Yishan (Susan) Y. - AGE (Arcadia): Shanghai, China - Fall 2010
大家好！Hello everyone and Welcome to my blog! I am currently studying in China, the largest country in the world in terms of population, and I am attending the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). I have been in China since the beginning of August to visit my family before the semester started. So technically, I’ve been in China for almost two and a half months but I have only been in Shanghai for a month and a half. Shanghai is definitely a very overwhelming city with a population of 19,210,000. It is one of the well-known cities in the world. This is the city where everyone comes for business meetings and conferences, which means Shanghai is the financial centre of China. I love Shanghai as a city because it is very westernized since you can find a lot of café, pubs and bars all over the city so you don’t ever have to worry about missing American food. This city is an extremely vibrant city because it is more modern compared to the other cities in China.
During the past one and a half month, I must say I am starting to like China very much despite the fact that there are people everywhere. Everything in China is very cheap and the transportation system in Shanghai is excellent! I am currently taking four different courses, three business courses along with a Chinese language course. My favorite course is definitely Chinese language because without it there’s no way to communicate with locals who doesn’t speak English. My Chinese has improved a lot since the first day I got here so I am extremely happy. As for my other courses, they are taught in English so it’s not such a big deal. Hmm…wondering what I do on weekends? Well most of the time, my friends and I would explore different parts of the city to see what its like and so far it has been really fun. This weekend the program coordinator actually planned a trip for the students to go to the zoo to see PANDAS! This is going to be so exciting. As for the food unlike America, in Shanghai there are restaurants everywhere. There are no meal plans at universities so students have to find food on their own…so that’s why my friends and I would eat at restaurants everyday just right outside of my school campus. Each meal only cost about $1.50USD. I am going to miss everything in China so much when I go back! I really cannot express how happy I am to be studying abroad right now…this is a really great opportunity that I think everyone should take in order to experience what other cultures are like. I really would recommend students to study in Shanghai because it would no doubt be a wonderful experience. I have a feeling I don’t want to go back already…just kidding. I love Elmhurst! See you all soon!
posted by Alice N at 10/20/2010 06:43:00 PM
4 Comments:
Susan,
You sound like you are having such a good time!
I wanted to know, what was it like when you first got to China? Was it hard to adjust at first? I know that for some people it is easy, but others it can be really hard to fit in in a new culture. I'm kind of worried about how I will adapt. Do you miss Elmhurst, and your home?
Hi Ellen,
I would say it was kind of difficult to adjust at first since everything is so different from the states but then I got used to living in China after 2 weeks. The other problem I had was being jet-lagged...I could not get over my jet-lag for the longest while but I was really happy when I got over it. I really like being in China, it has been really fun so far but I do miss Elmhurst and my home a lot. At first, I was so over-whelmed from being here I did not miss home at all though. After the first month, when I got used to everything was the time I started to miss home. I hope I didn't scare you :) Are you studying in China next semester? If yes, where and through which program?
Susan.
Hey Susan! Wow, your trip so far sounds amazing! I have always wanted to travel to China, I'm sure it's incredible! Have you traveled to China before?
So is was it easier adjusting to living in a more westernized city like Shanghai? Or was there just as much of a culture shock being in China alone? And is there anything you could suggest that could help one get adapted to a new city?
Hope everything is going well. Oh, and I'm so jealous about you getting to see pandas!
-Amelia K.
Hey, I am so sorry I took so long to reply. This is because the proxy that I used for blocked websites in China was not working. Unfortunately this blogging website is on the list of blocked websites in China. Now to answering your question :) Yes I have been to China before I started studying abroad. By the way, I was actually born in China. But I definitely thinks its easier to adjust living in a more westernized city such as Shanghai more than cities that are less developed. However, I still thinks some amount of cultural shocks is still experienced since the living standard and style of living here is so different from the US. My suggestion would be to try and understand the culture instead of comparing it with the US. By doing so, you'll get adjusted more quickly. Hope this helps :)
Susan.
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