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Published: January 5th 2009
Ajisen Ramen
SO GOOD!!!!!I made to Shanghai in one piece and I have already been through so much. I don't even know where to begin. The plan ride was really long, but it seemed like it went by a lot faster than the last time I traveled to Asia. I have to say that my first "cultural experience" happened on the airplane. I sat down in my seat and this young Chinese couple was staring at me. Eventually the woman made eye contact with me and started talking to me in Chinese. What she wanted was to switch seats with her husband so she would be able to sit with her husband. (strike one for not being able to speak the language). I decided to switch with her husband so that they could sit together, in return she gave me a chocolate ball. For some reason the flight was a lot different from all of the other flights I have ever been on. I have to say that we got stuck with some of the shittiest flight attendants ever. They were really rude to the travelers and they just seemed pissed off about everything. Well I guess I would be like that if I
was an old hag serving economy class. From that experience...Jeremy you need to be make a lot of money when you get older so you can travel first class and get better service the next time you travel. On the plane ride I decided to stand in the back for a couple hours and play DS (Thank you for all of you who pitched in for that). I probably looked retarded, but I was sick of sitting down in my little 2 by 2. During that time I met someone from USAC so we talked for a little bit. When we arrived, I felt like SHIT. I was so tired, it felt worse than finals week, but the feeling went away hours later. Going through immigration and customs was not bad, but waiting for my luggage almost gave me a heart attack. Let's just say that my luggage came out DEAD LAST (Fuck Me Moment #1). The weather in Shanghai was a little cold and misty, so it was hard to see a lot during the car ride from the airport to the school. About 10 of us from the group flight were crammed into a bus that could only
Erin Enjoying Her Ramen
I talked to her on the plane while I was standing in the back playing DS fit 10 people and luggage was stacked from the floor to the ceiling. We got to the school and I got my room assignment. The College of International Exchange dormitories have 6 floors, and I got a room on the 5th floor. In addition, there are no elevators and I had 2 50 pound suitcases, a laptop roller, and a backpack to carry (Fuck Me Moment #2). Upon arrive, I was expecting to pay the first month of rent only; however, we were asked to be able to pay 2 months of rent (4200 yuan). Everyday I can only withdraw 1800 yuan (Fuck Me Moment #3). The rooms are nice, but a little dirty than what I am used to in the states. We are definitely spoiled at Pacific. My room is a single room with a desk, lamp, TV, shower, sink, and toilet. We were not provided with a starter roll of toilet paper, and we are given one pillow and one comforter which looked dirty. My pillow has some brown shit on it. My first night of sleeping was alright. The rock-hard bed did not bother me that much, but I woke up at 3am shivering. It was
so damn fucking cold. My heater is remote controlled and of course all of the buttons are in Chinese characters (Fuck Me Moment #4). I slept with a long sleeve shirt, a jacket, and a beanie that night. After sleeping in a freezing cold room, it definitely gives you the incentive to figure out how to work the damn heater.
After settling in, we all decided to go out to eat for dinner. Our resident director took us around campus, and I asked her to show me the closet ATM machine so I could get some starter money for rent. She took us to a machine at the south gate which had no visa, star, plus, or interlink symbols on it. It had jack shit. I asked her if the machine was legitimate, and the reply was: "This machine usually does not work". In my head I was thinking "...then why the fuck did you take me to this machine?" I had some emergency cash on me, and the rest of the group had some money so we just went straight to a nearby plaza to eat. The restaurant we ate at was Ajisen Ramen....SOO GOOD!!! We walked in
and everyone was staring at us. It did not bother me because I'm used to people staring at my good looks..jk. It was a very nice restaurant and my meal came out to about $3 = sweet!...no tip or tax.
Today we had orientation at 9am followed by a neighborhood tour. We spent most of the neighborhood at banks. We were at a bank for so long that one of the workers opened a VIP Finance lounge for us which had a flat screen tv that lit up for effects. That bank could not service my needs for money, so after the neighborhood tour, I went with a fellow USACer and our resident director to the Bank of China. Bank of China near my school would not let me use my ATM card to get cash at their window, but I was told that I could at another Bank of China in town. I would have to use the railway system to get there so I said fuck it and decided to use the ATM instead, so I would have some money to save for rent. I have to say...Chinese banks are ridiculously slow. The three of us spent
an hour there because my other classmate needed to cash in his travelers checks. I wish I went shopping with the rest of the group, but money was a priority at the moment. I have 5 months to shop. After the adventure at the bank, I got my internet set up. I have to pay 80 yuan a month for internet and the front desk had to do some crazy shit to my computer. I'm just hoping my computer will work when I get back to the states :-O.
From the first couple days I learned what it's like to get settled in a completely foreign place while having very little resources. I can't imagine how people would leave their home country with nothing and move to the United States to make a living. In addition, they do not have wonderful parents like mine who provide funding and support overseas. I have a lot of respect for those who do that. Furthermore, if you have read this far, I have had 1....2...3...4 "Fuck Me Moments" within 2 days. I realized that while studying abroad, I will probably face "Fuck Me Moments" regularly and from those "Fuck Me Moments" it
should develop me into a better person. Life in China is by far different from life in the U.S. At Pacific, we are definitely spoiled with working washers, elevators, and clean facilities. I certainly took those things for granted for the past 3 years.
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Sam
non-member comment
Fuck me moments
the room is smaller than I expected but looks to be in decent shape. So i assume then no trip to the bar yet?? i suppose it's to be expected, Def need to take care of all the essentials first, especially the money thing; no money = no food!! hope the adjustment goes by fast. Things have been the same here! I got the R4 and it works great!!! i downloaded like 30 games as soon as i got it lol. The time difference is hard to get used to, for example right now its like 6:20pm so it would be like 10 am there tomorrow LOL! Hope classes go well and i enjoyed the photos, keep them coming!