Had the most marvelous day today falling in love with Shanghai. All my worries and fears flew away as I laughed with friendly police officers, listened to recs from in the know expats, and climbed in and out of subways lines and taxis hassle free. Jarek, a friend from Berlin, accompanied me on a day long adventure of alleyway exploring! We walked through the French Concession and into the alleys of Tianzifang, a network of passage full of little shops and galleries from local artists. Stopped for a soy latte and a randomly deep talk at famed coffee joint Kommune before hunting down some xiaolongbao at People’s Square. Then headed over to the Bund, claimed to be Shanghai’s most stunning mile…where I just….sighed. Stunning. Absolutely stunning. Shanghai, city of contrasts. Old and ultra modern, European and classically Chinese. Ended the night at an Indian restaurant with my cousin and his expat friends; heard some good advice on working in Asia in the future; and came back too food coma’d out to even think about nightlife. (summer?!) Am starting to look around for internship opportunities in Shanghai for the summer… Tomorrow: coffee; Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art; Moganshan50 art walk; afternoon tea and the Shanghai History Museum; Early drinks at a bar at one of the big skyscrapers in Pudong for the view; cousins birthday party, and then out for some dancing & a taste of the nightlife here!

Had the most marvelous day today falling in love with Shanghai. All my worries and fears flew away as I laughed with friendly police officers, listened to recs from in the know expats, and climbed in and out of subways lines and taxis hassle free. Jarek, a friend from Berlin, accompanied me on a day long adventure of alleyway exploring! We walked through the French Concession and into the alleys of Tianzifang, a network of passage full of little shops and galleries from local artists. Stopped for a soy latte and a randomly deep talk at famed coffee joint Kommune before hunting down some xiaolongbao at People’s Square. Then headed over to the Bund, claimed to be Shanghai’s most stunning mile…where I just….sighed. Stunning. Absolutely stunning. Shanghai, city of contrasts. Old and ultra modern, European and classically Chinese. Ended the night at an Indian restaurant with my cousin and his expat friends; heard some good advice on working in Asia in the future; and came back too food coma’d out to even think about nightlife. (summer?!) Am starting to look around for internship opportunities in Shanghai for the summer…

Tomorrow: coffee; Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art; Moganshan50 art walk; afternoon tea and the Shanghai History Museum; Early drinks at a bar at one of the big skyscrapers in Pudong for the view; cousins birthday party, and then out for some dancing & a taste of the nightlife here!