Julie's Bogus Journey

Ok so it's time for an update. Hmm so much happens in 2 weeks it's hard to remember everything. So since my last update I have done a couple things in Beijing. Last Tuesday was Dominic's (a former intern, he's from Switzerland and he speaks French! And he makes fun of my accent and my Quebec expressions...) birthday so we went to a restaurant called "No Name Restaurant" (how original). We didn't know where it was so we took a riksha. In the rain. In the dark. ooo how creepy. It was amusing and it got us there better than if we had walked! Last Friday we went to an office party where Dominic works. The theme was the 20s. It was pretty cool (free food and drinks again!) but I drank a bit too much.

Saturday night was Juan's goodbye party. He is from Costa Rica and was on the China MC, but he had to leave to start AI transition because he is incoming SSGN Director (so much AIESEC talk, sorry for the non AIESEC people). It was a very emotional night because he is leaving a bunch of people he worked with for a year and has no idea when he will see them again. Juan is a very cool guy, too bad I didn't get to know him better.

Then Sunday! Great Wall of China! Woohoo! We went to a section called Simatai. It's less touristic than the place most people go (don't know the name) and a lot more steep. I really enjoyed it. After that we went to eat some Brazilian BBQ and then I went to a Global Village hosted by one of the LCs. The Global Village was not so exciting but after that we went to eat and it was really nice to chat with people. I met Maurice from AIESEC Ryerson who is studying in Beijing and a guy from France (more making fun of my accent and expressions). I also got to see Cherry again. She's an AIESECer I met last week and we were helping each other in our respective language because she is studying French, really cool girl. It was a long and tiring day, but a really great one!

Here are 2 videos of the MC apartment. They were shot after I left for Shanghai so I am not in them, but you get to meet the people I lived and worked with. The guy talking is Caio, a Brazilian CEEDer. He's leaving China soon. Too bad I didn't get to know him more. He's a really cool guy and gave me a bunch of contacts in Shanghai, really appreciated.





Monday night I took the train to Shanghai. I was a bit stressed to take the subway and the train alone here because I had never taken it and everything's in Chinese. I got confused a couple times but made my way to the train. On the train I was thinking that I am a bit disappointed that I didn't connect more with people in Beijing, but I think it'll be better in Shanghai. When I got here I talked to Emman on MSN and it really cheered me up.

Sophie (my "buddy") picked me up at the subway after confusing conversations over the phone to find me. She keeps telling me "You are so happy!" with her accent and I think it's funny. I met a bunch of people from Fudan University. I live in the Fudan office, which is a small apartment. For now I am alone (so lonely after having lived with about 17 people), but Daniel should come back to Shanghai soon after he finishes MC transition. We discovered something interesting at the pizza place they hold most of their meetings. There's an English menu and a Chinese menu, and the prices are doubled in the English menu! It's still cheap for me though.

Last night I went to an AIESEC dances coaching with some AIESECers. They so don't know the same dances as us, except maybe for Tunak Tunak and Dragonstei Din Tei. I need to learn all those Chinese AIESEC dances. Then we went to one of the girls' house and played the killer game. It's a simplified version of Loup-Garou if anyone knows what that is (a game the kids at camp loved last summer...). I taught them my more sophisticated version and they loved it. It was fun nonetheless.

Apart from that my last 2 weeks have been filled with very good food, some discovering of the surroundings and a little work. I feel I haven't done much this week in terms of work: worked a bit on Canada-China cooperation. I am settling down now and I'll have more stuff to do once the people in Beijing finish what they want me to implement here in terms of trainee reception and integration.

I don't have a cell yet because I can't find anyone to unlock the one I brought. I think it's funny that everybody is like "omg you don't have a phone?!!!" like it's the most important thing ever and nobody says anything about the fact that I don't have a mattress (I sleep on the wood planks...) nor a fridge or anything to cook with. Eating out alone is kind of boring! Personally I don't really think I need a cell phone that bad: they all have one so I can reach them anytime. Plus if I'm not at the apartment (where they can reach me), I'm probably out with someone.

I want to get a bike here. They're so cheap and so useful. But as a bike lover, I want to cry at some bikes I see. Most people don't inflate their tires properly, and so many rusted non functional brakes! I shall take care of mine.

This afternoon Charles (Fudan's VP Communications) is showing me around Shanghai and tonight we're going to a housewarming party for some girl I don't know with some of the interns. It should be interesting.

That's all for today. I know I don't post often but it builds up your excitement to read me. ;)

P.S. I uploaded some pictures. See link on the right.