New City and New Job=Shanghai

            Shanghai is so clean.  Maybe not the air, but the rest is. I know as a traveler it is paramount that as little comparison between places be made as possible.  However, I feel it is also human to do so. We think fondly of where we have been consider memories of past places so sweet regardless of how we felt at the time of their passing. I on my first day in Shanghai too fell victim to nostalgia.  Shanghai is a city. A big one.  It is a place to be lost and forgotten, and to be anonymous. It’s a city where one could disappear entirely and perhaps no one would know.  Is this a good thing? I haven’t decided yet.  What I have decided, is that I miss Phnom Penh; deeply. There is no trash on the streets here, there are more cars than motos, no tuk tuks, people wear suits and there is no constant cloud of dust from poor infrastructure.  In Shanghai there are sidewalks, real ones…that you can walk on (what a concept), and people are entirely uninterested in what you are doing.  Based on this description one might think I am making a case for Shanghai, but I am not.  In truth I miss riding around on a moto and I miss boring Khmer food and the Marady hotel. Why? Because it was familiar and here almost nothing is. I don’t miss inhaling copious amounts of dust on my way to lunch everyday; but more so, I miss knowing that I inevitably will as soon as I step outside. In new places, the comfort of knowing is absent. I believe that is why it is our nature to fondly reflect on the past. But of course, over time every place becomes familiar, and as we move through our lives we accumulate more and more comforting memories; and that I think, is one of the best things: a repertoire of happiness.

            Luckily I have good friends and family who will lend me their friends and family when needed. Turns out a friend of mine from Cambodia had a friend in Shanghai who offered to show me around my first night in this big, shiny, anonymous city. We had dinner at an adorable little expat spot called Sprouts, where I had kale and couscous for the first time in nearly 6 weeks (so amazing). Davlin gave me the run down on the city and mini tour on his scooter and I already feel better about the transition. Thank you Davlin, you don’t know it, but you’re a real lifesaver!

            The next few weeks were filled with training and getting acquainted with my new life. Four other new teachers including an American, a Canadian, and the sweetest Irish girl you ever did see named Margret joined me for orientation.  All but one of us are first time teachers and nervous as hell to get started.  Our new company is called Kid Castle (that is Margret and I at headquarters) and after hearing loads of horror stories about teaching in China, I am so impressed by how well the company is run.  It is very professional and all of our higher-ups are extremely helpful and informative.  

Kid Castle has nearly 30 schools here in Shanghai and for the next couple of weeks until I move to Tianjin, I will be a substitute wherever they need me. This is the school I was trained at and some of the kiddos I worked with. I am really enjoying teaching so far and am really learning a lot! 

In our spare time Margret and I found our way to Fuxin Park in the French Concession and had tea, battled the subway system (with a very high success rate thanks to her smart phone), and watched part of a Gallic football match at a nearby stadium.  What a hoot!! 

            After a week of living in a hotel, I was moved into a dorm with five of the Chinese teachers I work with. I was so happy because it’s a cute (and crammed) little apartment and I can practice a bit more of my atrocious Mandarin.  It also cuts my commute to work in half and gives me a kitchen with a fridge and a stove (which drastically improves my mood of course). The girls are lovely and we have a swell time together. They have been trying to teach me how to cook some yummy dishes and the other night we made (of course when I say we I mean Rebecca, the girl in the photo) hong xiao rou, which is meat cooked in beer and soy sauce and peppers. It was soooo delicious!

Also I found myself a lovely Chinese tutor! His name is Li, and he helps me navigate this crazy language twice a week for two hours at a nearby Starbucks. I then get to test out my new vocab on my Chinese coworkers who usually just laugh and correct my bad pronunciation.  It’s all part of the process…

I think that is all to report for now! I of course keep you as updated as possible (I know you stay awake at night just wondering what I’m doing haha jk ;) I love and miss you all and hope all is well!!! I almost forgot!!! Charlie update: He is a happy camper at home with Mom doing some RVing from what I hear and will be moving in with my friend Carly very soon. Thanks Mom!! Thanks Carly!! God knows what I’d do without you…xoxoxo