Nobody parks their scooter in restaurants back home.
No Swedish buses have Playboy seat covers (I hope).
In Sweden you never see couples wearing matching T-shirts.
And nobody drives around in a Hello Kitty car.
30 August 2012
The End (Take Two)
Today is my last day in China this time. I have no idea how four weeks have managed to go by so fast. I have, like always, had an amazing time in China. There are a lot of things I look forward to coming home to, but I also realise that Sweden is nowhere near as interesting as China.
Nobody parks their scooter in restaurants back home.
No Swedish buses have Playboy seat covers (I hope).
In Sweden you never see couples wearing matching T-shirts.
And nobody drives around in a Hello Kitty car.
Nobody parks their scooter in restaurants back home.
No Swedish buses have Playboy seat covers (I hope).
In Sweden you never see couples wearing matching T-shirts.
And nobody drives around in a Hello Kitty car.
26 August 2012
Hangzhou Trip
The main event this weekend was a trip to Hangzhou, a city located about 200 kilometres south-west of Shanghai. Hangzhou is famous for it's beautiful scenery, especially by the West Lake. The city itself is just a typical Chinese city, but the environment surrounding the West Lake is absolutely amazing.
The train from Shanghai to Hangzhou takes only 55 minutes. It's all super modern, just like the huge train stations with boarding gates just like in airports.
As you can see, there's a reason why Hanzhou is famous for it's beautiful scenery.
Hangzhou is also very famous for the Longjing tea that is produced nearby. It is pretty expensive, but apparently a must when you are in Hangzhou, so therefore we visited a traditional Chinese tea house, rebuilt in 1985 as an exact copy of the previous tea house built there in 934 AD.
The train from Shanghai to Hangzhou takes only 55 minutes. It's all super modern, just like the huge train stations with boarding gates just like in airports.
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| Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station |
As you can see, there's a reason why Hanzhou is famous for it's beautiful scenery.
Hangzhou is also very famous for the Longjing tea that is produced nearby. It is pretty expensive, but apparently a must when you are in Hangzhou, so therefore we visited a traditional Chinese tea house, rebuilt in 1985 as an exact copy of the previous tea house built there in 934 AD.
19 August 2012
Weekend Adventure
Yesterday I went to the Hongkou district with some Norwegians to visit a park and a genuine Chinese market street. The weather was (unfortunately) lovely, which meant 36°C and sunny. There were not many people in the park, except for a large group of elderly playing mahjong and Chinese chess.
The market street was narrow, crowded and stinky. It was packed with vendors selling everything from sheets to eel. We were the only foreigners there, all with a very Scandinavian appearance, which made the Chinese look even more at us.
I ended up only buying some fruit, but I helped the Norwegians bargain for some sheets and cleaning utilities. It was an interesting day that made us all extremely tired. However, I like making these types of excursions to non-typical tourist attractions, because it gets me closer to the "real" China.
The market street was narrow, crowded and stinky. It was packed with vendors selling everything from sheets to eel. We were the only foreigners there, all with a very Scandinavian appearance, which made the Chinese look even more at us.
I ended up only buying some fruit, but I helped the Norwegians bargain for some sheets and cleaning utilities. It was an interesting day that made us all extremely tired. However, I like making these types of excursions to non-typical tourist attractions, because it gets me closer to the "real" China.
17 August 2012
River Cruise
For the first time since I got to China I have had some trouble accessing the internet. Therefore, I am a little late with my update.
Two days ago the university arranged for the summer course students to go on a river cruise on Huangpujiang, the river that divides Shanghai into Pudong and Puxi. A lot of students were going, and I went with my two Japanese room mates.
It was a beautiful scenery. Pudong, the finance district, with all its buildings were lit up beautifully. On the other shore the colonial western style buildings were also illuminated. Below you can see some of it, as good as my camera could caption it in the dark.
Beside my room mates, I also met up with some other friends from school, among them a huge group of Norwegians!
Two days ago the university arranged for the summer course students to go on a river cruise on Huangpujiang, the river that divides Shanghai into Pudong and Puxi. A lot of students were going, and I went with my two Japanese room mates.
It was a beautiful scenery. Pudong, the finance district, with all its buildings were lit up beautifully. On the other shore the colonial western style buildings were also illuminated. Below you can see some of it, as good as my camera could caption it in the dark.
Beside my room mates, I also met up with some other friends from school, among them a huge group of Norwegians!
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| Maki, Japan, and Adrian, Norway |
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| Pudong by night |
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| Valeria, Italy, and Michelle, USA |
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| Valeria and I |
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| Oriental Pearl Tower |
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| Room mates, Norwegians and I |
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| Espen, Norway, 197 cm next to mini Chinese guy |
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| Frank, USA and Espen, Norway |
10 August 2012
Friday thoughts
Firstly, I am posting a picture of the Fudan University main building as promised.
Secondly, I'm going to list two things about China that I find strange. The first think is that every time you walk into a store (the larger kind), there is a person helping you find the thing that you want to buy. That person then writes you a note that you take to the cashier to pay for the item. You thereafter have to go back to the first salesperson to collect the item, after showing the receipt to prove that you've paid. Isn't that strange?
The second thing I find strange is Coke float. I know this is something that is originally American, but the Chinese are crazy about it! For those of you who don't know what Coke float is, I can tell you that it's basically a Coke with a scoop of ice cream in it. You can order it almost everywhere here, and they have so many different types, I've even seen a green tea float!
Now I have to go and put make-up on, I am going out with a bunch of other students to discover the Shanghai nightlife. Again!
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| Pretty impressive, huh? |
The second thing I find strange is Coke float. I know this is something that is originally American, but the Chinese are crazy about it! For those of you who don't know what Coke float is, I can tell you that it's basically a Coke with a scoop of ice cream in it. You can order it almost everywhere here, and they have so many different types, I've even seen a green tea float!
Now I have to go and put make-up on, I am going out with a bunch of other students to discover the Shanghai nightlife. Again!
8 August 2012
Cancelled class
Late last night I received a text from the school saying that classes were cancelled today because of the typhoon. I have never experienced a typhoon before, and when I got the text I realised that it actually was kind of serious! So I slept in this morning, for the first time since I got to China. I have woken up before 7am every day, didn't even get chance to sleep the jet lag off. Right now the wind is so strong the trees are bending, there is a wall of rain blowing from west to east and you can hear the wind really loudly outside the window. I don't know how long this will last, but I'm sitting here in my room eating, studying and watching Glee. My food supply consist of instant noodles, cereal with milk, dried pineapple and peanuts.
Hopefully this will be over soon so that classes can be held like normal tomorrow. However, if I know the Chinese right, they will just make up for the missed classes by having them during the weekend instead. I will let you know.
Hopefully this will be over soon so that classes can be held like normal tomorrow. However, if I know the Chinese right, they will just make up for the missed classes by having them during the weekend instead. I will let you know.
7 August 2012
Webcam and Typhoon
Second update from today: I just got home from Suning, an electronics store I went to to buy a webcam (my computer refuses to let me use the built-in one). I cannot describe how huge it is. Four floors with tons of products. Here are some pictures:
Also, this was put up outside the elevator when I got back home:
I guess I'm staying in tonight...
Also, this was put up outside the elevator when I got back home:
Study study study
The day after the registration all new students took a placement test. In Beijing, the test consisted of one listening comprehension test and one reading and writing test. Depending on your test score you were divided into a group that suited your Chinese level. At Fudan University however, the test was individual, one-on-one with a teacher. There are ten different levels at the school, and there were tests in ten classrooms, one test for each level. They just told you to take the test for the level you think suited you best. How do you measure your own Chinese skills on a scale one to ten?
I first tried level 5, which seemed like a safe number somewhere in the middle. The teacher told me I could be in level five, but if I wanted to I could do the test for the 6th level as well. When I had lined up a second time to do the test, the teacher conducting that test told me that level 6 was "way to easy" for me. "Go to room seven." "Now?" "NOW!!"
After a third test I ended up in level seven. "Way to easy" might have been a little bit exaggerated... I have now had my first two days of class, and I have decided to stick with this level, although I yesterday was debating going down a level. Every day we do one chapter with 50 characters to learn. Many of them are new to me, maybe 80 % , which means that every day I have 40 new words to learn. If my goal had been to get a great score on the final test, it might have been smarter to step down a level, but now I'm focusing on learning as much as possible during the short period of time I'm here. I have a lot to study, but now I have reached a level where I learn "cool" and useful words that enrich my vocabulary, so it's quite fun and motivating to study. I'm no longer only learning the names of colours and fruit (maybe I should though, just realised I don't know what pink or grapes are called any more...).
Speaking of fruit, today I found a great fruit store close to where I live. Now my mum doesn't have to worry so much about me not eating any fruit in China!
I first tried level 5, which seemed like a safe number somewhere in the middle. The teacher told me I could be in level five, but if I wanted to I could do the test for the 6th level as well. When I had lined up a second time to do the test, the teacher conducting that test told me that level 6 was "way to easy" for me. "Go to room seven." "Now?" "NOW!!"
After a third test I ended up in level seven. "Way to easy" might have been a little bit exaggerated... I have now had my first two days of class, and I have decided to stick with this level, although I yesterday was debating going down a level. Every day we do one chapter with 50 characters to learn. Many of them are new to me, maybe 80 % , which means that every day I have 40 new words to learn. If my goal had been to get a great score on the final test, it might have been smarter to step down a level, but now I'm focusing on learning as much as possible during the short period of time I'm here. I have a lot to study, but now I have reached a level where I learn "cool" and useful words that enrich my vocabulary, so it's quite fun and motivating to study. I'm no longer only learning the names of colours and fruit (maybe I should though, just realised I don't know what pink or grapes are called any more...).
Speaking of fruit, today I found a great fruit store close to where I live. Now my mum doesn't have to worry so much about me not eating any fruit in China!
5 August 2012
I'm back!
Yesterday I landed at Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, 2 hours later than expected. I had only 4 hours until registration at the university closed, and if you read about the registration process I had in Beijing 2010, you will understand that I felt a bit stressed.
The travel itself went smoothly, I sat next to a friendly Chinese man on the plane and that way I revived my oral Chinese just in time before arriving in China. In the airport a lady asked me if I needed a taxi, and I said yes. She said that it would take about 50 minutes to Fudan University, where I now study, which seemed reasonable. 300 kuai, she said. I just laughed and replied in Chinese "Are you kidding me?" and walked away. I'm not an easily fooled foreigner anymore!!
5 minutes later I wished I had taken the 300 kuai-cab. The legit taxi only cost me 180 yuan, but only a couple of minutes in to the ride the taxi driver told me how beautiful I was and how he wanted us to "hang out" sometime. When I said that probably wasn't a good idea, he tried to convince me that it was by telling me he had studied massage therapy. For 50 minutes I nicely tried to decline his proposals. But I got to the university. Sucess!
The registration was to take place at the Guanghua Towers, which are hard to miss. It's the massive main building of the university with two towers (photo will be uploaded shortly). The only problem was that I was carrying a 20 kg suitcase with me and to reach the entrance there were about 10 steps. Oh, and there were also about 10 different entrances to the building. On my third try I found the right one. At that point I had pulled my suitcase up and down 50 steps. In 33°C.
When I finally found the registration place it all proceeded very smoothly. After registration a shuttle bus took me to the dorm where I'm staying. I had reserved a single room with private bathroom. Private bathroom apparently means that we're only 3 girls sharing. But that's fine, compared to what I was used to in Beijing. When I arrived all sweaty I decided to take a shower. Then I found out the shared private bathroom didn't have a lock. Oh China.
This is what my room looks like:
The travel itself went smoothly, I sat next to a friendly Chinese man on the plane and that way I revived my oral Chinese just in time before arriving in China. In the airport a lady asked me if I needed a taxi, and I said yes. She said that it would take about 50 minutes to Fudan University, where I now study, which seemed reasonable. 300 kuai, she said. I just laughed and replied in Chinese "Are you kidding me?" and walked away. I'm not an easily fooled foreigner anymore!!
5 minutes later I wished I had taken the 300 kuai-cab. The legit taxi only cost me 180 yuan, but only a couple of minutes in to the ride the taxi driver told me how beautiful I was and how he wanted us to "hang out" sometime. When I said that probably wasn't a good idea, he tried to convince me that it was by telling me he had studied massage therapy. For 50 minutes I nicely tried to decline his proposals. But I got to the university. Sucess!
The registration was to take place at the Guanghua Towers, which are hard to miss. It's the massive main building of the university with two towers (photo will be uploaded shortly). The only problem was that I was carrying a 20 kg suitcase with me and to reach the entrance there were about 10 steps. Oh, and there were also about 10 different entrances to the building. On my third try I found the right one. At that point I had pulled my suitcase up and down 50 steps. In 33°C.
When I finally found the registration place it all proceeded very smoothly. After registration a shuttle bus took me to the dorm where I'm staying. I had reserved a single room with private bathroom. Private bathroom apparently means that we're only 3 girls sharing. But that's fine, compared to what I was used to in Beijing. When I arrived all sweaty I decided to take a shower. Then I found out the shared private bathroom didn't have a lock. Oh China.
This is what my room looks like:
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