2013
Home can be anywhere
Even here. After the shock of the first few days, I started to understand how China "works" and how things are done here. Often, I still see things that seem funny to me, but they don´t surprise me that much anymore. We started calling it the "only in China" phenomenon. For example: Only in China do people go for a run in a suit and tie! No kidding. We saw that on campus today and we couldn´t believe our eyes. And no, he wasn´t just late for a meeting, he was wearing running shoes! We also saw several Chinese running in jeans and a winter coat. Also, you don´t get your packages delivered to your home here, at least that´s how we explained the following picture:
Also an interesting fact: Although Shanghai is considered a "Westernized" Chinese city, a lot of Chinese are very excited when they see people from Europe or the US, especially if they have blonde hair and blue eyes, like my German friend Mareike and I. So last time we were at the Bund together, a lot of Chinese "secretly" took pictures of us with their phones or cameras. They weren´t really making an effort to hide it, so of course we noticed. Some Chinese had the courage to ask us to pose for a photo with them and of course we did so. If we had charged 5€ a picture, we could have made a decent living off the 30 minutes we spent there. Only in China.
This week, my university classes started and I think the semester will be very interesting. Most of our professors are highly motivated and enthusiastic and are eager to teach us about Chinese society, culture and business. I already find my way around campus easily and I love it. It´s a beautiful campus and I´m sure it´ll be even more beautiful once the flowers start blooming in spring.
Yesterday, we went to Guyi Garden and Confucius Temple in a suburb of Shanghai. Here are some pictures of the tour:
Although I´ve only been here for two week now, I already feel at home and walking down the streets in my district already feels totally normal and not as scary and intimidating anymore. I can´t wait to see what else Shanghai has in store for me.
Until then,
Marie