When I was 17 and travelled alone to India, the second I got off the plane, the hot thick air hit me and it is something that I have always remembered because it was such a different consistency and scent and just so different in that it was almost overwhelming, and I definitely knew I was somewhere new and exciting. Due to this, I’ve been really curious whether China would have this immediate and striking lasting effect on me.
When I first got to Shanghai and I was going through the airport, the first two things I noticed was how clean it was and that there were lots of people cleaning everywhere and that there was lots of official looking people stood around. When I had collected my luggage and went through to arrivals, amongst all the taxi people trying to get your attention, was a tiny Chinese man with a sign nearly bigger than him saying 'MELISSA WESTON' so I went over and he took my trolley with all my bags and moved so quickly I thought he was running away with my bags! Trying to keep up and make some conversation, I feebly said 'Nee How' and asked if he had had to wait a long time, but he just showed me some ID and we went to the car park. We got into a little taxi bus kind of car and started to speed through Shanghai, I think it made him feel a bit awkward every time I tried to make conversation because he didn’t speak a word of English so I stopped! My first impressions of Shanghai whilst driving through it was how European it was, I was quite shocked by this as I didn’t really know what to expect but apart from the Chinese symbols everywhere, it was just a big city. I was so tired as we were driving through after my flights that I was nodding off but I was immediately woken up by car horns everywhere, cars cutting each other up and ignoring zebra crossings. It was unusual as well that the traffic lights had timers on them, which I thought was quite efficient until I realized that the red light wasn’t necessarily as compulsory a 'stop and go system' as it was in the UK.
I was quite shocked when we suddenly mounted the pavement outside a big Ritz type looking hotel and my programme coordinator Sunny ran over to the car and said hello! Her and two others, a girl and boy called Sophie and Sonic all got my bags and helped me into the hotel. Everyone is really eager to help you here. Sunny checked me in and told me I had an apartment in the hotel, which I would share with a boy who was also from Europe.
Sophie and I had a good chat whilst Sunny checked me in. Her English is really good, she is pretty and from Beijing, she has an American accent because she did an exchange programme where she worked for Disney world for 6 months. Sonic is from Shanghai and attends university here, he said that I have to come and see it with them.
Then we all went to see my apartment; I’m on the fourth column of the hotel on the sixth floor. I was very impressed as it is massive! There is a big living room with a sofa and chair and coffee table with a big TV and a balcony overlooking China, next to the lounge is a dining table and then the kitchen with pots and pans, fridge, washing machine etc. It’s all really clean and modern too. The apartment has two bedrooms on either side, one for me and one for my flat mate. Mine has an en suite with a bath! Ideal!
After signing some forms and going through various maps of Shanghai, Sonic had to leave. I was given a welcome pack with all the information I would need inside, my international sim card and also a box of noodles, a Snickers bar and a bottle of water. Me, Sunny and Sophie had a good chat, they wanted to show me around, they told me to get through my jet lag by staying awake (definitely easier said than done) so we walked into town (which is literally 5 minutes walk) and Sunny showed me where the subway was, then she left. Me and Sophie went to a kind of fast food Chinese/Japanese restaurant, I didn’t have a clue what to order as everything was in Chinese, so Sophie ordered a bowl of rice with a fish on top and some Chinese lettuce. This came with a McDonalds looking cup of coke and a bowl of what appeared to be a small bowl of eggy custard with vegetables in it called ‘Gaa’ I think. The fish and rice dish had a very sweet sauce on it, which was quite nice, I didn’t know what fish it was but it still had its skin on. Bahhh. I tried the eggy custard thing but it was gross. Sophie laughed and said shed never tried it.
Then we went into town a bit further and went into a boutique style labyrinth of shops, through a winding array of little streets, it reminded me of the bazaars in Turkey. Sophie agreed it was very European. I nearly got talked into buying the most amazing silk and cashmere scarf I have ever seen but it was far too many renminbi for me to mention, I’m so glad I didn’t as well, the next shop had them for a fraction of the price! I was so tired so I had to cut shopping short; Sophie took me to one last place, which was Tesco to get some food. I was shocked to see a big fish tank full of so many different fish and eels swimming around, awaiting their fate. Sophie convinced one of the shop assistants to let me try a fruit that Iv never seen before, she didn’t know what its English name was, but it was as big as a bamboo stick, you bite a piece off, chew it until you have drained it of sugary water and then spit it out. It was nice and only 11 renminbi for a 2-meter high stick. (About £1) but it was too big and heavy to carry.
Afterwards Sophie walked me home and said she would txt me later, annoyingly though my new sim card says it needs an unlock code, so I hope she doesn’t think I’m ignoring her. When I got in I unpacked, sorted my Internet out (my VPN works! woohoo) and went to bed! xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment