Today myself and many others bonded through the fun and playful activities in Drama Class. The class split up into five groups, and each group was told to make a skit relating to the Qing Dynasty. Every skit needed a conflict and every group member needed a role pertaining to the predicament. We all had a great time bonding and coming up with a script. I chose the role of guardian of the princess. I defeat my friend, or enemy in this case, Matt, in a battle during our skit while trying to protect the princess from falling to her death. I have never before been so active in a class activity and it was just such a great time to see everyone getting involved and laughing. Even Colin Donovan, who was suffering from hurting his ankle, was having the time of his life. In his script he chose to be a bird because he had crutches so he was able to flap them around in the background.
What I felt was the highlight of the day though was our Welcoming Dinner. The kids from the school put on a skit of their own. It was very funny and we all enjoyed the many jokes they told. Also CeCe and her classmate performed a dance for us. I was amazed at the combination of some American style dancing and traditional Chinese dancing. To finish it off my host sister, Phoebe, performed a song which translated to english as "Long Time, No See". It was a very beautiful song and received a great round of applause at the end.
This day was very special because I made new friends and bonded with some of the other students from the school I never met before. I cannot wait to go back tomorrow and I am so excited for our group to experience the interesting life style here in Shanghai
It was wonderful to reunite with the students today and hear all of the thrilling stories from their weekend stays with their host families. Colin D. delivered a brave and thoughtful speech in front of the entire student body at Shanghai No. 3 Girls School, and we all introduced ourselves. We were able to sit down with Principal Xu where she extended a warm welcome to our group of delegates. We have all been very impressed by the hospitality, warmth, and graciousness of our hosts. Mr. Rao gave us a tour of the beautiful grounds, and we ended our morning learning a traditional Chinese folk song.
After lunch, students attended classes with their buddies and spent some time on the sports field playing badminton, basketball, volleyball, and tug-of-war with the girls. The Darien kids continue to comment on the focus and intensity of the classes. The day began at 7:40 and school "ends" at 4:30, though many of the Shanghai girls remain at school for tutoring, music lessons, or drama.
Last night, our guides told us that the true face of Shanghai is at night. While we are still a bit jet-lagged from the flight, we are all hoping to enjoy more of this beautiful city with its bright lights and welcoming people before another day of school tomorrow.
This morning, my host student Water and I woke up early to go to the Shanghai Museum. On the way from her house to the subway station, we stopped at a street vendor to buy delicious pork and vegetable dumplings. We took the Line 1 train to the Shanghai Terminal stop, the largest and busiest subway station in Shanghai. We were already hungry again, so we quickly bought a bowl of fried noodles, and we then went to stand in line to enter the Shanghai Museum.
As we were waiting for the Museum to open, Water's friend Daisy (a boy) ran up to us. Water had told me earlier in the day that three of her friends would be joining us while we toured Shanghai. We rented audio guides in the museum, and we walked around the various galleries, admiring sculptures, ceramics, coins, and furniture of ancient and modern China. Water's other friends, Sofie and Yolanda, arrived just as we were leaving the museum.
We took another subway to a very large shopping mall to meet Peter, his host sister Phoebe, and Phoebe's friend CeCe. Peter and I were thrilled to have ice cream in the mall, which we quickly ate right before we sat down for lunch. Strangely enough, the Chinese students chose a Mexican restaurant to eat at., and it tasted exactly like the Mexican food we eat in the US.
After lunch, my group separated from Peter's, and we got on the subway again to go to one of the main tourist shopping areas in Shanghai. We walked around for about an hour, and I was amazed to see and hear so many Americans in one place. We had to head back to Water's house early after this long day because she had a tutor. It was an amazing day, and I was really excited to have made three new Shanghainese friends.
The name of the bridge speaks for itself. In a crowded area of central Shanghai, my host sister Liza, Katie Jarrett, her host sister, and a couple of their friends met up for lunch and a tour of one of the most interesting bridges in Shanghai.
The bridge itself was jammed packed with citizens, but most of them were tourists that were not only from the United States but from all over the world. Living in China for a couple days already, I have learned that life on the streets is very rough and loose. Just when we were waiting on the bridge ready to take a picture, several people bumped into my host sister and got in the way before we could get a good shot. I was angry, but Liza seemed as if it was no big deal. I guess growing up in the city can mold you into a different person.
The bridge itself did zig zag in a pattern across a small lake that was in the center of many shops and restaurants on the outside. The restaurant that we went to for lunch was a classic place that Liza said she went to when she was little. I tried all the food that they got for me, and was not disappointed. The dumplings were amazing! If I wasn't full I would stuff myself with them as long as possible!
The bridge was beautifully constructed. It weaved perfectly through the center of the small pond it reached over, and sitting in the restaurant I got a good shot of how jam-packed the bridge truly was! It stretched one way for about 15 feet, and then cut back in the opposite direction, and continued that pattern all the way across the pond.
In the pond beneath the river, tons of fish gathered near the edge of the bridge awaiting bread. We went and bought some breadcrumbs from a nearby vendor. Another interesting thing about China is that there is no real set price for things that you buy on the street! To bargain, you wait for them to offer you a price, and then you refuse, saying that you will take it for half that price or won't take it at all. If they refuse, start to walk away. Don't worry, they will call you back to sell it!
After throwing bread to the fish for a while, we went out to go shopping, where I bought a couple gifts for my real family back at home. All in all, seeing the zig-zag bridge was a great experience and it taught me a little more about Shanghai in general. My host family is so polite and kind, and I can't wait for hopefully more of these experiences later in the trip!
This morning my family gave me a delicious cakey dumpling with vegetables and meat filled on the inside. It was a very good meal to start the day off with.
My host sister, Angela said that at 10:30 four of her friends would come over and we would go shopping. We took the underground to get there, which was very exciting. It was packed with many people, but was a fun ride. I kept falling all over the place, next time I'll hold on to something. Once we got off, we stopped at a resturaunt and ordered meat-filled dumplings and soup with noodles, vegetables and dumplings. The food cost 8元,or about $1. It was one of the best foods I have ever tasted. After lunch, we shared a shaved ice with ice cream and mango dessert. It was very tasty, and the mangos were fresh and sweet. Once we all were full, we walked to a huge outdoor shopping area. I've never seen so many people in one place, it was so cool! We stopped at a variety of stores. The smells from the street were filled with savory dumpling, sweet desserts, and spicy meats. I bought many cute gifts to bring back home with me! We spent about 6 hours shopping, so I became very tired. However, I still had a lot of fun with Angela and her friends.
Right now I am sitting in the dining area of Hilary's apartment. I just finished a very filling and delicious bowl of noodles for dinner and am wishing that I had packed more pajama pants and sweatshirts (no heat in my apartment=goosebumps all over). Today I was granted a "day of rest" which at first I was very grateful for, but after sleeping until 12 and then taking another nap, I was hoping we would go out shopping or something. At least I'll have gotten over the time change!
Since we didn't go out today, I'd love to share my unique experience last night at dinner. I got to the apt., unpacked, and was told we were going to a family dinner. I expected to go to a grandparent's or other relative's house, but instead we went out to a very nice restaurant. The restaurant was organized with one open room for more formal meals and many fancier small rooms with a large lazy susan in the middle. We went into one of the small rooms where I met Hilary's adorable grandparents and aunts/uncles.
After about 30 minutes, there were about 13-14 of us crowded around the table and ready to eat. Dish after dish came out of the kitchen, and one when platter was empty, another would soon take its place. Plates of vegetables, fish, lobster, beef, frog, oysters, goose, and many unidentifiable dishes spun around the lazy susan nonstop. I tried to give every dish at least a small try and most of what I had was delicious. Surprisingly, my favorite dish that I tried was definitely the frog. It was very tender and spicy, and as soon as I said I enjoyed it, Hilary kept putting more and more on my plate. Soon I became full and felt bad having to refuse more food, but I didn't want to feel nauseous.
The dinner was also very awkward, and I realized that the language barrier might be harder to get around than I had expected. Many questions were thrown at me, most of which I was able to understand with Hilary translating, however I was also very confused most of the time. For example, I was asked if I enjoy various fruits, which they all found to be hysterical. When I answered "Yes," to the question, "Do you like cherries?" the group erupted with laughter and I couldn't help but laugh too. Although confusing at times, the Chinese people so far have been extremely kind and hospitable and I am excited to see what is thrown at me next.
While some of our travelers were suffering from extreme jet-lag, a few of us managed to have a great day exploring the city or Chengshi of Shanghai. We went on an excursion to two different malls and got to see Yu garden. After the second mall trip the two groups had to split up and go our different ways; one to Captain America, and the other to have wanfan or dinner. This picture displays the great time that we had as we broke down our cultural barriers and made new friendships, although some of us were already friends.
I was excited the whole entire time leading up to this trip into Shanghai and had felt like the energizer bunny because I have been waiting for this experience for a long time. However during the end of or walking through Yu garden my Jet-lag, that thing that I felt I might never have caught up to me, actually did in fact catch up to me. I began, although I tried to make it subtle, yawning out of control. And because of my constant display of Jet-lag, I was constantly asked by my oh-so and very kind hostess Ammie, if I was doing okay. I honestly was so tired that I could have fell asleep on the very busy and loud streets of shanghai and not have been woken up by anything. I could have slept on those streets forever; but I thought that I would hate to impose and ruin this really fun trip for everyone just because I wanted to sleep.
However because of what happened during this picture and many others like this one taken today, I once again am that energizer bunny that I once talked about before. Everyone in the group that I was walking with today pitched in when they saw that I was tired to make me laugh. And this plan was an absolute success and now thanks to the ultra kindness of my old and new friends. I also might even add that Peter, the group assigned "spirit lifter", work wonders on not only my moral today; but also of the moral of the entire group.
Had I went home and most likely jumped immediately into bed, I would have missed the fried and steamed buns with delicious icing/sauce we had as a snack along our journey. I would have also missed talking to Mario about the NBA, NBA Draft, College Basketball (as we were both happy the Uconn men's team was in the final four), video games, and even school. The list could go on and on as we discovered that we had so much in common and I am excited to say that we will be playing basketball tomorrow and even probably next weekend. I had just met him this morning when I had played basketball with my Host sisters cousin and Mario, yet from the way we talked to each other and also the way that he talked to Peter you would have thought that we were childhood friends
This first full day, although it seemed rocky through the middle turned out to be a great day and more importantly, I am excited to see what tomorrow has in store for me!