Well, after a hectic and frantic month of selling and moving, a month long of saying goodbye and kickin it with my closest friends, I am finally in Shanghai. The first few days were still very fresh and surreal since Charles was still here. It felt like vacation. Today has been the first real day where I have seen nobody, talked to nobody and felt completely alone in this huge city of 22 million. Reminded me of my first days living in LA, going to 3rd Street Promenade and walking along the pacific ocean alone thinking "what the hell am I doing here".
China continues to blow my expectations. New commercial developments on every corner, clean roads (I see workers constantly cleaning the streets) traffic control, no more spitting on the floors, actually lining up for subways.. slowly but surely this city is really trying hard to blow the expectations of all the haters out there. The locals tell me that they are emulating to be as clean as Singapore, which is remarkable, but it is encouraging to see the Shanghainese take such measures to strive for the best. Signs of spring are already here, the streets are lined with spring flowers, and it makes the streets beautiful. The bright neon lights that illuminate the city never ceases to amaze me, and I am always in awe. The locals have been so friendly to me so far. They realize I am a forigener and take the time to help me with things and are much more polite than what I remembered before.
Coming from LA, I feel super "country" sometimes being amazed at living in a city that is the equivilent of NYC and then some. The city growth is phenomenal however with growth comes growing pains. Pollution is ridiculous, smoking constantly everywhere makes me cough all the time now. The mix of the super wealthy and the super poor makes you think-- how to the poor live in a city that is pretty much now catering to the rich and elite?
Although I miss being in my daily routine and having my go to friends back home, it is a breath of fresh air here in a city where nobody really knows your past, nobody really knows who you are. On the flip side, it also is very exhausting to me. The first night E brought us out to the hot new lounge/club in Shanghai. It was super pretentious and filled with attractive and what seemed to be wealthy people. It really discouraged me and made me think- God, please don't tell me this is going to be my scene here because I sure as hell can't handle it. I hope I can find my niche and my scene soon.
When I moved to LA 9 years ago from Arizona, it felt right and I never looked back for a moment. This time around, I am definitely more homesick for LA... and it has only been a week. The everyday conveniences of driving, being able to store things in my trunk, eating with friends, even Internet access has been challenging. Not having a phone that works here is also super challenging. Never in my life have I "dined out" alone, and in the past week I have already eaten 2 meals alone while listening to others have a meal together.
Things will be OK. I just need to give it time. I miss my friends back home dearly, but I am excited to see what the future brings me. So much opportunity here in Shanghai and China. I am beginning to realize how lucky and fortunate I am to have things taken care for me back home, while also having this time to explore and live out my dream.
Excited to see what the next few months will bring for me. I must keep a positive outlook and I must be open to all new experiences. Seize the moment and appreciate everything that I have.
