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Published: June 19th 2008
Windows: the cheap expat bar
Windows (three locations in Shanghai) was the first bar I went to in China! Eric took me, where I found that not all drinks on the cocktail menu are guaranteed to have alcohol (aka all ones that I thought had appealing names... Cinderella, Pussy Cat). I ordered an "Around the World" (green), and Eric got his first ever Manhattan Ice Tea (the one in the girly glass).As expected, my father has sent me a list of questions he wants answered. Like, immediately. So... here goes.
School: I am in a four-person class. I have 1.5 hours of grammar/reading a day + 1.5 hours of either writing or discussion (alternating days). I just signed up for an additional 1 hour of private lessons / day, as well. One student is French, the other two are Canadian. The two Canadians are my age, so we hang out outside of class.
Language: I'm most excited about the writing part... Tim (a classmate) and I have taken to texting in Chinese characters.
Food: Lots and lots of Chinese food, which I am still not tired of. Noodles, rice, soups, you name it, I've been eating it, with no regard to cleanliness of establishment.
I've been spending a lot of my time out here alone, which I think comes with traveling alone. However, I have been eager to meet people... especially of the Chinese-speaking variety. Last Friday I was wandering alone (again!) around RenMin GuangCheng (People's Square) when I heard a "hello!" behind me. Usually I ignore such exclamations, but this time it was coming from a girl so I turned
Giant MuGua
Gotta love papaya, even if some people think it tastes like feet. to greet the stranger. Turns out there were two girls and a guy who were eager to meet a foreigner and very happy to speak Chinese with me! We chatted for 20 minutes, then headed to a beautiful Chinese tea house where I spent a fortune to receive a lesson on teas (everything from their place in Chinese history to their specialized teapots). We all exchanged numbers and got together again on Saturday for dinner. I'm really happy to have met what I call "real Chinese people" and am hoping to sit at cafes looking cute (Borker's suggestion) to attract more Chinese friends.
More updates later. My finger are tired of typing on this sticky keyboard.
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Layla
non-member comment
Mystery fruit = mangosteen
check out link for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangosteen