Christmas Time has reached Shanghai!

 

“Christmas time is here…happiness and cheer…”

It’s that time of year yet again…Christmas time! I will be celebrating Christmas abroad for the third time (This will also be my third different country).  Just like Halloween (you can read about that here), Shanghai has surprised me yet again with the amount of holiday cheer typically reserved for this time of year (hey, I had to rhyme).  With only ten days to go, many stores both local and multinational have some type of Christmas decorations on their windows or door fronts, and I’m hearing all types of Christmas music throughout the shopping mall that I work in and in various stores around Shanghai.  I was pleased to learn about two different Euro-style Christmas markets that have recently opened in Shanghai ( I will be visiting one next week during my off day) which sell a variety of gifts and food goods from their stalls.  Not to mention, all the trees, lights and ornaments that I see all around the city.  The other day on the metro, I noticed not one, but two different Chinese people lugging plastic Christmas trees and decorations (one of them even had several rolls of wrapping paper).  Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but I'm hoping there's more to see in the upcoming days.

When I saw this my heart skipped a beat!

One of the Christmas Markets

 I started to notice Christmas themed things in mid-November when my local Ikea had some Christmas food items prominently displayed in their food section (They were selling a festive punch, gingerbread cookies and mulled wine).  Several days later, I saw a Christmas shop open its doors not too far from my apartment. Unfortunately, it’s nothing to write home about since the only Christmas type things I saw for sale were ornaments and stockings. The rest were just tacky Knickknacks in gaudy metallic colors. I also noticed that the store had many Eiffel Towers for sale (beats me what they have to do with Christmas).

Seen outside an expat grocery store. This house is real Gingerbread!

Earlier in December, I attended a Caribbean-Expat Christmas party that was located way outside central Shanghai. Despite the trek, the party was definitely a good time! There was a delicious buffet filled with Caribbean foods with a Chinese twist (jerk tofu or fried plantain tarts anyone?), followed by rum punch and loads of dancing. The DJ played all the old-school dance hall jams I grew up and I sang and danced the night away (I abstained from the dutty whine contest).  

"Caribbean Claus"

People from not just the Caribbean, but around the world!

After the first week of December, my school was fully decked out in holiday decorations including two different Christmas trees. Advertisements were placed in each and every classroom for a Christmas party that promises many games, gifts and a visit from Santa.  Outside the shopping mall that I work in, I saw some men hard at work putting up the sign below, as well as, making sure the reindeer were in the correct spots and well lit for all to see.  

One of two trees in my teaching center

Outside my workplace, trust me it's huge!

Prizes to be won at the X-Mas Party!

So, how will I be spending the holiday? As of right now, I will be celebrating with friends British style (as well as American and French) by cooking a meal and partaking in a “Secret Santa.” Perhaps we will venture out since many of the bars will remain open (after all, it’s a non-Chinese holiday).  Regardless of what my plans are, I will eat, drink and be merry (with a Skype call or two in-between).

Thanks again for reading and I hope you have a safe and happy holidays!

Giving Thanks...Thanksgiving Time in Shanghai

Thanksgiving Feast

Hello All! Thanks again for stopping by, and just what the title says,  I will be discussing  how I spent my Thanksgiving in Shanghai. I know that Thanksgiving was two and a half weeks ago (time flies), but I've been a bit busy with work and some side projects (I know excuses, excuses), but I will try to update this blog at least once a week starting now!

So, keep reading to find out how I spent my Thanksgiving in Shanghai...


Early November...

A few weeks before the holiday, I was approached by one of my American coworkers about getting together at his place for Thanksgiving. He also mentioned that he was going to invite several of our Chinese colleagues in order to expose them to some American customs and traditions. I was pretty much on board with the idea and I even offered to do some of the cooking (I'm a pretty good cook).  I was really excited since I didn't have to run around and plan anything, not to mention, I would be able to enjoy the holiday with other people instead of being alone. A week after making the plans, I was notified that I would have to attend  a city-wide training event for my job.  Due to this unexpected event, I would be arriving a bit later than expected to the dinner ('tis the nature of the business).  Luckily, my coworker was not upset or bothered, and I still offered to cook something the day of which he eagerly accepted.

Before Thanksgiving, we encountered the problem of where would one find a turkey in Shanghai.  I had seen a live turkey at a market near my house, but my coworker had no interest in that. We also spotted several turkeys in some of the international food shops but the prices were exorbitant (like $80 for a 12 pound bird). I don't know how it happened, but my coworker managed to find a turkey at the 11th hour at a store near my workplace at a very reasonable prices (which is ironic considering that there are very few foreigners in that area of the city).  So, Thanksgiving was saved and everything was set,  all I had to do was wait for Turkey Day!


Thanksgiving Morning...

On Thanksgiving day, I woke up and got dressed up to the max since I had a city wide training event followed by Thanksgiving preparation and mealtime afterwards. I arrived at the designated place on time and I reconnected with some other people who were in my training class. After everyone had arrived, we were treated to lunch at a restaurant close by which was busy and packed full of people both local and international (always a good sign).  Lunch was very delicious and I dug into a variety of meat and veggie dishes topped off with a thick, refreshing plum juice drink.  After lunch, it was time for the training to begin which was pretty painless and a bit of fun.  We ended up being dismissed early and I headed straight to my coworkers' place for Thanksgiving festivities.

I arrived just fine to my coworkers' place (despite a downpour and fried chicken stop in between) and shortly after I arrived, I got down to business and I started preparing the side dishes.  We decided to make home made mashed potatoes and green beans with bacon and a bit of cheese. My coworker had already managed to make yams, apple cider, stuffed cabbage, two pies (apple and pumpkin) and a large turkey all before my arrival (I should also note that ovens are not common in China, so all of the baking was done in a large toaster oven).  As we prepared and cooked the food, we chatted a bit about our lives, travel and our employment futures. Finally, the guest started to arrive and once the last guests had arrived, we made our way to the table for our Thanksgiving meal.


Turkey Time...

Once all the places were set and the food was ready, I decided that we should all say what we were thankful for over the year.  I personally was thankful for living my dream of traveling and seeing the world, being able to learn another language and celebrating a holiday with new found friends.  Everyone else followed with their comments and once I said grace, than we dug into the food.

Side Choices: Green Beans, Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Yams

American, Aussie and Chinese people together

The turkey looked a bit undercooked to me, so I avoided that for the most part and stuck to the side dishes and dessert.  My potatoes lacked salt and they could of been mashed a bit more, but otherwise they were edible.  I dug into several helpings of the apple pie which was delicious and a chocolate tart for my dessert.  I washed it down with horrible tasting Chinese wine which me and my Australian coworker laughed about, but finished anyway.

The end of dinner...

Dessert and a Dog...the perfect end to a Thanksgiving meal...

Dinner was followed by more conversation and my coworkers dog who provided a bit of entertainment.  Everyone left around 9:30 pm. and we all trekked in the rain to the nearest metro.  I was invited to another party closer to my apartment and I got there an hour later. There was a great display of food and goodies and several types of beer. All in all it was a great conclusion to a great night and I made it home sometime after midnight and I crashed right into bed.

Thanks again for reading and keep following me!

Halloween Shanghai Style!

So, last week Wednesday was Halloween and all I have to say is that I was quite surprised! I never expected so much excitement, fanfare, and costumes in Shanghai and to be honest, I was a little upset since Halloween is my favorite holiday and I felt very under dressed for the occasion, but before I get to that, I will explain a bit about how my Halloween Holiday went in Shanghai....

Earlier in the month of October, I returned from "my weekend" ( meaning my off days of Wednesday and Thursday) to find my school decked out in Halloween decorations.  There were mock spiderwebs and spiders in various parts of the school and classrooms. There were jack-o-lantern's on several desks as well as, various black and orange banners that spanned the hallways and classrooms.

"Spooky Decorations"

"Walking in the Spiderwebs (No Doubt throwback)!"

 Once I arrived to the teacher's office, I noticed a sign advertising the annual Halloween party to be held the Sunday before Halloween complete with a "Scream" type mask next to it.  I finally arrived at my desk and one of the senior teachers told me I was nominated to help out with the Halloween party and there would be a meeting about it later that day.  I was quite honored and excited since I only started teaching at my school less than two months ago and they already wanted me to take on big tasks at the school (I also love Halloween)!

During the meeting, I gave my input on various games and activities and during the weeks leading up to the party, I threw myself headfirst into all the planning and preparation By the time the 28th arrived, I was ready to party except for one important thing, I had no costume!

Background:

Halloween Party Advertisement

Before leaving the states, I had contemplated bringing my Halloween costume (which I shall not reveal since I will definitely be bringing it out next year), but decided not to due to size and weight restrictions (I had much more things of importance to bring such as everyday clothes and beauty products without lighteners!). Besides, I didn't think I would need it and I was not expecting Halloween to be celebrated here besides at an expat bar or two. Thus, I confidently left my costume behind not expecting it to see the light of day this year.  But as luck would have it, several weeks before Halloween, I saw advertisement, after advertisement about big Halloween parties and celebrations when I was out and about at both expat and local establishments. I also learned about several costume shops in Shanghai that sold full-out costumes and accessories for the big night. By that time, I was scrambling for ideas and my off hours were devoted to researching the perfect costume, but by time the party arrived, I was still clueless about a costume and I decided to reluctantly be a cat (since I already owned a leopard print shirt and I found a headband with leopard print ears at the store for $2 USD). It was not my best costume, but it wold have to do...

Party Time!

Party Goers decked out in Costume!

The day of the Halloween party was quite hectic at the school. I had stayed late making sure my game stations were complete. I had assigned myself in charge of Bobbing for Apples (which was hilarious since I always despised that game-I'm quite germophobic) and Halloween Bingo which would be a game and English vocabulary lesson all in one. During the day, one of my co-workers who was in charge of party planning gave me some items to set up and he told me about an extra costume they had on hand. It turns out my school had ordered several extra sets of devil horns and witch/sorcerer hats and capes so I decided to change my costume to one of the witch/sorcerer costumes.  I felt loads better and decided to change a bit early.

One student's unsuccessful attempt at bobbing for apples

Once I reveled myself to the students, chaos ensued and suddenly everyone wanted a picture of me in my Halloween gear.  Finally it was party time and I learned tickets had been sold out! As I got to my station, I passed by many students decked out like I couldn't believe in all kinds of costumes and I had to laugh and applaud at the same time. I can't lie, I never expected the Chinese to get into Halloween but I'm glad they did. When the students arrived at my station and learned they had to bob for apples, I got several "deer in the headlights" look as well as, bales of laughter.  Finally a student decided to go for it and once he successfully bobbed for an apple, there were cheers and applause and pictures galore. Soon the apprehensive faces turned into impatient and excited faces since everyone now wanted the chance to bob for apples. I had so much fun my sides hurt and the students enjoyed themselves so much some wanted a second turn.  The Halloween bingo game was equally as fun since the students got to learn many Halloween traditions and vocabulary words.  All in all, the students had loads of fun and the school was quite pleased since it brought in loads of new business.

A masquerade, a pumpkin and a witch!

People lined up bright and early for entry!

My co-workers and I "casting spells!"

Halloween Night....
All Hallow's eve finally rolled around Wednesday the 31st and for me it was an action packed day complete with a lunch invite (which I will blog about in the future), a potluck dinner invite (which was fun and delicious) and finally a night out! I ended up using my cat costume idea the night of Halloween and I partied the night away with new found friends at a couple of expat places until the wee hours of the morning (5a.m.).  All in all I can't complain, I had fun, I ended up in a half-assed costume, and lastly, I went to bed happy about how my life has been going in Shanghai...

Holiday Time in China: Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day

Red Lanterns are out for Mid-Autumn Festival

Hello and welcome back to another installment of my blog! I've been very busy over the last couple of weeks with my new job, living matters, and finally, social matters (experiencing all that Shanghai has to offer and believe me, this could take awhile). At the end of September/ early October, China had two important national holidays: The Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day which I was able to experience like a native (meaning days off and consuming traditional food just like a local). Read on to find out more about these holidays.


 Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节):

Celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calender (Mid September to Mid October on the Gregorian calender, this year it fell on September 30th), the Mid-Autumn Festival is a very old, yet revered holiday in China.   Families across China gather together on this day and exchange stories, consume a traditional meal; drink tea; and indulge themselves on moon cakes under the light of the full moon.

A very, very large moon cake

Moon cakes are pretty much the star of the Mid Autumn Festival holiday.  Moon cakes are medium sized pastries traditionally filled with lotus seed or red bean paste. Moon cakes come in a variety of fillings and flavors, mostly nuts and fruits, but in recent years, there have been some interesting flavors such as ice cream.

Lotus Seed Flavor-these were $50USD per box

Even Dairy Queen got into the Moon Cake Spirit!

Starting as early as August, stores and bakeries begin advertising the availability of moon cakes and the Chinese go wild! They can be found individually wrapped and sold or, in a box set of six or more.  Prices range from a mere 30 cents all the way up to several hundred dollars for fancy box sets or incredibly large ones. During my first few weeks here, I couldn't help but notice many people walking around with bags and boxes of moon cakes. I was fascinated and eager to try one, but I patiently waited until the  holiday time to make my move (my workplace graciously bestowed me with one before the vacation).

Moon Cake display at one of the shopping centers

In terms of taste, I found some varieties to be a bit more edible than others. I was enjoying a five nut flavor until I noticed a walnut and I immediately had to dispose of it (I'm allergic to walnuts), and unfortunately, I missed out on the ice cream ones.  Overall, it was an interesting experience and  when in China, do as the Chinese do and (try to) eat what the Chinese eat!

A moon cake parting gift from an expat dinner I attended

National Day(国庆节):
Celebrated on October 1st, National Day celebrates the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) by Mao Zedong.  Since the PRC was founded on October 1, 1949, this year marked the 63rd anniversary.  Around Shanghai, I saw displays commemorating the anniversary which ranged from posters, garden displays and musical performances on t.v. On National Day, the streets were full of people carrying flags, wearing red, and fireworks.

63rd Anniversary Commemoration Display

How did I spend these holidays?
 To be honest I didn't do much. On Mid Autumn Festival night, I had dinner with friends (which turned into a sleepover) and consumed a couple of mini moon cakes I had purchased earlier that day (which were not that great tasting). For National Day, I slept in, heard fireworks (I could not locate them) and spent the night singing loads of songs at  KTV (Karaoke) which was incredibly fun.




Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and leave some comment love :)