Some Lovely Goodbyes

On a bright note, if you're fortunate enough to get a roommate who lives in Shanghai, or fortunate enough to get an internship with a boss who really cares about you, then you're likely to have some lovely goodbyes before leaving Shanghai.

If you have followed most of my blogs, you know that my roommate, Jeff,  or 高富帅 (or tall, rich, and handsome, as we all call him) has really become my best friend.  His family has also been great to me by getting me a coffee machine when I first got to China, taking me to an old water town for a cultural experience, inviting me to a family wedding in Nanjing, offering my family and me seemingly endless gifts, and inviting me to their home for two amazing meals.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have had him as a roommate and gotten the chance to meet his family.  That last meal was incredibly rewarding because it really exemplified the improvement I have made in my Chinese.  When I first ate with them, I was lucky to understand 50-75% of what they were saying in full out Chinese, but this past week I understood nearly 100%, I understand every 干杯 (to drink a toast) speech his father made, and felt a very real connection with them.

^My roommate Jeff and his father toasting to new friendship.

Then I'm not sure if it's weird to admit, but I had a really good time at Karaoke with my boss and colleagues on the last day of work.  The first time I went to Karaoke, I think it was 2AM and I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to start singing.  However, in the middle of the afternoon, when you’re not so reluctant to be there it can actually be a lot of fun.  I will sincerely miss the team over at Vance Info too.

^Karaoke with the Vance Info team.

Also, my last day in Shanghai was insane!  In the morning, I finally caught up with an alumnus who just arrived in Shanghai to start his new position, and then I met my buddy Timur’s British cousin, who took me for a wonderful lunch.  Then in the afternoon a friend from the Shanghai Theatre Academy invited me to the 2010 World Expo’s Mercedez-Benz Arena, where I watched figure skating and saw LiYuChun perform, the boyish pop-star who is apparently really famous in China.  Then I finished off in PuDong where I met my manager from another internship for a nice dinner overlooking the bund.  I even saw Sunny Shih.  What a day.

^Mercedez-Benz Arena, the Chinese love anything Titanic related.

Meeting all of these people and saying my goodbyes really made me realize I made some great friends in Shanghai and started building a lifelong network.  These people, wherever and however you meet them, are your gateway into life in China.  Although it might be fun to follow your fellow study abroad classmates around the city for the semester, it will be such an awesome experience if you make some local friends.  Persist with your relationships, invest in them, and make it count for the long-term, the dividends are priceless.

^Sunny and I in Pudong on my last night in Shanghai, shout out to SK.

The Last Week at SUFE

Get your capstone research done early.  Michael Gladstone, an alumnus from last semesters program, warned me of the craze of the last week.  I had no problem with the capstone project on China Market Entry Strategies but the internship paper proved to be the challenging one!  3,000 words on your observations in the workplace.  Well we've all heard it before, but just try to bite off little pieces of the projects early on so you can truly enjoy your last week in Shanghai and adequately prepare for the final Chinese exam, which is sure to give you a run for your money.

^Muhdi's compelling performance at our last skit night.

But in terms of the SUFE's last plans for its students, they did a great job making the last events worthwhile.  I won't spoil the fun for you if you're coming to SUFE but it was a great day to wrap up an unreal semester.  And it was surprisingly really sad to say goodbye to some friends that you've experienced all kinds of wacky firsts with, and the even sadder part is that it's hard to say whether or not I'll see any of them ever again.  It's just the nature of these kinds of groups...

^From a cold classroom in February to speaking advanced Chinese in May, the 401 class was an awesome bunch. (水老师=Shui Laoshi, or water teacher, in the center)

I don't want to get too sappy, but have fun with your classmates and roommates, 4 months just isn't enough time to study abroad, and you'll understand when it's time to leave.

The Culture Barrier

You're only going to understand China if you jump in neck deep.  Granted we all come with our preconceived notions about what Chinese life will be like, but an objective perspective will serve you well.  There will certainly be things that will make you raise an eyebrow like a guy making obnoxious noises and spitting on the metro, or a kid taking a dump on the street, but that's China.  If you're going to succeed here you're going to have to take the negatives with the positives and hope that you can deal with it all.

^This one is part of the, "What were you thinking?" collection.

On the flip side, jumping into Chinese life can be so rewarding if you're ready to embrace it.  When a colleague at Vance Info suggested that we use QQ to discuss a project, I kind of laughed at the idea of not using Skype, but once I started using it, I realized I would be using QQ much more than Skype to stay in touch with my Chinese friends.  Also, your Chinese friends will be blown away when they ask you for your contact information and you tell them that you have QQ.  I wish I had done more with RenRen while I was here but that is certainly my next goal of venturing into Chinese social media life.

Beyond that, don't ever turn down an opportunity to speak Chinese!  When you are making the plans you will try to avoid the Chinese but in retrospect you will appreciate it so much.  For example, this semester I have spoken at a wedding, performed skits in Chinese several times, hosted our schools singing competition, participated in an Oral Proficiency Interview, participated in an interview with a Chinese student trying to understand American perspectives in China, spoke at our graduation ceremony, and even did a half an hour TV show on camera with a friend from Shanghai Theatre Academy.  Now I'm no fluent speaker, of course there were uncomfortable moments where you realize you're in front of a group of people and you can't remember a word, but you will survive and the next time it will be better.  Even if you're a second year student, there is no excuse for not practicing whatever skills you have.

On that note, speaking in Chinese will also help you better understand the Chinese perspective and cultural nuances.  There is so much that gets lost in translation, so take the initiative yourself, do some of your own translations, and draw some of your own conclusions.  If you're goal really is to get good at Chinese and be considered the "China Expert" for your firm in the future, it won't be easy, you have to really know your stuff.  Jump in with an objective perspective, it's the only way to get good and gain an understanding.

Independent Travel: Tibet

^Potala Palace in Lasa.

Three other classmates and I travelled to Tibet for our independent travel.  A trip to Tibet certainly comes with its challenges ranging from Visa permits, to travel agencies, physical challenges, etc.  But I can't say enough goods things about the travel agency that helped us coordinate our trip, Tibetan ShamanTours. 

^小朋友 or "Little Friend" on the train.

^Just playing the Tibetan "flute."

^Monks debating in the courtyard at Sera Monastery.

We decided to take the train from Shanghai to Lasa, which was the more economical option, and in retrospect the safer option from a health standpoint because it allows you acclimatize, but it did take a full 48 hours.  From the outset, I had read about Altitude Sickness, and brushed it off as nothing because I'm a healthy 20 year old guy, right?  Well, by the second night on the train I was already not adapting well to the altitude, breathing funny, feeling dizzy, and by the time I arrived in Lasa, I was in rough shape with a splitting headache, insomnia, and from there most other bodily functions got worse.  I toughed it out until Tuesday, when we made our next stop to Shigatse, but after dinner on Tuesday night, I could barely walk back to our hotel, with little energy left, an awful headache, nausea, and worst of all inability to sleep.  When you're feeling awful, what is the one thing you look forward to doing?  Hitting the bed and sleeping it off, but sleep was the first and last thing you wanted to do with altitude sickness.  By Wednesday morning, I had to make a really tough decision, do I continue on to Mount Everest Base camp at 5000 meters above sea level, or stay in Shigatse for another day at a less dangerous but still threatening 3,800 meters above sea level?  Well not to sound dramatic, but based on my instincts I was already developing one of two life threatening diseases, HACE or HAPE, so it was totally against what I would have liked to do, but I didn't want to risk making the ascent.  This is where our travel agency and tour guide were so great to me, they arranged for me to stay in the hotel in Shigatse, got me oxygen tanks, Acetazolamide and Rhodiola Root Extract (traditional Tibetan medicine) to reduce the symptoms, and arranged for the hotel staff to bring me meals and check on me in the room.  Fast track to the end of the week, and I really only adapted to the altitude by Friday or so, and mind you I flew out on Sunday!

^Tibetan handicrafts.

From what I was able to observe in my trip to Tibet, it is absolutely gorgeous!  The Tibetans have a much different demeanor than their Han Chinese counterparts, with a much more low-profile attitude about them, and much less flamboyant and loud interactions.  They were all very sweet, everyone we passed greeted us with a warm, "Hello!" even if it was the only English word they knew.  The one sad part to witness was how oppressed these people were.  If you don't know about the Chinese occupation of Tibet, I suggest you do a quickbrush up... Right away, our tour guide informed us to avoid any kind of political conversation regarding Chinese-Tibetan relations, and basically be very cautious in any conversation we engaged in, even religious conversations about Buddhism.  She even told us to be careful about using Mandarin with locals so as not to offend anyone.  It is upsetting to witness all of this from third persons perspective, with little or nothing that you can do, but as with most things in China that seem foreign to a Westerner, the most important thing you can do is just try to maintain an awareness of these issues, and very, very carefully pick and choose your battles.

^Found at the Summer Palace in Tibet, but this was nothing out of the ordinary, Tibet is under Marshal Law.  (特警 or "SWAT")

So apart from my experience, the three others I was with had some of the altitude sickness symptoms at the outset, but quickly adapted after about two days.  I still encourage anyone to go out to Tibet to see some beautiful scenery and learn a little something about their Buddhist way of life.  Trust your instincts and be ready for a little physical challenge, but you only live once, so get out there and see Tibet before it goes through any more drastic changes.

^Guards looking down from the rooftops.