Touchdown, Shanghai!

Week 1: Touchdown, Shanghai!

Nihao from Shanghai!

My name is Brent Lewis and I am studying computer engineering at the University of Florida (Go Gators!). With one more year to go before graduation, I made the decision to embark on an adventure that few people get to experience. I decided to travel to the distant, unknown lands of China!

First Impressions

The moment I boarded the plane destined for Shanghai, I immediately realized the cultural differences between Chinese passengers and myself. I was standing in the aisle loading my luggage into the overhead compartment before taking a seat. As I stood there, I felt Chinese passengers nudge, push, and squeeze passed me without saying ‘excuse me’ first! I would later learn that this behavior is common in China and should not be interpreted as a sign of impoliteness.

Traffic

After my arrival, I found the CRCC Asia staff waiting for me just as they promised. I met with a few CRCC Asia interns, received my Welcome Pack, and we were loaded into a shuttle. The drive from the airport was relatively smooth…until we entered the city, that is. The traffic suddenly turned into what seemed like pure chaos. Large buses entered our lane without warning, drivers cut each other off at every opportunity, and locals on scooters weaved fearlessly in between speeding vehicles!

Accommodations

The living accommodations are incredible. A friendly reception desk greeted us and an enthusiastic local named Lei guided me to my apartment. The interior design is gorgeous and the view of Shanghai is incredible! I felt immediately comfortable in my new home. After unpacking my bags, I decided to relax and prepare for tomorrow’s big day.

Induction Day

Induction Day was a whirlwind of activity. We finally had the opportunity to meet the other interns and program staff. I’ve never been in the company of such a diverse group of people! I met interns from countries all over the world including Russia, Italy, Singapore, the UK, and Angola!

The CRCC Asia staff gave extremely helpful presentations. We learned the importance of Guanxi (‘relationships’), its many forms, and how establishing Guanxi with our Chinese colleagues can positively impact our internships. We were also given practical tips for living in Shanghai such as traveling in groups, avoiding suspicious vendors, and spotting fake alcohol!

That night, we had our first Chinese dinner at a local restaurant. The glass stand in the center of the table was lined with different dishes like black noodles, dumplings, squash, and many others I could not identify!

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The Weekend

The weekend had finally arrived and we were determined to explore the treasures of Shanghai. We took a bus down to the financial center and traveled to the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Oriental Pearl Tower. At night, we ate at the popular “Hot Pot” restaurant where we had interesting cuisines that we had to cook ourselves. I chose BBQ sauce to go with my entrée and it tasted nothing like the BBQ sauce I’m used to in the US!

Mandarin Class

The first day of Mandarin class was a blast! We were taught Pinyin, which is the standard phonetic system used to pronounce Chinese characters. During our break, we met more foreigners and I ran into another student from my school, the University of Florida! He had been here already for three weeks so he showed us where some of the best street food was located and gave us tips on how to behave around street peddlers.

Overall, I have enjoyed my first week in Shanghai. Though the language, the food, and many of the customs are different from mine, I have not experienced the intense culture shock that I expected. Shanghai is quite the developed city so many aspects of life here are similar to life in the US, like navigating the Metro lines, and shopping at super markets.

I am excited to see what other surprises reveal themselves while I’m here!

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