Day one of my internship

I'm sitting here in Jing'an Temple Park right before my first day at my internship. I'm extremely excited for this unexpected opportunity and am going to make the best of each and everyday. 

Last night we all went down to Yuyuan Gardens where we celebrated the last day of the Chinese New Year with SO MANY PEOPLE! I experienced the way that Chinese people push and cram in spaces that should not fit as many people as it does.  It was crazy to experience but a lot of fun. Supposedly, the fireworks should stop now, but I've heard and seen some go off today. The Fourth of July fireworks are nothing compared to these. We heard a song that my Chinese teacher in high school had played for us one time, but last night it was played over and over and over again! I was happy to hear it the first time because it brought back memories but ohhhh gosh that was for sure the song to celebrate the new year.

A lot of people have been catching "The Batt Plague" here, but not me! I refuse! Basically, The Batt Plague was started by Henry "Chase" Batt who is a student studying abroad with us. It starts with a sore throat and moves on to common cold symptoms; however, it knocks you out for a few days. It's gone around the dorm the last week, both with us Americans and some of the Chinese.

We have our first test in Chinese this Friday. Even though we go at a much faster pace, I feel comfortable with my skills thus far.  I don't think it will be that bad. My roommate went back to school today. She has class at 8 am but has an hour commute so she left at 7 am this morning! She was saying that they stopped school for two weeks for the new year so she has some big tests coming up soon. 

I've become really close with Shanny who is from Israel. We went to a party on Saturday to celebrate the Jewish Halloween. It was so much fun and we met people from all over the world, most which we're Jewish! I dressed up as an athlete, Sally was a country girl and Shanny had this awesome light blue wig and leopard print glasses!

We also went as a big group to the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum as well as the Shanghai Museum. The first one was so neat to see! Unfortunately, I left my iPad in my room for this trip but other people took pictures so ill share them on Facebook. I cannot believe how big this city is. I mean I've never been to New York, but they have used almost all of the square footage here in Shanghai. Also, they did it as efficiently as possible.

The city is now getting louder and louder as people are returning from visiting family during the new year. Honking is like a common occurrence here to let people know where you are as opposed to in the USA where it's used when you're annoyed with someone's driving style and such.

Well here I go. Talk to y'all later

First few days in China = huge success!!

I couldn't be happier with the group of people, the school, the country, myself, and this decision!

I can't wait to find out more tomorrow. I was able to get wifi for a hot minute but I have to wait until tomorrow (well actually Tuesday now) for DSL to be installed.

Fireworks went off allllllll night. And when I say allllll night, I'm saying I heard them until 1 am when I fell asleep and heard them at 7 am when I woke up. I knew fireworks were big during the new year but man, they don't mess around. It's all because of the Chinese New Year which also explains why more than half of the restaurants and stores are closed. Families travel to see each other & celebrate the new year with good food & company.

So this week we have orientation. Our resident director, Wang Kai, is showing us around town (banks, restaurants, parks, etc.), helping us get settled in (cell phones, Internet, roommates, etc.), testing our Chinese skill level and taking us to a Chinese acrobatic performance. It's been extremely helpful thus far.


This post was supposed to end there...but I have been struggling to get on this website with the Chinese firewall and the lack of Internet in my room so I'm just going to expand on it now & figure out how to post it later.

It's been five days now! I am loving Shanghai so much!!! Yesterday (well today in the USA) was my birthday! I couldn't have asked for a better day. We had a blast downtown on Friday night and then Saturday morning they surprised me with a birthday cheesecake! I was so shocked. I really do appreciate the people in this program!

We have been doing orientation things all week like taking the placement test, getting tours, meeting our roommates, and things like that. My roommate is Cecile. She is so nice and her English is great! Next week though I'm going to try and mostly speak Chinese to her because she told me today that she hates speaking English. We went shopping yesterday at Carrefour for things for our room and to was so helpful for me to have her there. We had gone shopping to Walmart before, but I decided to not buy much because we had no idea what would be best to get.

I've now been to The Bund two times! For those of you who don't know what The Bund is, it is basically the scenic view of the skyscrapers of Shanghai. The Bund is known for its extraordinary architecture because it was owned by a various number of countries like France and England so each country left its mark. It is such something special to see!

Luckily, we live close to this awesome park, mall, and stadium area. The park is Luxun park which is named after an extremely famous Chinese writer. We get to visit his home town in the near future. The stadium is Hangkou football stadium where the local Chinese soccer team plays. The mall has everything I would ever need! All of this is either a 15 minute walk or one metro stop away.

In a few minutes I get to meet my Chinese teacher and find out which level I placed into. I can't wait to start learning more characters and apply the vocab right away. But that's all for now, I need to go get ready for the day but hopefully I can get this to post soon.

So all of that was supposed to be posted a while ago, but I still can't access my blog. So I'm sending this to my dad to post for me from the USA. If you want to see pictures, go to my facebook at https://www.facebook.com/katie.anderson.1481 or I have posted a few on my instagram which my username is kat1e_and. I didn't expect this to be such a hassle even with a VPN but it's okay. I'll make due.

Today, I got an internship with The Study Abroad Foundation here in Shanghai. I will be doing various work with them like planning events, talking to prospective students, doing some writing about the differences between China and the USA, and other PR stuff. I'm excited to see what all I will be getting into. Don't worry, I will keep you all updated on how it goes! I will be there Monday-Wednesday from 2 pm - 6 pm; however, some weeks I won't go in on Monday because they want me to stay later on Tuesdays or Wednesdays occasionally when they go to various colleges to talk to the students. In the end, I will be getting to do 10-12 hours of work there each week and it's about a 30-45 minutes commute by subway.

Classes thus far are interesting. I have class Monday - Friday from 9 am - 12 pm and then Thursday from 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm. Everyday except Wednesday in the morning is Chinese class. There are currently 5 people in my class; I tested into 201 which is perfect for me. It's all in Chinese and we learn two lessons a week! At Marietta, we would learn 4 or 5 lessons a semester! The pace is so much faster but I am glad because it helps me stay focused on learning what I came here to learn: Chinese. On Wednesday, I have International Money & Finance, so today was our first time going to that. The professor has a great background studying in Taiwan, the USA, and the Netherlands so we shall see how this class goes. And then Thursday afternoon is China: the Economic Giant, which I will get to experience tomorrow. The classes are SO long but we get like 10 minute breaks every hour. I cannot imagine class without those breaks...

I traveled by myself for the first time today! I feel like it's about that time where I have been accustomed to the culture long enough and can manage to find my way around this GINORMOUS city (<25 million!). I'm so glad that I followed my dreams to study here and cannot wait for the adventures that have yet to come.

I'll write more later but for now, I've written enough.

Twelve More Hours!

It's 12:30 am right now in Detroit, which means that it is 1:30 pm right now in Shanghai. I've decided to stay up all night just to get used to the time change. Gotta avoid that jet lag somehow. Last time I was there, I did not experience much of it so I am hoping to keep it that way. My mom and I found this awesome watch which shows two time zones (didn't realize that when we bought it - lucky us!). It's so convenient & perfect for what I need.

My flight is at noon tomorrow, hence the "Twelve More Hours!" title. My flight will land at 4 pm Shanghai time soooo 3 am Detroit time. I'll be on that plane for a good 15 hours most likely, which is where I will catch up on my sleep. I can't believe that this is really happening. I am so ecstatic, anxious, nervous and who knows what else right now. I always told myself, "Nah, I won't get culture shock. I'm a pro at this." when really, I think I need to get off my high horse for a second. I know that this will be a great time for me, but I need to keep my mental health in check and realize what it is that I am experiencing.

Nonetheless, I am not going to let anything hold me back and will experience all that Shanghai and the rest of China have to offer! I've got my 43 pound suitcase, backpack and purse all packed up & ready to go for the morning tomorrow. Now to just touch up on my Chinese and find a way to pass these next few hours.

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Only Eight More...

Time seems to be going by so slowly. I am so anxious to be abroad. This last weekend was spent in Marietta for the last time until August. It's extremely bittersweet to me, but I am excited to explore a new place, meet new people, eat bizarre food and learn the language.

Things that need to be done:
1. Make sure credit card companies know I will be abroad
2. Call AT&T & ask about going abroad
3. Cancel my Planet Fitness membership & Netflix account.
4. Study Chinese
5. Pack!

The list I have on my phone is much more lengthy, but I figured this would be enough for me to rant about on here.

To start off, I am opening a new account at Bank of America since Chase does not have any banks in China. Bank of America is partnered with China Construction Bank and will not charge me transaction fees to withdraw money there! It's important to do research like this before going abroad. Also, in order to use credit/debit cards abroad without banks putting a hold on your account, you have to call them and notify them of this. It is a simple call to do, but somethings that could be easily forgotten about.

In regards to AT&T, I am not taking my phone abroad because I will have my iPad. I need to chat with AT&T about potentially shutting of my phone but not losing my number. This one I am unsure about so hopefully my dad will have some free time this week to help me figure this out. I wouldn't want to pay for my phone when I am not even using it; however, I don't want to have the hassle of getting a new number when I return.

Sadly, I will not be watching Netflix in China. There is a Facebook page that all of the students who are studying abroad through Alliance are on and some of them have said that Netflix doesn't even work in China.  I was planning on cancelling mine anyways since I want to get the full immersion to the culture. As for Planet Fitness, I will have to pay for another gym service in China once I get there, or just find a park with some outdoor workout machines like I saw when I went to Beijing during the summer of 2010.

Study Chinese/China - I will be going through all of the old papers & books that I have from Chinese 101-301 just to refresh my memory. There will be language placement test the first week that I get there so I want to be on my "A" game. I will be also doing some extra studying of food and traveling vocabulary in order to prepare myself for everyday life. I have also been reading other student blogs and looking up where I want to visit during my travel time. This has made me the most anxious yet excited to go!

And finally, packing! This is what I am dreading. I am taking two suitcases there, but putting the smaller one inside the bigger one for the plane ride there just because I plan on buying a lot of souvenirs and gifts while abroad. I sure hope I can get it all to fit.  With some of the research that I've done thus far, I know that I will be packing lots of American deodorant, tampons, and peanut butter since those are things that found easily in China.

Time to knock things off of my to do list!

Pre-departure

Hello there!

In exactly two weeks, I will be on a plane headed out to Shanghai, China from Detroit, MI. Luckily, I got a direct flight; however, it will still be a long 13 hour flight! I have so much to get done before I leave. To do lists will be my best friend in times like these or else I would for sure forget something. I'm planning on taking one last trip to Marietta before I leave but just for a weekend.

I've already had so many mixed emotions about this trip. It's gonna be rough for me to be away from Marietta, especially since so many of my close friends are seniors, but this is MY life. Not trying to be selfish or anything, it's just that I can't always please everyone so I choose to make choices that benefit me in the future. I don't want anything to hold me back. This has been my dream for a few years now and it's so surreal that I'm about to start my journey abroad.

For those of you not aware, I have traveled abroad before, even to China. I've been to the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Belize, The Grand Cayman Islands, and China. I am very fortunate for all of these opportunities and in my opinion, when you have a chance to go abroad, DO IT! There is more to life; it is up to you to experience it. Luckily, my parents have allowed me to see that and I am very grateful for that.

A lot of you are probably wondering, "Why would you want to go to China?". Valid question. Well, in high school I took French (all the way to French 5) and for some reason, I never really loved the language. I don't know if it was too romantic for me or what so I tried Chinese. The main reason was that I knew I wanted to go into business and China's economy was thriving! Amazingly, I just loved the language and was able to pick up on it fairly easily. The next step was finding a college that offered Chinese and had all of my other requirements; I fell in love with Marietta, and luckily, they had Chinese! I decided to start in 101 since I had been taking high school level and just wanted to make sure I really learned everything. Though studying abroad is a requirement for my major, I never doubted that I would embark on an adventure like this. Last time I was in China, I went to Beijing and Zibo so I wanted to experience a new city. The program that I am doing is through Alliance and it is called International Business in China; they offer everything I could ever have imagined a study abroad program would offer.

Bare with me as I travel to the other side of the world. I will be doing semi-weekly updates on my iPad and will be sharing as many pictures as possible. I know my writing isn't perfect, and it's tough with a touch screen; however I will make it work! If you have any questions/comments/observations along the way, feel free to post them. I will try my best to reply in a timely manner.

Until next time...