First Impressions and Orientation
Anywhere I travel, I am always most mesmerized by those early moments driving through a city for the first time. After arriving to Pudong Airport, I climbed onto a bus with 40 other study abroad students to find our new home at East China Normal University. We were immediately greeted by the sights, smells, and sounds of Shanghai at night. An infinite number of skyscrapers dotted alongside the highway. Large stretches of smog hovered over the city. Vendors scattered across streets selling grilled skewers of meet. Bright neon advertisements pierced the dark. Scooters and bikes zigzagged between cars in a breathtaking rhythm. That night was when I first observed the numerous and intriguing contradictions that make Shanghai so interesting and exciting.
From the start of orientation we were all given a high expectation to practice our Chinese at all times.It was humorous at first to learn how the school established a “language cop” to ensure we are as immersed in Chinese as possible. Soon we found how difficult it was to keep ourselves to this standard but it also became fun to try our best to express ourselves in Chinese as much as our language skills allowed.
During orientation, we were given numerous, engaging opportunities to explore our new home. One day, we all competed in a parody of the Amazing Race. In this version, we worked in groups to interpret a list of clues (all in characters of course) to complete a list of tasks in different parts of the city. It was a fun way to explore the different neighborhoods of Shanghai, learn how to use the metro for the first time, and bond with our teams. By the end of the week, we thrilled to know we weren’t just in Shanghai to visit and we could call this vibrant city home.
