Shanghai Spring

l have been in Shanghai for a month now, still with CET and a Chinese roommate.  However, I am no longer in an intensive language program.  Instead of observing a language pledge and only taking Mandarin classes, I am interning and enrolled in three different courses.  I work three days a week at Joint United States – China Collaboration on Clean Energy, a nonprofit organization downtown.  Watch these TED Talks to learn about JUCCCE and the China Dream:  TEDx and TEDxOccidental.

The other important component of the program is studying Mandarin – although this semester I only have class for two hours each day.  Every other Monday night, I take a seminar called Issues in the Chinese Workplace.  We are assigned readings on different topics (so far those have included religion, gender inequality, guanxi and corruption in China) and our program director arranges for different businesspeople in the city to give lectures to us about their understandings of the aforementioned topics.  Finally, all students take an economics course.  While it focuses mainly on the Chinese economy, we also learn about Asian and international affairs.

Shanghai is an amazing city – gorgeous, fast-paced, easy to get around, filled with all different types of people, foods, and sights.  The university where we live, Donghua, is in a good location, not too far from downtown and close to a good gym. (Thank goodness, because it is also close to tons of great eateries.)

As great as Shanghai is, I also am taking the opportunity to travel as much as I can.  So far, I have spent weekends in a watertown and in a village.  The first place, Wuzhen,was beautiful, and it made me look forward to spring in southern China.  Last weekend, my program took everyone on a hike through rice paddies.  We stayed overnight in Yugong Village, and despite the lack of water and heating, I had a great time.

This weekend, I stayed in the area and spent quality time with my roommate Yingnan.  She is really sweet, and she introduced me to her boyfriend and friends.  I initially was worried because that was my first time hanging out with a group of Chinese college students without any other Americans, but it turns out my fears were ungrounded.  I had a really great time and ended up staying for dinner as well.

During the next few weeks, I will be studying and interning more.  Then, for spring break, I am heading south* to Thailand with two kids from CET!  Look for pictures of the beach and pineapple fried rice in about a month.

Holly

*Check out this song: “South” by Hippocampus

Obligatory trip to the Bund

Wuzhen Watertown

On our way to the village

Yugong

Considering I eat rice every day, I thought it was about time I saw some rice fields.

My roommate and me after we introduced the Chinese roommates to American s’mores

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