Discoveries

I am feeling dumb now. I didn't bring my camera's USB cable and my uncle didn't have one, so I can't upload any pics I took. Oh well. It would be nice to show some photos along with the trip. I mean, I think blogs are always more interesting and appealing with pictures. So, I'm posting a couple of the pictures taken by my uncle. These are the night views next to my mom's apartment. As I'm blogging, this is what's happening by my window.

Today I took the Shanghai subway for the first time. We took #1 and went from Xu Jia Hui to People's Square, then we moved to #2 and went to Nanking East Road. The one thing I realized even better than yesterday was there were A LOT of people in Shanghai. I was constantly and consistently amazed by the amount of people we encountered going in and coming out of the subway. I had been to NY's subway and a big busy city like Manhattan, and they couldn't even compare. When we were walking down Nanking East Road, we were swamped and almost disappeared into the biggest crowds I had seen. Inside the shops, outside on the streets, and everywhere in between, more and more people kept coming and going. It was mind-blowing and overwhelming. I am not kidding.

I also realized there were many many many shops wherever we went. Never-ending retail stores followed one after another, from inside and out, from this building to the next, soon I became disinterested, and in a sense disconnected because they were just the same shops but in different buildings. Also, I would say almost everything in these stores were way way overpriced. A shampoo that would cost $1.99 in a regular American supermarket, in Shanghai it could get marked up to about 4 times as much, and that was very normal. If an item was deemed a luxury product, then the sky's the limit. It could go up to as much as 6 - 10 times over! Even something as simple and boring as black peppercorn could be 3 times as much as what you would pay for in the States. I was shocked and appalled. I thought the shops here were over-grown, over-saturated, outrageous and over-the-top. Then I saw all these people, walking, smiling, shopping, so what do I know? Some of them must be paying. How else could I explain this phenomenon.

So far I also noticed another thing while dining out in Shanghai. After we sat down, the wait staff would always bring a seat wrap or cover and pull it over your jacket if you happened to hung it behind you. This would keep your jacket from receiving accidental spills or absorbing grease and smell while you ate. I thought that was a very considerate gesture. However, it was only for your jacket. If the waiter happened to spill the soup all over you, or you happened to eat a very smelly or greasy meal, you and what you had on were all on your own.

Shanghai Now

I arrived in Shanghai this afternoon before 2. It was a long flight coming from Atlanta. Then again, flying business class for 15 hours straight was pretty awesome. I didn't expect to be put in the "Zone 1" and it was a great surprise and pleasure to experience that kind of luxury. The leather seat position was extremely customizable, there were almost limitless entertainment options available on the personal LCD screen, not to mention seemingly countless snacks or fruits or meals to select from, AND endless champaign and beverages, I can go on and on. Thanks Megan :) I did think the ticket assitant took a fancy on me and gave me an above and beyond seat arrangement on the plane. I was very thankful.

Once I got to the PVG airport, I waited in no time to get through the security. Mom and uncle were running late, however, so I had to wait by the gate for a while. We took the bus to come back to the Pu Xi section of Shanghai, aka Xu Jia Hui. It was a very busy and colorful part of the city. Lots of lights and trendy young kids crowded the streets and buildings. Mom's apartment is modest and comfy. After I settled down and spent some "gift time" with them, we picked a nearby restaurant and left again. The shopping mall we went to was clean modern and "Sephora" like. Note to self: I will take pictures next time I go, tonight I was too tired to do anything but eating. Speaking of which, the meal portion served here definitely is smaller. Tasty, but won't bust your waistline. We walked around the mall after we ate, and came back to watch some American TV programs my uncle downloaded.

Right now I am trying to stay up so I can adjust the time difference. Hopefully I will sleep very well tonight. My body is sore and eyes are very tired too. I can't believe after 12 years I am out of the States for real. Yay, I'm in Shanghai!

One more day

So I am still here. Megan told me the flights tonight were too full, and since she just started working at the company, her ranking was not at its highest. No problem for me, I could wait 'til Monday. More time for me to get ready.

Yesterday I finished up most of my chores. I met with Sylvia who loved the present. We shopped for a bit and I got more gift items for the trip. I came back briefly and left to go to Dave's for dinner. He made my favorite rosemary artichoke bow-tie pasta. It was delicious. He also made this fancy stuffing bell pepper dish with walnut sauce and pomegranate topping. Very restaurant grade. Of course he also made his signature tiramisu, which was amazing. I was very thankful to be invited to this goodbye dinner.

Today I got new phone cards. I also borrow my neighbor's scale. I don't want to get fined for overweight baggage. I packed 80% of my stuff but it seemed like I would be needing more space. We had another goodbye dinner tonight, with Angelo and Regina. It was very nice to spend another night with good friends. I am going to miss hanging out with them.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. Hopefully I get on one of the flights!

Another day to go

I did very little today. I actually slept 'til 10 and was very happy that I did. I bought the supplement for my dad. This "MoveFree" thing is huge in Asia. I got 3 bottles and hoped that would last them a while. I took a nap too. Later this evening I hung out with Nicole who was carpet shopping. We spent a good chunk of time in her car chatting and waiting for the sales guy to show up, then we looked at the samples and picked the ones that might look good for her office. The cost turned out to be a lot more than she was expecting, so she had to wait.

I think I am kind of ready to go. Then I think about the wait between the airports and the long flights, I wonder what have I got myeslf into? I am going to be like some kind of a zombie by the time I arrive in Shanghai. This is normal for me, think about the negatives before the good stuff. I have not left the States in 12 years. It was all work, some breaks here and there, but never a full scale vacation. I finally got my greencard this year, and I thought I was going to get paid a lot better after moving onto the new job. Sure, my salary got a little boost, but the transition was anything but positive. Now this trip is progressing rather quickly and successfully (so far) I have to believe things do happen for a reason. Tomorrow is definitely going to be hectic. Then Sunday I will be going going and going. China here I come.

It's on

I got my ticket confirmation today. It still feels unreal to me. 2 weeks ago I was miserable at my job, skipping work to go to interviews, complaining and stressing out whenever I could... last week I got laid off, this Sunday I'm flying to Shanghai to visit my mom, and then Wuhan to see my dad. It's like a train that suddenly started to move after I decided that I should take this trip. For once I am happy to go with the flow and not over-worry what-if's down the line. What will happen will.

Sometimes I'm so at peace with everything, I surprise myself. For a big portion of this year I was unhappy because of my job situation. At first, I wanted to leave the company I was with for 7 years badly. 3 months later I got a new job. I jumped from one company to another without taking a break. 2 weeks later I knew this new place was not right for me. 1 month later I started searching for jobs again. Stress crept back into my life this time stronger than ever. Now I really hated my job and my supervisor, it created this bottomless hole that sucked almost all the optimism and hope I had in me. Then I was let go. It was a welcoming relief. No one wants to be rejected, however, when it's a horrible job that pushes you out, it doesn't really hurt much. It just sucked that they dumped me before I dumped them! Then again, if I were still working there, I wouldn't be able to take off 3 weeks to visit my parents.

So after all the ups and downs, the train is looking up and tight. It's going towards a new direction, and I am going to enjoy it.

Phone bank

I got my ticket for my trip today. Well, I almost got it. I called the travel agent who helped me with my Chinese entry and asked her to give me some quotes on the fares. She actually had very good prices compared to the ones I found online. I was on my way to her office, then I remembered Megan. I decided to talk to her before I made a choice. We went back and forth for a while, then she got me the ticket that's almost half of the best price the travel agent quoted me. The only issue was that her tickets were "standby," so I had to wait in line to see if there was a seat for me after everyone boarded. She did carefully pick the dates that were less crowded, so my chances of getting on the flight would be greater.

Tonight I volunteered to another phone bank to work on the No on Prop 8 campaign. This was the one that targeted at Asian voters. I was supposed to call the Chinese voters and code them individually on the list provided. Unfortunately the center only had an English script, therefore I was advised to just talk to the voters in English. It wasn't that I couldn't speak it, it was just that I always had a problem calling and speaking to strangers on the phone, no matter what the language I happened to use. I felt very shy, uneasy, and embarrassed. I guess if I were to speak Chinese to engage a stranger, I would be a little bit less tense. Sigh. I realized that I was there to help, so I bit my lips and went with it. I told myself that it was going to be fine and I needed to just try it. Of course it didn't really get easier. Every time I heard a voice-mail or wrong number notice, I experienced a big sense of relief. Then there were times that I had to speak to someone, and boy was it difficult. I felt extremely nervous, I couldn't follow the script correctly, and I just kept thinking, "Please just say you'll support us! Or not! I'm so awful at this! Don't you think I already know that?!!" I was proud of myself that I didn't quit calling. Even though I truly disliked what I was doing, I kept dialing and stayed past 9 o'clock, which was surprising to me. The last person I called turned out to be someone who would support us, the only person for the night for me, so I felt excellent.

I only have a few days to prepare for my trip. My schedule's going to be hectic. Wait - I don't have a job now, so it actually will work out just fine! Hahaha.

Positive feeling

I received Sylvia's email today, in which she wrote that she did mail her registration form yesterday, but she might have forgotten to sign it. That's just great. I am so disappointed. What can I say? I guess she tried? Sigh.

My Chinese entry visa was granted today too. I got it from the travel agent, who was very busy on the phone, so I left her office without getting a quote on the tickets. After searching the fares myself online, I realized the they really weren't that cheap. Why did I assume a round-trip ticket was going to cost me less than $800? I could be so clueless. I will double check with Megan tomorrow (if she comes back) and make my decision. I feel like I really need a job now, hahaha.

After our meal at India Sweets and Spices, Dave and I went to the NO On Prop. 8 Office in Silverlake. I felt so good and positive being there as a volunteer. There were a lot of people working on the phones, organizing the upcoming events, discussing various methods and strategies, or just helping out any way they can. My job was to enter the data from the phone call records. Did the respondents' answers correspond to one of the coding numbers? Were there any wrong numbers? What if they didn't speak English? There was a code or number to each situation and answer. I actually had a good time there. Who knew there were so many people who were passionate about human rights and determined to make a difference? I felt very proud to be a small part of that movement.