Chionggirl in Shanghai

Sunday is now a regular church day for me. Being a Christian, it is wonderful to be able to find like-minded believers in Shanghai and knowing that there are people from my side of the world living in this side of it.

So, the same bunch of people that I met with are also my cell group mates. Hanging out with them so far has been fun, since they know that i am still new in town, they tend to show me around places. It just so happen that on Sunday, I met with someone new to the group who brought me to a wine tasting session at an unexpected place called the Hongmei Lu. This is their official website www.cavalier-village.com.cn.

It has a very nice mediterranean feel, and according to its owner Mr Zhang, who is an art director for movie sets, he designed it all on its own. It's rather quaint and nice, providing a cosy venue for lodging and events.

During the session, I also met new people, local and foreign. I was speaking Mandarin, English and Cantonese all in one session and listening to people speaking in French with one another... I guess this is the essence of soaking in the community life of a foreigner in Shanghai...

Overall, I think it is not difficult to make friends with people in Shanghai. Especially amongst Singaporeans and Malaysians. But the other nationalities are just as receptive, because I guess, the common language is English. But some expats do like to hang out with their own kind, as with any country. I guess I don't have my preferred list when it comes to making friends, it's not a bother when I see that happens.

After the wine tasting, I decided to do my manicure and pedicure, as they are looking pretty unsightly. No luck finding them at the Jingan Si area that my friend recommended. As it was still early, I decided to try my luck at the shopping centre near my place.

As I was walking towards my bus stop, texting my friend that I can't find the place, I hear the sound of velcro unlocking. So i turned around and hear nothing. The sound then came back again. This time, I realised that it was my bag that made that noise. And this is because the flap on my TRUNK bag is made of velcro. From the corner of my eye, i saw someone walking rather close to me. He was trying to pickpocket!

So instinctively, I turned my bag to the front (it was sling on the side) and look back. The man made a quick U-turn and walk off. 100 points for me and 0 points to him!

Well, this lesson has given me a good lesson and you should learn it too. Shanghai is overall a pretty safe place, but petty crimes such as these are not uncommon. So do be on your alert if you are moving around on your own. You will find these strange things you don't see in Singapore, such as people coming to you, telling you that they are new in town and need money to eat, or trying to sell you cheap copycat perfumes on the street, especially when you are standing at the traffic light or waiting for a bus.

If you are not confident of your Mandarin, do not speak, because once you start, they know you are not local, they will stick to you and follow you. So refrain from speaking, either you ignore them (yeah, it's not a Singaporean nature to do this, but I had to do it), or motion a "I don't want" sign with your hand and walk away from them as soon as possible.

All in all, Shanghai is still a safe place to stay and work. Being alert helps, and not looking blur and lost help as well. Be streetwise, don't be gullible (and I do mean it) when people on the street try to sell you a story, and you should be fine.

That's all for now from the adventures of Chionggirl. See you later!