The Traveling Experience

I'm currently in Tokyo, Japan, awaiting a connecting flight into Shanghai. It has been quite a ride from Detroit over to the other side of the world. My original flight was delayed for plane maintenance issues (apparently the battery charger was bad), which is fine because I'd rather wait and let them fix the plane than go up 30,000 feet and have problems up there! But we waited for 2 hours, and they had no update so we waited another 2 hours and then another 2 hours. Needless to say, I was going to miss my connecting flight in Los Angeles if we ever took off in that plane. So I arranged a new flight - right to Tokyo and then into Shanghai - which happened to be leaving only 2 hours from the time I realized this flight was available. Delta gladly changed my departure, and I should be arriving in Shanghai at the same time that I was originally scheduled to be there :-)

My only concern is whether or not my luggage will get to China along with me...we'll see! For now, I'm off to Shanghai =)

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PMM

Heading Out

I'll be in Shanghai very shortly...just after one long 25 hour trip to the other side of the world starting at 9am Tuesday. I'm scheduled to arrive at 10am Wednesday (our time - 10pm Shanghai time).

Be on the lookout for a post about my first impression of the city and an update on my apartment situation.

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PMM

How to Contact Me:

The easiest way to contact me while I'm in China is by email: pmm1077@gmail.com

Or, if you're on Skype, then feel free to video chat me. My Skype Name is: pmm107

FYI: Shanghai is 12 hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Daylight Time (OH, MI, IL, NY, MA etc) - so it's pretty easy to remember what time it is there.

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PMM

Countdown

Well, it's just a week away now. My plane leaves at 9am next Tuesday morning.

I'm honestly not sure what to expect. I picture a very colorful city, tons of people, and lots to do. I am sure that every day will be a new, exciting adventure - I hope so at least. I've read that the city is relatively safe, in comparison to places in the U.S., but I'll be sure not to trust everyone I meet - you never know. I'm hoping that Shanghai really looks as beautiful as it is in the pictures...

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PMM

"Pre-Gaming"

Okay, so I just learned how to ask for a beer at the bar in Mandarin:

Qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi píjiǔ - It's pronounced kind of like "ching gay wah ebay pee jew," with some tone changes here and there, I think. :-) I figure that's a good start to my Chinese learning...

Also, in preparation for my trip, I recently found out who my two roommates are: Michelle and Chris. Michelle is a girl from Malibu, California, doing a journalism internship with Time Out Magazine, and Chris is a guy from Jacksonville, Florida, doing market research for a company called Kakatong. We're living in a 3 bedroom apartment in Xu Hui district. The building is very tall (not unlike many in Shanghai) and we're on the 16th floor. Pictures will come sometime soon I'm sure.

I just accumulated some Shanghai traveler's books that I'm reading. I hate to be the dork who reads the tourism books, but you have to start somewhere I guess!

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PMM

The Boxing Cat...

This is the site of my internship for the summer. ^^ The Boxing Cat Brewery in Shanghai. Here, I will be doing an 'entrepreneurial' internship, and the plan is for me to help with the opening of a manufacturing/bottling/distribution factory for the beer, then to figure out how to get it into the refrigerators of retailers, bars, restaurants, and Chinese homes, and also to help with the opening of a new BCB location, along with some other various duties. Right now the brewery is just a small micro-brewery with two restaurant/bar locations. It should be interesting!

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PMM

How Did It Start?

In high school, my Spanish teacher - Señora Terri Martin - convinced me (although she didn't have to do much convincing) to study abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico for a couples months during the summer and it was an incredible experience. I lived with a Mexican family who spoke no English and I went to school at la Universidad Internacional (UNINTER) every day.

It was life-changing. So after that, I was bs-ing with an administrator of my high school and she suggested that I learn Mandarin Chinese. I told her I wanted to go into international business and she said the top three languages for global business are English (check), Spanish (half-check), and Mandarin (no check). This intrigued me, and I decided that I wanted to learn Mandarin as well. So here I am, figuring out my college career, and my major is International Studies. With this major, I'm required to go abroad - I've already done that in a Spanish-speaking country, so it might as well be time that I pursue that whole 'Mandarin learning' thing. Most students 'study' abroad, but I figured 'interning' abroad would offer a much more well-rounded and beneficial cultural experience rather than just going to class every day. My only option was to go abroad during the summer, but Albion College doesn't have too much to offer students who want to do internships in China over the summer, so I researched. And here's what I found...

Next Step Connections - The Professional Internship Program Connecting You With the World.

It's an organization dedicated to helping students find internships in China: Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong. You pick how long you want to be there and what type of company you want to work for. They guarantee you an internship placement in your selected field (mine was entrepreneurship), and they provide Mandarin lessons for you. Obviously it costs some $$, but it's well worth it. The application process is easy, and hopefully, the experience will be one that will stick with me forever.

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PMM