Uneventful

Compared to the rest of the week, today was pretty uneventful especially as we are making the transition from welcome week into actual school. A a few notable things did happen however, and I thought I would also highlight some interesting things that i've noticed about China thus far.

First off- We had an extracurricular activities fair today, where we could go and talk to reps from all of the different clubs and organizations around campus. I plan to be very very involved in these activities- not only are they a good way to practice language but they offer awesome exposure to Chinese culture, and after all, that is why i'm here. Also, because none of my letter grades this semester will transfer to GW, there is a lot less academic pressure, and so instead of studying all day and night I can be extra involved. A few of the activities that I was particularly interested in were Tai Chi, Kung Fu Classes, and traditional chinese cooking classes.

Second - Today I also joined a program in which for an hour or so one day a week I will be teaching english to the children of migrant workers here in Shanghai. Because of the possibilities for work in Shanghai, millions of people migrate into the city from rural villages across China. For the most part, they are discriminated against, looked down upon and live in utter poverty. As such their children have little access to education - and thats where we step in. This should be an awesome experience!

Third- a few interesting things about China:

- You can bargain for anything, except for food in most cases (but there are exceptions to any rule, TIFC). Seriously though, you can bargain anywhere and everywhere, even in department stores and malls. Imagine going to sears and negotiating the price of your new washing machine. The reason that this is possible is that everyone works off of commition and thus mark the prices way up. Standard practice is to offer about a third of the listed price and work your way towards a happy medium.

- This is the world of knock offs- and not always in a good way. Sure you can buy fake sun glasses and purses on street corners, but the black market in China is not limited to consumer goods. Street venders sell fake food (the infamous fake pickle), and convenience stores will sell fake cigarrettes. Furthermore, it has been found that about 30% of the prescription medicine in China is actually fake; so if I come down with one of my infamous sinus infections I think the best bet for antibiotics will be to have it shipped from home (lets keep our fingers crossed).

- There is no tipping in restaurants or at bars yet the service is phenomenal. Because of the communist system belief that everyone is equal - there is no tipping allowed in restaurants as it would elevate one waiter or bar tender above another. You would think that with the lack of any real incentive service would suck, but it is honestly ten times faster and better than in the U.S. I don't quite understand why but China is a land of contradictions.


Thats all I have today. Remember that there is open commenting on this blog - so if you want to say hi, have questions/advice, or want to hear more about anything that i've done drop me a line. The comment link is right at the bottom of each post.