First Week in ShangHai

Ok so after my 4 hour layover in Toronto and my wonderfully exciting 14 hour flight to Shanghai I was finally in CHINA!  The next day was monday so we had our lectures and such.  After we went to Jinmao tower (3rd tallest in the world) and the Shanghai art museum.  I had been to the museum before but I didn't mind going back since they have an awesome collection of calligraphy and paintings.  We also went to a Uyghuar restaurant for dinner.  Lot of goat meat....ick!  They also got up and danced for us and then started to pull people up to dance....of course I had to dance.  Then I ran away and later was pulled up to dance again!  

My roomie for the week (Rachel) was really cool.  The rest of the week we had crash courses in Chinese and teaching.  Rachel, Andrea and I went to the Jade Buddha Temple.  By now I've been to so many temples they start to seem the same....  The temple is know for the two jade buddha statues *one sitting* *on laying down*  A laying Buddha is one who has reached enlightenment.  While at the temple I met this ridiculously flaming Chinese guy that would write your name in Chinese characters.  He said he loved American women because they were just "so cute!"  He then asked what Rachel's name was and we just couldn't get over how he said it....something like RAWCHILL!!  He yelled after her to come over and talk to him...so of course the rest of the week I yelled her name in his voice...guess you had to be there!  

I basically became a translator that week since no one else really spoke any Chinese.  So I took people to places and helped them buy things and such.  Another night Rachel, Emily (another emily!), Stephanie and I went to Nanjing Road (a huge pedestrian shopping and eating avenue) and after found ourselves a bar with an awesome live band...here we realized Rachel's true dancing abilities!  The whole group went out on a boat on the Huangpu river (cuts Shanghai in half) and cruised around eating papa johns pizza!!! MMMM!  Then a bunch of us went to the XinTianDi district (uppity expat area with bars and restaurants).  All in all it was a fun week.  I wish we all did not have to split up to different schools....oh well!