Fall break approaching....

Hello All!

It's been yet another great week in Shanghai! This week was a typical week for classes. Chinese continues to be the main focus of my academics and I think my speaking skills are really starting to pick up!

This weekend I have a visitor in Shanghai! Mr. Wege is here on business and has kindly brought a suitcase here filled with things that my mom has sent me from home! (If Paige is reading this right now, I bet her immediate thought is that in her four years of college my mom has probably sent her one care package and here I am halfway across the world and already I am receiving something) I take this as evidence that I am,,in fact, the favorite child. :)

In other news, my plans to go to Beijing have unfortunately fallen through. My friends and I did not expect the fall break to sneak up on us so quickly, but time is fleeting. Instead we have decided to go to Yellow Mountain to hike. It is a six hour bus ride from our and we are basically going to take pictures and explore for five days. Check the link below, it is gorgeous!

With the fall break approaching I am in the midst of studying for quarter term exams... yes, that is a thing here. To make up the day that NYUSH took off for the national holiday, we are being forced to come to school on Sunday as if it were a Monday schedule. We will then have our exam for GPS and other regular scheduled classes again on Monday. I really don't mind going to school on Sunday though, because it gives me more practice with Chinese and I only have two classes on Monday. By Wednesday I will be sightseeing anyway.

If you want to check out some of the landscapes of yellow mountain and some background click on the link! http://www.shanghaihighlights.com/neighbours/huangshan.html

520 (Just learned that this is I love you in Chinese when you're texting someone...)
Maddie

This Past Week

I can't believe it's already been a month since I arrived in Shanghai! While everything still feels relatively new and exciting, I can't deny that this place already feels like home. I've settled into all of my classes and I am doing quite well in everything, especially my writing (thanks Country Day). I wish I could tell you that there was one day where I missed the US, but I can't say there's been one. Everyday I walk to my academic building early in the morning and just look up at the all the buildings. When I first got here, the height of these buildings facinated me, but there are starting to look normal. I can't say things are perfect here, because there will be challenges you meet where ever you travel to or live, but there hasn't been a situation in which I feel like I don't belong here. In fact, I have daily conversations with my friends about how hard it's going to be for me when we go back to the US in December. Even this past week when I was sick and I should have been missing home, I still loved it.

So in regards to this sickness, let me tell you what happened. This past week I was sick with a cold and had to go to the doctor. Don't be alarmed, I feel much better now. When I was sick, my roomate took me to the hospital, because there are no family doctor sites and it was a weekend so our Health and Wellness Center was closed. If anyone ever goes to China, I recommend going into one of the hospitals. As I walked in the front enterance there was a substantial group of people just sitting with an IV drip in the arm to the right of the waiting room, and it definitely was not dialysis. MeiChen didn't know how to explain to me english exactly what was happening, so I'm still really foggy on the situation. Needless to say, I'm still laughing to myself about it, because its one of those things that my friends and I label "Classic China".

Last week was also the week that I started my job at the library. I've learned the basics about shelving and working at the desk. I love working at the desk the most because I get to watch everyone come into the library and since we are a pretty small school I know a lot of faces and they all nod to me as they walk past. It's so comforting to know that I've already made some many connections and friends within this community.

As fall break is approaching, my friends and I have decided to take a quick trip to Beijing, I say this kind of ironically, because for most of you reading this, a trip to Beijing is not so quick. There, we will be seeing the classic sights of Beijing and hopefully be doing some serious bargining, because all my friends and I are in love with the fake market.

Last weekend I had the unique experience of visiting a small quarter of Shanghai called Tianzifang. It had all kinds of really cool shops and art work displays and international food options. It was the perfect Saturday night hangout. My friends and I went to a couple different restuarants and tried some different appitizers on the menu. Everything we had, from onion rings to jiaozi was dellcious, and cheap!

I am truly having an amazing time here, I miss you all.

Maddie

 

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Mid-Autumn festival

Mid-autumn festival is today, so there is no school for me! Classes are going really well, espeically all the writing courses. Chinese moves with incredible speed. Everyday we have a test and move through a chapter a week. It's good to keep busy like that though, because it applies so much to my daily life in China.

Yesterday I took MeiChen out to get some dumplings (can't help myself, they are SO good) she was so impressed at how fast my speaking skills are improving. It's exciting for me to get that kind of feedback. Usually I try to speak Chinese to her as she tries to speak english to me and we help each other with the vocabulary. I have characters written on sticky notes all over my walls of her trying to help me learn more characters. The other day she invited me to her home in Mongolia for Chinese New Year! She said that no one else in her family speaks english so she is going to make me practice extra hours so that I can communicate with her family.

I have another busy week ahead of me with classes, but I am hoping that next weekend my friends and I can do TaiChi in the park in the morning.

I hope everyone is well in the US

Love from Shanghai,

Maddie

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Flashmob and First Day of School

Sunday was a bittersweet day, as it marked the end of a very very long summer. To celebrate the class of 2018 practiced over seven hours to participate in a flashmob right outside the Science and Technology Building, close to my academic hall. It was such a fun experience, and its something I can cross off my bucket list! (Hopefully a video will be up soon)

Overall, this past week has been pretty much perfect. I even texted my mom and asked if it was okay to never come home. Between hanging out with my friends and figuring my way through different problems throughout the city, there is no better word for this experience than adventure. Not only do I converse with the locals on a daily basis (AND THEY UNDERSTAND ME!) but I've also made good friends with a restaurant owner, because he makes the best soup dumplings. Probably the biggest struggle these past two weeks was finding good food that didn't upset my stomach, without eating Subway everyday. When I finally found this dumpling place, I pretty much went seven days in a row, and now I just walk in and he has my order already ready. haha. If anyone comes to visit me, you are trying these dumplings.

Today marked the first day of classes for me. I feel really comfortable in my chinese class, I love my math class and professor, and my Chinese Wisdom class is a bit of a challenge because it is so late at night, but it seems like a very interesting course. As for my Global Perspective Class, it is just like World Civ, so much so that I can tell where he is going with the lecture 10 minutes into it. It makes participating in his class so much easier!

I hope everyone back in the states has a wonderful Labor Day!

Love from Shanghai,
Maddie