Shanghai Freshers Weeks

We arrived in Shanghai and needless to say the British Council had given us the wrong address, fortunately a few other people had also been sent to the wrong place and we collectively found our way to the digs. The digs were really new and clean with air-con, a relief after dirty Thailand. The back street next to the accomodation was down at heel and higgledy-piggledy but interesting.

The next 2 weeks were jam-packed with orientation classes, Chinese lessons & teaching practice followed by cheap back-alley noodles and off into Shanghai centre for booze and disco boogie. The parallels with the first weeks of university were undeniable, but most of the 80 or so Language Assistants entered into the spirit of things and by the end of two weeks it felt a little sad that we we're all going to be scattered across China.

Oh yeah, and we had a football tournament in 40 C heat, jeepers creepers, i've never sweated so much. It was funny to see how the initial games were played in fun but how, by the final, it had got really competitive. Enough from me, have a wee lookie at the photographs.

N.B Shanghai was not the amazing city I was expecting, the nighlife was dull, like out of season, and it felt culturally and socially nascent. Huge sweeping judgements there, my apologies for that, It just seems too new and impersonal for me, Pudong, next door to Shanghai was really lively and interesting mind.

I don't know, but I am glad to be leaving for Nanjing, a city known for it's history, culture and greenery.