Sherpas is my lifesaver

I really struggled to get up this morning as my jetlag kicked in around 3-6am where I lay awake and drifted in and out of sleep from 6-8am when my alarm went off. I underestimated how long it would take me to get ready and dashed out the door around 8.30am where I made a quick stop to the convenience store to buy a drink and then wave for a taxi.

I waited on one side of the road and saw many taxis on the other side (sods law!). A taxi driver saw me and circled round to pick me up and when I gave the address he circled back round the other way! I thought it was odd as normally when I go to Jing'An Temple they take the overpass. The traffic was slow and painful and I panicked I would be late. It cost me 23RMB to get to my class.

Turns out class started at 9.30am so I had a half hour to wait. Was a bit frustrating nobody gave me something to do or brought me a drink so I sat alone, in silence, for half an hour. I joined this class but they are already finishing the book so I found it super difficult. Later the teacher told me the price has changed as she suggests I do 4 hour classes every day for 4 weeks! It is rather insane just thinking about it as 3 hours today almost killed me. I so badly wanted to walk out it is very frustrating to feel at such a low level again and I wonder how I had the strength and focus like before.

I'm also very frustrated at the constant change in price and how my teacher tries to be very persuasive. So now I'm currently wondering if I should pay the extra cost of around 800RMB or look for another class but I have such little time if I intend to do a summer course. I wonder if there would be any way to convince the teacher I don't need so many hours...

After class I went to the food court with Yuki which is located in the basement of Jing'An Temple Metro. The other entrance is now open as before it was closed and quite annoying to redirect. I had some noodles with pork katsu and Yuki had some pho and dumplings. It was really good to catch up with her again and she walked me to the bus stop and helped me read it. Bus stops in Shanghai are all written in characters but inside the bus the announcements also show in pinyin. At 2RMB it was much cheaper than a taxi and takes me close enough to my flat so it will be more convenient to take this if I continue classes there.

My jetlag slowly creeps up and I find myself short-tempered so I ordered some take away from Sherpa's who were open today (they closed yesterday due to the typhoon) and ordered enough to last me tomorrow which will save on delivery prices. Tomorrow I have a free day to sleep and perhaps look for a new school as well as stock up on bits and pieces that have gone missing in the flat....

 

The scroll hanging in the classroom

Noodles in soup with pork cutlets

Which university to study Mandarin in Shanghai?

I left Shanghai on the 16th of June and came back to England. It had been difficult to adjust being back but I also made the decision to go back to Shanghai to study another semester at Jiao Tong.

Before I left I went with a friend to visit other universities to see if they offered a better course. The first one we went to see was East China Normal University which sounded promising because it is known as the "teachers university", where students wishing to become teachers go to study. Also, our reading teacher graduated from there and she recommended it. The university is located quite a distance from the nearest metro stop, Jinshajiang Road.

The campus itself is beautiful with many trees, grass, even a bridge over a small river. The foreign student buildings are located in the far corner of the main campus and as you get closer to this area it becomes more run down. The classrooms are in places like shacks and with blackboards and no air conditioning - we came to realise how lucky we were in Jiao Tong.

The other university we visited was the Shanghai International Studies University located at Hongkou. Again the campus was very beautiful, quite modern and closer to the Metro than ECNU. I was interested in this university because they offered an intensive course which I thought could help me learn Mandarin faster, but I was to learn that it was only available for those who had no previous knowledge of Mandarin. Checking out the classrooms we found that the rooms were very dark with little sunlight, blackboards were again being used, and generally very run down.

I would highly recommend studying at Jiao Tong because the facilities are much better as well as the location. Each classroom uses whiteboards, has inbuilt computers and projectors, air conditioning and are all brightly lit. I have to admit though I'm not keen on the teaching hours because 90 minutes is a long time to concentrate without a break which was part of my reasons for looking at another course but I think I would rather do this than study in an environment that I didn't feel comfortable in.

I know many students choose Fudan University but I already found Hongkou to be quite far out and Fudan is even further. If you had the choice I would choose a university over a smaller school/company as last year I considered to study at one of these but they couldn't help with a visa and suggested I keep coming in and out on a tourist visa.

At Jiao Tong we study 3 hours a day (plus a 20 minute break), 5 days a week. We study reading, listening and speaking skills. There are elective courses in many areas from tai-chi, calligraphy, painting, business Chinese, and idioms, as well as many more. There are public holidays but you won't miss classes and be prepared (as is the norm in China), you may be required to attend classes on the weekend to make up for missing time due to pubic holidays!

 Campus at ECNU

 Surrounding area of ECNU