I haven’t written much during January, mostly because I haven’t had as many things to write about as usual.

First I had a jet lag, then I got ill – and then I got ill again. I believe I’ve spent most of the month sleeping in my spare time. I also think my internet connection has sunken into hibernation or something, since it’s too slow for me to even upload pictures to my blog. There are so many pictures I’d like to post, and I at least want to have pictures on my posts.

I’m looking forward to the Chinese New Year and such, since it starts tonight, and I’m hoping to see the dragon dance. The celebration seems to already have started with fireworks two days ago. It sounds like there’s a war going on outside my window. It’s already incredibly noisy compared to New Years Eve in Norway, so I’m hoping for lots of firework shows this week!

And of course I seriously hope it’ll start getting warmer soon – it’s going to be cold walking around in cocktail dresses when going to the different clubs. Which, by the way, is the only thing I’ll probably do during the holiday. Party, I mean. I’m looking forward to it in one way, but it’s too bad most of my friends won’t be in SH.

I haven’t even posted the pictures from my December TFP – or rather Flickr Photo Meet up. It was incredibly fun and I also got some new Chinese friends. The pictures are of course out on Flickr (just not on my profile), my SHStuff profile and on facebook, but I’d love to put them out here too.

I’ve also done a TFP (also a meet up of sorts) in Thames Town, an hour or so outside Shanghai. The place is quite charming, and it’s too bad there are so few people living there. I wish I’d remembered too take some pictures around me. I haven’t seen too many of the pictures from this session though, so I’ll be looking forward to seeing the rest.

I’m also searching for new TFPs. I only have two TFPs coming up during February, and the dates are not set yet, so I’m looking for new people to work with. Feel like working with me?

I need more dresses though. Seriously. I should get shopping, but it’s no fun when it’s so cold outside. I’ve also managed to get myself a job – as a hostess. No, not the Japanese kind. The job is to distribute product samples and to welcome, pose and take pictures with guests. Agency name is French Touch, anyone have experience with them? I haven’t gotten an assignment though.. And no assignment = no money. I’m looking forward to it at least.

And on to the curiosity – if you’re staying in SH, are you planning on clubbing? And which club are you in that case going to? I’m not 100 % sure yet, but I think I want to go to Muse tonight!

I’m getting a bit obsessed with everything Shanghai and Chinese. And Hello Kitty.

Or maybe I’ve been for a while, I can’t quite say. I think it might just be a part of the entire shock of travelling so far and being incredibly far away from home. According to everything with theories, it’s supposed to be a part of the phases of a culture shock. I must still be in the honeymoon phase.

Everything is so weird, so cosy. Y’know. Except the beggar children without eyelids (the kids mother was following him around in the metro train) and the beggars in general. They’re not so cosy. The architecture, the alleys, the people selling street food, the club culture, it’s so.. oh year. I’m on a honeymoon trip. Seriously, the street food vendors?

Still, even though I’m enrolled into different Chinese classes at an EF school, I still kept my subscription to Chinesepod. Chinesepod has podcasts with lessons about the Chinese culture, the language and more. So all I need to do to repeat what I’ve learnt in one day’s EF class, is to put on my mp3-player and start listening. Learn while you walk. I like that concept. And I’m obsessing too easily.

I had what I’d like to call a minor clash with the Chinese sizes today.

I was shopping casually around the market in People Square, looking for shoes, clothes, gifts and other stuff, when stumbling over a nice pair of skinny jeans. Nice price, nice pants, but one small problem. Size. The shopkeeper simply took a look at me and, after searching through the jeans rack, said; “Don’t have this large size”. Don’t completely word for word, of course, there were a lot of stuttering and searching for words. But still! I wear XS at home (all right, small in jeans), and in Shanghai I’m too large?

It’s not a new thing that the Chinese females are small. Incredibly small. So small that I sometimes feel like a whale. The Chinese sizes are smaller than the European ones, but this small?

I did find some jeans in the end though. They were also nice skinny jeans (although falsely labelled “Miss Sixty”, will remove all stupid tags later), but not as nice as the too small ones. Size 28 was kinda tight, but usable – and I only have three other pants here.

I’m really trying to update my blog at least once each week. Easy, no?

Well, obviously it’s not for me. Posting new things, finding things to post, is not a problem at all. I must have more than 50 topics I’d love to write about right now, about my new friends, the weird happenings, the Chinese people’s mini-trends (too tight, see-through ankle socks – need I say more?), the food here, the place I live in and so on.

The largest problem, however, is that the internet in my apartment isn’t stable. While I’m writing this, I have absolutely no connection and haven’t been online (unless you count checking my email on one of the school computers) for four days. (Edit; Posted two days later.)

Abstinences? Yes. Much? Oh yeah.

Tomorrow will be the fifth day without internet, and tomorrow the internet-fixing people MIGHT come. Like both today and yesterday. I’ve been two evenings, from 6 and out, at home so far, just waiting for those slow pokes. The internet hasn’t been good while I’ve been here either. It came and went on it’s own accord during the first three weeks – and now, one day after my one month anniversary in Shanghai, it has disappeared completely. Even though there were internet-fixing people here just two weeks ago. Anyway, during the last few weeks, we’ve only had net access in the afternoon. And the net is slow. Really slow.

Enough complaining though, I know I’m being boring. Just a small heads up for the people who are planning on studying Chinese, Japanese and other languages whom usually doesn’t use romanised letters (for other than making foreigners understand easier, that is) is going to take more work than you think. Getting used to the characters takes quite much time, and so far I see most of the characters the different teachers write on the black-sorry-whiteboard as ants.

They might as well have been ants – I’m almost not able to read them at all. I’m getting better, of course, but the teachers have so far been expecting us to pick up the Chinese characters just as fast as the pinyin. And while the pinyin doesn’t exactly go fast either, the characters are really difficult to recognize and use – until you’ve seen them more than 50 times before. Of course, you might be incredibly gifted with the ability to learn at rocket speed, but if not it will take much time to learn. Let’s just say that I’ve always been fast when it comes to learning everything from languages to maths, but when it comes to the Chinese characters I so far feel dyslectic. From speed number 10 to 0 in less than a month. I’m not trying to scare anyone, it’s really fun to stay in Shanghai and learn Chinese (even the characters) but it’s nothing you sail through gracefully. Oh my. I sound really pessimistic. xD

Languages = Love. But it does take quite a lot of effort. And you just can’t go out drinking on every weekday, no matter how much you wanna.

Honourable mentions;
Rose tea, free Shanghai city magazines, Stieg Larsson and his Millenium trilogy, spicy & good looking Chinese food, Norwegian chocolate, the old room mate, the new room mate, new friends and the school’s computer room.

When a person is looking to get married in Norway, you can say they’re on the spouse market. In Shanghai however, there is an actual place where people can advertise.

Usually, it’s the persons mother (or in some cases grandmother) who are caring (not sure if I really agree though) enough to put out their kid’s height, weight, age, preferences, work type, current income, hobbies, and if the person’s not bad looking – a picture, on a paper sheet and hang it on the nearest bush or bench.

Their children are usually too busy working and making a career to look around for a boy- or girlfriend, and so I suppose those old people (with a wish for a grand kiddo) see it as their duty to find someone for them. There was a huge flock of elderly people in the park nearby Barbossa (a quite expensive place) on People’s Square, all of them looking to find someone – although not for themselves.

But what do the couples who end up marrying through this market say to their kids?
Kiddo: Daddy! How did you and mummy meet?
Daddy: Oh, eh, yeah. They were advertising for her at the spouse market..
Probably the worst explanation to give a kid.

I actually wanted to take a picture of one of the advertising sheets, but were told not to (by hand movements), and since I’m polite I only took one. Too bad that picture didn’t become readable.

Stuff on topic;
- I Spy Shanghai; Marriage park.

Today was the first day of school after the vacation.

Although we really only got our books and the class schedule. I now obviously have to pay around 200 yuan for the books too, even though I was told they were included in the course fee I paid! I complained, and so far I haven’t needed to pay – but I guess time will come. The people who didn’t end up in my class, or with an intensive course, started their classes today – but mine doesn’t start before tomorrow.

I don’t really have a lot of classes, so I’ll guess I’ll have to study some on my own to get to my desired goal. Which is as simple as being able to talk about basic things in Chinese. So far I can only understand the “how are you?” type of conversations. And diverse words and characters.

So here’s how I will be spending my school week;

Monday:
9:00 – 10:20 “Computer learning”. Not sure what this is yet, but it obviously contains learning on computers.

Tuesday;
9:00 – 10:20 “Listening skills”. I’m guessing we’ll learn some words too.
20 min break.
10:40 – 12:00 “Listening skills”.

Wednesday;
9:00 – 10:20 “Intensive reading”. Although I’m guessing it won’t be very intensive at my level.
20 min break.
10:40 – 12:00 “Intensive reading”.
1 and a half hour lunchbreak.
13:30 – 14:50 “Oral practice”. Or talking lessons if you like.
20 min break.
15:10 – 16:30 “Oral practice”.

Thursday;
9:00 – 10:20 “Intensive reading”.
20 min break.
10:40 – 12:00 “Intensive reading”.
1 and a half hour lunchbreak.
13:30 – 14:50 “Oral practice”.
20 min break.
15:10 – 16:30 “Oral practice”.

Friday;
9:00 – 10:20 “Intensive reading”. Although I’m guessing it won’t be very intensive at my level.
20 min break.
10:40 – 12:00 “Intensive reading”.

I seriously need to find myself a new hobby. I’m so used to school taking up the entire day, and now I have more spare time than ever. Unless they decide for us to “have fun” with the class assignments. xD