Humble Pie...mmmm, tasty

Humble Pie. My roommate, Cici, invited me to have dinner with her friend the other night. We walked around a little bit trying to find a restaurant and finally went into one Italian place that was apparently going to open the next day. We walked past the construction workers to go upstairs where we could see people eating. As we entered the main room, the manager said that the place was going to open tomorrow, but that we could sit and eat anyways for free. Cici, her friend, and I talked for a while and I eventually found out that he worked for Accenture. Naturally, this excited me. We talked about business, politics, and other topics. Eventually, I asked if he managed a team of people because he mentioned that he's worked with Accenture for over 10 years and he also said he was "small potatoes." Both he and Cici chuckled--I had no clue why. It turns out that he's the President of BPO for Accenture in China. Mmmmmm...an adult-sized portion of humble pie...tasty.

Entrepreneurship class. Over the past weeks, I've talked a lot with my students about why they are studying English and one of the things many of them say is that they want to start a business. EF provides great class content, but one of the things that they've missed is teaching business English that is relevant to entrepreneurship. So, I asked my bosses if I could design an 11-week course and they gave the go-ahead. My first class is August 10th. In the course, we're going to cover opportunity recognition, writing business plans, barriers to business in China, marketing, sales, finance, etc. I'm really looking forward to learning and teaching everything.

Feeling the Flow. Positive psychology professors Marty Seligman (TED talk link) and Tal Ben-Sahar (link to Harvard lectures) talk about the idea of flow, in which we are "so completely absorbed in a task that we barely notice the passage of time," and how important this feeling is to our happiness. Have you ever had that feeling? What did you feel like?

When I am in the class room teaching a 24-student lecture class, for example, I consistently feel the flow. I have never taught before, but I feel in my element when lecturing. The classes flow naturally, the students laugh and learn, and positive (yang) energy fills the room.

Hot Pots, Papa Johns, & Pimps.

HOT POTS. One of the teachers had her birthday last week at a restaurant where they serve food family-style. Each restaurant-goer is given a bowl of boiling chicken broth, typically filled with leeks, a red "man's" fruit, and some type of oil; underneath the bowl is a Sterno flame. Meats, tofu, vegetables, dumplings, and all sorts of wonderful foods are put in front of you to dip into the boiling concoction.

I made my rounds to the surrounding tables filled with teachers, students, and friends. Arriving at one table, a student stood up, extended his half-filled glass of beer and exclaimed "gang bei." The other men at the table quickly arose, as if being called to attention by a drill instructor. Considering that 50% of Asians have lactose intolerance (i.e. lacking the lactase enzyme to breakdown the alcohol), you would expect at least half the men at the table to not have alcohol. However, a vast majority had beers in hand and proceeded to go toe-to-toe with me in a chugging contest. Seriously? How do they think I developed my well-rounded figure? This didn't happen overnight; it took dedication and focus to stay on a balanced diet of cheap beer, cheap wine, fast food, and over-sized portions. As predicted, a lobster-red skin tone slowly crept across their faces.

Papa Johns...Deluxe Edition. I strolled down the paths of a nearby mall in search of food with my coworkers, and we came across a Papa Johns. When I fist walked inside, I knew this had a different feeling to it. The store was a sit-down restaurant with a full menu of tasty food. From salads and coffee, to pizza and ice cream. It felt kind of classy, if I might be so bold to say.

Pimps & Prostitutes. Whenever I stay late at work, I am approached by pimps and prostitutes when I walk past this one corner on the way home. Last week, in fact, I was walking past some shops, and I see a woman point at me and I hear her exclaim "laowai" (foreigner) to her teammate. They came rushing out the door, at which time I decided to pick up my pace. Eventually, she made an offer, I made a counter-offer...juuuuust kidding. I blurted out some nonsense in French and kept walking on home.

How to lose weight...quickly

181 POUNDS. That's how much I weighed before coming to China. Now, a little over 2 weeks later, I've lost 12 pounds. Why? I've been asking myself the same question and I've come up with the following reasons: 1) Chinese people walk or ride bikes all the time and I walk 25 minutes to work everyday, 2) food portions here are smaller than the US, 3) the heat and humidity are ridiculous and I probably sweat-off 1 pound each day, 4) chopsticks are frustrating to use and I don't have the patience to finish my meal.

When frustration levels peak....

Things that are different:

1) Spitting. Men & women spit on the street all the time...it's just normal.
2) Cutting in line. Actually, forming lines is rare...even at McDonalds.
3) Personal bubbles really don't exist. In America, we have that sacred foot-and-a-half of personal-bubble real estate, but you're lucky to have 6 inches of space in the subway and at restaurants.
4) Sanitation is poor. In general, bathrooms have no TP or soap, people smoke in them, and many bathrooms only have a hole over which to squat. It's hard to watch a restaurant cook walk in and out of the bathroom next to you.
5) Chinese people talk loudly, in general.
6) Air pollution. I've developed a cough recently and my roommate's boyfriend said that it is common to have a smoker's cough. The doctor that gave me a medical check, in fact, had a cigarette in mouth. According to National Geographic, 57% of male doctors in China smoke!
7) Things are cheap here. A large bottle of Coke, for example, costs around .40
8) No tipping--even at restaurants.
9) Pedestrians don't have the right-of-way...seriously.
10) The internet sucks here.

4th of July Party for Expats: American soil may be thousands of miles away, but a group of expats decided to get together throw a party for the 4th. We packed into a small apartment for the celebrations and even decided to sing the Star-Spangled Banner.

Living a Dream. Coming to China was one of the most difficult decisions that I've made in recent memory. I've separated from my family, my friends, and my comfort zone. Frequently, I get this feeling of isolation when walking about the city. I can walk to work and not see any other foreigners; the language barrier can be frustrating; and the culture is incredibly different from the Western world--even here in Shanghai. With all that said, I'm living my dream to live in a foreign country for at least a year.

Reality is slowly starting to set in as well...that life is truly changing. Living so close to family, friends, and UNC after school, I felt as if my life as an alumni was still pretty similar to the college days. My best friends were within a reasonable driving distance and it provided a safety net, which I used to isolate myself from growing into the next life stage. Now, however, friends are beginning to separate across the world, new friendships are forming, and my sense of identity is...evolving.

My father's death, over 3 years ago, highlighted the importance of pursuing dreams. That means finding adventure for me. Reflecting upon my new life here in Shanghai, I'm reminded of his life and the spirit he had for adventure. I don't know what the future has in store for me. I may live another year, or another 70 years. There are a lot of things that are unsure. When I rest in bed, however, I can honestly say to myself that I've taken a step in the right direction.

My first ultrasound

"IS IT A BOY?" In order to get a Z visa, you must have a medcal examination, which includes blood tests, an x-ray, and an ultrasound, among other things. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was being processed...like a piece of meat. The system put together by this hospital puts the Toyota manufacturing process to shame. Patients, or perhaps drones, were moved in and out of the inspection stations with cold-hearted efficiency. One of my last stops in the processing line was the ultrasound station. Without looking at her next nervous drone, the inspector sternly slapped her hand on the table, signaling me to recline for inspection. SQUIRT. Out came the cold gel onto my hairy stomach, a sight to which she was probably not accustomed. "Is it boy or a girl," I asked her in jest. No reply. Now, if having an ultrasound wasn't awkward enough, this only added to the fun. She moved the device across my belly and over the side of my ribcage, which made me laugh. Was this her idea of fun? Toying with her drone before it was sent to the retail stores? In the end, it turns out I'm not pregnant.