July 21 | In the air, en route to Vancouver!

7:36 PM (Shanghai time) - My very last “currently sitting on a plane” blog post. So incredibly sad. Leaving Shanghai was probably the hardest city to say goodbye to as it definitely stole my heart. Leaving Shanghai also marked the unofficial end of our trip and thinking about that alone gets me every time.

4:52 PM (Vancouver time) - Never mind, I lied. One more “on a plane” post. We just took off from Vancouver airport about half an hour ago, en route to Toronto. Did you see what just happened there? Casually went back in time as Vancity is 9 hours behind Shanghai – it’s a pretty cool feeling to get 9 hours of your life back. Though I have to account for the three-hour time difference between Vancouver and Toronto… my mind is hurting just figuring out what day it is. I feel far from normal right now and there are a zillion factors that can explain why – first, we’ve obviously gotten used to China time. Trying super hard not to fall asleep on the plane right now just so I can go to bed tonight – quite the challenge as it’s technically 5 AM. Being in three time zones in just 12 hours can really make things fuzzy haha. Also, it’s hard for me to grasp that this morning, I woke up in Shanghai and will go to bed in Mississauga. It’s scarily incredible how accessible the world is.

I’m trying to make up my mind on whether or not I preferred a direct, 15-hour flight versus splitting it 10 and 5. I’ve been trying to avoid writing my Shanghai blog post because it’s so sad to relive it but I know I’ll kick myself if I didn’t have it done by the time I got home so here it goes!

Shanghai was definitely one of my favourite destinations and if I were to rank which city I’d be more likely to re-visit, Shanghai would top this list. In short, it was the perfect balance between city center and traditional China. In short, one of my favourite aspects of Shanghai was how easy it was to switch between two extremes. For example, crossing the ____ River to get to downtown Shanghai was like looking into the future. The architecture was cooler than anything I’ve ever seen in Toronto. The skyline boasts some of the tallest buildings in the world, encompassed by the most extravagant array of international designer stores. Then you take a quick 15-minute subway ride and you end up in old Shanghai – temples and dirt roads. Truly unbelievable.

We came full circle with this last destination. Not only were there crazy similarities to Hong Kong, we also decided to stay in a hostel (Blue Mountain) instead. Best decision ever – not only was dirt cheap, it was a 5 minute walk from a key area called The Bund and we were able to meet some really awesome people along the way. Hayley, Justin and I shared a room and to think that (aside from Wuhu), this was probably the nicest and cleanest accommodation we had on this trip. The rooms were modern with this gorgeous curved wall window with a view of the city. One of our favourite things about the hostel was its homey look and feel. There was an awesome on-site bar and lounge with couches, books, TVs and computers, as well as this huge outdoor patio/rooftop with a pool table and a killer view. I thought I enjoyed our HK hostel but this was ten folds better (and cheaper?!?).

After we checked in, we left to explore the area. The Bund is a central location in Shanghai and looks like a mini, Asian Time Square. Lights, billboards and music – absolutely gorgeous. At various points on the strip, it’s taken over by pedestrians so cars don’t really drive through it, which is nice. This area is home to a wide range of shops, restaurants and businesses – from high end Cartier to local street meat vendors, you name it, it has it. Ice cream seemed to be a theme of the trip, so we took an ice cream break at some side street vendor and did some people watching. A lot of the buildings have a European look at feel to them, so sometimes it doesn’t even feel like you’re in Asia. We walked to the river and pretty sure all of us suffered a major case of déjà vu. It was like HK all over again – being hit with the most stunning river skyline on a busy boardwalk. Something about these skylines, I will never get bored of. As we ventured along the river, we came across a hidden gem – an entertainment area called Bar City (?), which was a collection of boutique shops and international restaurants. To celebrate the end of the conferenced, patio pints of Tsingtao was in order so we chose a Thai bistro to sit and soak up the view. Let’s be real, when I say we wanted to celebrate, we wanted to celebrate. So the game plan was to grab dinner and experience Shanghai nightlife.

One of Justin’s friends did an exchange in Shanghai and recommended to us a very popular dumpling house called Yang’s Dumplings. Apparently on busy days, they sell out before the evening! Took us a lifetime to find but it was worth the wait. Drooling as I type – some of the best deep fried dumplings I have ever had. The cooks make them in a glass room, so you can watch as they make your meal! A bunch of the guys went back for seconds the next day for more of its goodness.

Annnnd it’s finally time to drink. One of the things I will miss the most about China is how cheap alcohol is. It’s stupid cheap. You can pick up a six pack at any random street corner store or supermarket for less than 2 bucks… how do you ever go back to paying Canadian alcohol prices?!?! After picking up some drinks, we headed to the rooftop patio for our typical life chats but at that time, who knew how the night would end up.

There were two Chinese girls who sat close to us but we automatically assumed that they didn’t know a word of English until they turned around and asked to join us. These girls came off as crazy but we loved every minute of it LOL. Turned out that (well… to this day, we still aren’t too sure what they reaallllly do) their friends are club promoters slash own clubs slash they work there themselves (who knows). Realistically, none of these details matter when they invite to take you out to a Shanghai club with free bottle service ;). Accepting a stranger’s offer to take you out drinking in a foreign city probably isn’t the smartest thing to do but… when in Rome. Hailing down a cab was like asking to get hit by a car. 

July 18 | On a train, en route to Shanghai!

11:38 AM - Officially left Wuhu and are on our way to the very last destination of our journey – Shanghai! Channeling my inner JK Rowling (pre richest author in the world ;)) as I’m writing this blog on a train. Not just any train… this is a bullet train, travelling at 300 km/hour – just a taaaaad bit faster than any road vehicles we are used to in Canada. Although it’s going fast, it feels just like any other train but to know you’ll get to Shanghai 3x as fast is a pretty cool feeling. This is going to be a pretty short ride, and we should get to Shanghai a bit after lunch.

The girls are I realized this morning that we pretty much took every form of transportation there is – planes, trains, busses, taxis (legal and illegal), subway, ferries and oh, cars (boring). The van ride from ACCSC to the train station (again, another beautiful work of architecture) was an hour and a half, and I spent most of that reminiscing about the last 3 weeks. I can’t even pinpoint how I feel about the fact that we are on the last leg of our trip. The sadness hasn’t kicked in yet because I’m too excited for Shanghai but I’m sure it’ll come around… something that I’m not looking forward to. If anything, at this very moment, I’m kind of excited to go back home… not to discredit this trip by any means, but you really do begin to miss certain things about your every day. With that said, I’m sure my opinion will change once I am sitting in my 3 hour policy class the very day after we get back (I’ll deal with that when it comes).

I went pretty OCD-crazy-planning mode for HK, so definitely going to lay back for Shanghai. At this point, anything goes and I’m really excited about that. Since the conference is officially over…can you say the word alcohol? Need to start to get back into drinking shape for school, you know ;).

This morning, I also thought about a list of things that I surprised myself with throughout this trip… I’m sure once I’m back home I’ll figure out a bunch more but these are just top of mind:

§   Being okay with the lack of coffee

• Every time we see/go to a Starbucks, it feels more of a treat and you appreciate it so much more. Hard to think that just a month ago, Starbucks was habitual. I highly doubt my coffee habits will change that drastically when I head back home but my body is probably thanking me for this little break from caffeine.

§  Enjoying living standards that are so foreign to our fortunate lives

• Those faint at heart might not enjoy some aspects of mainland China, like the dirty roads, instances of poor human hygiene and hack washrooms. With the exception of the washrooms, there are many social differences that not only did I not mind, I kind of enjoyed… one that my friends never understood was my liking for the wooden ‘mattresses’. I swear my back felt amazing every morning. Not that I would want this to be my every day, but just to live like a local for 3 weeks? I don’t mind at alllllll.

§  Social media detox (sort of.)

• All of us were probably going through withdrawal from the lack of our 93472389 platforms. Hong Kong was okay, since we had Wifi at the hostel but Shenzhen was true detoxing. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as difficult as I expected but once we got to Beijing, it was a blessing and a curse. We were finally able to access Wifi (and we installed a program back home to be able to access blocked sites)… once you go on once, you feel the need to check it once a day. Now I kind of wish we were completely cut-off cold turkey because that would have been one big accomplishment.

§  Being able to control my shopping, in the presence of bartering markets

• Let’s just say that I was 150% prepared (and expecting) to buy another wheeled carry-on suitcase to hold all my shopping. I am proud (and deep down, probably a little sad) to say that I am able to fit all my purchases in my original luggage! Kiiiiind of wishing I brought back some more things but am absolutely in love with all my finds! Also proud to say that I have become pretty good at bartering. Thinking back to my first time at Ladies Market in HK in comparison to Beijing’s Silk Market… I’ve definitely improved, if I can say so myself ;) – but on no where close to Miss. Miranda, Queen of Bartering. Though I will never forget some of the vendors telling me that I’m a tough bargainer (secretly on cloud 9). 

§  Being completely accepting of all foods, as weird as it looks

• Okay, let’s be real. Visiting Asia as an Asian probably reduced my culture shock by tenfold. Vietnamese and Chinese food is pretty much the same, so I didn’t eat too many things here that I never tasted before. Still some questionable looking dishes at the school lunches (like the time I got a fish head with its eyeballs falling out…) but all in all, I am most definitely a foodie and will try most things at least once!

§  Not being mistaken for being Chinese as frequently as I thought

• At first, this was a complete shocker. Though as the trip went on, it only made sense that people can tell I’m a foreigner… and NO, not all Asians look the same. Even the difference in our skin colour was a telling sign that I didn’t live in China – in Asia, women are obsessed with pale skin, as North America is all about the sun kissed glow. Women even purchase whitening creams to artificially lighten their skin tone… (Something I will never understand, like how people here will never understand why Hayley and I try to tan during lunch break). Also, walking around with 5 white people all the time probably had something to do with it.

July 18 | Wuhu, Anhui

11:15 PM - Is this really our third and last “goodbye” to another school? I’m not even going to sugar coat it – this was not an easy week. As incredible as this trip is, it’s one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. Some days you are on a travel high and feel on top of the world. Other days, it’s definitely a constant challenge because of the language barrier but again; it is all part of the learning experience and is what makes this kind of trip so valuable. I can’t believe I am saying this but… that’s a wrap - for the conferences anyways… this trip isn’t over until its over ;). Three cities. Three schools. +100 students. Each week could not have been more different than the last. For my own memory sake, here’s a quick capture of each school:

SCCSC (Shenzhen) – As this was the first stop of our three-school tour, everyone was definitely on a high. I will never forget the first moments when we pulled up to the gated school. It didn’t even look like a school… it literally looked like a resort. Every day was scorching hot, beautiful rays and not a cloud in the sky. The campus was lined with palm trees and was splashed in colour. By far, the Shenzhen campus was my ultimate favourite. However, I had different things to say about the food. It was cafeteria style – literally a tray and the caf’s lunch lady would slop mystery food onto it. Sounds delicious right? But seriously though, it wasn’t too bad – being a Canadian born Asian definitely has its perks because I’ve tried most of this food at home already so it wasn’t too much of a shocker but still, missed my steaks and burgers. Another thing that I loved about Shenzhen was it was so close to the main roads, which really gave us a taste of authentic China. The sounds, the lights, the smells (okay, not so much the smells) but I loved it all – I would want to live like a local versus feel like a tourist annnnny day. Minus the one day that the school took us out for a fabulous dinner in a private room at some swanky hotel – I don’t mind that part of being a tourist. Definitely some of the best peking duck I’ve ever had and whatever that hot, vegetable infused drink was… get in my belly. Totally wished that we figured out there was a Starbucks just 2 minutes from school (maybe it was for the best). I’ll also miss the sweet, little setup we had outside our bedrooms – loved our late night beers and patio chats. Don’t forget those Canadian teachers we befriended from New Brunswick… definitely an interesting bunch. Shenzhen, I am in love. You’ll be missed dearly, and will always have a place in my heart!

BCCSC (Beijing) – Oddly enough, the majority of our trip was spent in Beijing – one full conference week, in addition to two weekends of touring – yet it felt like the shortest chunk of time out of all 3 cities! The campus was opposite from Shenzhen, that’s for sure. Enormous in comparison, but it really did feel empty – maybe a little too empty! Then again, it could have been the smog that we experienced the majority of the time that made it feel a bit gloomy but the incredible students we had definitely made up for it. In comparison to Shenzhen, I loved how close knit and intimate the conference was. Our living quarters were also a huge, but neat change. Similar to our Hong Kong hostels, the girlies shared a room on, of course, our little bunk beds (call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed our wood beds. Literally, wood mattress). Space was scarce but it was definitely a fun time. Food was absolutely fantastic – every meal literally felt like Christmas morning. At the time, there were so many Canadian foreigners on their campus, so they definitely upped their “Western” game when it came to the meals – personal pan pizzas versus some random fish head wasn’t too shabby of a change. BCCSC was practically in the middle of nowhere, so we got well acquainted with this hack, little convenience store that sold the most delicious dragon fruit popsicles. Other notable foods of Beijing… 3+2 Crackers were definitely a hit LOL. I’ll also never forget all the stray cats all over campus, makes me sad to see animals in such poor conditions but I guess if they were to be stray animals, being at a school is better than being on the streets. BCCSC is the birthplace of the girls’ ‘kimono parties’. Don’t forget the broken toilets, and private in-room pool, aka the water that never failed to flow out from the AC haha. Personal weekend driver was pretty nice too. Not paying for gas was even nicer. Another highlight was definitely trying out the Beijing subway system. Again, it was a hot and sweaty shitshow but loved being able to navigate Beijing like a local. Things I can’t get enough of… the shopping. Oh my lord, the shopping. Also, how can I forget?!? Probably one of my favourite parts of Beijing was spending the weekend with our other Laurier group. It was so nice to see familiar faces, and ever nicer to see them around the world.

Things I won’t miss about BCCSC… the lack of Wifi and working outlets. I have never appreciated charged devices more than I do right now, in Wuhu. Aside from the school, I don’t even know where to begin with all the incredible wonders that we were able to see throughout the week. Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, The Great Wall of China, Houhai Park, Chinese Acrobatics, Pearl/Silk Markets, The Great Hall of People annnnd… KTV. Each and every place deserves a blog post on its own so I’ll try not to spoil it here!

ACCSC (Anhui) – Ah, the last stop. By far, ACCSC is the most aesthetically pleasing school. The campus looked like a brand new, prestigious university – pretty grand for teaching K – high school. I thought Shenzhen was in the middle of nowhere, but Wuhu definitely takes the trophy for this one. We were gated in for all 5 days because you couldn’t even go anywhere if you tried! At first, I thought I’d feel caged in but because the campus was so massive, it felt completely normal. Unlike the first two conferences, I taught an older group of students (most were going into grade 11). Having an entire suite to yourself was pretty nice… in the day anyways.. cause it just gets creepy at night. Let’s just say I won’t miss the paranoia of “people hiding in the dark” or sketchy kitchen workers who refuse to wear clothes (long story). The stash of garbage from the amount of snacks I consumed in the 4 days was actually horrendous LOL – it’s hard to resist when you have this amazingly stocked store on campus :(. Kudos to the awesome kitchen staff who always set up a special table for us with extra snacks and drinks, even though all of you stand and watch us eat – ALL THE TIME haha. On campus, there was an injured, stray dog and she pulled on everyone’s heartstrings. She looked like she was in horrendous shape but it was heartbreaking to see how happy she was to see us. Hayley named her Ci Ci after one of the empresses we learned about at the Summer Palace and bought her food and water. One thing I won’t miss about China is the number of stray animals everywhere. Luckily, if there is anywhere to be a stray dog, at least it’s on a campus, and not a random street. Leaving Wuhu was bittersweet – it was the beginning of the end but we were all soooo excited for Shanghai!