Our first day was a day of travel and rain. The majority of us did not sleep very long or at all on the long flight over to China, so we were all a bit exhausted by the time we reached Shanghai. However, for the most part we were alert and awake because being in Shanghai is so exciting! I’ve been to this city before, but apparently I remembered it all wrong, because it’s surprising me at every turn. I didn’t remember all of the excessive lights – on bridges, buildings, trees, poles – that make the city light up beautifully after dark. I didn’t remember the streets lined with trees that are now bare in the winter but make the city look magical. Most of all, I didn’t remember the dazzling scenery at the Bund, where we visited in the rainy nighttime, shortly before we all finally crashed at dinner. Xiaolongbao (steamed dumplings with soup inside them) are perhaps my favorite Chinese dish, but even I was only half as excited as I should’ve been about the food because I was fighting exhaustion at that point in the day. I am glad that it only kicked in at dinner time, because the lecture on education in Shanghai that we had in the afternoon was very interesting, for two reasons: firstly because I am interested in education in Shanghai, and secondly because I was able to understand most of what they were saying and practice my Chinese skills. I hope that the rest of our days in this city will be equally as eye-opening, engaging, and fun!
Tags: Architecture, China, Culture, Education, History, Shanghai, The Bund