Very social week and my birthday ^^

My new classmates invited me out to join them. I had no idea what would happen but I was told to meet at the university gate at 8pm. So me and another classmate walked together and in total 8 of us met up. We took a taxi to Shouning Lu which is near People's Square and I'd been before but only walked through. It can be a little intimidating to walk down this street. It is full of small eateries and outdoor bbq's, with seafood and skewers etc.

One friend had been here many times and took us into one where we sat upstairs. He then went to choose the food for us and ordered bottles and bottles of beer. He also taught us how to eat these crayfish. The restaurant gives you a silver tray to put the shells and bits in, plastic gloves, plastic cups, tissues. We had scallops, whelks, crayfish, oysters, chicken, beef, lamb skewers. In total we paid about 100RMB each which included all the drinks and another friend joined us mid-way.

We then got into a taxi to Hongmei Lu (Laowai Jie) where we went to Vegas Bar and played drinking games with dice, pool and table football until about 1am. It was really good fun and I feel closer to my classmates now.

 

On Friday my old classmates held a small party for three of us whose birthday it was and two friend's who are leaving Shanghai to go back home. We ate shabu shabu (Japanese hotpot) which was really good and a buffet style so we could order as much as we wanted. They surprised me with a cake too which was so sweet of them! It was apparently from a very famous Japanese bakery and chocolate (perfect for me!). Afterwards we went to Camel Bar nearby and had drinks and met a few more friends there. The kitchen also gave us some free pizza. All in all it was really fun and I always love days where anything can happen. 

 

 

Chilling at the Shanghai Brewery

Today I went to see my friend's new flat which is so close to me on the same block! Its a lovely place too ^^ I met old friends and made a new one and we all went to the Shanghai Brewery for dinner and drinks.

We arrived about 8pm and service wasn't very good as the girl taking the order kept wandering away to ask a colleague something about our order! In the end someone else came to take our order. The atmosphere was pretty nice, more like an American style sports bar with several TV screens around showing different sports (currently most screens showing the Olympics) and a giant screen at the end of the room showing football.

I'd say 90% of people there are expats and tourists, only a few locals were there. The food is seen as a bit more expensive at around 70RMB for a burger, 30RMB for a beer, 198RMB for a steak. The food itself is pretty good as I've had many types of Western food in Shanghai and been disappointed by the quality. There is a good variety on the menu not just in food but drinks too, with many Western favourites on there (even fish and chips ^^).

It was really fun to go out and see the night life and relax with a drink and I hope to be able to do this more often now my friends are nearby.

Tomorrow I begin my summer course in Mandarin and I'm thankful to start as I've been so unmotivated lately that each time I sit down to focus on my book I become intimidated by the characters and I'm frustrated when I see a character I used to know but can't remember now. I need my focus back and I'm hoping after this week and 20 hours worth of lessons I can feel prepared for going back to Jiao Tong.

And to end - my new friend from Hong Kong arrived today ^^

Cute, no?!