So I've been in Shanghai for 3 weeks now. Where has the time gone? I've been pretty horrible at sending updates, mostly because of the 12 hour time difference and the fact that Facebook, gmail, and Snapchat are all blocked here. I'll try to briefly catch you up on life in China.
My Flat
The school I'm working for has set me up with an awesome apartment about 2 blocks from work. It takes me less than 10 minutes to ride my bike (yes, I bought a bike!) in every morning, which is a major plus. I have three bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, and amazing views. One day I promise to take a few pictures and post them up here.
School
Work has been going pretty good. I've been insanely busy, but am enjoying my new school so far. I am teaching 3 years of ESL Social Studies and 2 sections of English, so I'm keeping a full schedule. My students are all really cute and extremely well behaved (for the most part). I have kids from all over the world, which is a nice change from my previous two jobs. I'm also working with other teachers from just about everywhere, which is pretty exciting. In my SS department alone we have teachers from the US, Canada, Colombia, Australia and South Africa. I'm loving all of the diversity.
Life
This is the most exciting part of living in Shanghai. I feel like I was made for this city. Since I've moved in, I haven't spent more than an hour inside of my apartment unless I am sleeping. There is so much of the city to explore and it is an exciting place to be.
I'm living on the Pudong side of the river, which is a little bit more quite than the hip/ "real China" Puxi side. It has been working out well as I've been able to get in to a good routine with work and the gym during the week and go out and explore during the weekends.
In Pudong I've joined a crossfit gym and bike there 4-5 times a week. It's been a lot of fun and I've been able to meet some fun Chinese locals and learn a few words of Chinese. My neighbourhood is pretty quite, but I still have a bunch of shops, restaurants, and cafes close by. The financial district is also on my side of the river, and the buildings here looks like something out of a Batman movie.
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You'll be happy to note that we also have a Hooters, TGI Fridays, Tescos (my favourite little shop from London), Dominos, and plenty of other American chains to make sure I don't get too homesick.
In Puxi there are a ton of bars/clubs/restaurants and it is really lively. I've been out there almost every weekend with friends and have had a great time. There are a lot more "Chinese Style" buildings here as well. Again, I promise to take some pictures.
Last weekend I was also able to travel outside of the city. I went with a small group to Zhu Ji, about 2 hours south of Shanghai. We did a day trip hiking and exploring some waterfalls in the area. It was great to get outside of the city and explore some of rural China. We booked the trip through a group called Shanghai Outing Club, and I already have more plans to do another hike during my break in October.
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Hopefully I can keep this blog a little more up to date and fill everyone in. I promise to get better at responding to my e-mails as well. =)
I'm loving Shanghai so far and am definitely planning on staying throughout my two year contract, maybe even a little longer, so start planning a trip! I do have two extra bedrooms!
xoxo
My Flat
The school I'm working for has set me up with an awesome apartment about 2 blocks from work. It takes me less than 10 minutes to ride my bike (yes, I bought a bike!) in every morning, which is a major plus. I have three bedrooms, a tiny kitchen, and amazing views. One day I promise to take a few pictures and post them up here.
School
Work has been going pretty good. I've been insanely busy, but am enjoying my new school so far. I am teaching 3 years of ESL Social Studies and 2 sections of English, so I'm keeping a full schedule. My students are all really cute and extremely well behaved (for the most part). I have kids from all over the world, which is a nice change from my previous two jobs. I'm also working with other teachers from just about everywhere, which is pretty exciting. In my SS department alone we have teachers from the US, Canada, Colombia, Australia and South Africa. I'm loving all of the diversity.
Life
This is the most exciting part of living in Shanghai. I feel like I was made for this city. Since I've moved in, I haven't spent more than an hour inside of my apartment unless I am sleeping. There is so much of the city to explore and it is an exciting place to be.
I'm living on the Pudong side of the river, which is a little bit more quite than the hip/ "real China" Puxi side. It has been working out well as I've been able to get in to a good routine with work and the gym during the week and go out and explore during the weekends.
In Pudong I've joined a crossfit gym and bike there 4-5 times a week. It's been a lot of fun and I've been able to meet some fun Chinese locals and learn a few words of Chinese. My neighbourhood is pretty quite, but I still have a bunch of shops, restaurants, and cafes close by. The financial district is also on my side of the river, and the buildings here looks like something out of a Batman movie.
You'll be happy to note that we also have a Hooters, TGI Fridays, Tescos (my favourite little shop from London), Dominos, and plenty of other American chains to make sure I don't get too homesick.
In Puxi there are a ton of bars/clubs/restaurants and it is really lively. I've been out there almost every weekend with friends and have had a great time. There are a lot more "Chinese Style" buildings here as well. Again, I promise to take some pictures.
Last weekend I was also able to travel outside of the city. I went with a small group to Zhu Ji, about 2 hours south of Shanghai. We did a day trip hiking and exploring some waterfalls in the area. It was great to get outside of the city and explore some of rural China. We booked the trip through a group called Shanghai Outing Club, and I already have more plans to do another hike during my break in October.
Hopefully I can keep this blog a little more up to date and fill everyone in. I promise to get better at responding to my e-mails as well. =)
I'm loving Shanghai so far and am definitely planning on staying throughout my two year contract, maybe even a little longer, so start planning a trip! I do have two extra bedrooms!
xoxo
