August 2013 ~ Summer [China Edition]

Friday, August 16, 2013

Classes are over.

9:50 AM Thomas Nguyen No comments

Today, we took the last final and we had our closing ceremony. Most of us then went out to KTV before heading out. It was really bittersweet. We were pretty glad that we made it to the end and that all our hard work has paid off. But at the same time, we're pretty sad because we all have to leave. It was the last time we were all together. Even if we come back to Shanghai, it won't be the same because all of students came from around the States to come here during one summer. Not trying to make this go down a super sad road but I'm pretty sad about the end.

Since we spent a lot of time this semester on class work and projects, we didn't really get to see much of China, or Shanghai even. I heard the non-summer semesters are more leisurely in that regards. We decided to dress up in our nice clothes (so basically, we all wore our tailored outfits, which I will detail about it another post) and head over to 东方明珠塔 (The Oriental Pearl Tower). We paid 220rmb for the top ticket. We didn't eat at the restaurant because we heard it was pretty bad. All the reviews and Chinese roommates said so. Also, the top floor of the Pearl Tower is not worth it. I mean, if you want to go up there, go for it. But I thought the second floor (not really floor I guess since there's a lot but the second floor which they take you to) was the best. If you go down one floor from the second floor, there's glass floors and the windows aren't completely sealed so it's nice and breezy.

Afterwards, we met up with some other friends at a restaurant and ate xiaolongbao. Definitely a Shanghai filled day.

Today was really tiring but I'll definitely remember all of this!

When we got back to Tonghe, I realized how oddly quiet it was. It wasn't as lively as it use to be for a Friday night. I realized a lot of people had left. Our friends from Boston. The Fudan students are on break. Most of us are well on our way packing and leaving. It just made me feel that it really is time to leave.

Shanghai, you've definitely been a city of wonder~

新天地 Thursday splurging~

11:48 PM Thomas Nguyen No comments

Hey Y'all,

Yesterday we only had morning classes! Today we took a group picture in front of the Fudan Main Gate and then took our exit exam, which is the same exam we take for the placement. Anways, since we had time yesterday, we decided to head to 新天地 (Xintiandi) for lunch. 新天地 is this really high-end developed area in Shanghai so a lot of things here are nicer and expensive. There's more foreigners in this area and most of the restaurants will be able to speak English.

I got this for 88rmb plus a sprite for 15rmb. A bit pricey but it was so good.

We went to this German restaurant that some of our friends went to before. The burgers were really good. I heard the Goulash was not so great, so definitely don't get that. I just hang out with my friends while we ate. I'm not sure what my friend, Giulianna, got but apparently she had a really good beer. That was also a bit pricey. But hey, 新天地 style!

After eating, we went around to browse the stores. Everything was literally so expensive. Little trinkets and charms were probably over 10USD and a tea set was over 100USD. Granted, it's probably nice quality and such but I could get something from Chinatown that looks just as nice for less.

We then went into the mall. On a side note, this mall has a club in it called G+ which we went to before. The stores in the mall were even more expensive then anything I've seen in China. The most expensive things were 6000USD and just the normal clothes ranged from 100-400USD. I've never seen stores like that in my life. You can literally just walk in and touch everything and what not. I've been to quite a bit of nice stores in the US but it definitely felt a lot classier if it was worth more. But then again, I guess 新天地 is more of a rich area compared to randomly walking into a mall.

After browsing a bunch of stores, we decided to head to the international supermarket! Right next to the international supermarket was a store that sold this famous cat icon thing. Not sure how to explain it quite well but you'll understand. It's like going into a Disney store or something. I got a bunch of stuff for friends here.

Aren't they super cute?

Afterwards we went into the international store to check it out. I had been there before but I grabbed some granola bars because I just saw it and impulse bought it? Other than that, I bought a going away present for my roommate and his girlfriend. My roommate is here for the fall semester!!!! Win~

Only one more week :( I'll keep you all updated!

Food is worth every single cent!

3:24 AM Thomas Nguyen No comments

Hey everyone,

It's going to a busy last couple of weeks. There's a lot of projects and tests and just everything. And I'm getting more and more frustrated that good things have to come to an end. Anyways, I just wanted to talk a bit about food.

As you all know, there's a lot of great cheap things. The main thing is food!

Obviously, there's a lot of meals that are more expensive but you can generally get a good meal for really cheap. Usually students around Tonghe like to grab something from the stores out in front. One of the popular ones right now is "Mom's." It's a nice store that cooks a box set for you or has a wrap (I think it might be jidan bing). My personal favorite is Taiwan's Best, which mainly sold fried chicken. I got a Crispy Chicken on Rice box from there almost everyday for ~20rmb. Another one is a Wonton place not too far away. I usually get Wonton with noodles for 9 rmb.

Recently, I went down to a nicer area closer to Wujiaochang. It's a lot cleaner and has pricer meals but honestly, it's still super affordable. Take a look!