So, I recently discovered an online group for expatriates living in Shanghai. This website gives a lot of information on the nitty gritty of living and working in Shanghai as a foreigner. English bookstores, cheap food and clothing markets, what to expect with cab fare, etc. It also provides a network upon arriving, which will be much needed, I am sure.
Most importantly, I found out that I am going to be able to buy a bicycle, brand new, for about $30-40. Now, the hard part will be learning to ride it in such a metropolis! Although China is rapidly developing (see U.S. at the turn of the century) most Chinese still use bicycles as their main mode of transportation. I will have to learn the local customs and culture of bicycle riding. Who knows, maybe I will even find some crazy hipsters with neon rims and Bicycle cards in their spokes. You never know . . .
What I do know is that my bike is going to have a horn and a basket. Point blank. Oh, and a kick stand. Mhm. It will be great for getting around town, near the school, picking up food and other necessities. I don't anticipate needing it for intense city traveling though, as Shanghai High School International Division (SHSID) is right near a metro stop (and the largest botanical gardens in Shanghai to boot!).
The shanghai metro looks a lot like the DC metro (see below, one in Chinese one in English) , and since the signs are in Chinese and English, I shouldn't have too many, if any, issues at all. They use a re-chargeable card system like in DC, and because of the exchange rate and my plush salary, it will be relatively inexpensive.
My mom asked me the other day how my Mandarin (Chinese) was coming. I told her not so good, as I could only tell people I wanted things, and on top of that I could only want two things; coffee and tea. Hahaha. I work on it a little each day, and I can see some progression. What I don't learn here in the states I will be forced, survival style, to learn upon landing in Shanghai.
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