A tale of two cities

With Thanksgiving and two early releases last week, I've had a lot of time to start exploring Shanghai. Back in 2004 when I studied abroad in China, a classmate visited Shanghai's Urban Planning Museum, and she said it was incredible. So in all seriousness, that's where I wanted to start - mainly because of this:

This is an exact 1/500 scale model of Shanghai, and it took my breath away. My neighborhood is somewhere in the bottom right corner, but I never could pinpoint which building. To get an idea of the size, you can see a few schoolchildren on the viewing platform in the background. Going up one floor gave an even better view:

On the outer arc of where the river curves around is a promenade called the Bund, and that was my destination a few days later. The Bund used to be where trading ships would pull up along the bank of the river and unload goods, and over time the Western concessionary/colonial powers built some pretty grand buildings. The best time to visit is in the evening as all the lights are coming on. Along the west bank of the river is the old European side:

 Looking across to the east bank, you then see Thoroughly Modern China:

 All this in the same city! I felt truly excited to live in such a place. And the days just kept on being wonderful. I worked out at the neighborhood's giant recreation center, shopped for home decor in the French Concession, attended an international church, and joined a friendly group for dinner afterward at a trendy organic restaurant. And then the shock finally hit.

We were a large group, and when the meal was finished and the server brought our bill, I was stunned. It was the equivalent of two months salary for a local NGO worker in Xishuangbanna. Living in a cozy expat cocoon in a developed, international city had lulled me into thinking US-China culture shock wouldn't be an issue this time. But I wasn't prepared for Yunnan-Shanghai culture shock.

How does one move between such different worlds all the time and keep one's balance? How to have an ongoing dialogue with oneself about what standard of living is good and proper? Perhaps as a kind of penance, this week I've been packing lunches and seeking out the small food stalls in the alleys, but legalism probably isn't the best response either. No simple answers here.

Shanghai: same same, but different

Last Thursday I landed in Shanghai, back again for another few years in a country that is familiar yet changing all the time. China, it's good to be back.

This trip was the easiest travel to Asia I've ever done - a direct flight from LAX to PVG after meetings with other agencies in Los Angeles. Sitting next to me were a friendly old Chinese man and a cheerful twenty-something American guy who works for the US Forest Service. Not the Foreign Service, but the actual Forest Service - funny to meet someone from the agency that we get confused with a lot! Since neither one spoke the other's language, I did a little bit of translating for them.

A fellow officer from the consulate met us at the airport, and then we whisked through the "special channels" line at immigration and jumped in a van waiting to take us to our new homes. I'm on the 23rd floor of an apartment building, overlooking the former French Concession. It's an incredible place to live.

Every day familiar sights remind me of things I enjoyed about China before: vegetable carts on the street corner, tiny clothing boutiques, old people doing tai qi in the morning, breakfast street food.....well, any Chinese food!

Even so, this city is so, so different from anything in Yunnan (where I was before). 1930s European houses in leafy neighborhoods. British cafes selling $5 coffee. Prada, Coach, Louis Vuitton next to the consular section. Rumor has it that our "hardship differential" is being decreased next month, and I honestly can't argue with that. My colleagues are probably sick of hearing my frequent exclamations of "I can't believe this meal is so expensive" (although actually, it's about the same as DC prices).

The photo above is inside the shopping mall where our consular section is located. Next time I'll write more about what it's like working here. Happy Thanksgiving!

Nearing the finish line...or the starting point

Today was my last day of training at FSI, and boy did that thought help me jump out of bed this morning and get moving. Since finishing ConGen, I've had classes in team-building, security overseas, topics in China studies, and online training, all in the name of filling up time before departure to post. There have been useful and insightful parts of these classes, but I'm definitely feeling more ready to get to work.

And yet, when 3 days of class were cancelled this week due to Hurricane Sandy, I wasn't too distressed! Since we never lost power in my apartment complex, the days were restful and cozy - sleeping in, extended time to pray and journal, hitting the gym, movies and board games with coworkers, and um.....eating lots of junk food. The current situation for the hurricane victims north of here is so distressing, but it was merciful that we were spared anything like that here and ended up having a mini-vacation instead.

Next week will be my last time in DC for a while, and instead of classes, I'm given "consultation days." This includes one last briefing, meeting with my mentor, checking out with way too many offices, and Packout #2 of this career. After two years of being a grad student, then having two months of idleness and 4 more months of classes and training, it feels good to be reaching the end of being a student for a little while and the beginning of real responsibilities. A little scary, but good.

One last thing for now - here's a short film about what Foreign Service Officers actually do! Many scenes in the life of ambassadors and junior officers, FSOs sharing their experiences in the application process, and shots of the mock visa windows and prison cell we used in consular training. But best of all, it shows my flag day! The 168th A-100 class and I appear around 10:00. Enjoy!