Tuesday, September 9, 2014

4:10 PM - , No comments

Update #2

Double post today, because two good things don't necessarily make an even better thing (think chocolate + ketchup). In addition to IKEA, we ventured out of the hotel and onto the super-efficient subway to see half the reason I came to Shanghai. Enter the Bund, enter skyline.

Sweden doesn't have massive buildings like this, not to mention a whole cluster of them smack-dab across the river. I am fascinated by absurd, excessive man-made things, and the Shanghai skyline about takes the cake.

 Already decided I'm going to come back to Nanjing Lu (the shopping street that leads up to the Bund) for some solo exploration. Googling has told me that there is a street nearby with multiple bookstores. Anyway, the small part of the road I saw yielded a shit-ton of shops I'm probably never going to shop at, and one that I definitely am.


Etude House is a Korean chain that sells reasonably priced makeup of reasonable quality. They shamelessly indulge in all things pink and princess-y. I am of the firm opinion that an über-girly place like Etude is something everyone deserves to treat themselves to occasionally and give a fat finger to anyone who claims you shouldn't. Absorb the pink. Be the princess.

 We returned along Nanjing Lu towards the Bund as it started getting dark (around 6 pm, extremely early for someone still used to the fading Swedish summer). The viewing deck by the Huangpu River was already filling up with people admiring the partly-lit buildings. And as the clock-bells on the Bund chimed seven o' clock exactly, the moment came. All the lights went on.




Bucket list: Check.

 The next step is getting on one of those boats...

3:46 PM - 3 comments

Update #1

So, a couple of days later and already a lot has happened.

 Firstly, I managed to get into my dorm! There was staff there even though it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

 The dorm is absolutely amazing - I have no idea why someone's decided I deserve such luck and am just waiting for the catch to show itself. The building I'll be living in is completely new, so I'm the first person to ever stay in room 532. I was expecting to share a small space with another person and go down the hall to shower and do all business in a moldy P.E-flashback bathroom. Instead, I have a large bed, a private toilet and shower, a desk, a TV, closets, air conditioning, and a fridge. You can't tell by looking at me but I am crying tears of purest gratitude.



I'm moving in officially tomorrow, once we get the rest of my stuff over from the hotel. Also stopped by IKEA to get some necessities, a little piece of home in China. They had a Swedish food section (Norrlands Guld, knäckebröd, pepparkakor, Absolut, lösgodis 13 kr/hg...), but not the most iconic Swedish chocolate, made in my home suburb :c I'll have to rely on care packages from abroad once my stock runs out.

 I found my new pickup line. They even translated it into Chinese for me.

Monday, September 8, 2014

11:00 AM - , No comments

Getting... Beijinged?

This is one of several posts about my trip to Beijing in July, up on Mondays.

 In Beijing, like in any big city, there will always be a subsection of the population out to make a buck off the naïve and gullible. And like any naïve and gullible person, I didn’t google “Beijing scams” before I set off. The joke tells itself, but I’ll elaborate anyway.

During one of our quests to find a taxi, a woman in a rickshaw kept calling to us, asking where we were going. Frustrated by the lack of cabs and cowed by her insistence, we agreed to let her take us. Determined not to be complete idiots, we made sure to ask how much she was going to charge to our destination - thirty, was her reply. After an admittedly fun and breezy ride behind her moped, it was time to pay. And that was when she informed us that that “thirty” wasn’t in RMB at all, but US dollars. She produced a pricing chart, previously hidden inside her moped, which put us at the much uglier fare of 180 RMB. In retrospect, we should’ve just laughed in her face, given her thirty, and walked off, but neither of us had ever been so blatantly scammed before - small-scale Sweden being a relatively honest country - and we were too shocked to think of what else to do. 
from mykidcircus.com

When we got back to the hotel and its blessed Wi-Fi, I did that google search, and it turns out we were lucky. The internet as a whole advises never to trust the rickshaw drivers (unless you manage to book a rickshaw ride through a legitimate channel, such as a travel agency, in which case it really is fun). I read horror stories about people being separated from each other, driven into alleys, and receiving demands of up to a hundred times the original fare - sometimes even per person or minute. I cannot stress how fortunate it was that the woman who drove us actually took us where we needed to go. We learned a hard lesson the easy way. 

On the same note, it’s okay to stop and have a chat with someone who approaches you randomly on the street, but you should walk away as soon as they try to get you to go with them somewhere. This isn’t something Chinese people (or people in general) normally do, and if you look obviously foreign, ergo like someone who doesn’t know the rules of the street, you’re going to be a juicy target for the scammers.

There are plenty of articles and forums who talk about the most common hoaxes out there. One seems to be people claiming to want to practice their English with you at a particular teahouse - which will later charge you exorbitant rates. Others pose as struggling art students who want to show you an exhibition: cheap knockoffs at ridiculous prices. The major tourist attractions will feature fake ticket booths and sham tour companies who will drive you from overpriced store to overpriced store. Beware, take care - and do your research!

Sunday, September 7, 2014

3:05 PM - , No comments

Day Two

Today was mostly spent exploring the Xuhui area. First and most importantly, we found Jiao Tong! I still haven't gotten any information regarding which dorm I'm supposed to stay in, or where to go to get access to it. And of course, I still need to get the residence permit out of the way. But because it's Sunday, there wasn't really any staff around who could answer questions. We won't be able to get anything done tomorrow either, because September 8 is a Chinese public holiday, the Mid-Autumn Festival (as evidenced by the glorious full moon). But now I know where the campus is, and have had my first glimpse of where I'll be living...
 

Also discovered a mall district in the Xuhui area. It's just a stone's throw away from Jiao Tong, so I'm hoping to spend a lot of time here! Whenever someone goes "China is a Communist country blah blah blah" I laugh and laugh and laugh. Because in practice, it's the antithesis of everything Communist. The commercialism/materialism/capitalist devil-worship here is absolutely amazing, 20 times anything you'll find in Sweden and with better stuff (imo) than what's offered in America. Malls are usually around 10 stories tall and propped full of shops and restaurants. Even though the stuff at genuine stores is expensive, it's worth going into a mall just to hang out, people-watch, and get juice or bubble tea.




Saturday, September 6, 2014

12:26 PM - 2 comments

Touchdown

I am typing this post from Shanghai, China.

 Hooooly shit.

 I don't think I'll really be able to accept this is real until I have my dorm room furnished, my health status cleared and my residence permit in hand. (This has to happen within 30 days, or it's the boot for me.) But facts are facts, and the fact remains: I am in Shanghai.

 And thus, this blog can finally level up from half-assed, dubiously empirical tourist thoughts to the Remarkably True Adventures of a Clueless Child in Shanghai.

 Flight, baggage claim, and taxi were no problem, praise be to the gods of the open roads. And to my dad, for going with me. I'd have had considerably less space to pack my stuff, only a fraction of the carrying-things power, and hardly any independent travel experience if he hadn't been here.

 Allegedly, I will be able to get into my dorm on September 8, which is when we will start working to get me settled in earnest. Right now, though, there isn't that much that has to be done. So far, I've taken a blessed shower, struggled to keep up with the subtitles on Chinese soaps ("I'm pregnant... with your son's child" *ELECTRIC GUITAR*), and snoozed in the hotel bed. And test-run my VPN connection, of course! I'm happy to say it runs like clockwork. This post is brought to you courtesy of a server in Japan. Kono bangumi wa goran no suponsaa no teikyou de okurishimasu.

 Right now, my dad is off somewhere in the hotel (probably sampling Chinese beer) and I am sitting by the window, looking up at the moon and contemplating the fact that I am going to live here for the next ten months. Sky is a melancholy bluish-grey (bluer than what my phone camera can capture, fear not for mine lungs). A reminder that I will be living in the midst of heavy pollution, but also in a world megapolis. I am (somewhat naively) nursing high hopes for the cyberpunk aspects of this city.

 This is the first day. Join me for all the rest.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

11:00 AM - No comments

Culture Shock: Customer's Conscience

Shopping in Beijing was different from home, most noticeably the aggressiveness of the vendors. Of course, the people who approach you are the ones trying to make a profit off you … usually dishonest. But for somebody used to Sweden, a country where eye contact with strangers is avoided and small talk nigh unthinkable (unless one of the strangers has a dog), it’s incredibly taxing to have every shopkeeper hawking their wares at you in an insistent and ear-splitting way … and even more stressful to imagine the bargaining situation that might ensue.

Bargaining, of course, is a big thing in China. The locals and shopkeepers are used to it and expect it. Nevertheless, I find bargaining incredibly stressful. Aside from having to interact on close terms with someone, in a language I can’t truly speak, the mere prospect of making another person feel disappointed and upset really bothers me - no matter if that person is loud, relentlessly annoying, and obviously trying to score a big one off me.

inside a chinese department store, where learning to push prices is key

There’s a particular type who’s just the worst, though. It’s usually a woman, who’s calm, kind, and helpful, makes friendly conversation, and seems really nice. If you’re curious about her wares, she’ll help you try them on, show you different ones, spend significant chunks of time just catering to you (but of course, as soon as another customer appears, she’ll use all her skills to split her doting between both of you special, pretty girls). Anyhow, my natural reaction when someone’s being nice to me usually isn’t trying to mercilessly force down the price they’ve set. And when someone’s given me such good service, I feel awful if I finally decide I don’t want to buy anything after all.

Of course, they know this, too. Guilt-tripping is a powerful marketing ploy.

When I go off to live in China, I’m going to remember that the seller is always making a profit - anything implying otherwise is just an attempt to make that profit even bigger. Like any person, I hope to be well liked by others, but it’s so important to realize that you don’t owe anything to somebody you just met - no matter how nice they’re being.

Monday, September 1, 2014

11:00 AM - , No comments

Beijing: Hitting the (huge, crazy, busy, lawless) streets

In July, my friend and I traveled all by ourselves to Beijing for one week. It was the first time either of us had ever been on the road without any other responsible adult besides ourselves. (I can’t speak for her, but I still have trouble, uh, identifying with that epithet.) We managed just fine, but one thing’s for sure: I won’t be recommending Beijing as a first-time destination to other teenagers anytime soon! It’s a big and bustling city, a world capital that I think you could probably get more out of if you’ve been a seasoned globetrotter for a while.

If you’re going to venture to the Northern Capital anyway, go prepared! To help you a few stumbling steps on the way, this is the first of a few posts I’ll be making about my experiences in Beijing.

(För alla svennar: Vi reste med erbjudandet Peking en vecka hos Lotus Travel. Riktigt prisvärt, även utan rabatten vi hade: ordinarie pris inte ens 8000 kr per person för flyg, hotell 6 nätter inkl. frukost, transfer samt visum. Kan bara klaga på det halvdåliga hotelläget, men vafan!!!)

generic tourist photo, because i suck at taking pixxx.
from china.org.cn (yay sourcing!)
This was my second time visiting Beijing. The first time was under the loving custody of the organizers behind the Chinese Bridge Competition, who kept us behind hotel doors when they weren’t shuttling us between the great sights (and equally great restaurants!) in enough buses to form a veritable fleet. Needless to say, experiencing it solo and unprotected was very different. 

For one thing, the cozy inside of the bus kept us sheltered from the crazy Beijing traffic. The only rule here is that there are no rules (unless you’re someplace crawling with cops). Traffic lights and crosswalks are decorative formalities. If lying on your horn for 15 minutes doesn’t magically make the car in front of you disappear, do it anyway. Your best bet to get across a street is to find a Chinese person, or better yet a group of Chinese people, to latch onto. Otherwise, just walk firmly with a clear destination in mind, resist the urge to run, and they’ll know when to swerve and hopefully not hit you.

ok, so it wasn't this bad... most of the time.
from wikipedia. i have class

Anyone considering going to Beijing needs to know that it is HUGE. Hearing people tell you this and experiencing it in real life are two very different things. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is a tiny city of barely a million people, and with the right shoes you can walk it from end to end. Larger European cities like London and Rome are still pretty navigable by foot and tube. Beijing, though … it’s not just the area, the sheer scale of everything is totally gargantuan. The roads are wide, the buildings tall, and everything is really, really far away from everything else.

Navigating Beijing was different from any other place I’ve been. This is not a city where you take a leisurely stroll down a picturesque boulevard - most streets are industry-scale, boxy monsters that will leave your eyes unsatisfied and your feet aching should you attempt to trek them all the way through. Once, while looking for cafés near Beihai Park, we made a wrong turn and ended up walking for probably half an hour along the walls surrounding the government areas just north of Tiananmen Square. We saw no turn-offs or escapes, just a few crosswalks into a residential area. Unless you’re on a shopping street, you’ll need to know exactly where you’re going, because things are too far apart to spontaneously catch your eye and you’ll end up aimlessly wandering along an endless, featureless road, stuck in the concrete jungle.

As for alternatives: the subway might bring you closer to your destination, but often, the only way to get where you need to go without at least one 15- or 20-minute walk is to take a taxi.  Taxis are cheap and ubiquitous, and we rode them everywhere. (Remember that stuff about the crazy traffic? Yeah? Well, the back seats of the taxis where you’ll be spending a lot of your time don't have any seat belts. Just thought you should know.) But they’re difficult to flag down at rush hour and aren’t allowed to stop on the main roads - making one hard to catch if you’re in a very populated area. On our last night, we were so tired and having such trouble hailing a cab that we ended up taking the subway to a place we remembered having no problem finding taxis before, and catching one from there. 

from itourbeijing.com

A word of warning: do not enter any “taxi” being offered to you from the side of the street. These are illegal, private cars who will overcharge you at best, rob you and drop you off somewhere strange (or not at all...) at worst. Always hail an official cab yourself: they’re easy to recognize and have meters that will print a receipt at the end of the ride. The fare starts at 13 RMB and rarely comes to more than 40 RMB within central Beijing. One extra RMB is added for gas. Always make sure the meter’s ticking!

You might be considering another method of travel: the moped-driven rickshaws, with their comfy-looking, shaded wagons. The short version here is: Don’t. The long version? Stay tuned…

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