In March of 2008 I set out for Shanghai, China from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. This blog is a collection of my experiences living and working in China. It also maps my travel journey, beginning March 10, 2009, across parts of China, S.E. Asia, Nepal and India.
February 15th was Yuanxiao Jie, Lantern Festival, which celebrates the first full moon of the lunar calendar.I joined friends to take in the lights and lanterns in Shanghai’s old town, Yu Yuan. Lanterns of different shapes and sizes were strung across the walking paths that wind through the old city center that's been transformed into a main tourist attraction. Some lanterns had poems and riddles written on the outside. Crowds of people would stand gazing upwards to decipher their clues. Large illuminated displays were floating in the small pond celebrating the four seasons.
Yu Yuan is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Shanghai, made evident by all the souvenir shops and endless number of tour groups. I've visited a few times but, the Lantern Festival was the most crowded I’ve ever seen it. Local Shanghainese far outweighed the number of foreigners out to celebrate the festival. Most Shanghainese eat yet another traditional dumpling, known in Shanghai as tang yuan. They are made from sticky, rice flour and filled with sweetened black sesame.Served in a steaming bowl of hot water they really aren't aesthetically appealing but, very tasty.
There’s a famous zig-zag bridge that leads up to the actual garden. It is tradition for people to walk the bridge with its nine turns to bring wealth and luck in the New Year.We joined the hoards of people eager to claim their wealth during the financial crisis. That must have been the reason for the pushing. Okay, maybe not but, this is a common occurrence in certain places. Trying to stop to take pictures was always risky. Most times I just needed to stand still and allow the human waves to carry me along. These situations still test my patience and I realize I only tolerate it, I'm not quite up to acceptance. This was most apparent to me as I watched my Chinese friend throwing her head back and laughing as the wall of people would charge at us. Other times we were in complete gridlock and she'd only giggle, knowing that in only a few seconds the crowds would get her moving again.
We also came across a parade with people dressed in traditional outfits and pulling a large Ox, the Chinese zodiac symbol for this year. Everyone reached out to touch it for good luck. The “money god”, Cai ShenYe , was also parading around with a plastic mold of gold coins. He walked up to me and, mesmerized by his long hair, beard and face mask, I wasn't quite sure what the customary greeting for a money god was. He helped me out by grabbing my hand and guiding it to touch the lucky pot of money he held. Now, I just have to wait for the influx of cash that should be coming my way.
I love a personal challenge which is why I decided to leave my comfortable and stable life in Chicago and move, on my own, to Shanghai, China.
For ten years I worked in the non-profit arena advocating for various social issues. I've wanted to live in a foreign country since university but, my career path and interests kept me focused domestically.
On past international trips, I looked for ways to see a site or city through a local's perspective. With limited time that can be a difficult. I knew that the experience I craved was to live life day to day, with all its joys and frustrations in a foreign city.
I decided China was the place to be primarily because of its growth in the global economy and its drive to become more of a global leader. I felt any exposure to the culture and language could be beneficial in the future.
I arrived in Shanghai in March 2008 where I began my new job as an English teacher. For the next 12 months I taught teenagers and adults conversational and business English. Through this blog I try to share a little of my life in China as well as my travels throughout parts of Asia.
