there. The worst of the humidity had, thankfully, passed, so we were able to enjoy the day on the restaurant’s balcony.
The Fourth of July celebration was just one instance among many that make me acutely aware of how separately most expats live from the locals. Although Shanghai is thought to be a very Westernized city, it is only Westernized for the richest few. There are main roads with glitzy storefronts, but one street over will be shack-like homes and hidden poverty.
It is possible (even likely) for many expats to spend years in Shanghai sequestered off in their own little expat world. Although the British and French Concessions are mostly historical relics now, new Expat Concessions seem to have sprung up in their place.
This wasn’t what I had expected, after spending last summer living in an older Chinese city integrated with the local people, and I’ve definitely had to adjust my expectations of my time here. I guess I had been expecting to get more Chinese culture and language than I actually am. (In fact, I could get by perfectly fine without speaking a word of Chinese. And plenty of Shanghai’s inhabitants do just that for YEARS!) Oddly enough, the culture shock for me isn’t China vs. America. Instead, it’s the strangeness of living in a city, especially such a large and cosmopolitan one as Shanghai. It hasn’t been the experience that I’d expected, but it’s been a good one nonetheless.
No More Isolation!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
In my first couple of weeks here, I felt so isolated. Big cities like Shanghai can be incredibly lonely. I’ve never actually lived in a city before, and it was weird to walk around and never see a familiar face.
Now that I moved in with Panpan, things have improved tremendously. It’s still rare to see people I know unless we have prior plans (I can’t say never anymore, because I did randomly run into a friend from school once…), but now I know that when I go home I’ll at least have a friend there. (This just affirms my resolution not to live alone!)
I’ve gotten a good handle on the social side of my time here, now, but work is an ongoing struggle. I simply don’t feel very fulfilled with my internship. I don’t have enough work to keep me busy, which I’ve expressed to my supervisors, but unfortunately it seems that they just don’t have more that I can do, since you need a lots of background knowledge for a lot of what they do. Even when I do have work, oftentimes it’s not work that requires critical thinking or creativity. Hearing about what some of my friends are doing at their internships just increases my frustration. Although I’m so happy for those of them who are having great experiences with their internships (like Alisha and Marina), it definitely makes me jealous!!! I wish I felt that I was learning more and contributing more.
In my first couple of weeks here, I felt so isolated. Big cities like Shanghai can be incredibly lonely. I’ve never actually lived in a city before, and it was weird to walk around and never see a familiar face.
Now that I moved in with Panpan, things have improved tremendously. It’s still rare to see people I know unless we have prior plans (I can’t say never anymore, because I did randomly run into a friend from school once…), but now I know that when I go home I’ll at least have a friend there. (This just affirms my resolution not to live alone!)
I’ve gotten a good handle on the social side of my time here, now, but work is an ongoing struggle. I simply don’t feel very fulfilled with my internship. I don’t have enough work to keep me busy, which I’ve expressed to my supervisors, but unfortunately it seems that they just don’t have more that I can do, since you need a lots of background knowledge for a lot of what they do. Even when I do have work, oftentimes it’s not work that requires critical thinking or creativity. Hearing about what some of my friends are doing at their internships just increases my frustration. Although I’m so happy for those of them who are having great experiences with their internships (like Alisha and Marina), it definitely makes me jealous!!! I wish I felt that I was learning more and contributing more.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Family in Shanghai
Nanjing Pedestrian Road
A side street off the main pedestrian road
Being celebrities
Doing Tai Chi
A couple of weekends ago, my brother Michael came to Shanghai with a group from his high school. We met up on Nanjing Road and strolled down the pedestrian road, all the while be jostled by the crowd and implored to buy fake watches and purses by the street vendors. We walked all the way down to the Bund, where the group began attracting even more attention from the locals. There must have been Chinese tourists there who were less used to seeing so many foreigners than the Chinese living in Shanghai, because lots of them asked to take photos with me. (I like to kid myself that they only asked because of my radiant beauty, but I have a feeling that had very little to do with it.) We gathered even more of a crowd when my brother’s group started putting on a taichi performance they had learned earlier in their travels.
After joining them for dinner (in one of those restaurants that caters to tour groups), we parted ways. It was really funny to see Michael on his trip. He was in exactly the same place I was when I went on a school trip to China at the end of 11th grade! Seeing their group made me realize how different my experience this summer and last summer have been from the first time I went to China. I’ve come a long way. I’m moderately conversational now, whereas before my vocabulary was limited to “stomach” and “butt.” I’m actually working. I’m not staying in hotels. I’m actually living here (if only for 2 months)! What a strange concept.
Shanghai: An Ivy League Colony
It seems to me as if Shanghai has been taken over by Ivy Leaguers. Although Harvard and the rest of the Ivy League universities are half a world away, I am never lacking the company of its students and alumni. I used to think that the Harvard and Ivy League networks were overly esteemed, and that they weren’t of much importance. Over the past month, however, I’ve found the network of students and alumni to be not only stronger than I imagined, but also more comforting. While each of the eight Ivy League schools has its own personality, there are definitely unifying experiences.
Sometimes this manifests itself very discreetly. For example, my roommate Panpan, an undergrad at Brown, knew exactly what I was talking about when I said “concentration” instead of “major” and also has “shopping week” instead of preregistration for courses.
What has surprised me most is seeing what a small world the Ivy League really is. Any time I meet another undergrad, we are almost certain to have friends and acquaintances in common at each other’s schools.
But, to get back to my original point: I thought that my interaction with other Ivy League students and alumni wouldn’t extend beyond spending time with my friends from school who also happened to be in Shanghai. I keep happening to meet more and more students and alumni, though, and it’s been a pleasure hanging out with them!
A couple of weeks ago, I went with a few friends to a gallery opening for Island6 in the hip modern art section of the city, pretty far off the beaten path. The exhibit was about Time (with a capital T…) – very artsy-fartsy and quite beyond my full comprehension and appreciation. The curator’s brother happened to be a Harvard alum, and there were a bunch of middle-aged Brown and Harvard grads (of course Brown alums would be at the trendy gallery opening ^-^). We ended up having a lot of fun talking to them and hearing all of the interesting things you can end up doing in Shanghai post-grad. (It seems like many alumni end up starting their own companies here.)
Later that weekend, our new friends from the gallery invited us to a pan-Ivy League BBQ, and while there were flashes of interesting conversation, the event on whole made me see why people accuse these schools to be a bit stuffy and dull. It was incredibly humid that day, though, so perhaps that’s why everyone was unanimated…
As much as I enjoy the company of all of these people, and as eager as I am to return to the “Harvard Bubble” in the fall, I can’t help but wonder what the effects of being constantly sheltered in such an Ivy League-dominated environment does to us.
show some respect for the 500 million years of life forms compressed into the plastics you use
Shanghai is the future for 19 time zones
Sometimes this manifests itself very discreetly. For example, my roommate Panpan, an undergrad at Brown, knew exactly what I was talking about when I said “concentration” instead of “major” and also has “shopping week” instead of preregistration for courses.
What has surprised me most is seeing what a small world the Ivy League really is. Any time I meet another undergrad, we are almost certain to have friends and acquaintances in common at each other’s schools.
But, to get back to my original point: I thought that my interaction with other Ivy League students and alumni wouldn’t extend beyond spending time with my friends from school who also happened to be in Shanghai. I keep happening to meet more and more students and alumni, though, and it’s been a pleasure hanging out with them!
A couple of weeks ago, I went with a few friends to a gallery opening for Island6 in the hip modern art section of the city, pretty far off the beaten path. The exhibit was about Time (with a capital T…) – very artsy-fartsy and quite beyond my full comprehension and appreciation. The curator’s brother happened to be a Harvard alum, and there were a bunch of middle-aged Brown and Harvard grads (of course Brown alums would be at the trendy gallery opening ^-^). We ended up having a lot of fun talking to them and hearing all of the interesting things you can end up doing in Shanghai post-grad. (It seems like many alumni end up starting their own companies here.)
Later that weekend, our new friends from the gallery invited us to a pan-Ivy League BBQ, and while there were flashes of interesting conversation, the event on whole made me see why people accuse these schools to be a bit stuffy and dull. It was incredibly humid that day, though, so perhaps that’s why everyone was unanimated…
As much as I enjoy the company of all of these people, and as eager as I am to return to the “Harvard Bubble” in the fall, I can’t help but wonder what the effects of being constantly sheltered in such an Ivy League-dominated environment does to us.
show some respect for the 500 million years of life forms compressed into the plastics you use
Shanghai is the future for 19 time zones
What If...
Monday, July 5, 2010
Every so often, something will make me imagine all of the possible “what ifs.” Meeting my friend Eric’s family last week prompted my most recent “what if” musings. Eric’s aunt and uncle live in Shanghai in a historical old apartment. We were in the neighborhood after dinner one evening and they invited us to stop by for tea. Something about the family was strangely reminiscent of my own. His aunt was a kindhearted lady who was always smiling (and had something to say about everything!); his uncle was a bit more reserved and a big Chinese history buff. Sitting in their living room made me feel like I was in some sort of twilight zone. It was as if I was getting a glimpse of “what if my grandparents didn’t leave Shanghai…”
Every so often, something will make me imagine all of the possible “what ifs.” Meeting my friend Eric’s family last week prompted my most recent “what if” musings. Eric’s aunt and uncle live in Shanghai in a historical old apartment. We were in the neighborhood after dinner one evening and they invited us to stop by for tea. Something about the family was strangely reminiscent of my own. His aunt was a kindhearted lady who was always smiling (and had something to say about everything!); his uncle was a bit more reserved and a big Chinese history buff. Sitting in their living room made me feel like I was in some sort of twilight zone. It was as if I was getting a glimpse of “what if my grandparents didn’t leave Shanghai…”
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