Culture shock and so much more

I have now been in Shanghai, China for 2 months. I am at a point of the culture shock/adjustment cycle where I tend to hate more cultural differences than I am able to appreciate them. China contains such a fascinating culture, but there are some things that are driving me up the wall. While I experience the many similarities and differences between China and the United States I cannot help but to enter into a contemplative mood. This is not limited to just topics concerning China. I have also been wondering where I will be in a year and beyond.

There are many options available to me. I know I could do all of them if I choose, but the consequences are what I fear the most. As of right now I see three distinct possibilities that I could and would like to pursue after my time is completed with MAIS and Jin Cai. The first of the options is to stay in China. One of my goals is to learn Chinese and utilize this asset in my future. I would stay in Shanghai or another city in China for an additional year or two. I am not sure if I would continue teaching or if I would try to find an internship with some type of business. Ideally, I would like to work for a finance company. The other idea is to find a Chinese language program at one of the universities and devote the majority of my time to learning the language free of work obligations. If I decide to take this route it is unquestionably an intelligent move for the future of whatever career I choose.

The second idea I have is to return to California and find a job. As of right now this seems to be my favorite, but that is only because I am hating China at the moment. I know these sentiments will pass in the next few months. If and when I return to California, life will return as I left it with just a few changes. Obviously, I will have completed my MBA and MAIS final projects, but I do not know where I will work. The job market in California is dismal and I know that I will be angry with myself if I do decide to come back and I cannot find a job.  I had thought about moving to another state that might be more promising for finding an entry level position. Although, I am not sure if I am eager to go through culture shock again by moving to a new state. My two largest fears of returning to California is that I will not be able to find a job and that I will return to an ho-hum lifestyle. While my life in Shanghai greatly resembles how I lived back home with work and school, I am not eager to return to this situation. I know that I could only be happy with this for a short period of time and the routine will bore me. The major advantage of returning to California is being near home and family. I feel as though returning home would be giving into the monotony of a "typical" life and this weird pursuit of happiness by having a job, a loved one, and a cute pet or family.

The last idea is to move to Israel. As of right now Israel has a more stable job market and their financial sector is more stable than that of the United States. Due to Israel's more conservative financial practices they have weathered the global economic meltdown almost unscathed. I loved my time when I visited last January and I continually think about returning. I think the only other place/time that has made me feel warm on the inside was coming home from Alabama. Despite the political issues that exist there it is a beautiful country that reminds me very much of California. The people are warm and the history everyone carries with them is amazing! There is so much potential in the country and I would rather be a part of it than not to be there at all. The goal would be to live on a kibbutz for 6 months or more and take the time to complete my thesis, work, and learn Hebrew. Once I complete that I can either continue to study the language or if I feel I am fluent enough then I can look for a job that can adequately pay bills.

While having a job is the most important thing I need to keep in mind, I do not want to be limited by only worrying about where I work. For me, I feel that my success is measured by the goals I set and my ability to accomplish them. There is a part of me that wants to return to California and find an "ok" job with growth potential and live the typical LA life somewhere in West Los Angeles. I can see myself in a nice one bedroom apartment or maybe a trendy loft. And if you were wondering, the answer is "yes!" This is a very cliche, yet very attainable goal of mine. The other side of me would not mind living a peasant-like life being some kind of worker. Maybe I will have a farm where I grow tilapia and raise goats...moral of the story is that as long as I can achieve something that I do not see as typical or usual then I will be happy. I do not want to feel like I did before I came to China. All I did was work and go to school and then wake up to do it all over again. That was one phase of my life to set up the rest, but I have no desire to return to such a boring life. Life is about experiences and I want to take advantage of that fact.

I have been thinking about all of this very much. I even prayed and meditated about all of it. I do not want to sound like the whiney school girl and cry out, "help, I don't know what to do!" Because, in fact, I do know what to do. I know that I have the support, intelligence, and mental fortitude to pursue anything I would like. Rather, I am more afraid of the consequences, good and bad, when I do decide to take the leap toward my dreams. Surely everyone must ask if they have a purpose. Maybe everyone has a specific reason for existing, but I have never felt constrained by any cosmic force. If I want it, then I get it. This is oversimplified, but this is something I firmly believe. I never need to look outside of myself for strength or vision. No matter how much I pray, meditate, or have moments in nature for clarity, my answer seems to always be the same. All I need to do is leap because I will always have what I need to achieve what I want. Even more than looking for a trendy and chic lifestyle, I want to have a life of experiences.

I guess for now I will try to limit the brain activity. There are times when my mind can be my own worst enemy. I will cross those bridges when the time comes.

Catch up!

It has been awhile since I have really posted on here. It is very easy to fall into a slump. When I get home from work all I would like to do is lay in my bed. Homework is manageable as long as I do not procrastinate too much. The next two weeks may be difficult as my assignments require me to visit a factory and a business. I work Monday through Friday and I do not have much time to get to these factories. Other students have days off during the week, so I believe it is a bit a easier for them to get away to complete certain assignments.

Work is a bit more manageable too. I think I have finally acclimated to the amount of work I have. I am finding my grove and setting a pattern. It is great because if I follow the same formula weekly then the time needed to lesson plan is minimized greatly. IB (Interbaccalaureate) come by to evaluate our school. The Chinese section is accredited, but the English section is in its first year of implementation. I am an "Areas of Interaction" leader. It can be, or should be, a fairly involved position. We are also had Sports Day. This was a big calamity of events. It seems that everything the school does as an event is bound by a "hurry up and wait" principal. I am never sure if anyone knows what is happening. Today we have another Sports Day event, but at the main Jin Cai campus. I will take pictures and keep you posted.

I must get going now. I have to teach Personal Development.

再见！！！

2010 Shanghai Expo aka World's Fair

     This was a great experience, but overall I was not impressed. The World's Fair has always been about displaying a countries technology and ability in innovation. The architecture was amazing, but the interior left a lot to be desired. Most of the pavilions were very cheap ploys for tourism. Without wanting to criticize China too much I must say that the expo was very "China." If it displayed anything about what China can provide the world currently it would be its ability to deliver a facade. It is all a mask. These buildings were the mask and when you went inside you realize it was all rather sub-par. I realize that every country is responsible for their own pavilion, but so much more could have been done.
     The China pavilion was nice, but I doubt it had anything inside that would be worth waiting 5+ hours. The Nepal pavilion was very beautiful, but had no technology. It is one of my top 2. Israel was amazing. If you needed to pick a pavilion that optimizes the spirit of the Expo and exhibiting one's contributions to the world then Israel hit it on the head and then some. Israel's building was simple and you walk into an auditorium and they show a movie that compares Israel to China (size and population) then they talk about what has come out of Israel. Quite extraordinary. It may have been a big FU to China and the world, but it was by far the best expo pavilion. I still need to see Saudi Arabia. They have the second largest pavilion.
    Overall, I do not think China was able to deliver. It may be a world power, but only by mere size. A lot is left to the imagination, so I'm here to tell you don't start taking off your panties just yet! They may arrive to be a power soon, but that is not today, tomorrow, or even next year. The masses are controlled by the [very] few.  If you want a great copy of your favorite purse then China is the place to come. They are master pirates and nothing more. I think the government realizes this and are slowly making an attempt to change a lot. Many companies and countries in the West are already looking to move production to other countries. Too much is being lost because of intellectual property infringements.
     On a lighter, enjoy the pictures!

China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan Pavilions

     The China pavilion is quite big. I was surprised how big the building actually is. The lines for all of the China related pavilions were ridiculous. I have not seen the inside, but I do not think I am going spend 5 hours in line. The China pavilion will be around after the Expo ends.

China Pavilion

Hong Kong Pavilion

Macao Pavilion

Taiwan Pavilion

Israel Pavilion

     This was the best pavilion when it comes to showing innovation. The World's Fair was to show off the technology and abilities of countries. Israel showed up the the expo and blew everyone out of the water. It was amazing. I also did not have to wait in line. I went to the VIP and used my Hebrew skills and asked if we could cut. I made a new friend too! I have a movie to add, but for some reason there are issues with it being able to load.

ישראל Israel 以色列！！！

Amazing outside

Inside of the auditorium

Personal consoles per two people

 

 

 

 

Nepal Pavilion

     The Nepal pavilion was, by far, one of my favorite pavilions to visit. The entire pavilion was made of brick, which gave it a last century-type look.

Upon entering through the front there is this statue

This is on the inside of the pavilion with flags leading up to another building

You can walk around the building on a pathway that leads to the top

Very top of the building

American Pavilion

     This was a big disappointment. Basically, the US pavilion was a big advertisement. The story that I heard is that the US pavilion almost did not happen because it was not in the country's budget. So...good ol' Hilary got a bunch of her buddies to donate money. It consisted of three rooms each with a movie. I have to say the movies were cute, but in a cheesy inspiring "come for a better life" kind of way. I think the US could have done much better. The outside was nice. Like many of the pavilions, the US pavilion looked better at night when it was lit.

In Chinese it says "Mei Guo" which means beautiful country

Random Pavilions at the Expo

Malaysia Pavilion

Singapore Pavilion

Indonesia Pavilion

Thailand Pavilion

Australia Pavilion

Portugal Pavilion

Belarus Pavilion

Hungary Pavilion

Cuba Pavilion

Cuba Pavilion

Venezuela Pavilion

Chile Pavilion

Haiti's representative and I

Canada Pavilion

Canada Pavilion

Brasil Pavilion

Peru Pavilion

Canada Pavilion

Russia Pavilion

Ukraine Pavilion

Azeri pavilion

Sweden Pavilion at night

 

UAE Pavilion Sign

Turkmenistan Pavilion

UAE Pavilion

UAE statues

Qatar Pavilion

Morocco Pavilion

Saudi Arabia Pavilion

India Pavilion