jasoncooper

After 9 ½ weeks abroad, I am finally coming home. What a journey it’s been! Coming home is a bit bitter sweet. I full heartedly look forward to seeing my family and of course, my dog, but the friends that I’ve made in China were nothing short of amazing. Now onto Thailand. The smells, the food, the traffic, the monarchy, and the Buddha’s are all that greeted me as I entered into Thailand. I got off the plane, took the sky train into the city and hopped into a taxi. I was actually pretty proud of the way I handled things because there was a point in the taxi drive in which I was getting very concerned. I didn’t know it at the time but I actually printed the directions without the address so the entire ... read more

So... as of tomorrow it will have been exactly 1 month since I have left the United States. Time does seem to be going pretty quickly here. Every day has been some kind of adventure, be it getting on the wrong bus or acting as a tourist and seeing the sights. Yesterday I had some friends come in from Shanghai to see me and the town. We had a good time but I felt terrible because on several accounts I led them the wrong way or took them on the wrong bus. I did my best to plan ahead of time and things just kept going wrong. It's very difficult because the buses are not in English and there are no maps! It's a terrible system but it is the ONLY system so you have to ... read more

The culture of Shanghai is a culmination of East and West but mostly the East. While you can find plenty of Western stores and restaurants, there are plenty of traditional Chinese venues throughout the city. But if you do fancy a particular genre of food, it can most likely be found somewhere in the city, though one does need to hunt for Mexican as there are very few Mexican restaurants in the city itself. Let me first begin by discussing the Shanghainese people, who seem to be the most friendly and welcoming people I’ve ever met. I’ve Never been treated rudely or disrespectfully during these past 3 weeks of living here. This is in stark contrast to the people I’ve encountered in France and Italy. In fact, I would go so far as to say that ... read more

It is currently Tuesday, June 28th, 2011 and I am watching the Detroit fireworks on my computer! It's around 10:00am here in Shanghai so there is a 12 hour time zone difference between my home state and China. Anyways, I wanted to watch the fireworks online so that way I can get a little piece of home. The last 2 days haven't been too bad but also not extremely busy because I've been here for a bit now so I am settling into the city. I also started orientation for my job yesterday and I am looking forward to it. It is Very theater based, meaning that the teaching aspect of my job is basically a 1 man Disney World performance. It's bright, loud, exciting, and extremely energetic. I personally feel like I may have a ... read more

This has been a great vacation with lots of things to do. We spent several days in Vegas with an added trip to Disneyland and Hollywood in California. Disneyland is by far my most favorite theme park. They will always receive my business because of their excellent ride and entertainment selection. Even their food was amazing! On my final day of my vacation I rented a car and drove to Utah. It was such a great experience. I went to Zion National Park and took in the natural beauty of the amazing state.... read more