7/4/06 ~ Arrival

I have arrived safely in Shanghai. Check-in and the flight went smoothly. It was a 12 hour flight from San Francisco. The hotel car picked me up at the airport. The driver was burping, which I understand to be quite acceptable in public here. The car ride from the airport is about 45 minutes.

Upon arrival in my room I plugged in my power strip to the adapter and blew out the electrical fuse. So housekeeping had to come to trip the fuse. I don’t need an adapter after all.

The hotel is nice. There is a gym and swimming pool (which I must wear a swimming cap in), 4 restaurants (Japanese, Korean, Shanghaiense, and a general restaurant now serving a German buffet dinner in honor of world cup), a karaoke bar, health spa, pool table and garden rooftop bar (which I won’t be going to for a while since the weather is 90, feels like 105, and there is about 85% humidity).

Breakfast is included in my stay. It is buffet style with all kinds of food, including traditional American (made-to-order eggs, bacon, sausage, cereal like coco-crispies, fruit loops, corn flakes, juices like tomato, orange, grapefruit and apple, and of course coffee), German (breads, cheeses, scalloped potatoes, franks and beans), Japanese (miso soup, dried vegetables), fruit and vegetables, and other items I wouldn’t consider for breakfast such as Thai fried rice or fried vermicelli and vegetables. There are a lot of items I do not yet know what they really are, and have not tasted. All in good time.

My hotel room includes a hot pot for making hot water, and at some point I’ll probably find “just add water” soups and such to make small dinners. I also have a mini-bar in the room, so I can keep some small food items chilled. I get about 50 tv channels, including CNN, ESPN, HBO and Cinemax in English.

There is major construction everywhere.

I am able to walk to work in about 15 minutes. Cars, mopeds and bicycles all have the right of away, not pedestrians, so I must remember to be careful and always be on the lookout. The streets are crowded (of course with a population of 13 million). My work is located at Grand Gateway Shopping Mall, which I hope to check out soon, which is also on top of a major subway stop, so I’ll have easy access to the rest of city.

My first day of work went well. My co-workers all speak English, and most have either lived in the U.S. or visited at some point. (Bill L. grew up in Toronto and raised his children in San Francisco before returning to China and Eric C. went to graduate school in Milwaukee from 1989-1990, then moved to Connecticut before returning to Taiwan and then to China). But the first meeting I attended both Chinese and English were used. Surprisingly, I followed along rather well and even contributed to the discussion. But the meetings are chaotic, with people having side conversations, taking cell phone calls. One of the team members quit over the weekend by sending an email that he needed to go to Canada to be with his wife and daughter.
Most of the team is younger (mid to late 20s). The 3 people I will mostly be working with (Helen, Eric and Bill) appear to be about my age however.

Bill and Eric took me to a traditional Shanghaienese restaurant for lunch in the Grand Gateway mall and ordered tons of food: Lotus Flower roots (very sweet and tasty), bean curds with kelp and peanuts, chicken soup, beef with mushrooms and onions, Lion’s Head (pork meatballs), baby shrimps with vinegar, steamed spinach, and green tea. Green tea is preferred in this region, whereas most other parts of Asia drink black tea.

During lunch we discussed politics a bit, which surprised me, as the guide books I’ve read said that wasn’t really done. I’m sure it has something to do with them having lived in the U.S. previously. Bill explained that the 20-somethings today are not interested in politics or history, although they are proud of their country. They are more focused on education, career, and family.

KFC and Pizza Hut are not considered fast food places here; in fact, quite the opposite, since it may take up to 2 hours to get a table.

I'm sure you are all waking up now getting ready to eat burgars and brats and watch fireworks. I just finished work and am drinking Heineken (because I'm a beer snob and refuse to buy Budweiser. and they are only 80 cents a can) and eating salted peanuts and snicker bars for dinner. My co-worker Eve took me out for Vietnamese for lunch. I wish I had more practice (and knew all the ettiquette rules) with using chopsticks.

More soon!