IKEA BABY!!!

After completing yesterday’s blog post, I went out to dinner with a guy named Peter. We live right across the hall from each other up here on the fourth floor. He first came to SHSID three years ago. He taught for two years, and then spent last year at home doing some coursework. I had told him that we’d been having some problems ordering food at restaurants in the area, so he offered to take a group out, whoever wanted to go. In the end, however, it wound up just being him and me; every one else had already eaten or had fallen asleep. Apparently the jetlag is still an issue because people consistently pass out by like 8:30.

We walked out to the front gate of the campus, crossed the road and went to a place called “The English Menu Place.” I handed the reigns over to Peter for ordering, as he clearly has had more experience in this country than I. We started off with a cucumber and garlic salad (tastes like Cape Cod potato chips, or so I thought) and had peppered beef with vegetables for the main course. Both dishes were great. We also had Suntory, a popular and cheap Chinese beer, to drink.

During dinner we talked about his experiences at SHSID and what it was like to work with Helen (my new boss). It was awesome to get some first hand information about teaching and living in this area. He also taught me how to ask for the check, which the wait staff will not bring to you unless you ask them for it. The magic words are “mei dan” from what I remember.

When we returned to school, I checked to see if anyone was still awake, and when I found that no one was, I also decided to call it a night and retreated back to my room. It was still a little early to sleep, so I re-arranged a few things, spent some time out on the balcony, and then got into bed and read for a while. I think I wound up going to sleep around 10:30, and I awoke this morning at 8:00.

This morning was the designated (by me) “Ikea Day!” The plan was to leave at 9:00. The store opens at 10, but the Ikea in Shanghai is actually a tourist attraction, so the guidebook that I have suggested that you arrive when they open to beat the crowds. This was my first attempt at the solid plan with the group, and it failed miserably. We didn’t even start walking toward the front gate until about 10:15.

Some better things happened in that lost time, however. We met up with Brian W. and then walked back with him to the new building to find Nicole and Denis. By the time we found Denis and Nicole, the group had expanded even further and we set out on our way. We saw Dan on the way toward the front gate, and he asked if we could go to Helen’s office to finalize our contracts (read sign away our lives). What could we do but agree, so off to Helen’s office it was.

We spent an hour or so working with Helen on the contracts as she wanted to make everything very clear. It truly is a binding contract. Helen and the rest of SHSID now officially have me for the next ten moths. That is both exciting and a little intimidating…
Helen is a very nice woman, and kept emphasizing the fact that she and the rest of the administration and faculty at SHSID were here to support us and help us through the experience.

The group expanded even further as more and more new teachers trickled into the contract session. By the time we left we had a near pilgrimage: myself, Devon, Devon, Denis, Dennis, Nicole, Chris, Brian, Josh, John. We all decided to walk to the metro station instead of taking a cab. The walk covered new terrain, which was exiting, and I found the place that Peter told me about last night to buy a used (super cheap) bike, which I might do later today if I find the energy and confidence.

The metro stop near us is Shanghai South, and it is about a 20 minute walk at a quick clip. The station is absolutely massive. It has the metro rail, trains, and buses all departing from the same area. There were tons and tons of people, really long lines for the ticket booths, and very little English. There was just enough, however, for us to find our way.

I am beginning appreciate the sheer magnitude of this city. I had never seen a metro station like this one, but it did remind me a lot of the metro in DC. It is color and number coded, and the signs are in English and Chinese. The most difficult part was learning how to buy the tickets. I thought we were going to get the reloadable cards, but we could not find a vendor, only a single ticket machine. That worked well enough. It cost 3 kwai (that is what they call yuan in Shanghai, turns out).

The Ikea is at the same stop as the Shanghai Indoor Stadium complex, the location of some Olympic games (soccer was one of them I am most sure). It was really neat to see the complex, and made me think about how awe inspiring the complexes in Beijing must be in real life. I saw my first Starbucks, but I did not go in. The Ikea was about a five minute walk from the exit of the metro, and as we got closer my excitement continued to rise. Here are some pictures from the walk there. Note how dense the development is, and realize that this area is about nine metro stops south of center city Shanghai. This place is massive.



We didn’t get to Ikea until about 11:30, and it was packed. We spent too much time in the showroom and not enough time in the downstairs market. Lesson learned there. I bought a big lamp, two rugs for my bedroom/living room, three pillows, two coffee mugs, and some smell good potpourri since we can’t have candles. I am really happy with everything I got, and I only spent about $80. I still need sheets (that are not plaid) and some furniture for my balcony. All in due time.

By the end the whole group had been separated, and it was just me and Chris, who I took hostage by offering him some of my cart space. I had his stuff, so he had to stick with me. Muwahaha. We took a taxi back from Ikea. From my guide book I also learned that there are taxis that park right outside the exit, but they are most often not metered. I was also approached by many men in Ikea who, I think, were offering to drive me home or deliver my stuff. It was a bit sketchy. One even walked up to me and muttered the words, “I have car,” to which Chris and cracked up, said no (bu) politely, and kept walking. To get to the metered taxis, you have to go to floor “-1” which was a lower level parking garage. We hoped in the back, I showed the drive the address of the school in character, and hoped for the best. We made it back safe and sound, and I have already decorated my room with what I bought today.

Most notably was this lamp, which is meant to be shaped like a woman. They had a matching one shaped like a man. They cost the same amount. I'm glad to see that Ikea supports gender equality.

Our orientation begins tomorrow, and I was very pleased to find a detailed schedule for the next five days under my door after returning from the Ikea extravaganza. Tomorrow we have a health inspection, and then just general orientation type activities; setting up the internet, eating in the cafeteria, meeting administration, etc. It only goes until 4ish I think, so I might be able to venture out into the city center tomorrow evening. A few people from the group already have, but I have been sure to give my body the rest and recovery it needs from the plane and plenty of time to acclimate to this crazy country.