Shanghai on Life

So, it’s 2:30 PM on Saturday and I just woke up. I think the bars closing down  in Victoria at 2 AM is both a blessing and a curse because I’m finding coming home at 5 really kills the next day.  One of my favourite bits of clubbing in Shanghai is the food afterwards (what a suprise that one of my favourite bits is the food)…delicious (hand-made in front of you) noodles, (mystery) meat, cilantro and chili spice for $1…so almost exactly equivalent to a greasy piece of Second Slice pizza at home..but that’s not to say I don’t miss it.

Last night was a few parties packed with Germans, including one on a highrise rooftop, followed by a club (free for women, $16 CAD entrance for men…life just isn’t fair, is it guys?). I did manage to nail down some of my basic German conversation phrases as well as some sweet slang sure to impress. I also met a girl from South Africa who was born in Taiwan and now works as an English-Chinese translator in Shanghai in order to earn enough money to go traveling again..so many interesting stories!

Yesterday I bought a knock-off North Face backpack, 7 pirated DVDs, and an illegal copy of the book I have to read for my report off the street(cost $3 AND I don’t have to wait 6 weeks for Amazon to deliver it)…I think China is hard on my morals…or maybe I just never had the opportunity to abuse intellectual property and copyright laws so badly before and those particular moral standards never actually existed. But you know what they say, when in Rome..!

Simon was discharged from hospital yesterday and is now back home in his flat. He is feeling fine, but understandably concerned about whether it’s going to happen again while he’s abroad.

Tonight is another party followed by a special “French party” at the club “Bar Rouge”…never been but apparently it has a great view of the Bund…not sure if I’m interested in going to yet another French party…where are the Chinese parties?!  It seems almost all foreigners living in Shanghai are French or German..to date I have met hundreds of Europeans, a handful of Americans and not a single Canadian. An alternative plan is to hit up Shanghai’s Oktoberfest (like a said, it’s either French or German), which involves some type of German dinner, entertainment and lots of beer I guess.

In the meantime I guess I am going to start on a bit of school work…I have not lifted a finger since school started 2 weeks ago, but things are starting to pile up as usual. I also have to go to school tomorrow (Sunday) morning…only in China would they give you a week holiday but make you come to school on the weekends beforehand and afterwards to make up for it!

Hope everyone is well at home!

-amy