Finally settled in in Shanghai, so far everything is more pleasing than what I ever expected from a Chinese city. The 1st day we arrived here, our cab driver already left us a very good impression when he helped us with our luggages and made sure we found our way as he couldn't pass through the small street leading to our hostel. This is really something one can barely encounter in Xiamen, where the cab drivers are mostly impatient and somewhat rude.
Many local strangers we bumped into here are very helpful, sometimes when they see you foreigner can't understand something, they actually come over with their own initiative and try to help. Again, something I didn't experience back in Xiamen. First I thought maybe it's because more people in Shanghai speak English than in Xiamen, but one day I was on the bus and asked the driver how many stops to get to the metro station with a very low voice, the driver could even barely hear me. When it was time to get off, an old lady approached me and grabbed me saying this is where I get off to go to the metro, and even explained how to walk there. I was surprised and quite impressed as I didn't even think anyone else heard me, let alone an old lady who should already have hearing problem at her age. So it's not the English after all, people in this city might just be more helpful.
I moved into the beautiful apartment on the picture, in a not so busy area, chinese only community, I don't see any foreigners here except me and my roommate, both of us anyway also look very local.. It's a little bit dirty and less modern, this area, and our apartment building from the outside looks really really crappy, but the inside is one of the coziest apartment I've ever been into! The den by the window overlooking the Bund is just so awesome. Our landlord is also a super nice guy and very laid-back, while most foreigners need to pay deposit and 3 months rent in advance, we only have to pay rent monthly, plus he takes care of our bills and comes every month to settle it with us.
The university itself, Fudan University, although a little bit far, is a very professional place compared to Xiamen University, where the registration process was very smooth and they did not "forget" to tell us anything we need to know, they made it so much easier for us, not much queueing up like in Xiamen and going back and forth here and there to get some documents, all were done and given to us on the first day of registration, finished everything in about half an hour.
The classes so far are ok, I got into a quite advanced group, so I need to do extra work this semester. My classmates are mostly Japanese, because there aren't many non-asian people in advanced level, I even have a Malaysian and Singaporean in the class, both Chinese, and here we thought all chinese Sing and Malay speak enough Chinese to skip these language classes. But I really miss my friends and former classmates in Xiamen, I think I was really lucky to find so many good people in such a short period of time. I miss my better half there, Manolo, aka my neighbor in class through out the whole last semester, I think it's almost impossible to find his replacement ANYWHERE.
All in all, I like this city a lot, except for the super crappy weather so far: either freezing cold and super windy, or rain rain rain! I wish for spring to come soon...
