The Foreigner Community

For anyone who has lived in Shanghai, or any other part of China with a large expat community, they know what I mean when I say that there is a distinct community here that just does not exist anywhere else.
In America you rarely find strangers walking up to other strangers to give advice, share a new place to hangout, or randomly approach you just to say hi. These specific actions happen here all the time. As soon as you walk across the street and see a foreigner you immediately approach them and say hello. You strike up a conversation about why you're here, why they are here. It's an unbelievable thing to share experiences with someone you don't even know, but feel like you're connected to them in someway.
People in America would never just approach someone to ask why they're there. But, the amount of daily interactions I have here with people on the subway and walking down the street is unreal. They're not just there to talk to either, they're also there to help. The expat community here is always ready to assist you. If you approached a foreigner on the street and asked them where they thought the best Chinese restaurant was in Shanghai, you would have an address, a taxi called, and a recommendation for what dishes to order in ten seconds flat. It's as if we all know how far we are from home, and that we've collectively decided as the Shanghai Expat Community that we are going to be there for one another.
Part of the NYU philosophy is that the city is our campus. Even in New York there is no 'real' campus. My campus is Shanghai and that is absolutely amazing to me. My school may only be 600 kids, but we have 24 million other amazing people in our community. It makes you feel like you're a part of something big, and that is one of the coolest feelings in the world.
I only have three more weeks left of this semester, and no one here wants to leave for the summer.  I already know that when I come home I won't know what to do when its not socially acceptable to walk up to a stranger and ask them their story. Finals aren't even done, and we are all planning out things we have to do next semester. It will be weird without the Sophomores next year. They have become like older brothers and sisters to me. It is always nice to know that people have your back and it is crazy to think that I will be in their shoes next year, keeping those Freshmen in line. I think as a class we have come really far and grown up a lot and we are ready to be leaders. Next year we are what John Sexton calls "Sophomore-Seniors" because we will be the oldest portal students here. I feel honored to carry that kind of responsibility and I think my class is ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
I have 2 more weeks until my marathon, and I am done with the difficult part of my training. I am excited to share with you my trip, I will hopefully be able to post one more time before the big race.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Love always,
Maddie