The Shanghai Effect

Monday, July 23, 2012

Oh my bidet!

My new work place is ah-MAZING! I love this bathroom. Each stall is equipped with a heated seat, a water shooter for your rooter, and a fanny fan!

It truly is a throne


Instructions for cleaning your hole (sorry, quality is bad)

such a beautiful bathroom

It really is!

First day at Boehringer Ingelheim

11:18am

I find Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) to be an amazing place. I am just astonished by the level of professionalism here. As just another eye on the street I would have never thought that this style of life and professionalism exist in Shanghai. The contrast of the office and the street can be attributed to many things. I am sure that most employees at BI earn a decent salary, which in turn should generate higher employee productivity. Additionally, this company is company and the corporate culture is very different than that of Chinese companies. The German model may be similar to what I am familiar with as an American.

So far I am enjoying my time here. I really enjoy the professionalism of everyone here. It is amazing that everyone speaks English at a decent level, but ultimately that does not matter to me. Everyone is organized and people seem to do their jobs well as opposed to passing the buck, as I seem to have been ever so fortunate to experience at my former employers.

12:00pm

I went to lunch with the head of Human Resources. He is a great guy and very friendly. He was very curious to learn about me and see what kind of person I am. It was also nice to get to know him and not feel like he is just some headless manager that shovels out commands. He showed me pictures of his daughter, asked me about my family, my Chinese level, and so much more. The things I have read about China and its culture are now presenting themselves to me. It seems like there are many things that I will learn from my time here at BI.

2:33PM

I participated in my first meeting. I don’t know what to say. I think I disappointed my boss a bit because I was not particularly ready with what he wanted. I now know his expectations as well as my direct supervisor’s expectation. It will take me a minute to learn everyone’s personalities, expectations, and to mold myself into the company/office culture. My position is new and I am entirely responsible for defining it. They know I am looking for a job outside of teaching and they made it very clear that my work will dictate how I may be able to move into other positions.

Knowing my two bosses’ expectations I can now prepare tons of paperwork for them. They want projections, guidelines, and so much more. I don’t know why they were expecting me to have all of this on the first day, but I am now on board with their thinking. I plan to give them everything they and expect and more.

I am nervous to make a mistake and disappoint. May God grant me the guidance, nerve, and talent to exceed expectations of this job and not be made redundant.

5:24PM

BI is so professional! I needed to setup my account for our in-office messenger and they have a PDF-like document with pictures and instructions to show you how to do it. It is in Chinese, but I am still impressed by the level of organization here. LOVE IT!

There's traffic because of you?!?!?!

Today I saw someone stop on the elevated highway, or what most people in California would call a freeway, just to take a picture of a building. He popped his head through the sunroof and was snapping away. He was completely unbothered by the fact that he was causing traffic. Only in China can we find such outright disregard for the law and people. I am not sure why that picture was so important. I did not see anything special in this building. Then again, I am not a photographer.

This morning I said, "let me experience/see something new." the powers that be never fail to deliver on my requests.

It's a thin line between love and hate

Another idea I have been letting ruminate in my mind is the concept of not worrying about a situation and instead focusing on my reaction to it. At times I can be an intense person. I jump moods and feelings like monkeys swing from branch to branch.

There is not much in Shanghai that I have not experienced as a foreigner, so nothing should come as a surprise. I know people cut in line, people will cheat me simply because I'm a foreigner, people push their way onto the subway, people don't wait for you to get off the elevator and just crowd the entrance, people will run you over because they don't know or don't care about traffic laws. I know all of this so why am I still getting angry? I really don't know the answer. I do know, however, that all that stress just isn't healthy.

I am trying to change how I react to things. It really doesn't matter if I feel their behavior is uncivil or barbaric. All of that is unhealthy and peripheral to how I should react. I am trying to just smile and be like water. Just flow an not let too many things bother me because if I cannot control it then it is not worth the toll of negative emotions on my body.

So...next time I'm walking on the side walk and I see three girls locked arm in arm or when a bunch of people are standing in front of the elevator when I'm getting off I wont plow through them...well, maybe I will, but I will accept it that it is just the nature of living in a modern city with people who are still catching up to the development (backhanded comment? Yes, a little, but an honest evaluation)

There really is a thin line between love and hate. I love and hate you Shanghai.

What's going on?!

This morning afforded me a few experiences outside of the normal stares. On my short walk to the bank a guy said hello to me in his best English then proceeded to talk in Chinese. This isn't so uncommon, but then I stumbled across a man being yelled at and kicked off of a work site. I assume the foreman wasn't happy with him.

Public castigation...oh my!!!

After another two minutes of walking I found a guy practicing his high kicks. I am not really sure if he was stretching or if there was another unperceived benefit I was not seeing.

These are a few of my favorite things...in the Zhong Guo (pronounced jong gwo).

Silly habits

Sitting on the subway watching these boys furiously shaking there smart phones because the screen isn't responding to the touch of their finger. I am quite accustomed to the silly wives tales of china as most of them still believe them as scientific fact instead of a belief of the past. However, a fond memory came to mind an it involves Nintendo.

Do you remember when we would blow on the game cartridge because it was working. Be had to blow off the dust. I wonder how much of that was just true creativity to remedy a simple problem or just plane old silliness. Even to this day I would say that blowing on that cartridge fixed the problem. After blowing on it we would firmly jam the game Ito the console.

One cultures silliness is another cultures truth. Who knows?

(Written some time before June 22)

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Sweating like I'm sitting in a sauna

I walked all over my neighborhood looking for couscous. I was rather surprised how hard it was for me to find couscous! The one thing I discovered is that I don't really care about sweat. My back was completely wet and there was a train of sweat beads coming down my face. I was frantically moving about the store looking for couscous and I stop to ask one of the store workers if they had couscous. Sweat it rolling down my cheeks and I didn't even care. Then I got home and my neighbor decided to talk to me and I was completely sweaty and I was unmoved by this.

When I first came to Shanghai I avoided any outing that didn't involve an air conditioner. I hated sweating in public. I thought it was rather disgusting. Now I feel like it just comes with the territory. I am no longer American. I am Shanghainese. I can handle the humidity without it affecting my social plans. I guess I'll be riding on the subway next to everyone else, sweating like pigs in a blanket.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Push the pumpkin

This is an old clip I forgot to load from Halloween.

I took the time to stop in and let the owner of this restaurant know that his sign was beautiful, but there were mistakes. I showed him and he said, "OMG...thank you for telling me that!"

I walked by it a few hours later and it seems that he thinks his English is better than mine. China, I'm gonna need you to knock that crap off. I think I know a thing or thousand about the English language.

What kind of fake purse do you need?

No woman is a woman without a fake purse from China!

Qipu Lu

I did it. Qipu Lu! However, I must disclose I did it on a Thursday at 9 am. I don't think that I have truly experienced the insanity that everyone, Chinese and foreigners, alike, has expressed.

I was looking for a specific hat for Ralph. It was like looking for a needle in a hay stack of streets and streets of stores. I am extremely happy I put the picture ls on my iPod and all I needed was to ask and show the pictures. All in all the experience wasn't that bad. I did wait for them to find the amount of hats I needed and it was sweltering inside. If I stayed in there another hour I am certain I would have lost 10lbs in water weight.

My one hint to anyone who is going to brave Qipu Lu is bring the fierce with you and be ready to stomp it out like you're on the catwalk. Oh, and be patient. They don't know they are being cray cray.

P.S. Ralph, your directions suck a phat lollipop!!!

Originally written May 3, 2012

I think I should start a business

Business plans, business plans.

I have been thinking about being self-employed, but I keep running into a minor speed bump. What business should I run? I have tons of ideas. I am just not confident which one is the best. Part of me just says, "Just do it Joshua! Don't to think - be action."

Shanghai I a great place to start a business. There is a huge market and it does not need 100% domination to turn a profit. Also, this is a new market that is still open to new ideas. I could continue to teach English, earning and saving money for my business while paying off student loans.

Perhaps I should be a writer and go on random outings in Shanghai. I could then write about them an give pointers to the tourists and expats who would like pursue these things.

I have about ten more ideas. I need to secure a Chinese business partner for some of them and others I think I could attempt as a solo mission.

Decisions, decisions, and more decisions!

Time to see if all this education and experience has given me the wings to fly.

Starting my trot right before the big leap!

Written May 1, 2012

Sitting the backseat of a taxi driving down zhangyang road I have this incredible sensation or maybe disbelief. By the time I go home I will have lived in china for two years. My experience has been filled with ups and downs, good and bad feelings, but it all summed up in one word. Amazing.

Driving through Lujiazui and staring in amazement of all the lights and buildings. This has been my life for the last two years! This metropolis, with love and hate, has become my home. Shanghai is my first love is like my first love and I'm not sure if I can imagine a future without it.

I have lived in another country. Simply put. The Shanghainese expat life has become a household feeling for me, but tonight I cannot escape the feeling of being blessed. If there is a thin line between love and hate then that is exactly what I am feeling. I hate shanghai enough to want to return home, but love it too much to leave.

Sigh.


Quality not too good because of the light

Originally written two weeks ago (I don't remember the exact date)

Are you attracted to Asians?

If one more person asks me this I might have to get a bit wicked and use more caustic words. What purpose does this question serve than to perhaps expose your dislike? I almost do not even want to dignify such a question with an answer because I feel that to say I like one race over another is a betrayal of who I am.

Now, if you are a close friends then you probably know the answer to this. If you're a stranger, you have no business in asking such a tasteless question.

But to leave no room for wonder minds I will oblige such a question with an answer. Yes, I love Asians. I also love just about everything else out there. Why focus on one small local dish when you can enjoy all the flavors an international buffet can offer?