Frequently Asked Questions: Edition 1

Since we moved, I've received some really great questions from friends & family about our new life, here in Shanghai. Here is my take on just a few of those questions.

Q.     Do I feel safe walking around by myself?

A.    Absolutely.  The city of Shanghai is incredibly safe. Taxis are safe (as long as you don’t take a brown/maroon car. Nothing bad will happen to you other than a rip-off in fare). I don’t mind getting lost on the streets, but I also think that’s somewhat empowered by technology and I can always figure out a way to get back home. Now, one night I was walking home alone so I did call Matt to tell him where I was, direction I was headed and we stayed on the line until I was in a more populated area. I’d have done the same thing in any city. Also, always be safe with your purse and keep it close. Anything on the pick-pocket front could happen, but again, I’d say that can happen in any big city.

Q.   Do people stop & stare because of the blonde hair?

A.   Nope. I’m certainly not saying I blend in any way, shape or form, but no one has approached me at all. Sometimes I notice a few turning heads and points, but not in our neighborhood and mainly in more touristy areas. That being said, there was one day where it was snowing and everyone had their large parkas on, hoods up, heads down and you couldn’t see an inch of my blonde hair or face. It felt kinda nice to blend in just a little bit.

Q.   What’s with all the buttons on the toilet?

A.   Well, we haven’t figured them all out yet. There is some spray action, some bidet action, but the best part is the heated seat. It’s magical. Every single time. I know that sounds hard to believe but a pre-heated toilet seat makes having to get up in the middle of the night an actual pleasant experience. I want one when we get back to the states. Seriously.

Q.   Is China what you expected?

A.   Yes and no. I said this in the beginning, but everything is in Chinese. Everything is Chinese. We are in fact, in China. That being said we can find many local comforts. There is an abundance of places, especially near our apartment, that cater to expats; meaning, they serve sandwiches, coffee, cheese, and shops where the staff / owners speak good English, descriptions / prices are also listed in English. Everyone describes Shanghai as “very livable.” Now, I’m not completely sure what that means. It is fairly painless to navigate your way around the city via cheap taxis (~$4 or less for anywhere in the city) or the simple subway system. You could probably survive quite a while not learning any Mandarin at all. And you can find anything you want, especially if you’re willing to pay. I guess, all of these things combined make the city “livable.” However, this is China and things are different here.

Q.   What has surprised you the most?

A.   The expat community and local Chinese communities feel quite segregated.  Looking back, this makes sense, especially given the language difference, however, I have found so far that the expat community seems isolated from the realities of a local Chinese life. Or if there is integration, it’s only at the wealthiest of levels. Now, I’m certain there are exceptions to this rule. That’s just my first month’s impression. One of my goals here is to get more integrated into the local communities, however, that is proving to be significantly more difficult than I originally expected.

Q.   What do you call a Chinese restaurant in China?

A.   Turns out, you call them by the local region within China. For example, each region within China offers a unique selection based upon the foods developed in that particular area. For example, there are Shanghainese, Cantonese, Yunnan, Hunan, etc restaurants. So far my favorite has been the Yunnan food of Lost Heaven. So delicious!!!!! There are a ton of restaurants within Shanghai that serve each kind of traditional food.

Q.   How’s our dryer working?

A.   Our dryer is fixed! It only takes about 5 hours to do one load of laundry, which includes about 8 articles of clothing. I did learn during this process, that having a dryer in China is not normal. Everyone hangs their clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer. And that could mean hanging your unmentionables pretty much anywhere. :)  ... see pic below. 

Feel free to submit more Qs and I'll compile FAQs, edition 2!

A couple examples of the "livable"

The cheese selection at the civilized Carrefour that we found.

Just one example of an adorable, very English friendly, cafe around the corner

This is the atrium of a local shopping mall. I just thought it was so cool decorated for the Chinese New Year. (The malls have significant number of US / European brand stores)

Clean & painless subway system

 A couple examples of the "not so normal"

This "transport" system is common... and this is one of the smaller bicycle loads that I've seen around here.

This lovely old man brought his own portable boombox to McDonald's and blasted traditional Chinese music during his meal for all to hear and enjoy?

Local Clothes "Dryer"