< WHAT’S UP WITH JULES? > – WEEK 2

Ni hao guys!

Now that the second week has been finishing, I proudly can say that I haven’t lost myself again during the last days! The metro (better known here as “ditiè”) has no more secrets for me, I gotta thank some apps: technology does save your life!

I can’t really state that every single issue is solved (cold air draught in the room, crazy weather, house tools, mobile connection), probably I’ll always miss something and habits are definitely going to change, but when you stay in another country like Asia, all you need is practicality, time management and willing to embrace a new way of living (or at least, willing to try). Slowly I am beginning to evaluate this as a big real opportunity to challenge and improve myself from all the points of view.

Things are truly going to be fine in the end: just be ready to whatever comes and be confident. You always find someone from your program or even outside who’s able to help you.

In a short period miracles are impossible, but my classes at Mandarin House are improving a little: starting as beginner with no previous related studies can be a “shot in the dark “, especially if in your first three days of lessons you had to catch up two weeks program’s information to join your actual study group, like it happened to me. You should have the passion and the perseverance to learn a total different language (also making friends with someone who’s already fluent can be a lucky Godsend).                                       With a step-by-step Mandarin class I started with “pinyinyi”, the translation of Chinese pronunciation; at the beginning you’ll feel like a total dumb I assure you, but day by day you’ll also experience the happiness of speaking one full correct sentence in Chinese and the nod of your teacher who says “Hao!” (= good!).

My advice is to practise as much as possible with anyone: taxi drivers, waiters, people in the hotel, at the metro station, ecc.

As I wrote last time, I was going to visit the city and surroundings: pubs and nightclub are very nice but I also visited a lovely city called Hangzhou, not very far from Shanghai. The cold weather didn’t really make me and my friends enjoying the trip at 100% but we had the chance to taste a typical beverage (steamy hot tea with milk and sesame) and the atmosphere was so peaceful, especially the West Lake at sunset: it impressively resembles the Italian Lake Como.

Stay tuned for more news from Shanghai!

The post < WHAT’S UP WITH JULES? > – WEEK 2 appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Metro Mayhem

Oh, Shenzhen. Thou art a beautiful city — a beautiful city indeed! And with this beauty comes a series of adventures awaiting those who dare to embark on them. One such adventure is the transportation system.

As an aspiring Civil Engineer, I go gaga over organised public transportation, and its effect on city planning. I came here with preconceived ideas of how the metro would work, scanning my card and waltzing to the train with a smile of contentment. However, that isn’t quite the vibe here. There is so much to write about from the one week I’ve spent here so far, but seeing as transportation is a daily experience, (and a very interesting one at that), I just have to divulge my experiences.

“Welcome to the Shenzhen Metro,” you hear once you’re inside. But, what should you bear in mind once you’re there?

The first thing to remember is, no matter who you are, how much you contribute to society, how much money you make, or how pretty you are…the metro doors WILL close on you. One of the interns wasn’t quite fast enough and her bag was left behind. Lucky for her, the rest of us were left behind, too, and were able to retrieve the bag.

To get to your destination, one often has to switch between different metro lines. This is where the fun really begins. At one particular station, basically everyone switches from Line 3 to Line 1. I am one of those people. The first few days, I was shy to run. I quickly learned that there was no time for shyness, and I swiftly accepted my professional status in running for the metro. Try it—it’s fun.

Whilst on the Shenzhen Metro, I was frequently amazed to witness a human quality that we all need a little more of: confidence. There’s always one commuter who cannot be tamed, standing smack in the middle of the two lines, walking past the long line of us boring rule-followers, and standing fearlessly before the glass doors.

I hope this gives you a glance into the Shenzhen Metro life. It’s been an awesome adventure so far, and I look forward to the weeks to come!

The post Metro Mayhem appeared first on CRCC Asia.

“WHAT’S UP WITH JULES?” I AM FINALLY IN SHANGHAI!

Here I am, hello!

First I better introduce myself: I am Giulia and this is my article nr. 1!

When I was asked to be a reporter and sharing my actual 3 months experience with CRCC Asia I was so glad, because writing has always been “my cup of tea” and it is also a good way to keep friends and family updated!

Well…. Let’s just start to say that I have been here in Shanghai for just about a week, so this is a sort of introduction.
I am a newly Business and Management Master college graduated from Italy and I decided to take this great opportunity to learn another language like Chinese and having an international internship abroad in Asia to be open-minded for my future career path and discover a new world.

Actually, this really is a different environment from mine. I am noticing that Chinese people have a total different culture, habits, food and way of thinking that you might go through what it’s called a “cultural shock”; even though I have been living by myself in a metropolitan city like Milano for years, I find that Shanghai is way bigger and crowded, it takes time to get used to everything of this new and opposite system: I am still confused about few practical things, especially for day-routines (credit cards, wifi, transportation, where to find what I need, language, smog etc.).

All the other guys from January and I have been received so warmly by Celia, Veronika, Kelley and Nicole, our referent managers here with informal and informal dinners, orientation day at the Tea House, but I realized that it’s up to you to find a sort of balance exploring neighbourhood and all the places of this unknown city with the help of others. Infact, expatriates like us need a great deal of patience, resilience and adaptability. It’s better trying to stick together, facing and overcoming difficulties with someone else, because this seems a big city that has a lot to offer for work, fun, atmosphere and culture.

After keeping up with Chinese classes, from now on I am going to visit the city more and way better, but I have already done some walking around. Have a look at the photos: the Bund and the lovely Pearl Oriental Tower at night, Lujiazui IFC area and Nanjing Road!

See you next week, guys: stay tuned for more news from Shanghai!  Bye bye

G.

The post “WHAT’S UP WITH JULES?” I AM FINALLY IN SHANGHAI! appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Hidden escapes from busy bustle of Beijing

There goes another week done and dusted in Beijing. It doesn’t feel like it was that busy a week even though there was plenty happening,  including a second trip to the forbidden city, going to a famous Peking duck restaurant and a full on week of Mandarin classes. To make up for having Christmas day off we did two double lesson (so 6hour) days of learning Mandarin, it doesn’t sound that hard but trust me the lessons are pretty intense so by the end of it we were all pretty brain fried. Christmas is not really celebrated in China very much, the retail stores and western areas put up decorations such as; lights, Christmas trees and the tinsel. But by and large it is not a celebrated day. I am told that Chinese New Year is the equivalent holiday in terms of family celebrations. Anyway many of the interns were away from our families for the first time on Christmas, but we did a big Christmas dinner and secret Santa to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

As for tourist activities because of the air pollution I ended up going back to see Mao’s Mausoleum, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City instead of visiting the Summer Palace. In the Forbidden city we did a bit of exploring off the main track and found several galleries with artefacts, broken vases, bowls, tools amongst other things. Many of the items on display date back to between 600-3000 years old. Additionally we actually found a café overlooking a large square in the Forbidden City where I had a chocolate muffin and Coke. It was a funny feeling sitting there in the Forbidden City which is in the middle of Beijing one of the busiest cities in the world, feeling very relaxed (and consuming some very western food). Beijing is full of these sorts of gems, you just have to get off of the beaten track and explore.

We also went to a more traditional Duck restaurant in the inner circle of the city. Beijing is very well known particularly in China for its roast duck and after being to the restaurant I can understand why. It was beautifully cooked and served with more traditional style of pancakes, sugar, salt, ginger and soya sauce amongst others. Additionally it is served by the chef who carves the duck at your table.

Also I will quickly mention the gym in case someone wants to know. The apartment’s that we stay in has a gym. Well more accurately a room with some gym gear. There are several bikes, treadmills, machines that I don’t know what do (most don’t work), some benches as well as weights. It isn’t an issue for me but if you want a proper workout it probably won’t be enough. I am told it isn’t too difficult to get a gym membership, but I haven’t seen any gyms around where we live so it will probably be closer to where you work.

The week wasn’t all excitement though we had a taster of what was to come with the first of the group leaving. Elena from the previous group finished her programme last week and flew out, it was very sad even for our group that only knew her for about three weeks. Over the next couple of weeks quite a few people are about to leave which will be sad because we have bonded so much as a group. But I am told that there are 30 or so new interns coming in a couple of days’ time which is very exciting!

The post Hidden escapes from busy bustle of Beijing appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Wrapping up for Christmas and it’s cold outside! – Observation by an Aussie

The notion of having a cold Christmas has always fascinated me. I am sure it is almost everyone’s dream to see snow falling on top of tinsel and fairy-light covered houses and see it sprinkle down to cover every inch of the tar road and turn every tree into a beautiful white sculpture. Well, that really is not what Christmas looks like in Shanghai. It is that awkward bit in the middle – it is clearly not hot enough to even think about wearing less than three layers but it is also not cold enough for snow to fall. So here I will be, stuck in a city with less than desirable Christmas temperature and actually spending my first Christmas away from home.

Because Christmas is only two sleeps away (oh my goodness!), this also means I have lived in Shanghai for three weeks now. I must say, time has gone quickly now that I look back at my three weeks, making me so much more excited to see the Australian sun and beach again. Nonetheless, Shanghai still continues to catch me by surprise, whether it is the unpredictable weather, the sometimes-questionable food, or culture itself.

One thing I will definitely miss when I leave is the delivery service McDonald’s and KFC offers. What a genius idea! We ordered KFC and got it delivered right to our door the other night we stayed in – the delivery man actually came to our hotel, located building B, went up to level 31 and delivered the food. I know this will certainly solve a lot of dinner issues later on!

In terms of work, everything is being wrapped up for the year (no Christmas pun intended!) and holidays start tomorrow! I have over a week off and I really do not know what to do with myself! One thing for sure – we are checking out this hidden bar with a Coke vending machine as the door. That is the thing that fascinates me about Shanghai –hidden places are so plentiful, especially bars that are super fun to go to and are almost better than Australia, if not actually better!

Three weeks down and five to go. Counting down until I can experience summer the way I like it again!

But until then, two more sleeps until Christmas!

The post Wrapping up for Christmas and it’s cold outside! – Observation by an Aussie appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Christmas in Shanghai – Kissing Tree, the Yuyuan Gardens and M&M world!

Week five of eight has just flown by. Literally flown by. Christmas has passed, New Year’s has passed and now we’re already a good week into the New Year. I was fortunate enough to be given Christmas holidays so had the entire week to do as I pleased. Others were not so lucky and could not experience the bliss I enjoyed but they tried anyways. Ricky’s turned into Perry’s and days flew by like a blur as we celebrated Christmas and New Year’s perhaps a little too hard. Sleep took over in the daytime and I recall spending Christmas in bed, getting energised for another Perry’s night ahead.

Despite living it up almost nightly in Shanghai and being too tired to function daily, I still managed to fit in some sightseeing and exploration of the city. We ventured to Tianzifang, a popular tourist destination hidden from the hustle and bustle of the city itself. It promised many souvenir shops and quirky bars set up in the mazed brick alleyways of a residential area in the heart of Shanghai itself, a spot alive in culture and atmosphere.

We followed this with a trip to Xintiandi, or the Former French Concession as I had found it to be called. Also at the heart of Shanghai, this urban tourist attraction combines the city’s cultural and historical legacies with the modern 21^st century lifestyle atmosphere and brings it alive with its shopping, eateries and entertainment. One attraction worth nothing was the Kissing Tree – a spectacular light show requiring two persons to come to the stage and kiss under the tree made of lights whilst holding the flower wreath. The entire yellow tree would glow red and then back to yellow when the two persons had finished kissing. Such a cute thing to see!

The Yuyuan Gardens are also something not to be missed whilst in Shanghai. Once off the metro and heading towards the gardens, I was completely immersed in the beauty of the historical buildings that lined the streets, hence why people call it “The Old Shanghai”. It was a phenomenal sight, to see the ancient architecture against the modern backdrop of the city. The actual gardens itself continued this phenomenal sight, as well as embracing you in a sense of tranquillity and happiness away from the busy life of Shanghai.

 

Trips to East Nanjing has also become a weekly thing, namely for the shopping. This time however, on one occasion we discovered M&M World (yes it’s a thing!) and on a second occasion, it was my friend’s last night in Shanghai so she took in the hustle and bustle, the colourful lights, the buzzing shops, and the street food for one last time.

 

The blissful week ended sadly with two airport trips – Hongqiao and Pudong – to farewell two of the interns, and since the start of the journey, two of my closest friends. Time really does go fast when you are having fun and surrounded by good people, and I found myself at the airport a second day in a row, farewelling a friend again. Many tears were shed and hugs exchanged, but here I am now, a week on, still surviving Shanghai with those who are left with me.

 

Time to enjoy the last three weeks here before it’s my turn to stand with luggage at the airport.

The post Christmas in Shanghai – Kissing Tree, the Yuyuan Gardens and M&M world! appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Violin Lessons

This past week was the first week I felt completely overwhelmed and under China’s control! The rumbling of the city, the many people hustling to cross the road, the lack of knowledge of Chinese symbols, and to top it off, feeling HOMESICK! Even though I have lived on my own for a while now, something about acknowledging I was in China and how far I was from home was frightening. However, despite feeling frightened, I realized that I was here, surviving and everything! I’m proud and happy to be able to survive in a city that can be overwhelming but also beautiful. China has so much beauty! Its parks have so much charisma to them, so much personality and natural energy.

This past week I decided to take violin lessons; I played the violin when I was younger (elementary school) and stopped playing as soon as middle school started. I walked passed a music shop, went in and started looking around the store at its instruments; pianos, violins and guitars, and more. I immediately remembered how much I enjoyed playing the violin and how rewarding it is to play a song and hear that I, myself, can also make a song come to life! Very cool.

After my day dreaming I walked back to the entrance to the register and asked about classes and prices and schedules with my little Mandarin knowledge, and the lady at the register pointed to the stairs. I laughed to myself because that is what my life is all about now … BODY LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION! It is as much fun as it is frustrating. When I made it to the upper level I started my body language and little Mandarin again with the other receptionist (laughing to myself again) and I could see I was actually getting somewhere!! By the way, the moment in which you realize that the person native to the language you are foreigner to understands what you want to express is one of the happiest and most exhilarating experiences! At first, they were very resistant  to offering me classes, mostly because, well, chances of me understanding my teacher were very low. I somehow managed to convince them, though, and they offered my a one-class-trial type of thing. I accepted only because they were going to lend me a violin, meaning I did not have to buy it for a single class only to later find out I was going to understand nothing of what my teacher would try to teach me.

Turns out, my first Chinese violin class went amazingly well! My teacher was a lot of fun and extremely optimistic. She offered more classes and now all I have to do is buy a violin. No big deal, right??

The post Violin Lessons appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Violin Lessons

This past week was the first week I felt completely overwhelmed and under China’s control! The rumbling of the city, the many people hustling to cross the road, the lack of knowledge of Chinese symbols, and to top it off, feeling HOMESICK! Even though I have lived on my own for a while now, something about acknowledging I was in China and how far I was from home was frightening. However, despite feeling frightened, I realized that I was here, surviving and everything! I’m proud and happy to be able to survive in a city that can be overwhelming but also beautiful. China has so much beauty! Its parks have so much charisma to them, so much personality and natural energy.

This past week I decided to take violin lessons; I played the violin when I was younger (elementary school) and stopped playing as soon as middle school started. I walked passed a music shop, went in and started looking around the store at its instruments; pianos, violins and guitars, and more. I immediately remembered how much I enjoyed playing the violin and how rewarding it is to play a song and hear that I, myself, can also make a song come to life! Very cool.

After my day dreaming I walked back to the entrance to the register and asked about classes and prices and schedules with my little Mandarin knowledge, and the lady at the register pointed to the stairs. I laughed to myself because that is what my life is all about now … BODY LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION! It is as much fun as it is frustrating. When I made it to the upper level I started my body language and little Mandarin again with the other receptionist (laughing to myself again) and I could see I was actually getting somewhere!! By the way, the moment in which you realize that the person native to the language you are foreigner to understands what you want to express is one of the happiest and most exhilarating experiences! At first, they were very resistant  to offering me classes, mostly because, well, chances of me understanding my teacher were very low. I somehow managed to convince them, though, and they offered my a one-class-trial type of thing. I accepted only because they were going to lend me a violin, meaning I did not have to buy it for a single class only to later find out I was going to understand nothing of what my teacher would try to teach me.

Turns out, my first Chinese violin class went amazingly well! My teacher was a lot of fun and extremely optimistic. She offered more classes and now all I have to do is buy a violin. No big deal, right??

The post Violin Lessons appeared first on CRCC Asia.

Christmas in Shenzhen

It is my second week in China and for some reason it feels as if I have been here for 2 months! The city is a lot of fun, the people are great and there is so much to see, but for some reason 2 weeks have been taking their time to pass by! I woke up Saturday morning realizing I have not explored the area where I live (by She Kou Walmart, which every local seems to know). So, I wake up, get ready and started walking South; I had previously seen a pretty cool coffee shop down that area and decided to head there. Unfortunately, the place was closed, but kept walking down that alley and saw the most adorable boutique shop, a massage parlor, a couple of other cool looking boutiques. I even saw a local business that painted Chinese symbols on large rolling paper-that was a cherry on top! At the end of the alley there was a cross walk and I found myself in a decision making position.. Do i go right, left or straight!? Ugh.

I decided to go right and was looking out for coffee shops. I saw  two men playing a sport that looked like badminton and soon after found a coffee shop. The shop was called The Rabbit Hole, which immediately raised my attention and urged me to go in! The place was amazing. A small local coffee shop with two floors, some tables outside and rabbit ornaments everywhere!! They weren’t freaky, I promise. The owner had them strategically placed so that everything looked perfectly spaced, rabbits where they should be, food, books and menu in their place as well. The place was very original and had a trendy air to it. I stayed their for a while going over my Mandarin lessons and attempting to eavesdrop on my neighbors, but was only able to understand a word or two. I’ll get there, China!!

After coffee i walked to a park…an amazing park. There was classical Chinese music playing in the background, trees and plants everywhere, kids running, elders walking behind them and some others dancing to the Chinese fan dance.  Walked to a lake and saw a bridge with Chinese-styled architecture (very detailed). After this I walked back to my apartment, made dinner and got ready for the Christmas party that my building had organized. The party was hosted at the apartments’ park. At the entrance they had a peacock made out of flowers!!! It was so beautiful. They provided Christmas dinner: Turkey hot dogs, wine, fruit and other desserts. There was a beautiful woman in a sparkly dress hosting the event of the night on a stage  filled with dancers and musicians. They gave away prizes and many interns won! One intern even won a bike, which I was extremely happy excited and jealous about!Unfortunately, I never had a chance of winning; I arrived late so my ticket was never raffled.
The night was interesting and we ended up meeting a couple of Japanese guys that had some drinks with us, chatted and then headed out. Other interns decided to go out  afterwards while I made my way back to bed. China, thank you for a fun and outstanding day!

The post Christmas in Shenzhen appeared first on CRCC Asia.