Another one!

Okay so to quickly update from the previous post…we finished our Disney training and received a Mickey diploma. We were paired in teams throughout the training and earned points for contributing to the training and such. My teams name was Takin the Mickey and by the end of training we received the most points which earned us some Disney swag and candy! I picked out as much Cinderella paraphernalia and a snickers bar from the bag of loot. Training was very exhausting and overwhelming and by the end we still didn’t know what to expect. The summer camp program seems a little disorganized, and I will only be teaching one class per day which is not too bad (they seem to have projected a higher number than what actually sold). If anything I will have gained the great opportunity to live abroad for a couple months and see some great sights! Unfortunately, I am NOT considered a Disney employee therefore I do not receive any Disney perks.

We have gotten really good at acting as if we are staying at the Westin which is about a block from our hotel and have crashed the indoor pool and gym on a couple occasions. I feel like I eat noodles or rice at every meal so I have to keep up with the exercise. How are these people so skinny?

We took in a Chinese Acrobatic Show last night and let’s just say it was very cheesy! It was mildly entertaining, but I was in the company of most of my coworkers so that made it more enjoyable. I stiffed my first cab driver because he completely took us out of the way and to the wrong location even when we provided the Chinese directions! The total was 27RMB so we gave him 15 and made a mad dash. I was too scared to look back but I heard him yelling at us a lot!
Meghan and I went on a mission to find the fake market on West Nanjing Rd today...and were very successful in finding it and the art of haggling. I got a couple things as presents and some other necessities! They have basically anything you can think of, Meghan freaked me out and went into a back room for some sunglasses (I had a bad experience with back rooms in NYC), but she made an offer and got what she wanted so I was happy for her! We will definitely be venturing back once we get our first paycheck from Disney!

I’ll end this post with some of the random things I have learned or encountered in Shanghai:
-I’m famous in China (lots of people ask to pose for pictures with me!)
-It is perfectly acceptable to walk around in your PJs while drinking a beer!
-It costs $30,000 to have a second child in China.
-We have a mother who hangs out with her naked baby right outside our hotel, and a woman with a pet duck.
-Do Not Disturb signs to not work in the hotel…they clean your room while you are still sleeping.
-Apparently, you can eat jellyfish!
-I’ve only seen one squatty potty! (Thank goodness for western toilets!).

Lots of Love to everyone and I will try and post more frequently and add some pics!