Arrival in Shanghai

I arrived in Shanghai at about 11pm on March 7, 2008 after more than 14 hours on a plane and a lay-over in Tokyo. Tired and anxious I stepped out from behind the barrier to face the sea of people holding name cards and looking for friends and loved ones. I was supposed to meet someone from my new school, Maria. The communication before leaving was a little vague and she told me to meet her at area 9. I didn't have a contact number for her and had no idea what she looked like. Our flight was a little early but as I made my way down the exit line I didn't see any listing my or the school's name. I went to the number 9 exit door. No one there looked like they were waiting for me. I went outside thinking maybe we were supposed to meet outside. No one there either. I had a few panicked moments as I imagined being forgotten and having to make my way into the city on my own at midnight. Sleep deprivation and jet lag was getting the better of me.

We took a bus from the Pudong airport to downtown Shanghai. It took about an hour and sitting with my escort it felt more like four hours. Conversation was a little strained and she wasn't overly eager to ask the hundreds of questions I had about the school, Shanghai and general life in China.

From the bus stop in Puxi, the center of Shanghai, we need to hail a taxi which wasn't the easiest. While we were waiting I had the chance to observe the lane designated for bikes and mopeds. People come whizzing by on electric bikes and you can't hear them at all. When we finally got into the taxi I quickly experienced the haphazardness of driving in Shanghai. We were almost side-swept by a bus. In Shanghai, it’s common for a passenger in a taxi to sit in the front seat. First, that’s where the seat belts are, and second, the drivers need a bit of direction and encouragement to arrive to your destination. Our final destination, and my home for the next week, was the Double Coin Hotel. It wasn't any luxury accommodation by any means but it was clean. It’s still cold in Shanghai and the heat doesn’t work very well. I was rather cold my first couple nights.

The hotel staff lacked personal skills and most times I passed through the lobby I was welcomed with cold stares. Even my "ni hao" (one of only two words of Mandarin I know) wouldn't get much of a reaction. However, every morning by about 6am I would smell the cigarette smoke alerting me to the morning shift workers' arrival.