上海, 我们爱你 – a short update from Shanghai
When you are young and out and about in the world it is crucial to keep in mind that everything will work out in the end. Evan though this is not always true it is a strategic mindset for someone, like I, who often stress over minor setbacks. The train to the airport is delayed, you forget your iPod cord, and when you arrive to the six hour transfer in Qatar the air hostess happily announces it is the public holiday of Ramadan and that food will not be consumed in public. As I walk through security I see myself eating a sandwich in a bathroom stall. At the same time I am convinced these situations, and you dealing with them, is an important part of life. They also make for great stories. The first thing I see as I make my way past security is a terminal packed with people, all munching away on something. So that problem solved itself pretty fast. My iPod cord is another cookie. I guess I will just have to buy a new one in Shanghai, but that is what my student loan is for right?
I have finally begun the second round of my Shanghai adventure. My two months will be filled with expo extravaganza, late nights, and Chinese studies. Needless to say, it feels great to go, especially to Shanghai, the city that never ceases to amaze me.
There is a lot of talk about Shanghai, how big it is, how fast it is developing, and what an unbeatable cosmopolitan air it boasts. Who am I to argue with that? I once mentioned to my brother that Shanghai is the Manhattan of Asia to which he replied “just wait until Manhattan is the Shanghai of America”.
