Obviously, waiting in a line can be different all parts of the globe. Not merely the action of waiting in line, but the process of getting to the line, the phrases people use to describe the action, and so on and so forth. For example, the British phrase "queueing-up" means "lining-up" or "getting in line" in America - I'm sure most of you have heard that one. It's not weird really, just different - like many things those Brits do (lol). The procedure remains relatively the same; people form a single, straight line, or double depending on the area. Of course, [View Full Entry]

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I suppose before I begin writing about the extravagance of Teppanaki Night, I should expain what it is exactly. Teppanaki is not Chinese, it's Japanese. It's a restaurant in which people spend 150RMB for an all-you-can-eat buffet. It's absolutely devine and I loved everything I ate. Attendees: Riina (Finland) Myself (Mich, USA) Caitlin (England) Anna (Barcelona, Spain) Peter (Cali/NYC, USA) Bosco (Peru) Wei (North Carolina, USA - orginally from China) Matt (Indi, (USA) Logan (Cali, USA) Jordan (Venezuela) What did I eat? Almost everything. - Scallops - Shrimp (again, eyes a [View Full Entry]

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Money is always a funny thing. It varies from place to place - coins, bills/notes, currency, exchange rate, etc - it's all very technical. Certain places can be easier than others; England, for instance, just remember to double everything. Other European countries can be a bit more difficult, because the rate fluctuates all the time. So, unless your !Phone has an application that posts the latest updates on exchange rates across the globe, you're on your own. And for those curious minds out there, it's roughly 7 yuan(RMB) per dollar - quite good really. The bills here, in China, are very [View Full Entry]

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Today is Paris Franz's (intern, sweet name right?) last day at SBR. Aside from her allergies going berserk, it's going pretty well. For lunch, we went to this Italian resto called Vita Dolce. It's a lovely restaurant - wooden staircase up to the second floor where the dining actually takes place. From 11-1p.m., the resto has a "business lunch" that includes an appetizer, main course, dessert and "free flowing" drinks - all for 78RMB ($11). Now, ordinarilly, an 11-dollar meal is a bit over my budget; however, the best thing about going to a restuarant close to work would be the [View Full Entry]

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So most of you already know there are roughly 1.3 billion people living in China; and of those 1.3 billion, millions live in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. Now, picture thousands and thousands of people on bikes, motorcycles and scooters all going to work in the morning. Scary? Naaah. The first time I tried crossing the street here in Shanghai, I was petrified - 100 percent. Some bikers obey street laws, but most of them have their own laws. Forget 'no turning right on red,' cause people turn left on red! You constantly have to look both ways, even when there [View Full Entry]

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Just in case any of you were curious what my life is like at SBR, I figured I'd post a short message. It's about a 30-40 minute commute to get to the SBR Office. Usually, I try to get to work about 15 minutes early so I can quickly check my email and such before cracking down. (PS - if you ever want to chat with me, the evening is best (your time).) After the quick email-checking, it all begins. My editor, Hayleigh Davies, keeps me fairly busy throughout the day. I do quite a range of things. First off, Hayleigh [View Full Entry]

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So, part of my personality involves complete randomness from time to time...it's entertaining and you know it. ;) With that in mind, I've decided to jot down a few little details, facts, etc that I've found interesting. First and foremost, I watched a news segment on tv last week (the only English channel in my flat) and an Indian professor had a fascinating analogy: "If a door is shut, look for a window; If a window is shut, look for a ventilator; If a ventilator is shut, look for a crack in the wall." In other words, be persistent; and from [View Full Entry]

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WEEKEND IN BEIJING - Traveling-duo: Riina-Riika and me Day 1 - Both Riina and I woke up relatively early on Thursday morning (the start of our travel to Beijing). We left our apartment at about 9:30, which couldn't have been a more perfect time since there was an insane traffic jam. A 20-30 minute drive to the Pudong International Airport actually took us an hour. We had to take a bus from Shanghai's city center to the airport - it's the fastest way to get there. The bus driver was nuts - a few too many close calls - but then [View Full Entry]

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What are your thoughts on dogs? Do you like big, medium or small dogs? Personally, I am a big dog kinda girl. I like pretty much every big dog there is out there - even the ones that slobber on people. What can I say? So, imagine the look on my face when I heard that in China, people eat big dogs and keep the little ones for pets. Whhhhhaaaat?! Uummm...I think they've got that one in reverse. I'm pretty sure it'd be the opposite in America - even though we don't reeaaaally eat dogs. Now, everyone is welcome to do [View Full Entry]

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It's always so much fun going to another country...you learn about the similarities and differences between your culture and others, meet fascinating people, try food you never thought you'd try, etc. And then of course, there are those things you wish you could take with you on every traveling adventure. My list isn't too long, in fact, I could very easily trim it down to one magical device - the Internet. The Internet truly is a remarkable thing - especially these days - you can find almost anything you're in the mood for online. The Internet, however, has a few obstacles. [View Full Entry]

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