Doing it Big at the Expo

So I finally had my chance to check out the World's Fair that is being held in Shanghai. I had heard that the lines are just horrible but really when I went it wasn't that bad. We stayed away from the really long lines like England, France, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. The USA line was long too but we could skip it if we should our passports. America!



Outside the Egypt Pavilion - actually didn't go in this one as the line was pretty long.



Outside the UK Pavilion - line was also really long; like over a couple hours long. I thought seeing the outside was sufficient along with visiting less popular countries like Ireland, Norway, Turkey, New Zealand.



Norwegian Pavilion - one of my favorites. I really enjoyed this one and took great pride in my Norwegian bloodlines!



Inside the Spain Pavilion. This gigantic robotic baby was very popular with the Chinese crowds.



The Chinese Pavilion: the biggest and best (and probably the most expensive). I was not allowed to go in as a special ticket is needed with much time in advance. Luckily the Pavilion will still be on display when the Expo is over.

My *Busy* Shanghai Life

So I’ve been very busy lately (as I keep saying over and over again to anyone I talk to back home.) But honestly I really have been. Between 12+ hours of Chinese class a week, plus 15 hrs/week at my internship and then an additional econ class, I am really just stretched thin. But I still have been able to do some cool things lately and really enjoy myself at the same time. This trip has really been love/hate for me.

So here are some things that I have been up to lately:

- At my internship I have been given a project. I am creating a sales kit/package that we will use to distribute to restaurants that we want to add. Here is a little about my internship. The company is called Sherpa’s. It’s very well-known in Shanghai’s expat community. We are a food delivering company that only deals with respectable foreign restaurants or up-to-our-standard Chinese restaurants. I am working in the marketing department. My boss is pretty cool guy. He’s an American that started the company after going to business school in Shanghai.

- I have been playing basketball in my spare time quite a bit. Donghua University has an intramural league that separates teams by majors. I have been playing with the international trade team. I went off my first game and played well. I missed a game but we still won. And then last game I was all over the court but had trouble scoring. My defense and rebounding still helped us win though and that puts us in the championship game.

- I got to check out cool art district called Tian Zi Fang. It has a great nightlife and the art was pretty cool. The area is old style a lot of the upstairs are residential but artists and businessmen have turned the area into a little bar district as well. My roommate’s friend from back home was visiting so him and I went together and looked at the art. We also hit up a shaved ice place that was pretty good.

Pictures for Mom

I know everyone wants to see pictures but I probably wouldn't put these up if it wasn't for my mom. Enjoy!











This is a good friend of mine, Kasar. As you can obviously see Kasar is not your typical Chinese. He is a minority known as Uigher that is of Turkish descent. People often mistake him for a foreigner. He comes from Chinese northwest province known as Xinjiang. Do some research if you are curious. Maybe later on I'll blog about everything I know about Uighers.

I enjoy hanging out with him, and the activities are always fun. He is actually a fantastic basketball player to. THE BEST I have ever played with or against in China hands down. He whoops me every time.

I would love to visit him in Urumqi. Maybe next summer if I could somehow find a way. Urumqi is actually very developed while the culture and traditions are still very rich. I look forward to visiting someday.

Foreigners in China

Foreigner Culture

I have a problem with certain white foreigners in China, especially the guys. Young foreign men here get complimented at every opportunity and are treated like gods; the idols of society. It messes with their heads and pretty soon they think they are literally God’s gift to society and mankind. I realize I am a white man in China and therefore experience this phenomenon firsthand. Others in China face very different experiences; like a Chinese-American who doesn't speak any Chinese in China or limited Chinese. Somehow I am smart for being to speak small amounts of Chinese and he would be stupid not understanding every word.

How do I approach this? Treat ALL people with the respect they deserve as a person. Also, I want to dig deeper into the SETTLED expat community here. People who have been here for a while tend to be more like who they really are back home.