Study Abroad and its Commandments

I have been writing this blog for around a month, and I realized that while I have been giving you guys some insights into the area I am in. Now that is all well and good, but what if some random person come across this blog and says, “Well, all of that looks pretty cool, but is he truly getting the most out of his experience?” To you, random person, I say, “Yes I am, because I am adhering to the Commandments of Study Abroad.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, you might think. Commandments? Where is this religious stuff coming from?

Well, don’t worry; this has nothing to do with religion. The Commandments are a set of “rules” I have come up with, and try to follow, in order to get the most out of any travel opportunity I may have. These rules are not binding in any way, and are merely suggestions. You do not have to follow any of them, or you can follow all of them. Some of the rules are very obvious, while others may take more time and effort to follow.

So without further ado, I present The Commandments of Study (or any sort of travel) Abroad:

I)                    Thou Shalt Prepare Adequately – Nothing is worse than getting somewhere and not having the right documents needed to get to where you want to go. Things like passports, visas, airline tickets, hotel reservations, etc. should be kept somewhere safe and close at hand. In addition, bring enough toiletries to last you for a long time (longer than you plan to be there), plus enough clothing to last for a few weeks at least. On that note…

II)                  Thou Shalt Dress Appropriately – You wouldn’t wear shorts and a tank top in Moscow in winter, and you wouldn’t wear sweatpants in Egypt in the summer (or ever, really, the sand is probably a major hassle to get rid of). Look up the climate of where you plan to go before you go. That is not to say that you should not prepare for other circumstances, but I would not count on them.

III)                Thou Shalt Know About the Resources Available – nine times out of ten, if you are studying abroad, there should be someone overseeing the program, usually either a native or someone who has been living in the country for a while. These people are here for your support; UTILIZE THEM. I cannot stress this enough. For people who are traveling on their own, it is a good idea to know where your country’s embassy is, as well as the number of your hotel if necessary.

IV)               Thou Shalt NOT Kill (or commit any other crime, really) – This one is hopefully self-explanatory (I really, really hope I do not have to explain this one). The police systems in other countries are not like ours, and you should not go into any nation thinking that as a foreigner, you have some magical immunity to crime. You don’t. Get used to it.

V)                 Thou Shalt Immerse Thyself in the Culture – It does not matter if you are going to be in a country for three days or for three months. You will not truly enjoy the experience if you do not try to feel like a native. If you are in England, try to talk to a local about soccer (but remember to call if football). When in Rome, do as the Romans do. In Amsterdam – well, you get the idea.

As a side note to this commandment, be sure to research where you are going to go before you get there. Some of your social norms may not be deemed to be acceptable in the country you are going to, so be prepared (See Commandment I).

VI)               Thou Shalt be Cautious – I put this right after Commandment V for a reason. No matter how much you try to fit in, you are still a foreigner. This puts a huge target on you for all sorts of things. People will try to scam you often, and it is not a bad idea to keep one hand in your pocket to cover your wallet and other valuables (a money belt is not a bad investment to combat this). A good idea is to look at each thing you are taking and saying to yourself, “Do I really need this today?” If not, stow it away, because someone else could take it.

VII)             Thou Shalt Make Friends – In regards to Commandment VI, do not look at every native like they are on the Most Wanted lists. Many people you meet are very happy and excited to meet foreigners. In addition, if you are studying abroad, you are likely studying with other people. Be nice to them; you are going to be living with them, so you should get along with them.

VIII)           Thou Shalt not Neglect thy Studies – I know I just lost about half my readers with this commandment, but hear me out. If you are studying abroad, nothing puts a bad taste in your mouth more than knowing that the semester you spent partying and enjoying the people of the country you are in actually put you further behind in your quest for a diploma. If you spend even a tiny amount of time studying and doing the work you are supposed to do, you will be able to put that worry aside, and still have plenty of time to enjoy the country you are in.

IX)                Thou Shalt Budget Thy Money – Too many times have I heard the line, “Oh, I really want to do that, but I don’t have the money for that right now.” Lack of money is one of the biggest issues to any person who wants to enjoy themselves abroad. Many people blow through a large part of their money right away, meaning that they are going to be in trouble in the later months. Set aside some money each month for things you need, and you should be fine.

X)                  Thou Shalt Go Out of Your Comfort Zone – You are already taking a big step by choosing to go out of the country. Good for you. It doesn’t stop there though, not by a long shot. If you are going to have a great time, you need to do things that you would never do if you had the chance. Try new foods, talk to people in their native language, skydive, whatever you want to do. The sky is never the limit; there is no limit to what you can do.

XI)                Thou Shalt Have an Open Mind – News flash, people: not every place is like your home country. Let me repeat: NOT EVERY PLACE IS LIKE YOUR HOME COUNTRY! Got it? Good. So don’t compare countries you are in to your home country. Every place you go has its own way of sticking in your mind. It is up to you to figure out how it will stick.

XII)              Thou Shalt Have Fun – I cannot stress this one enough. I may have put it on the list last, but it is certainly not least. You are in a new place, you have no idea what is going on. Do not shrink into a shell and hide away. Experience everything the world has to offer. You have taken the first step, but it isn’t a slide; you get from the experience what you put into it.

So there you have it, my lessons for people prepping to study abroad. If you agree/disagree with anything I have said, please let me know.

Insert Witty Title Here

So I know I haven't been posting recently, and I wanna take this opening sentence to apologize. As an added apology, I am going to put up a super-sized post up, detailing some of the goings on over these past few days. I'll even throw in some pictures. Does this make things better?

Well, you aren't going to get too much else, so it will have to do. Onward!

I think the best time for me to go back to is Friday. I had my first test in my Chinese class. I was finished with the written part pretty quickly, which meant the bane of my existence was coming: the oral exam. I am not a big fan of oral exams, and this one had me reciting an entire dialogue from memory. Needless to say, I was not excited. However, I walked out of it saying "That went pretty well." I didn't want to say I did a good job, as I knew that would jinx me. Still, with that positive feeling in the back of my mind, I proceeded to go out and have an amazing evening.

Saturday, my plans got altered - in a very good way. I have decided that I would like to volunteer to teach English to elementary school students. I feel that this will not only be an enriching experience, but I will also be able to hopefully develop my Chinese skills by doing this. Anyway, we were under the impression that the meeting was going to take place on Saturday, but we soon found out that the meeting would take place on this coming Saturday. A large group decided to go to the Shanghai Museum in People's Square, and I tagged along. If you are ever in Shanghai, I highly recommend going to this museum. It is free to get in, and the relics they have are simply astounding. This, for example, is a set of musical instruments:

Here we have an ax head made out of jade:

I was extremely impressed with some of the detail that went into the pottery:

My favorite section, though, was the calligraphy section. The fact that people could create something like this is simply astounding:

After spending hours at the museum, we went back to the dorms, then went out for the night. A good time was had by all.

Sunday was an activity planned by the Alliance program. We went to the Yuyuan Garden, which was created by a man who wanted to give his parents someplace peaceful to live out their last few days. They apparently did not live to see the completion, but the garden has become a historical and cultural monument. It is an extremely relaxing area, and I can see why it has become so popular.

I had a really good time while I was there.

I don't think this dog-lion-thing would have liked me back in the day. I don't think it would have liked anybody.

After the gardens, we went to the financial district. This is one of the richest (if not THE richest) areas in Shanghai, and it showed at every opportunity. This is also the location of some of the most recognizable sights in Shanghai, including the Pearl Tower:

We spent a little bit of time in the area, mainly looking at the shops in the area. A lot of the places I went to were pricey to say the least; I am not sure I want to clean out my entire savings account for a coat. For that price, I was hoping it would have been made of pure gold. But I digress, the area was astounding, and I want to go back again soon. Plus, wouldn't it be awesome to wake up every day and see this outside your window?

Monday rolled around, and with it a return to classes. It also meant getting the results of my test back. When I got it, I didn't want to look...but I did anyway. I did really well, far better than I thought I had initially. I even did well on the oral part of the exam. I was in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Tuesday was a cool day, in that we had a Chinese workshop in the evening. The Chinese teachers here set up tables highlighting some of the features of Chinese culture. There was paper cutting, mahjong, and Chinese chess tables. I, however, made a beeline for the calligraphy table. Here I am, putting the finishing touches on a paper with my Chinese name:

On every trip I take, there is that one picture that after I take it, I look at it again, and I am just amazed by how it turns out. The next picture is that one for this trip. There was a Connect Five game going on, and I just had to get close to the action:

I really was thinking about throwing a funny story to the end of this post, but I could not think of any particularly good ones to tell. Then I was going through the pictures to put up, and I remembered taking this picture. There was a branch of the museum dedicated to the relics of minorities, and this Tibetan mask was on display. I could not stop laughing when I saw it. So, I will leave you on that note, and I hope you got as much enjoyment from the picture as I did:

Hanging with the roommate

So I got to spend some time with Varys, my roommate, and a couple of his friends. I feel like we do not spend as much time together as we should, being roommates and all. Usually one of us (me) is in classes, and then after that we just kind of hang out in separate groups. I started to feel bad about it, so when he said he had a few friends he was going to hang out with and asked me if I wanted to come, I jumped at the chance.

We went to a hotpot place near the campus. For those of you who do not know what hotpot is, you basically order what you want and how spicy you want the food. They bring out a broth and put it on a hotplate in the middle of the table, and you basically dip what you want into the hotpot. Overall, pretty good. Today's hotpot contained bamboo, potato, some small dumpling-like balls of meat...oh, and bullfrog.

Weird food of the day - CHECK.

Anyway, Varys and his friends were very interested in my culture. One thing I have to note, as a New Yorker, is that Linsanity has swept China by storm. If you are not a sports fan, Linsanity is the term given to the ridiculous streak of great games Jeremy Lin has been having for the New York Knicks. These guys keep me updated about how he plays every day; I don't even need sports sites or newspapers anymore. I have mentioned before that basketball is one of the main interests of the Chinese, but listening to them throw out stats like it was nothing is impressive.

I have to say that I had a lot of fun while hanging out with Varys and his friends. They are very nice people, and we had some interesting conversation (if a little difficult for some with limited controls of the other's language). His friends want me to drop by their English classes, if just to meet the teacher and the other students. At some point, I hope to take them up on that offer, and I would definitely have lunch with them again.

During the lunch, there was a moment which caused me to laugh hysterically. I have permission from these guys to retell what happened. We were talking about Nanjing Road, one of the busiest shopping streets in the world.  I have walked down it once, and the amount of stores there is boggling. There are a lot of high end stores along this road, and it is home to one of the largest Apple stores in China, and possibly the world. This place is huge. Anyway, we were talking about the store, and I mentioned that I did not have a lot of apple products. Varys mentioned that Apples were very popular, but that there was a big divide between those who liked Apple and those who hated it. Varys and his friends were on the anti-Apple side. He then asks me if I know Jack, another Chinese roommate who lives a few doors down from us. I say I do. These were the next words out of his mouth:

"He is totally an Apple dog. He says all of our stuff is garbage."

I was amazed. I had never really heard Varys say anything bad about anyone, and I knew he and jack were friends (they often played video games together). And yet, here he was, bashing the guy with a huge smile on his face. I couldn't help but laugh. They joined in, and I realized it was OK.

I may never understand the culture completely, but I know I will have fun with it regardless.

Food. It's what's for dinner (and lunch, and breakfast)

Well, I was going to use this post to talk about the Lantern Festival and other events that have been going on during this past week, but I am instead going to talk about the food in Shanghai, and how it differs from what we Americans consider to be "Chinese food".

This is what I get for trying to write a post on an empty stomach.

On a whole, I have found that Shanghai is a carnivore's paradise. That is not to say that fruits and vegetables are not eaten here, it is just that meats take the forefront in just about every meal I have had.

Pork seems to be the most popular meat here, and most meals have some element of pork in them. For some people in our group, who do not eat meat or pork, there are many other options, mainly chicken or small vegetable dishes. Tofu is also a big thing here, and not all tofu is the gooey squares that we think of. In fact, my roommate gave me tofu from his home town when he moved in. It was covered in some local spices, and I devoured it.

While the restaurants are great for food, I found that the small street vendors have better food in my opinion, especially for the price they are at. Our preferred place is right near campus. We have been calling what the man makes "breakfast burritos;" he makes a small pancake of sorts, smears egg all over it, sprinkles herbs and garlic, then throws on a sauce, parts of what reminds me of egg roll wrapping, then rolls it up. It is a great meal.

Fast food is still evident, and the biggest name in fast food in China is McDonald's, right? WRONG! Actually, that title goes to KFC, and is isn't too difficult to see, as there is one nearly every two blocks or so. Anyway, we went to one during orientation, and I am not really a big fast food fan, especially for breakfast. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

As for weird foods I have eaten so far...I have eaten chicken tongue (which almost seemed like a jerky to me, but I know others did not agree), turtle, and sea urchin, but no dog yet. I have not seen it yet, but I have heard that there are a few restaurants nearby that offer dog on the menu, not trying to hide it in any way. I hope to drop in there, if not to at least give it a shot.

There are times where our idea of Chinese food is similar to what I have been eating, mainly with some soups and chicken dishes. On the whole though, I find that the meals here are more flavorful and interesting than what we have back home.

Now if you will excuse me, I should probably get some food. Wait, what's that? You want a story?

Hmmmm....well, I will relate the story of what happened with my hair cut. I had been saying I wanted to change my style for a little bit. I had already shaved my facial hair of, and I figured a hair cut would go along with it nicely. Varys (my roommate) said he knew of a place right nearby. I decided to go, grabbed my friend Muhdi, and we went to the place. Along the way, I got some advice and explained what I wanted. We walked in, and Varys explained to the hairdresser what I was looking for. I sat, got my hair washed, then sat in the chair. Muhdi is standing behind me. Varys is gone.

I say, "Muhdi, where did Varys go?"
He replies, "Oh don't worry, he said he will be right back."
"Muhdi, WHY DID HE LEAVE?"

He assured me we would be fine. At this point we have the same amount of Chinese knowledge, which is about jack squat. During this, the hairdresser is slowly snipping away around the ears, basically just passing time while we figure things out. We pantomime the idea of what I am looking for, and he seems to understand. Then he pulls out a razor. Oh boy. He pulls a hunk of my hair, and I gesture where I want it to be. He nods, smiles, then buzzes shorter. My eyes got huge, and my jaw dropped. I waited until he finished, then looked at the result:

I'm getting used to it, but I have been getting more attention, and people have been saying I look better.

All right, food now. Enjoy!

Four Days of Fun

大家好! (Hello Everyone!) So the past few days have been nothing short of interesting. I am sure I could keep you dear readers glued to the screen with all of the adventures going on here, but instead I will just go over some of the key points. Keep in mind, this post will be rather long (there are pictures though, so it isn't as though you are reading a huge wall of text), so you might want to get a snack. Go ahead, I'll wait.

You comfy? Good. Let's go.

On Friday, after our orientation meeting, we took a nice walk through the area surrounding campus. One of the main places we visited was Luxun Park, which is right near campus. I was simply amazed by the size of the park, as well as the caliber of people there. We found a small exercise area, filled with many older citizens. These people must have been anywhere from 50s to 70s in age, and they were doing stretches and flips that would have likely sent me to a hospital if I tried them. I was able to speak to one of the gentlemen (luckily in English) and he said the people come there every day, rain or shine. That is pretty impressive to say the least.

After that, we took in an acrobatic show, which was an astounding show. There were contortionists, jugglers, a comedy act, balancing acts, plate spinning; the show seemed like a smaller version of Cirque du Soleil. It was very well put together, and we were all extremely entertained.

Saturday came, and with it came a couple of interesting aspects to the program. We had another orientation meeting, but it was shortened because we had company arriving. Our Chinese roommates were here. Now, I could tell you that I was excited about meeting my roommate, and that I knew things would be great. And I would be lying through my teeth. I was nervous; I had no idea what this guy was going to be like, what he was interested in, if we were going to get along, and especially how much English he spoke (remember, I had about as much knowledge of Chinese as a small vegetable). So I went back to my room, and my roommate was already unpacking. He looks up, walks over, shakes my hand and says, "So nice to meet you. My name is Varys."

The first thing I do in reaction is breathe a huge sigh of relief. The second is think, "...Varys? Interesting name."

Still, the fact we can understand each other is a huge deal. We start talking, and we start talking about sports. He starts talking about basketball, and all the great players in the NBA, and I am trying my best to answer his questions, having no real interest in basketball. Fun fact, Kobe Bryant is one of the most popular players in the NBA (you know, right after Yao Ming).

After our chat, it is time for the dumpling competition. We broke into groups and made our way down the back alley to a farmer's market of sorts. This place was huge, and the smells assaulted your nostrils as soon as you got in. Meat mixed with seafood, which flowed into smells of vegetables, which then melded with god-only-knows-what-THAT-thing-is-supposed-to-be smells.

After purchasing our materials, we went to the school cafeteria for preparation. Basically, everything we bought got chopped up and mixed together (I thought of meatloaf a few times) then are placed on dumpling circles. At this point in the story, we reach the first picture, and I must warn those with weak constitutions that this is a picture of me holding a dumpling I made. Don't say I didn't warn you:

Simply horrifying. But the dumplings turned out to be delicious, even the ones I made. However, if you are expecting me to cook these, I am going to need a lot of time, and maybe a second-tier miracle, just to let you know.

Sunday was another day which had me a little excited. It was the day we met our Chinese language teachers  for the first time. We broke into our class groups, and I was surprised that nine other people did not have any Chinese experience as well. I had expected around five or six, but not a class of ten. After a brief introduction, our teacher took us to lunch, something that will be a common occurrence during the semester to develop our Chinese. Here are Trevor, Rebecca, and Weston at the table, conversing (in English):

After the meeting, our teacher let us go to have fun on the day before class started. I took the opportunity to go with a group to see the modern part of Shanghai. There is a huge difference between where I am and where I went, but I was able to get around with little issue. The one problem with yesterday was that the fog was a big factor, as evidenced by this picture of the Pearl Tower, one of the key landmarks of Shanghai:

Guess that just means I will have to go back for a better shot.

Anyways, today was the first day of classes. It was a brief 3-hour lesson, or at least it seemed brief. Time really flew by in that class. We are just learning the basics, but at this point I think we are actually doing very well as a class.

Tonight is one of the biggest nights in Shanghai: the Lantern Festival, traditionally marking the end of the Lunar New Year celebration. Unfortunately, it has been pouring all day. Fortunately, no one seems to care about that (I know I don't), and the celebration is still on to the best of my knowledge. I figure this is an amazing experience, and I have no intention on missing out.

And of course, before I go, what would this blog be without a funny story to relate? During the acrobatic show, the comedy bit involved knife throwing. The duo decided to pull someone from the audience, and Cong, one of the guys from our program, volunteered. He looked extremely nervous, especially when they thought about blindfolding the knife thrower. Instead, they decided to blindfold him, then simply stuck the knives into the wall next to him. Cong was completely convinced, although the nerves seemed to hit him a little more when they put a balloon between his legs to pop. The rest of us in the audience, of course, decided not to tell him what they had done for a little bit, just to keep up the effect.

Only in Shanghai, Ladies and Gentlemen, only in Shanghai...

Making Connections

So I have been in China for all of two days, and I just wanted to make a few little observations, comparing the city to that of other countries and cities I have been to.

Climate-wise, I get a distinct feeling similar to that of London. On a nice day, the city can be utterly amazing, but it is often either freezing (as evidenced by the first night, when my heater decided to become an air conditioner during the night) or cloudy. The smog is not as huge of a factor as people may think, but it does tickle the back of your throat.

The city smells like New York City. If you have been there, you know exactly what I am talking about. If not, maybe it's better that way.

Shanghai is similar to Costa Rica in that there are a lot of stray animals around. After a while, I think they started to follow me. I don't smell like a meal, do I? I also get a bit of a cramped feel from both Shanghai and San Jose, although it felt far more cramped in Costa Rica.

On the whole, Shanghai is a very interesting city; I am amazed how unique the city is, and I have only been to the area around the university at this point. The other members of the program are gelling together very well at this point, and a lot of plans are in the works. Stay tuned for more information as it develops, along with more insights and some information about what I have been up to.

Oh, and before I go, I have to relate this small story. Muhdi, one of the guys in our group, became the first person to hold a Chinese toddler. After all of the oohing and aahing and picture taking, we had to convince him that he wasn't allowed to bring the child home with him. Oh boy, this should be a fun trip...