Zai Jian, Shanghai [Goodbye, Shanghai]

Well, after a five-hour ride on the high-speed train here I am in Beijing again!  This morning my host dad and Ivy drove me to school where we said goodbye to everyone.  One of the host sisters had a Polaroid camera and was taking pictures of all the Americans and their host sibs so now I have a little Polaroid picture of Ivy and me in my wallet.  As the bus pulled out of the school lot we all waved out the windows and Agatha and I pathetically started to cry. 

I can’t believe that my adventure in Shanghai is over.  During these past six weeks, not only have I made amazing friends, learned the basics of a new language, and explored one of the most famous and beautiful cities in the world, I have matured and (as cheesy as it sounds) truly discovered more about myself.  This summer has changed my life and I am going to miss every little thing about it when I get home.  Of course, I’m ecstatic to get back to Arlington to see my family and friends and share my experiences in person (six weeks, after all, is a long time!), but I also don’t want to leave the life I’ve created here. 

Friday was the last day of school.  We had given our final “China in my Eye” presentations on Thursday so Friday morning we had our final test.  Then we practiced for the Closing Ceremony later that afternoon.  The Ceremony was great.  The American students performed a dance to a mash-up of popular American songs (including Cotton Eyed Joe, Call Me Maybe, Gangnam Style, and Single Ladies), which was a big crowd-pleaser.  We also did a runway of our Beijing Opera masks that we made in class as well as a Kong-Fu performance and a traditional dragon dance.  Finally, we presented our host parents with silk flowers we had made and sang them a Chinese song.  It was really beautiful and a time to celebrate the success of the past six weeks but it was bittersweet because saying goodbye is always hard.  When my teacher, Chen Laoshi gave my class a goodbye speech yesterday morning, I was definitely holding back tears.  The end of her speech said this:

“Room Caesar will always remember you, such a group of lovely kids.  Chen laoshi will always cherish the memory of the Summer 2013, which is special because of you, the eight angels.  Filled with the pleasure and confidence we get from the trip, I am sure that every one of us is ready to start a new one.  Let this be the beginning of another interesting and enjoyable trip.  I’m ready.  Ni men ne? [Are you?]”

Today I said goodbye to Shanghai and my host family, but I’m just going to look at it like a new trip.  This wonderful adventure has ended and I’m most definitely ready for a new one!

As for my last day in Shanghai, Saturday Ivy and I got our nails done and then met up with my host dad for lunch.  The rest of the day was spent packing and then in the evening I took my host family (including my host aunt, uncle, and cousin) out to dinner to thank them. 

America-bound in 2 days!

sar

My class in Room Caesar!  

Ag and I doing some Kong fu. 

The A Team getting ready for some serious kong fu. 

 My host family and I after the Closing Ceremony.

This was my room in my host family's house.

My home for the past 6 weeks: 778 Xinnan Road.

Miss It and You Miss Shanghai

That’s what the advertisement for “Era: Intersection of Time” said.  And it’s true, I am so glad that I was able to go see this Acrobatics Show because it was amazing!  On Friday night, our teachers took us downtown to see “Era”.  It was probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen!  The acts were out of this world.  In one act, there was a giant spinning metal wheel and the acrobats did crazy tricks on as it spun faster and faster.  Another act included performers dancing in the air while hanging from two silk ribbons.  There were also the classic circus acts like how many super-flexible girls can come out of one barrel (they fit four!) and trapeze artists flying through the air.  The best act was the finale, when seven performers on motorcycles did high-speed tricks in an enclosed steel globe (with a dimension of 6.8 meters!).  It was crazy and terrifying at the same time.  Definitely one of the best things I have seen in Shanghai!

On Saturday, Agatha, Richard, Aiden and I got on the metro really early to make it to Yu Garden before it got too hot out.  We met up with Tim and Tafari and walked around and did some bargaining on the street before heading back to Tao Bao City (our favorite fake market).  Afterwards, we went to lunch at a restaurant on the Bund.  In the afternoon we sang some karaoke at a KTV next to the Pearl Tower and in the evening we explored the city at night!  We saw a movie being filmed on the streets, which was really cool.  On Sunday, I went with Ivy and her friend Cassie to what will soon be the biggest mall in China.  It is still under construction but already it is gigantic!  I had some noodles for lunch and then we went a little crazy at Haagan Dazs afterward (see pictures below).

Sunday night my host family and I went out to dinner.  On our way home we stopped off at Paris Baguette to get some bread for breakfast.  As I was picking out a chocolate croissant, a Chinese woman in her early thirties asked me in English if that kind of bread was good.  I said “Yes! Hen hao!” which means “very good!”.  Then as I was waiting in line with Ivy and my host father, the same woman asked me where I’m from.  Her English wasn’t great but we were able to have a conversation and it turned out her husband is currently in New Jersey working.  She asked me if I could teach English and I said sure (I speak the language after all), and then she asked if I could teach her child English.  I said I would love to but I have only one week left in Shanghai.  I wish I had met her earlier because that would have been such a neat experience!  After we left, Ivy asked me if in America people talk to strangers often.  She said that in China you don’t talk to strangers so she was a little surprised that I had talked to the woman in the bakery.  I told her that when you are little you are taught “Stranger Danger!” but as you grow up talking to other people and learning about them can be interesting as long as it’s safe.  I also mentioned that my mom is super friendly and likes to talk to everyone.  Ivy said that I must take after her then and I said that I hope so, since she’s pretty cool!

This is my last week of school, and on Friday I am going to have to give a presentation in Chinese.  On Sunday I’ll say good-bye to my host family and I (along with the other American students) will take the high-speed train to Beijing.  Then next Tuesday I’ll be America-bound!

xoxo

sar

Outside the Acrobatics Theater

The shops at Yu Garden 

Yu Garden! 

Global Harbor Mall 

 Haagan Dazs

Yum!!