Shanghai

Hamburger day in the cafeteria is always my favourite. Coming from an American, you may think this is because hamburgers provide some sort of relief from the rest of the week's not-so-gourmet Chinese concoctions. Or maybe because after five months in China, hamburgers are a reminder of what I have waiting for me back home. But really, it's the most entertainment I get at work all week. The people who are trying to lose weight eat hamburgers without the meat, instead stuffed with tomatoes, lettuce and mayonnaise. Mayonnaise… I've since learned that in China mayonnaise is a household item that goes with everything. Rice. Salad. Noodles. Dessert. Hamburgers. The graphic designer in my department actually stuffs her hamburger with only lettuce and mayonnaise. And eats it with chopsticks.

Aside from Mayonnaise, another Chinese necessity (most especially during the summer) is the umbrella. On every TV commercial, cosmetics ad and highway billboard, advertisements bearing the Chinese character, 'bai,' which means 'white' are everywhere. Department store counters are filled with whitening lotions, whitening moisturizers, whitening foundations and creams, all striving to help the female population attain pure, porcelain-white skin. Hence the use of an umbrella on a sunny day- to shield from freckles and the sun. Obviously this is smarter and healthier from what I'm used to back home, but I still just can't get used to it. My home, the USA- land of girls who will lay out in the sun for hours slathered in tanning oil, hoping to at least get sunburned (because we all know it turns into a tan later), and where tanning beds are just as prevalent as pharmacies.

Everyone keeps saying how westernized Shanghai has become. Sure, there are McDonald's, KFC's and Haagen-Dazs' on every corner, and Gucci is as easy to find as chopsticks. But whenever I hear someone comment on Shanghai's lack of Chinese culture, images of chopsticks holding hamburgers and whitening lotions pop into my head, and all I can do is think that there's still quite a while before Shanghai becomes "Western."

Since I last wrote, my friends and I celebrated the Fourth of July (Shanghai-style), I ate dim sum like it's my job, went to the outdoor fabric market with my co-workers, ate hot pot in 90 degree weather, visited The Shanghai Museum, The Shanghai Art Museum, ate the best meal of my life at the Shangri-La, and enjoyed the fabulous views of the Bund.

With less than a month left in Asia, there are some days when that seems like such a long time, and some days where it seems like it's not enough. I'm hoping to get to do a little travelling to the water towns on the outskirts of the city with a friend who is visiting, see the Lion King (for the first time in Asia!), eat all the Chinese food I can, and swing by Hong Kong to see old friends on the way home.

** pictures are updated: **

From the Faaarrrr East,
JOCELYN

I arrived in Shanghai on May 28th to a sign bearing "MR JOQLYN LIIIPERT," and as I greeted the holder, a passerby made a ghastly hawking noise and spit just inches from my feet. Yup, definitely still China. I then hauled my 125 lbs of luggage into a car, and moments later took off on the next leg of my China adventure, with little expectations.

I've been in Shanghai for almost 2 weeks, and now definitely understand why it has recently been put in the global limelight, and why it is regarded as so vastly different from the rest of China. In the two-minute walk from my apartment to the JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai where I work, I step through a whole world of contrast. I live in a western-style 3 bedroom apartment and have a Brazilian roommate (who also works for Marriott), but the rest of my neighbours are primarily Chinese. The neighbourhood I live in is also Chinese. The road to work is lined with small shops, selling anything from buckets full of baby turtles to fried vegetables to wooden instruments to IP cards and various forms of green tea. Given that it is rainy season, I find myself dodging puddles just as frequently as mopeds and umbrella-carrying cyclists. Looking up at any point, I'm immediately met with stark contrast: the 60 storey, shiny architectural masterpiece where I work. Maserati and Ferrari dealerships occupy part of the lobby, as well as the token Starbucks and a high-speed elevator to escort you to the 38th floor lobby where you can enjoy 360 degree views of the city.

It's incredible to think that I actually get any work done here in the Communications department. I work with 3 Chinese women, and do a lot of proof-reading and English press-release writing, photo-shoot supervising and slogan-creating. It's good practice for my Chinese, as I speak primarily Mandarin with my coworkers, especially during staff lunch hour, where we dine on cafetera-style Chinese cuisine. My living, laundry, and house-cleaning costs are all covered by the company.

My roommate, Ligia, has shown me around Shanghai a bit, and we've been to Xiangyang Market (fake designer clothes), the fabric market, a few local restaurants, Xin Tian Di dining district, and Huai Hai Road. Sunday Brunch is an important event in Shanghai, and I spent my first Sunday with Ligia and all of her Brazilian friends at a Brazilian steakhouse on Xin Tian Di.

I have no internet access in my apartment (and yet I'm still alive!), so I can't post pictures from my camera just yet, but I had an eventful last few weeks in Beijing. Pictures are up from the farewell parties, antique market, The Great Wall at Si Ma Tai, dinner in a hutong, and class dinners.