Hanging Out in Shanghai

Shanghai was an exciting place to visit.  We had a humorous tour guide named David who took the Saint Peter's University group around to different places to explore, shop, and eat.  Throughout our bus rides we noticed that families hung their clothes outside of their windows.  I wonder if this behavior breaks some form of hazardous regulations.  The tour guide informed us that the majority of people do not own a washer or dryer.   These are the type of amenities that people from America take for granted.  I felt nostalgic thinking of memories with helping my grandmother hang clothes in our backyard when I was growing up.   

First Time Abroad

Eating Lazy Suzan Style

#chinahongkong2014

I enjoyed eating at round tables because it forced people to be aware of others and work together during lunch and dinner.  There is no head at the table and everyone can see each other equally.  Dr. Alorbi challenged me to use my chopsticks to embrace the Chinese culture which was harder than I thought.  However, by the end of the trip, I was more advanced at using chopsticks along with the rest of the group.  Rice and eggs seem to be a standard dish at every place we ate.  The desert was usually watermelon, oranges, and dragon fruit. You could always expect free beer with your meals.  I was skeptical about eating certain foods that I couldn't recognize.  The Chinese admit that they eat all types of animals and insects.  I decided to eat mostly vegetables throughout the week to avoid getting sick from something my body is not use to eating.     

We had an interesting visit to Shanghai GM, a 50-50 joint venture between General Motors Co. and SAIC China, founded in 1999.  China is the 2nd largest market for GM, and we saw the assemblyline at the plant.  With over 24 million people in Shanghai, traffic is a major concern, and buying the car is only half the work, since the local government levies a tax up to 90,000 yuan ($14,530) for the license plate to be issued (for a Businessweek article on the topic, click here).

Blaney Blog 4 Business

When I viewed the landscape of Hong Kong I couldn’t help but notice that the 2^nd tallest building with 88 stories on the island looks exactly like the Goldman Sachs 42 stories building in Jersey City. Nonetheless,  I was proved correct when I visited a local museum during my free time to learn that the same architect - Cesar Pelli - designed both skyscrapers to house financial organizations. (1st photo is the H.K site taken by me and the 2nd is the J.C site obtain from the web.)

Blaney Blog 3 Economics

The foreign exchange rate for 1 US dollar is about 6 Chinese - Yuan and 7 Hong Kong- Dollars.  Currently, the American currency has a stronger purchase power against China.  In addition, I learned from Mr. Kelly – Our tour guide - when China had a medical disease outbreak it halted the tourism industry and created an unemployment rate of 8% for the country....As you can see, I spent my money on photo shots of me in Chinese traditional wardrobes!!!

Blaney Blog 2 Political Environment

The visit to Tiananmen Square was bitter sweet.  Although, it is a remarkable gathering place; one cannot forget to have a moment of silence for the blood that was shed on its grounds.  It seemed that the government intentionally removed history by not having any signage to inform tourist that nearly 3,000 people die and 10,000 injured on this famous landmark during a political protect in 1989. 

Blaney Blog 1 Socio Cultural

Excitement filled the air as my fellow colleagues and I embarked on an 11 day journey to the Asian region of the globe.  This trip took us 12,973 miles away from our homes as we emergence ourselves in China’s rich culture.

can't believe our 'dreamy' ride is over...it's true good things don't stay forever :)

Last night in Hong Kong

Today is the last day of the trip and the flight home is tomorrow.  I heard from a lot of expats that live here that Cathay Pacific is the best airline for this flight, so it's good we are flying on this airline.  The blog postings have been delayed due to lack of access to Google sites in China, but students will be updating in the coming weeks with photos, thoughts and observations.

Just got my visa to China...looking forward to our trip :)