Serious singing

People always ask me about the most shocking thing I have seen so far in Shanghai. At first, I might have said the kids with the crotch-less pants or the men walking around in boxers and loafers but two weeks ago that all changed. Two weeks ago, when LB was here, we happened upon something I had never seen in the Western world. It was a Friday night and we were crossing Fuxing Park, near my apartment, when we came across a large hotel-like building. It had a grand lobby with many rooms and it was packed with Chinese people. As we were taken around the facility, it became evident that this was not a hotel but instead a massive karaoke center. Yes, a hotel of karaoke rooms. This place had multiple floors and every sized karaoke room you could imagine. The Chinese take their karaoke very seriously and it is huge here. Always a good time. I am sure there are plenty of more shocking things about to come my way, especially when I head out beyond Shanghai.

Enjoying Shanghai

I have not written as much as I would like on here. Between getting settled and three visitors (LH, LB, and Ian), I have been very busy. In addition, I have also tried to take the whole experience in and explore as much as possible. I can’t believe I have been here less than two months, it seems a long time ago that I was wondering through the streets here, amazed at just about everything. Now, I am used to dodging the laundry hung throughout the sidewalks, men with no shirts on, the heat, negotiating for almost everything, and ordering fried noodles in Chinese. The area I am in is great. I have not lived in NY before but I would imagine it is similar. There are tons of little shops amongst the tree-lined streets in my neighborhood. These stores fix motorbikes, make keys, sell cigarettes and beer, fix bikes, sell DVDs, sell wine, and concoct the most interesting food dishes. When stepping out of the cab on any given night, I literally fall into the dining room of one of these street vendors. The woks are fired up, men are eating and drinking beers, and it is time for “late night snacks.” The interesting part is that these places are never open or in existence until after 11 pm or so. I am so amazed by the demand for late night food here in China. Even at 3 am, there are tons of street vendors cooking on most corners. The fresh noodles, skewered meats, and infamous dumplings are the perfect way to end an evening.

I guess it is not that novel for a city to have so many options but one can literally find anything here. One night I can have friend noodles and a beer for $1 and another I can have a burger and a smoothie for $10. As any outsider may guess, there are a lot of western influences here. We have Starbucks, H&M, Gucci, Coldstone, Subway, and even a Hooters. It is fairly comfortable for an expat living here and I enjoying it immensely.

Ok, just finished my first Mandarin lesson and time to head to the office…