If you read my guest blog post, you know that I was a bit hesitant about coming to Shanghai. I wasn’t sure about my internship, my living situation, or anything really. But I am quickly seeing that this will prove to be one of the most influential experiences of my life. Only in China can you travel down a sketch looking alleyway and find a plethora of small decent eateries while at the same time only a few streets down, huge Coach, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co. shops exist. Shanghai is nothing like I expected, in an extremely satisfying kind of way.
My internship is certainly not a coffee and donut kind of job. Already, I have visited a migrant school, a disabled home, and a community center. I've written countless reports and presentations, and it’s only been two weeks. In my spare time, I’ve been able to hang out with other interns and sample Shanghainese museums, shops, and of course, nightlife. In a few hours, we're all leaving to visit the neighboring city of Hangzhou and climb Moganshan (pictures and blog post to follow after trip).
It's weird for me to think that I only arrived here two weeks ago, because I feel like I've lived here forever and have assimilated to my surroundings. Of course, this could just be the honeymoon phase of culture shock, but let's hope not.
What are your experiences with culture shock?
No comments:
Post a Comment