The Secrets of Xiaolongbao

       The past two weeks have been a lot of fun!  I've done so much stuff!  I went to a modern art museum on a field trip with one of my classes. It was pretty interesting.  A lot of the stuff was kind of weird, but really cool.  My favorite was this huge print thing on the wall that had tonsss of different pictures in it so you could look at it for a really long time.  I also went to a propaganda museum that was one of my favorites! Thank goodness I went with a class or I never would have found it. It was in the basement of a building in this apartment complex or something. Veryyy tricky to find. All of the posters were really interesting though. A lot were really negative toward Americans and pictured us as gross old men with big, red noses.

       The past couple of Wednesday nights, M1NT has become the new place to be.  It's one of the nicer clubs and usually on the weekends you can only get in if you're on the list.  They have a shark tank! And  a really cool bar that you can (and I did) dance on!  Also, one of the bathrooms has a completely glass wall that looks out over the city.  That's pretty awesome.  Last weekend, we tried several new bars that were fun, my favorite was Abbey Road.  We also tried an all you can eat Indian restaurant called Punjabi!  It was super fun! It was also all you can drink beer, but since the beers here are liters and I can only drink max 2 in one night, I turned mine from a Qingdao to a QingWOW! All you do is add Smirnoff!  We also took our last trip to the fabric market to pick up our linen pants.  My pants don't really look that good because the legs are reallyyyyy wide, like an elephants. Not sure what I'm going to do about that. 

       This past week has been lots of fun! Tuesday night we went to I Love Shanghai for ladies night.  It was really fun, but then they refused to serve us anymore drinks because we were sharing them with the guys. Lameee. After that, we went to the bar in the Radisson Hotel.  It was really high up and the view was amazinggg.    It was set a little further back from the Bund so you could see the Bund and across to Pudong and the river going in between. Wednesday night, I was back at M1NT of course, which was pretty fun, but not as good as the Wednesday before. 

       Thursday was the best!  My Chinese class along with another Chinese class were doing Karaoke together.  We were going from 5-8 and also got food! It was one of the best parts of my weekend! I think I sang every single song.  I warned people beforehand that they would have to pry the microphone out my hands, but no one did. Guess I'm just that good!  We had a nice mix of Chinese songs, American pop music, and some classics, so it was pretty much perfect.  After that we just chilled at the dorms.

Singing "Beijing Huanying Ni" at Karaoke! Favorite!

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" duet with Chocolate

      Friday we had a class learning how to make xiaolongbao! Soup dumplings! They are a Shanghai specialty and sooooo good!  We basically just rolled out the dough and put the filling in, but we got to wear really cool chefs hats and aprons! And of course, we got to eat the dumplings. Mine were really ugly, but they tasted delicious! We also got a goody bag with a xiaolongbao refrigerator magnet!!! One of the best things I have gotten in China and it was free!  When we got back, we went to the CIEE building because they had cake for everyone with a December birthday! The cake was hugeee and covered in fruit! I think it's the first time I've had cake since I've been in China and it was like heaven!  That night, we went out to Bar Rouge and Glamour Bar, where I ate lots and lots and lots of food! But I had an amazing prosciutto and Brie sandwich at Bar Rouge. 

       Saturday night I had to go to a concert for a class. I think his name was Asaka or something. He was kind of like an Asian Dave Matthews, really chill. The concert wasn't great, but Blair and I bought light up pink bows so that made everything better.  A Chinese man also gave us free Chinese flags! Afterwards, we went to Windows Too and I continued to indulge myself in my late night eating. I had Mozzarella sticks and a bacon cheeseburger.  We went back to campus and I got street food too. I have made friends with this man and woman that sell skewers. They love me. I went to Bulldog, another bar, for a little while, but came back pretty early. 

Excited about light up bows and free China flags!

       I spent all day Sunday working on a paper.  Unfortunately, it's finals week and I have lots and lots to do. I have one paper and one presentation out of the way, but I still have two more presentations, a paper, and my oral and written Chinese test.  I just can't wait for the weekend! I am really sad that I only have 5 days left and I am stressing over finals. Thank goodness they will be over Thursday and I can just enjoy spending the last weekend with my friends! I will miss Shanghai, but I am excited to come home and see everyone too!

       

I'm Thankful for...Shanghai Being Awesome!

      It's been awhile since I've updated, and I have soooo much to write about! The past couple of weeks have been even more fun-filled than usual! I helped out a friend and taught English at a local elementary school with Drew one afternoon. The kids were so cute and their English was amazingly good! We taught them head, shoulders, knees and toes and they loved it! The other weekend we had lots of fun again! We finally went back out to a club at G+ and it was fun, but I have made a vow not to go back there. We also went back to the fabric market and are getting linen pants made. And of course a weekend wouldn't be complete without a brunch at Mr. Pancakes.
   Last week I didn't have a lot of work, and I definitely took advantage of that. Tuesday I had plans to meet Wallace, a government official whose job is to look after Americans in Shanghai, for dinner. We ate at a buffet in a hotel and it was by far the best buffet I have ever had! Laura came with me and Wallace also ordered us hairy crab, which is a specialty in Shanghai. It was pretty good, but it was a lot of work for not much food. Tuesday night we went to Rummery, which is a rum bar, and had some rum and then went to House of Jazz and Blues. James and I sneaked our own wine in (Dynasty, China's finest), but we got caught while we were trying to uncork it. Wednesday night we went to Brown Sugar again for ladies night and then somehow ended up at G+ again (so much for that vow..).
   Thursday was Thanksgiving and CIEE planned a great buffet dinner for us at a hotel. I completely stuffed myself and then for the first time ever, went out on Thanksgiving. First we went to Kaiba and chilled and had a beer. Then to C's, a sketchy little dive bar where things started to get crazy! Then we went to Bar Rouge on the Bund and enjoyed the great view! And of course danced our little feet off.
    I was supposed to go to Nanjing This past weekend, but I woke up feeling rather terrible on Friday morning. No it was not due to the previous 3 nights. I have been a little under the weather since Beijing, and finally decided it was time to see a doctor.  It turns out I have an ulcer. Painful, but I'll live and it won't (WON'T) ruin my last few weeks in Shanghai.  After the doctors, Mike and I went to Bubba's, a sports bar, to meet up with a couple of other people. I got to eat BBQ and it was almost like being in the south again! After Bubba's we went to Dragonfly, a really posh spa, and got massages. The next morning we went to M on the Bund for brunch, which was one of the most delicious meals I have had in China. I had blueberry pancakes and eggs benedict. And yes, I ate all of it! The view was really nice and the weather was gorgeous! Afterwards, Mike and I walked around the Bund and then walked to an IMAX movie theater near by to see Harry Potter. Unfortunately in China, you choose your seats in movie theaters beforehand and it was too full for Mike and I to get seats next to each other. Too bad we couldn't cry on each others shoulders.
   Sunday I just chilled out and took much needed rest and Lucy came back from Nanjing! Yay! I haven't been too busy this week, but I have a test. Thank goodness I got my studying done early so I can go out to Ladies Night! We're going to Brown Sugar again, so it should be a good time! 18 more days in Shanghai!! And till I'm 21!!!