Archive for December, 2006
December 21, 2006 at 7:11 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Well as of Friday morning, I’m exchanging the humid cold and pollution of Shanghai for the humid warmth and clear blue of the Caribbean. I begin my journey with 25 hours of airplanes and airports including 5–that’s right, count them, 5–airports ending in Fort Lauderdale, Florida late Friday night. It always amazes me how you can leave in the morning, fly for 20-some hours and still arrive at your destination the same day.
Then my family and I will embark on our Christmas cruise around the Western Caribbean, where I’ll be marking J (Jamaica) off my alphabetical list of countries. Besides enjoying time with my family, I’ll be soaking up the rays, appreciating the indulgence of non-Chinese gourmet cooking, staying warm without 4 layers, an overcoat, gloves, scarf, and hat, recovering my health, donning sunglasses, and relaxing, shopping, and site-seeing. Oh, I can’t wait!
After a week cruising Princess around the Caribbean, I’ll return to Phoenix for a week of catching up with friends and the other half of my family, taking care of various necessities, and celebratin’ New Year’s Eve in style! Anyone knows what’s goin on for NYE in Phoenix, hit up my cell phone (old number) or email me. I look forward to catching up with everybody for the week I’m in town and cheering on the USC Trojans in another Rose Bowl!
If you’re a Shanghai reader and already missing me, not to worry, I’ll be back to endure the cold with you in Shanghai on January 7th.
And with my departure time rapidly approaching (though not nearly rapidly enough), it’s time to wish everyone, including my anonymous readers, a very Happy, Healthy, and Safe Holiday Season.
CHEERS!
December 20, 2006 at 4:07 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Well as many of you know by now, a large part of my job is outside sales, including cold calling. So one day when I was out making sales calls in (one of) the consulate district, we decided to try to call on a couple of consulates we didn’t have appointments with, including the … Consulate General of … Cuba!!!
Why on earth does Cuba need a consulate in Shanghai? I’m not even sure that Cuba needs an embassy in Beijing. There can’t be that many nationals going between the two countries, especially since Cubans aren’t allowed to leave their country and if Chinese want to visit Cuba, they can’t exactly go through the US. Also, considering Cuba is still a tightly controlled economy, I doubt there is much trade between the two countries. Not to mention, I’m not sure where Cuba would get the money to support a consulate Shanghai. Well my skepticism was well-founded: the Cuban consulate informed us they haven’t held any meetings, banquets, or other events in years and basically almost never have people come to Shanghai, but they’ll take our info nonetheless. When briefly stepping into their office, it was far smaller than any other consulate I’d been to in Shanghai, dingy and fairly worn down, and would be lucky if even 2 people worked there.
Overall, a very curious experience to know about and then actually go to the Consulate General of Cuba in Shanghai.
—————————————————In October, I ordered a product online from a company called Beach Audio located in southern California and then had it shipped to my address in Phoenix. Subsequently, they sent me an email asking how their service was, but since I hadn’t personally received the product I didn’t respond. Then in mid-November when my mom brought me the product, I found out there were some problems with it. I contacted them about possible remedies and there was no response. Grrrrr. I sent them another upset email trying to garner some response. This time I received a fairly quick and honest reply stating that they didn’t have the product that I had ordered and instead they would issue me a full refund! Yay for an honest online company. This was even well after their refund and exchange period had passed, so I’m quite glad they offered me a refund. It seems the effort paid off and the situation was remedied, though I am still looking for that specific product. Though there handling of the situation wasn’t perfect, it was enough for me to strongly consider ordering from them in the future, and I think that speaks well given there are so many online audio accessory retailers.
—————————————————-It seems networking has finally paid off. I recently had a shopping customer who didn’t find my website directly but had my service recommended to him by a friend. Although he was Australian, his Swedish friend suggested it to him, but it was another Swedish friend who first knew about it. This is a bit curious to me as I don’t recall meeting any Swedish people and promoting my business to them, but hey, I won’t argue with it! Shopping clients anyway they find me are great! And word of mouth is even better because it carries more validation and people believe it to be more trustworthy. Yay for networking and new clients for my business! 
December 17, 2006 at 12:41 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences
Changes are certainly afoot in Shanghai. The neighborhood I live in, Xujiahui will soon be one of the crosshairs of local transportation in Shanghai. Already subway Line 1 goes through Xujiahui but they are planning to have 1 or 2 more lines also go through the same location. I don’t follow the development closely because I rarely take the subway from Xujiahui since it is a 20min walk from my house and I find buses and the occasional taxi to be much more convenient.
However, during the summer, when Irene and Jeni were still in Shanghai we spent a lot of time eating, shopping, and wandering around the shopping malls at the Xujiahui intersection, so I came to know the area pretty well. We often ate at restaurants in Grand Gateway or Metro City. After they left, I mostly stopped going there because it was no longer very convenient for me or for meeting friends.
Then one day I decided to go down there and eat lunch. Was I in for a surprise! In less than 6 weeks since we’d eaten at the Korean restaurant behind Grand Gateway, that whole strip of restaurants was GONE! That explains why all the restaurants were duplicated, both inside Grand Gateway and outside behind it: all of the outside ones were slated for destruction.
They had to be torn down to make room for the new subway lines going in. Although it’ll still be a while before the subway lines are open and connected, its obvious that progress is being made. Maybe with so many transportation connections at that intersection it will bring my friends closer to me or maybe it will be more convenient for me to use the subway.
Also since moving into my apartment in July, I’ve seen buildings go from skeleton structures to fully completed buildings, with occupants ranging from homeowners to Starbucks Coffee. It’s really quite amazing and interesting to see all the changes, both constructive and destructive going on around me.
Shanghai is definitely an evolving city. Before I moved here, I heard from people like Brenda and my Chinese teacher who go overseas for study that if they only get back to Shanghai once per 6 months or once per year, it can be difficult for them to recognize the city because it changes so fast. Now I know what they’re talking about. With mall developers buying places like the XiangYang market and tearing it down, leaving shoppers and sellers in the lurch, it can be difficult if not impossible for travel books to keep up with the changes. If someone has an LP book, even the new China one, it will still send s/he to XiangYang market, which no longer exists. Therefore, to get updated info on Shanghai, travelers really need an inside connection or need to read the Internet to find the most recent information on location changes and openings and closings.
If you’re a resident of or a frequent visitor to Shanghai, I encourage you to be observant of the changes going on in the city and welcome you to be astounded at their rapid pace.
December 13, 2006 at 3:16 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Learning through Foreign Cultures, Peace Through Tourism
I’m so proud of myself in terms of my geographic knowledge and country knowledge. Even though it was not enough to let me pass the US Foreign Service exam it’s still far more than the average person and enough to impress others at cocktail parties.
When I was at the Interchamber Mixer on Wednesday last week, I asked one of the rare black guys in Shanghai, where are you from and he said Cameroon. And then he asked the obvious question, do you know where that is? After about 10-12 seconds I said, west Africa. And with a pleased but surprised tone to his voice he said, wow, how did you know that? My answer: I studied African geography as part of my prep for the Foreign Service exam, and I’m planning to go to Africa in the next year.
Later that same evening, a guy said to me, I’m from Belgrade, do you know where that is? In the Balkans, was my response. Again, I was correct!
The location of Mauritius is also a popular discussion as many Chinese have immigrated to Mauritius and many native Mauritians play in bands in Hong Kong and Shanghai. By the way, it’s an island off the coast of Africa.
Also while at the Interchamber Mixer, I met a Dutch guy and I wished him Happy Sinterklaas and he was of course surprised that same random American girl was wishing him Happy Sinterklaas. Then I explained last year I celebrated Sinterklaas with my Dutch friends on exchange in the US. He accepted that and then proceeded to explain the holiday in detail to an American we were chatting with. Just the day before I had emailed my Dutch friends and acquaintances to wish them Happy Sinterklaas and one who I don’t know very well asked me why do you know about Dutch holidays. My response to him? How am I supposed to find a Dutch boyfriend if I don’t know about Dutch holidays. 
I’ve also gotten pretty good at guessing people’s native countries. But there are so many small countries in Europe that unless you listen closely to the language, it can be hard to pinpoint. While shopping on Saturday there were some good-looking European guys also in the same shops we and so I asked them, “Are you German or Dutch?” They said, “No, we’re from Belgium.” I said, “Oh, I’m sorry.” And one of them commented, ‘wow, your knowledge of Europe is very good to know to apologize.’
Yay! for being culturally aware.
December 4, 2006 at 4:14 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Entrepreneurship & Business
As I sit at my job, I think it’s all right. The job itself is actually pretty good, yet I can’t help but wonder, is this it? I know I’m doing it for the pay and the experience now, because I know I’m young and have many opportunities ahead of me and I just need the experience first, before I can move on. Then I look at my colleagues, some of whom are the same age as me, but most of whom are older, have worked here for a longtime, maybe have kids or are about to have kids and I wonder what they think. I don’t see passion in their faces or hear it in their voices; many of them work 6 or 7 long days every week and I wonder why they do it, especially when they seem so listless. They clearly aren’t here for the experience, so I wonder if they are ok with the situation or if they’re (secretly) hoping for something better, or is it simply part of their mindset (rooted in Chinese culture) to just suffer through their boring jobs to provide a better future for their children.
In the past few months here, I’ve started exploring the attitudes toward work, entrepreneurship, and employment situations across cultures. What keeps people forcing themselves to get up and go to the same dreaded job every morning?
For example, my Dutch friend, Maarten, works in a large, well-respected Dutch company in Shanghai. He has commented to me that the Chinese employees that he works with are about as listless as my colleagues, but yet, in the mindset of many Chinese, having a secure, well-paid job at a big foreign company like that is the career goal in life. Despite the fact that these employees have attained the perhaps ultimate goal, they seem as bored in their jobs as anyone else. In fact, many of them (as reported to me) waste most of the day chatting on the Internet. Likewise, if we had Internet, I believe my colleagues would likely do the same thing. If you’re that bored with your job, is it really worth the security? Shouldn’t work challenge you, interest you, and make you believe you’re working toward a larger goal?
In Europe, much as Maarten described the goal being in China, people seek an employment contract with a big European company. This situation provides security because European employment contracts are hard to cancel. It also offers good pay and the possibility for advancement. If you have a good job, with the security in Europe, and are possibly on the management track, you have no reason to seek an alternative. You have the rest of your working career, including nearly 3months of paid holiday per year, already planned out for you. You have attained the ideal situation. There’s no reason to look further.
In the US, on the other hand, even if someone has a well-paid job, though by no means nearly as secure as those in Europe, nor with nearly as much vacation time, they often do wonder, is this it? They may look for a new job, with a better position, a higher salary, more responsibility. They wouldn’t be content to be just secure. Or, as is the American ideal, they may consider entrepreneurship. They may decide to take their skills and knowledge and experiences and go out on their own, to start their own venture. Entrepreneurship is the driving force of the American economy and small businesses are also the country’s largest employer. In this regard, the US is very different from Europe, with its risk-taking, pioneering, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Now back to China…where, between these two extremes, is China? In my experience, China is far more entrepreneurial than Europe. Some people start businesses at a young age and others, like many Americans, also get bored in their jobs and after saving enough opt, too, for the entrepreneurial route. I’m not sure that China is quite as driven by the appeal of starting your own business as Americans, but nonetheless the interest is certainly there.
So, then, what has happened to my colleagues and to Maarten’s colleagues? Are they too much a product of the Cultural Revolution, where they fear any success may be instantly stripped from them? But then, how has China produced so many extremely successful entrepreneurs in the last 15years, including the world’s wealthiest woman? It’s more likely they haven’t been exposed to the concept enough to consider it a possibility. And also possibly, that they’re willing to tolerate boredom 8hours a day in exchange for security, or in the case of the managers, long hours and hard work just for the sake of providing a secure life and steady income. And for some, they may not have the resources and capabilities to take a risk and go out on their own. It’s not a simple question to answer. Perhaps it’s the same thing that keeps many Americans stuck in boring jobs with mediocre pay…but what is it?
As for me, I certainly don’t plan to be ‘stuck in a boring job with mediocre pay’ my whole life. There’s far too much life to live and world to see for me to be willing to spend 8+ hours a day working for someone else. I just hope my own businesses will make progress fast so that I can be working for myself sooner rather than later. On that note, its time to put some effort into China Resources ASAP…
December 3, 2006 at 6:18 am · Filed under Uncategorized, Knowledge and Experiences, Learning through Foreign Cultures
Having ridden the subway and buses over an extended period of time in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, I find that the preferred activities engaged in during time spent traveling vary a lot between countries. I’ve survived the super-packed morning rush hour in Madrid and Hong Kong and the potentially even more squished evening rush hour in Beijing and Shanghai. Thank god for being tall.
Smoking
First of all, smoking is banned in all subway stations and trains, and on all public buses in all the cities I’ve referred to. And I’m extremely grateful for that!
Eating
Eating is a different story… The only city that bans eating on subway trains and stations is Hong Kong. In Spain as well as in Shanghai, eating is permitted. However, the Spanish (particularly in Madrid) tend to eat on the subway a lot more than people in Shanghai. This is because the Chinese feel that the subway trains are very dirty, which of course they are since more than 1million people travel on them each day. (But, if you’ve seen some of the local food joints, you’d wonder if they were any cleaner.) Although, for eating on buses, I’d say the percentage of people seen eating on buses in the 3 cities is about the same.
Listening to music
With the proliferation of i-Pods and other MP3 players, listening to music is a very popular activity. My opinion is that the smallest percentage of people listening to music is in Shanghai. This may be because, despite being the wealthiest city in China, incomes are still very low and even with the multitude of cheap knock-offs many people still can’t afford personal music devices. Listening to music is very popular while traveling in Hong Kong. But one of the most poignant memories I have is of being on a subway train in Madrid; I was standing across the full, but not overly crowded train car from someone who, at about 8am, was listening to techno. Though, through a headset, the music was still loud enough for the entire train car to hear and lament how much drinking and listening to techno they’d done over the weekend. I think someone needs to learn how to adjust the volume. Wow, by the time I got off, I had a headache from all the techno.
Chatting
Chatting on subways or buses is the most popular in Shanghai, though the college students leaving school on Friday afternoons in Hong Kong are also quite chatty. After that, I’d say Madrid is a chattier city than Barcelona. Chatting works in Shanghai, because it’s free and people seem to travel with a companion more in Shanghai than in other cities.
Arguing/Fighting
I’ve found arguing, bordering on fighting, to be most prevalent in Shanghai. People will fight over seats or who pushed who first, or whose kid stole whose seat. In China, brief encounters can turn into protracted arguments, or even fights, because of the need to save face. Those involved will continue to argue and throw out flashy retorts or comebacks to try to make the other person lose face. This wouldn’t be nearly so prevalent if it weren’t for the fact that every argument draws a crowd of on-lookers. In many Chinese people’s minds, this is the most enjoyable (and cheapest) form of entertainment. I’ve never encountered anything close to this in other cities, although at times I did feel the tension in the air on the Madrid subway.
Pushing
I’ve been pushed and shoved and watched pushing in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Madrid, but mainland China is by far the worst. In the other cities, it only happens during rush hour on the subways, but in China, it happens on buses too and anytime of the day. In Shanghai and Beijing I’ve been shoved on subways and been pushed toward the doors even when they were still closed! Foreigners who’ve lived in Shanghai for awhile and then go to Hong Kong rave about how much more civilized subway travel is in Hong Kong. For the most part, this is true. However, when I ask them, did you ride the cross harbor train during morning rush hour? And they reply, well, no. And I say, ok, after you do that, let me know if you think HK is still so much more polite than Shanghai. In Madrid too, people have pushed to get on crowded trains.
Pan-handling
There is definitely begging that goes on in Shanghai (and Beijing) subway trains, though never that I’ve seen on buses. I don’t think I ever saw a beggar on a subway in HK, though I’m not positive. There may have been beggars on subways in Madrid, but I don’t recall exactly.
Reading
I was very surprised to find that in Shanghai, people rarely read on buses or trains. This is true to such an extent that I have been stared at (aside from normally being stared at) for reading on buses. People often like to read over my shoulder and comment on what I’m reading as if reading is a novelty in China. People do often read newspapers while traveling in Hong Kong. But reading was most common in Spain. It is also the easiest there, because they hand out free newspapers as you enter the subway, called “Metro.” But besides this, people would often read novels and other publications, even while standing close together during rush hour. After being in Spain and finding so many people reading, I was a bit surprised by how few people read in Shanghai. I wonder if its because the trains are too packed, if people can’t afford reading material, if people are illiterate, if the censorship makes reading useless, or if China is that much less of an intellectual society.
Sleeping
Quite possibly the favorite pastime of transportation riders in Shanghai–Sleeping. They opt out of reading and listening to music to rest their eyes, pretend they’re sleeping, or actually fall asleep. People occasionally did the same thing in Madrid or Hong Kong, but not to the extent it’s done in Shanghai. At first I thought it was strange that people slept on buses and in trains in the morning, during evening rush hour, and in the middle of the afternoon. However, after falling asleep once or twice on a bus myself, I don’t blame them; Shanghai is an exhausting city and the commutes can be long, so if I can get a 20min nap in while I wait for the bus to pass through the cross-river tunnel, it seems like a good alternative to me.
Speaking of, its sleep time for me.
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