January 22nd - Travelling in Shanghai

My Thoughts 🤔 我的想法

I've finally arrived in Shanghai. After a long journey from Minnesota to Dallas and finally to Shanghai, I made it. No flight delays, no bad weather, just a simple day of flying. The hotel that I stayed at was pretty good. I tested my Chinese by trying to check-in and out using only Chinese with a little success but I didn't do that well. I did test myself one other time and that was to order breakfast today! This I did really well and I even understood the hotel staff on the phone, which was surprising.

I have felt weird coming back to China. A few things happened that made me think, "Yup, I'm really back in China". People staring at me, check! The crowded metro stations and sidewalks, check! People talking about me in Chinese because they think I don't understand, check! People arguing on the metro over dumb things, check! Just so many things that make me realize, no, re-realize how different life is here and in America. I'm back to walking everywhere (lugging around my 56 lbs suit case doesn't help), I'm back to watching my surroundings, I'm back to struggling to read anything, and I'm back to dealing with Chinese culture, which has its good and bad things. But, this Shanghai trip is just an interim to me going to my "dream", the kung fu school.

Food 🍜 食物

I, of course, like the food in China and its great that I can eat some of my favorites. Buns, Dumpings, Noodles, Rice, Meats and more. That is what I like about Chinese food, there is such a large variety from place to place.

Breakfast ☕ 早餐

The picture above is today's breakfast that my girlfriend and I had at Shangri-La hotel. It was really good and I tried a couple of new things that I didn't like. There was this nasty salty/rotten tofu that you're supposed to put into the Congee but I didn't like the after taste... or the initial taste for that matter. I also tried this weirdly cooked egg that was like geleton. Apparently these eggs are cooked in lime mortar and it gives them this weird texture. Besides the weird look to this kind of egg I enjoyed it.

牛肉粥 Niú ròu Zhōu Congee/Porriage
油条 Yóu tiáo Fried Bread ("Oil Sticks")
水果 Shuǐ guǒ Fruit
松饼 sōng bǐng Muffin
包子 bāo zi Buns
龙井茶 lóng jǐng chá LongJing Tea
牛奶 niú nǎi Milk

Lunch 🍞 中餐/中饭

My lunch was really small as jet lag kicked in on me. I ate this delicious stuff called "Man Tou", or Chines Bread, with this really good pork filling on the side. I could've eaten 2-3 of those Chinese Breads but I didn't as there was supposed to be food for dinner but... I slept through dinner time.

馒头 Mán tou Steamed Bread (Chinese Bread)

Dinner 🍚 晚饭

I didn't eat dinner today because of the aforementioned jet lag but yesterday I ate a great dinner. We went to a Japanese restaurant! I was really surprised that they were opened considering how late we arrived at the restaurant. It was really good, and I mean really good.

I ate some ginger pork rice that also had seasoned lettuce and mayonnaise in it while she ate some "Hot Noodles" (辣面）. Before that we had these smaller snacks including BBQ chicken sticks, Kimchi, and spring rolls. We also ordered dessert in the form of 2 mango Mochis.Both of us drank this good white soda whose name eludes me.

Daily Devotional ✞ 基督教

"From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD'S name is to be praised."

-Psalms 113:3 KJV

For me, I think I need this little sentence. I don't know how to explain it but praying in a foreign country feels weird. When I'm in my room, at a hotel, or some where by myself eating or relaxing it doesn't feel weird but at a restaurant in a foreign country it does. Maybe its because for those few seconds I'm letting my guard down as I don't completely trust this place. Heck, just look at how Ip Man 4 portrays Americans and you'll understand why.

So this verse just reminds me that it is okay, no matter where I'm at, to pray when I can. Even if its just a little bit. Normally, I just do it before I eat my meals but here I might start praying before I go to bed. (like my momma said 😂).

This is the beginning of a, hopefully, long journey.

What have you started recently?

-Johnny "白武龙"