Welcome to a GUIDE for LIVING and WORKING in Shanghai SHANGHAI, CHINA

Welcome to A GUIDE FOR LIVING AND WORKING IN Shanghai SHANGHAI, CHINA

SHANGHAI COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Table of Contents Section 1: Introduction ...... Page 1 • Arriving in Shanghai • Luggage & Shipping Allowance • Relocation Orientation: What to Expect • Visas and Residency Section 2: Welcome to SCIS ...... Page 3

• School Resources • Hongqiao Main Campus & Neighborhood Map • SCIS Housing Section 3: Life in China ...... Page 8 • Packing for Life in China ...... Page 9 A. Cooking and Baking Items B. Toiletries C. Medications D. Clothing Items E. Other Personal Items • Electronics and Electricity ...... Page 10 • Banking ...... Page 12 • Internet and Virtual Private Network (VPNs) ...... Page 12 A. VPN Providers B. Internet your first few days C. Internet and WIFI in your apartment • Helpful Websites ...... Page 13 • Cell Phones ...... Page 13 A. China Mobile and China Unicom B. Shanghai Call Center C. Helpful Phone Apps for Shanghai Living • Shanghai Online Shopping ...... Page 14 A. Groceries B. Food C. Household and Other Items • Health Care ...... Page 16 • Fitness ...... Page 17 • Transportation ...... Page 18 A. Shanghai by Metro B. Shanghai by Taxi C. Shanghai by Bus D. Shanghai by Bicycle E. Shanghai by MoBike F. Shanghai by Electric Scooters G. Shanghai Walking Tours Section 4: Ayis ...... Page 20 Section 5: Culture Shock ...... Page 22 Section 6: Learning Mandarin ...... Page 25 SECTION 1 Introduction

We wish you a warm welcome to our SCIS community in Shanghai, and we look forward to a great year to come! We’ve created this guide as a helpful orientation and resource for your transition to China. < Top view from the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, the Flair Rooftop Restaurant & Bar < Top view of Shanghai Tower and Shanghai World Financial Center

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ARRIVING IN SHANGHAI Please let the HR manager know in advance if you When you arrive in Shanghai, a SCIS Leadership Team plan to bring extra luggage. This way, we can make member will pick you up at the airport with a van, a sure to prepare for your pick-up accordingly. driver, and keys to your new apartment. We’ll help you unload and get situated. You will receive a USD1,000 RELOCATION ORIENTATION start-up fund in local currency, so you won’t have to get During new hire orientation, we will cover sessions to a bank immediately. You will also have a few items on living in China. Additionally, we will support you in your apartment, including fresh food and drink, and in setting up your phone, internet, and bank account. basic kitchenware. We will need your ticket stubs and You can also expect shopping trips for household passport to hand in to the HR manager soon after you items, groceries and even a trip to IKEA. arrive. Please note that airline reimbursement is also to cover the cost of your return ticket in June. It’s important to remember that you are going to experience a bit of culture shock upon arrival. This is natural, and to be expected. Be prepared to interact with your colleagues to get through these tough times.

VISAS AND RESIDENCY You will be asked to turn in your passport upon your arrival. You will get it back, but will have to return it one more time within the first month. At that point, you will also have to make a visit to the visa office LUGGAGE / SHIPPING ALLOWANCE in order to receive your resident visa. You will be The HR manager will email detailed information notified ahead of time regarding the time and date about your shipping allowance. If you are only of this meeting. Please be sure you bring the required bringing items as extra baggage on flights, you may number of photos and information requested by the HR manager. Please do not make travel plans outside turn in your receipts, but if you are also shipping of China until after the October holiday. other items later, you will want to wait and submit all your receipts at once. You don’t need to do this < Night view of Jingan Temple surrounded by immediately, but do keep your receipts. modern business buildings

2 SECTION 2 Welcome to SCIS

Welcome to the SCIS Hongqiao Campuses. The following photos should help give you a perspective of the Hongqiao Main and ECE Campuses.

Hongqiao Main Campus

Hongqiao Main Campus Theater Hongqiao ECE Campus

Hongqiao Main Campus Indoor Swimming Pool Hongqiao ECE Campus Lobby 3 SECTION 2

Photos of the SCIS community.

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SCHOOL RESOURCES: It will be important for you to review the school website prior to arrival. Once you receive your SCIS login information, log into the website, and review the information below.

You will find most information you will need PUBLICATIONS TAB on the following pages: • Communitas -- SCIS Community

SCIS Hongqiao Campus Hompage: ECE / LOWER SCHOOL / UPPER SCHOOL TABS (http://hq.scis-his.net/) • Bulletins • Course information Log into it with your SCIS username and password • Parent - Student Handbooks generated for your email. • (Some information will be updated in coming weeks)

FACULTY RESOURCES TAB: STAFF TAB • Divisional Curriculum Documents • Photos and Biographies of faculty by divisions • IT Resources • All Staff Resources TEACHER LINKS • Hongqiao Faculty Handbook On the left you will see links to the various tech platforms and information that teachers need to INFORMATION TAB access including: • Policy Documents • SCIS Academic Calendars • PowerTeacher • Managebac • Webmail • Events Calendar

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HONGQIAO MAIN CAMPUS & NEIGHBORHOOD MAP

1. King’s Court 6. Lian Hua 9 2. Carnival Gardens – Chinese Grocery Store 3. Hengshan Gardens 7. Takashimaya Mall, Yili Metro, Line 10 4. Wet market – Food court & imported goods grocery store (Local Fruits & Vegetables) 8. Gubei Garden Plaza

Zunyi Road Xianxia 5. Songyuan Metro, Line 10 – Element Fresh, Japanese Food, Other restaurants Over pass Road 9. The Place shopping mall – Grocery Store, Restaurants, Stores

8 SCIS 4

Yili 1 Over pass Yili Road Park 5 6 Hongqiao Road 7 Yaohong Road

Hongbaoshi Road 2 West Zhongshan Road West

Golden Street Huangjincheng Street (Pedestrain Street) A map of the SCIS neighborhood, courtesy of Jessica Dunbar.

Guyang Road 3

SCIS HOUSING • Nearby points of interest from the Hongqiao Main Location: Campus: • School provided housing is rented largely in three o Carrefour (For groceries and other household main complexes near the Hongqiao main campus. items) ~ about a 20-30 minute walk. Apartments are usually, but not always, located in o Pedestrian street (Golden Street) with small King’s Court, Carnival Garden or Heng Sheng Gar- shops, beauty services, and cafes ~ about a 10 den. You will be provided with your home address minute walk. upon your arrival to Shanghai. o Takashimaya Mall (Food courts, restaurants, • The apartments (Hongqiao/Gubei neighborhood) groceries, make-up, etc.) ~ about a 15 minute walk. are located in a nice, quiet area, and both campuses, as well as city hot spots, are easily accessible. The Hongqiao/Gubei areas are very safe at all hours. • Referencing the Shanghai metro map, most new hires live within a 5-10 minute walk to the Songyuan stop on line 10. From there, the ECE campus is a short 10-minute subway ride on the same line, the Longxi stop, exit #3. Yili Road Station, Takashimaya Shopping Mall

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Apartment: • Your apartment will have inexpensive bedding, pillows, towels, and place settings for all members of your family. Enough water and small food items will be included to get you through the first few days. • You might want to buy a mattress topper for your bed right away. These are available at IKEA. • A trip to IKEA will be included on the orientation schedule. Bring your address card and know your bed size before you go. A small tape measure will Gubei Carrefour Shopping Mall be very helpful when preparing for IKEA. IKEA can at Shui Cheng Road deliver your mattress topper and other items you decide to purchase. • There will be a washing machine, but most apartments don’t have a dryer. You might want to buy a drying rack if you don’t have one in your apartment. Some of these are built into the ceilings of your balcony or outdoor area. • You will have a TV, but no cable, and all TV channels are in Chinese. Some people have ordered a satellite TV package (there are a few options.) IKEA at Cao Xi Road • You can have water delivered. Nestle Water has • You will have basic furnishings. Every apartment is English speaking service agents. The phone number different. near the Hongqiao campus is: 02161646888. Follow • Don’t expect an oven in your apartment. You the directions and know your address. You pay a can buy a toaster oven or counter top oven at deposit for the bottle the first time, which is Carrefour. about 40 RMB. Many faculty have their ayis handle water orders.

7 SECTION 3 Life in China

As you are looking for information about what to bring, what kinds of items you may not be able to find, or how you will retain your connection to “home”, know that there are plenty of items available in Shanghai. It’s a good idea to bring enough items to get you through the first six months, so you don’t have to go searching immediately for your preferred brand of shampoo, toothpaste, etc. This will give you some time to shop around, get a feel for what you will need, and where you can buy it. Generally speaking, you will be able to find most items from home, but expect to pay more for many of them. Refer to the next section for items that are difficult to find, as you may want to bring them.

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PACKING FOR LIFE IN CHINA Difficult to find items you may want to bring:

Cooking/Baking Items • Quality potato peeler and can opener • Americans: Imperial measuring cups, teaspoons • Unique cooking items (e.g. spices, maple syrup, seasonings)

• Deodorant (antiperspirant is difficult to find) • Tampons (they have OB here) • Toothpaste/toothbrushes • Favorite Make-Up • Face Wash/Hair Care Products

Medications Over the counter medication like cold medicine may be hard to find. Additionally, many people feel the quality is not the same. Cold, sinus, Asthma, allergy, pain relief, nighttime sleep aide, and any other commonly used over the counter medications have all been suggested by current teachers as items to bring from home. Stomach relief medicines (Imodium, Tums, Pepto, etc.) may also come in handy. Oral contraceptives are pretty easy to find, but may not be your preferred brand. Specific prescription medicines should be refilled before you arrive.

Toiletries Many people would suggest that you bring enough of your preferred toiletries to last at least half a year. While many of these items are available through certain stores, it may not be your preferred brand and may be more expensive.

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Clothing Items ELECTRONICS AND ELECTRICITY • Clothing in large and tall sizes, bras above size 36B Electronics and small appliances are plentiful in • Thick socks (socks are plentiful, but often very thin) China. The voltage in China is 220. We do not • Large-size shoes (above 8 for women, 11 for men); recommend the use of transformers. if high-quality shoes are important to you, bring these with you. • Something to wear on UN day that symbolizes your home country/state.

SHANGHAI PLUGS ELECTRICITY IS 220 VOLTS Personal Items The few personal items that you will need to keep with you are mostly documents, such as birth certificates, immunization records, diplomas, marriage certificates, your will, banking and financial information, Kitchen and Other Appliances and drivers license. You also may want to consider Leave them at home. Tea and coffee makers, blenders, items that remind you of home, such as photos of etc. are very easy to find here and will be cheaper your family, hometown, etc. than bringing them from your home. Quality hair care items such as flat irons and hair dryers can be found at local stores, hair salons that cater to Western populations, or the popular websites Baopals and Taobao.

Entertainment Devices TVs, stereos, DVD players, etc., are all easily available and nearly always have English language support. If you use an external speaker and/or alarm clock for your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone, you might consider bringing it from home, as they can be 10 SECTION 3 harder to find and more expensive here. With that Laptops & Computers being said, the fake market has an abundance of speakers that can connect to your phones via SCIS will provide you a school owned Macbook for Bluetooth. Fake market items vary in quality as they school related business. It is highly advisable to bring are not the brand they claim to be. your own personal computer/tablet for many reasons. Warranties may or may not be covered in China. Digital Cameras and Video Apple’s standard warranty and extended warranties These are probably best to bring from home as are covered by the local Apple Retail stores. The many of them will be more expensive to buy here. SCIS Honqiao main campus has an in-house Apple Additionally, the supporting documentation for them Authorized Repair center where Apple products can might not be available in English. be fixed (for free if under warranty). iPad, Kindle, or Other eBook Readers Email Configuration It can be hard to find English (or other language) iOS device setup: literature here. There are several bookstores that • Settings: provide English text, but they are limited in variety. • Mail, Contacts, Calendars: Therefore, an eBook reader can be a wonderful thing • Add Account: as you can download almost anything from Amazon, • Exchange Apple, or other online providers. • Email: [email protected] • Password: Your Active Password • Description: Exchange (or your choice) • NEXT • Server: outlook.office365.com • DONE

Android device setup: • APPS: Email • Add account: Exchange ActiveSync • FQ Email: [email protected] • Domain\Username: scischina.org\username@scis china.org • Exchange server: outlook.office365.com

Chargers *Note about GMAIL: although you can access Gmail Most small device chargers (those with two and not with a VPN, there will be times when your VPN will three prongs) will work without a power adapter/ not work. You may want to open up another email transformers. iPhones, cameras and other devices address as a backup for personal use. that charge via USB are just fine. Many teachers have brought external computer hard drives and similar devices that simply plug right into the wall outlets. Plug adapters are inexpensive and easy to find.

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BANKING INTERNET AND VIRTUAL PRIVATE The school deposits paychecks directly to Industrial NETWORKS (VPNS) and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). The school Internet in China can be tricky. Many websites or will support you in establishing an account during platforms are blocked in China, but can be reached orientation. The bank provides an ATM card that with a VPN. (e.g. Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Google can be used all over China and in many other Asian Sites, New York Times, Netflix, Dropbox, Instagram, countries. However, you will not be provided a credit Whatsapp) card. It is recommended that you maintain a credit Installing a VPN is hard to do without access to a VPN card in your home country. Transferring money to in China. We recommend you install a VPN on your home accounts can be done through the bank your electronic devices before you arrive in China. or other outlets such as Western Union. Transfer It’s a good idea to install 2, as often one VPN is not costs vary, but are usually around 50rmb per transfer. working. SCIS has a VPN router, which means staff can Tax paperwork will be provided by the school to access blocked sites while on campus through the take to the bank for international transfers. “staff network.”

VPN Providers Some preferred VPN Providers by SCIS teachers:

Mobile Phone Payments: Teacher can have their Alipay and WeChat Wallet accounts set up during • Astrill • StrongVPN their first ICBC trip as well. Both mobile phone • Express VPN • Betternet- for phones payment systems are widely used in Shanghai and (see App Store) make shopping very convenient. Internet and WIFI in Your Apartment Please note: There is an ICBC and Standard We recommend China Telecom for internet in the Charter Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) on the apartments. It typically takes about 2-3 days to get set Hongqiao Main campus which is convenient for up. Bring your passport and address, and expect to pay those that live in school provided housing. for a year’s service up front. SCIS will take new hires to China Telecom during orientation week. A Note about Transfer Timelines: You won’t be able to transfer money home using the bank until your Internet Your First Few Days residency and work visas are approved. If you will Teachers will have access to Wifi at the Hongqiao have immediate payment needs back home, such main campus reception, which is close to teacher as a mortgage or student loans, it is recommended housing, while they are waiting for their home to leave enough money in your home accounts to internet to be set up. You can use the “Guest” handle these payments. Network until IT can assist you with access to the staff network. 12 SECTION 3

HELPFUL WEBSITES unlocked here, but there are no guarantees that it If you’re not excited yet to be moving to such an won’t cause damage to your phone, and it won’t be amazing city, watch this: free. Upon your arrival, you will need to go to one Shanghai E-motion 2012 – Youtube video of the phone providers to get a SIM card. Be sure to take your passport with you, as you will need to • www.shanghaidaily.com/ – Shanghai’s English present it to the company before you can receive language newspaper phone service. iPhones work in China and are the • www.smartshanghai.com/ – A great expat resource preferred phone for most of the faculty. SCIS takes for events, restaurants and other places. new hires to China Unicom during orientation week. • www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/ – News and events Most service plans are pre-paid and are fairly • www.timeoutshanghai.com – News and events inexpensive compared to plans in the USA. Most • http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/living/liv- teachers just top up their phone when they run out ingabroadin/living_abroad_moving_to_china_what_ of credit. You can do this at most convenience stores, to_take.shtml – Based off a Moon travel guide China Telecom, China Unicom or even via apps such as • www.shanghaimamas.org – A great resource, even Alipay or WeChat Wallet. if you’re not a mama. You’ll need to register. • http://www.diningcity.com/en/shanghai – Restaurant Shanghai Call Center reviews in Shanghai If you are having difficulty communicating in Mandarin, • dafoodreview.com – A cool restaurant review and the Shanghai Call Center will assist with interpretation. tasting opportunity Call the number 962288 and explain your situation • china.dailysecret.com/shanghai – A daily “hidden to the interpreter for live support. secret” about Shanghai Helpful Phone Apps for Shanghai Living • www.cnngo.com/shanghai – Info about Shanghai • WeChat – Texting, calling, and • wikitravel.org/en/Shanghai – Wikitravel…a videos via the internet, used wonderful resource by over 300 million in China. • shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn/ – US Embassy Tell your friends and family page back home to download it too. • shanghai.craigslist.com.cn/ – Craigslist Shanghai Many people also use it for WeChat Wallet, a way • Shanghai Metro Map – Metro Map to manage payments with your phone. • Ctrip – Online Travel Agent • SmartShanghai – If you only pay for one app in • Interactive Map- created by SCIS Teachers Shanghai, this is it. It is the one you will use the most for taxi cards and subway information for CELL PHONES specific places when getting around town. China Mobile and China Unicom • Ofo app and Mobike app – Bike sharing platforms China has three primary cell phone service providers: • Google Translate – It does a pretty good job of translating what you want to say and has it in China Mobile (GSM), China Unicom (GSM), China pinyin and voice (need VPN) Telecom (CDMA). It is recommended to bring your • Baidu Translate – when vpn doesn’t work for own phone to China, though the phone should be google translate unlocked prior to arrival. You can try to get phones

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• Air Quality China by Derek Lu – it should have • Kate and Kimi: A community based food website a green background with a cloud. The school for Shanghai’s foreign residents. Fresh and organic monitors Air Quality via the U.S. Consulate food easily accessed and delivered. Monitor Station. http://www.kateandkimi.com/ • Metro Shanghai Subway – Get acquainted with the metro system in Shanghai • Shanghai Taxi • MindBody – Fitness, wellness & beauty. Helps find fitness classes around town. • Bon App Shanghai – Dining guides in English with user reviews. • Any currency exchange app. Many use xCurrency by Travel Tao for its real-time conversion features. • City Shop: Online shopping for groceries deliv- • BottlesXO Shanghai – A carefully curated selection ered to your home of wine, craft beer and spirits. Chilled and delivered http://www.cityshop.com.cn/ to your home in 30 minutes (average). • Didi – like Uber and you can call taxis as well.

*Most of these are for the iPhone

SHANGHAI ONLINE SHOPPING Online shopping makes life very easy in China. Tipping is generally not expected. Many of these sites work better with VPNs turned off. Epermarket: Grocery Shopping Online: Delivery • Online shopping for groceries delivered to your home. They also carry toiletries • Fields China: Online vegetables and fresh foods and small appliances. delivered to your home http://www.epermarket.com/ http://www.fieldschina.com/en/

• Shanghai 9: Wide selection of alcohol with home delivery. http://www.shanghai9.com/

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Food Delivery Online: • Sherpas: You can access many restaurants and have meals delivered to your house within an hour. http://www.sherpa.com.cn/index.shtml

• BaoPals (http://www.baopals.com) is the English version of TaoBao and was designed for foreigners. It’s easier to use than the sites in Chinese.

• Yi Hao Dian (http://www.yhd.com) is a website to purchase items that can be delivered to your house. Simple home appliances, food, and other items can • Element Fresh: a western style restaurant with be paid for in cash or with a debit card. fresh foods and comfort foods. http://www.elementfresh.com/

• Amazon.cn (http://www.amazon.cn/) They will deliver and you can pay cash on delivery if you prefer, or you can use your US/International credit card SHOPPING FOR HOUSEHOLD ITEMS AND as you do for Amazon.com. If you type in “Amazon OTHER THINGS ONLINE Global Shipping” you can access almost anything on Online purchases: If you use Google Chrome as a Amazon from other countries shipped to you in website, it will translate the Chinese language pages into a version of English that is acceptable.

Sometimes you need to use Safari to make the payment sites work because Firefox and Chrome won’t let you access the PIN plug in.

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China for just a bit more. (This site will sometimes HEALTH CARE translate into English automatically, regardless of There will be a presentation by the health insurance which browser you use). company in the first few weeks. There are several expat hospitals and clinics within easy reach from the •Tao Bao (http://www.taobao.com/) has everything school, so it will be convenient to set up a personal ever made in China. Expect cheap prices and cheap health check early. Below are several clinics, hospitals, merchandise, but it’s great if you don’t want to go and dentists that some of the SCIS faculty visit. out and bargain. Global Healthcare Clinic: ECO City, Suite 303, 1788 NanJing West Road, Jing An District 上海市静安区南京西路1788号国际中心303室 Tel: +86 13681888833 (24 hours)

• Craigslist Shanghai — (shanghai.craigslist.com.cn) If you are looking to purchase second hand furniture or TVs, this is a good place to start. It’s in English. Usually, you will need to pick up the items yourself though. There is a helpful Taxi Truck that charges about 3USD/20 rmb a kilometer to carry items from one location to another. You can book them easily.

• IKEA: (http://www.ikea.com/cn/en/) Ikea is a great place to go when you first arrive. We’ll schedule a visit with a bus to take you there, so you can pur- Parkway Health Hospital – New clinic opening in chase mattress toppers, extra dishes, etc. Gubei in Fall 2018 Tel: 400 819 662 • Jing Dong: (http://www.jd.com/) offers a seamless online shopping experience for customers around Shanghai Renai Hospital International Division the globe. This means providing authentic products No.127, Caoxi Rd. Xuhui District. Shanghai from a more trusted manufacturers and designers in 上海市徐汇区漕溪路127号 a timely and reliable fashion. Tel: 64688888-801/810

Shanghai United Hospital 1139 Xianxia Lu, near Lingquan Lu, Changning District, Shanghai 上海市长宁区仙霞路1139号 Tel: 021 2216 3900; Emergency 021 2216 3999

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FITNESS There are numerous fitness options in Shanghai, St. Michael’s Hospital including opportunities at the Hongqiao Main Campus. – closest to SCIS Hongqiao Campus The school’s facilities are available free of charge. Hong Baoshi Road 388 There are two full gyms, a weight room, and a pool all 上海市长宁区红宝石路388号 available within designated hours. Additionally, teachers Tel: (+86) 21 5155 1858; Emergency: (+86) 21 6270 5300 form their own fitness groups and intermural teams.

Options near the main campus: • Running – Yili Park/sidewalks around town • Yoga- Alexander Yoga • Crossfit Bodies in Motion • Gyms – Will’s/Starlife

New York Dental No 129 East Fugui road, near South Yili road 上海市长宁区富贵东路129号 (近伊犁南路和黄金城道） Tel: +86 21 6278 1181 or +86 21 6278 1182

Additional options around town include numerous adult leagues for team sports- basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Gaelic Football, Ice Hockey, and Softball.

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TRANSPORTATION Approximate typical fare from SCIS-Hongqiao to popular destinations are: • Shanghai by Metro • Bund – 40 RMB The Metro is a great way to travel in Shanghai. • French Concession – 20-25 RMB Fares are inexpensive, ranging from 3 to 8 RMB • Carrefour (French company, somewhat compara- and are based on distance. (https://exploreshanghai. ble to a “Walmart”– 15 RMB com/metro/) Signs are in Mandarin and English. • City Shop (Western food market) – 20 RMB SCIS-Hongqiao is located right next to the Song yuan station on line 10 and the ECE Campus is on • Shanghai By Didi the same line three stops down at Longxi, Exit #3. Didi is Shanghai’s version of Uber. Download the The colored signs and arrows on the floor are easy app. It’s also helpful for calling taxis, especially when to navigate. raining.

• Shanghai By Bus There are many buses running a wide variety of routes. However, you’ll soon find that most people use either metro or taxi to get around. *Please note, the buses here will not yield to pedestrians and bikers. Always plan on giving the right of way to a bus.

• Shanghai by Taxi Taxis are a common form of transportation due to their affordable price and ease of use. Minimum fare is 14 RMB for the first 3 km and then about 1.3 per km. At night the minimum fare is slightly higher. Cards used for the Metro can also be used to pay for taxis. Be sure to carry some cash with you as there are times when the metro card meter does not work properly. When raining and during • Shanghai by Bicycle rush/dinner hour, taxis can be difficult to find. A Bicycles are a popular form of transportation in green light signals that the taxi is available. No light Shanghai. There are bike lanes and specific traffic or a red light signals that the taxi is not available. rules for riding a bike. If you get luggage racks and baskets, it makes for easy transportation of goods from Carrefour or from getting to and from school. Most bike riders don’t wear helmets, but it is a safety feature that is considered helpful in China. You can purchase bikes ranging in quality from a one speed pedal bike to top end racing bikes, based on your preference.

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• Shanghai by MoBike – A station-less bicycle sharing system with an English platform Download the Mobike app from the App Store and sign-up for an account using WeChat Pay or AliPay. Find, unlock, lock and pay for any Mobike using the app. There is a 299 deposit and a charge of 1 RMB per half hour.

Tianzifang (Taikang Lu)

SHANGHAI WALKING TOURS There are plenty of areas that you will enjoy wandering slowly with a camera at hand. We’ll take you to a few of these places early on, but leave you to find others on your own. Frommers Guides • Shanghai by Electric Scooter have 5 walking tours mapped out already on their Many people like to purchase electric scooters to website. You might try one of theirs first. get around town quickly and smoothly. You can get a scooter for about 3000 rmb ($500 USD). Areas for Wandering: You need to charge it about every 50 km or so, but that decreases over time, so depending on Former French Concession the distance you ride it, you will be able to charge • Xintiandi about once or twice a week. These will need to • Tianzifang (Taikang Lu) be registered with the government, and require • Huaihai Road and Fuxing Road area licenses, but that’s an easy process. Helmets are not (Shaanxi Road subway stop) required, but suggested. Hongqiao Main Campus provides a location in the back parking lot that Downtown has access to electricity. Electric scooters are silent • The Bund (Waitan) + Nanjing East Pedestrian Street when they come up behind you, so be careful and • Nanjing West Shopping Streets keep your eyes open, even on the sidewalks! • Yu Gardens (Yu Yuan) • North Bund • Jing’an Temple Area

Other Areas • Hongkou History Tour (North Shanghai) • Confucius Temple Tour • Jade Buddha Temple Tour • Moganshan Art Area (M50)

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JUGGLING EVERYTHING IT CAN BE TOUGH TRYING TO MAKE IT WITHOUT SOME HOUSEHOLD HELP!

HOUSEHOLD HELP may need to work out some compromises Many teachers hire a maid or “ayi” to help clean, do throughout your time together. laundry, shop, pay bills, order water, watch children, cook, etc. There are a variety of services that ayis can Likely the ayi will not speak English. Wechat’s offer, but typically, you will pay about 25-30 rmb per translation tool provides for easy communications. • hour for her help. Most people pay a flat monthly rate. You will have to negotiate days, times, and Chinese New Year Bonus – it is tradition to pay expectations directly with the ayi, but you can look a New Year bonus payment of the month salary at through several online sites to help you get a sense New Year. of what is available. Items to discuss with your ayi as you are introducing Having household help helps to ensure that the her to your house: transition to living in a new country runs smoothly • Salary -- may be negotiated each year, but typically because she can make certain that things at home will run about 23-25 rmb per hour worked in Shanghai. are clean and sorted for you. Returning teachers will • Number of hours worked per week (a typical have recommendations for you. school apartment may need 2-3 visits a week of 2-3 hours each) FINDING AND NEGOTIATING WITH AN AYI • Holiday -- often it’s good form to pay the ayi It’s good to negotiate with the ayi with regards to during winter and summer holidays, but you can your expectations on salary, working days, items to negotiate with your ayi individually. be cleaned, and/or cleaning items. Be aware that she • Public Holidays -- understand that these are na- may have a preferred method of doing things, so you tional holidays, so negotiate if the ayi will come on those days or not. 20 SECTION 4

• Cleaning duties all ayis are willing to cook for a family (or they may - What do you want the ayi to accomplish each time? charge you extra). - What is your level of “clean”? - Do you want items thrown away or merely put neatly into piles? - Cleaning kitchen, bathroom, making beds, washing laundry, hanging clothes to dry, ironing, cooking, etc. • Purchasing cleaning items -- the ayi might be willing to purchase the cleaning items she prefers. You can leave her money, and she can get the items cheaply at markets around your apartment. • Paying bills -- it’s often easy if you leave money for the ayi to pay the bills, but you will need to request that the ayi do this feature. • Shopping at the wet markets -- the ayi can often purchase vegetables, meat, and other items cheaply at the wet market, but if you prefer specific types of food, then be sure to communicate your preferences. XIAO LONG BAO AYIS CAN MAKE SOME MEAN DUMPLINGS!

Many faculty have recommendations of their ayis who would be willing to work for other new families. This is a good way to learn about what you can expect from an ayi and provides a quality referral.

SAFETY Most ayis are capable and reliable. You won’t have to put WET MARKET away cash, passports, valuables, etc., but it does pay to AYIS CAN DO YOUR FRESH MARKET SHOPPING be responsible and keep your valuables safely secured just in case. Remember though, that your interactions • Ordering water -- the ayi can often order with the ayi can certainly influence their practices. replacement bottles of water to be delivered to your apartment, so this is an efficient way to Below are some sites that will allow you to look through ensure that you never run out of water. individual ayi profiles online before coming to China. • Cooking -- Some ayis are willing to cook, but may not feel comfortable making “western” dishes. They • HomePro Shanghai This site provides access to prefer to make simple Chinese food, and can often resumes of ayis and will help you interview them, leave it in your refrigerator to heat up later. Some- and follow up throughout the process times, the ayi will use quite a lot of oil, so be sure • Merry Cleaning Services This site is for occasional to explain your cooking preferences, and work out cleaners rather than a full time ayi, but might be which meals you do like and which you don’t. Not good for reference purposes.

21 SECTION 5 CULTURE SHOCK

What is Culture Shock? How Expats Learn to Cope with Cultural Differences

A foreign country may prove uncomfortable at the beginning, until one learns more about the new culture, people and social rules.

By Relocation Expert May 4, 2011 Taken from the website: https://www.moveoneinc.com/blog/relocations/what-is-culture-shock-how-expats-l earn-to-cope-with-cultural-differences/

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One of the most stressful aspects of moving to another country is facing a completely new culture. Regardless of how prepared you might be, the CULTURE SHOCK change of culture and environment is something that affects everyone. The experience of culture shock, especially for first-time expats, is quite normal. ‘Culture shock’ also includes the stress of being separated from the important people in life–family, friends and colleagues that we would normally talk to at times of uncertainty. Coping with culture shock is one of the more challenging aspects of moving < overseas. Some people don’t talk about it at all LEARNING MANDARIN because they feel they should adapt instead of feeling TEACHERS GETTING INITIAL MANDARIN uncertainty or anxiety. LESSONS IN ORIENTATION WEEK

The truth is that every traveler feels this way to a Phase 1 – HONEYMOON certain extent, but for first timers, it is particularly This phase usually lasts two to six weeks. During this acute. It gets pretty confusing when we have to cope period, expatriates are usually excited to be in the with a new language, which we may not be able to new country and are fascinated by its sights. Those speak; new foods with unfamiliar flavors and textures who relocate to emerging countries will experience or from unfamiliar sources. The relative welcome or a relative increase in status and standard of living. In exclusion by local residents, new and different social the beginning, everything is so new and exiting. For rules, laws and taboos all contribute to this feeling. these reasons, or perhaps some other reasons, freshly Other practical issues can also cause stress such as relocated assignees often feel very good in a situation temperature, weather and climate, or the relative of the first brief period of expatriation. reliability of services such as electricity, water, telephone, internet connection, garbage pick-up and Phase 2 – CULTURE SHOCK countless other small issues. Culture shock can be After a month or so, the initial phase ends and expats severe, especially if you move from a completely usually face the barriers in performance of their different cultural background, for example from jobs or in everyday life. They may even realize that Switzerland to Saudi Arabia. methods they used in their careers are either useless or counter-productive in their different cultural The good news is that everyone adapts after a while. environment. It can become even worse if they have It can be hard at times, but it is truly such a valuable brought their families with them and realize that their life experience that no one would ever regret going loved ones are stressed and confused by the new through. It gives us the opportunity to learn about circumstances. Due to such difficulties, expats may others and ourselves, to accept and appreciate feel culture shock symptoms such as confusion, anger differences. Being able to integrate and participate and frustration. This phase usually lasts six to eight instead of just observe is a precious life skill. Here are months. the five most common phases of adjustment to a new culture and environment:

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Sense of Satisfaction Adaptation Honeymoon 4 1 Stage

Cultural Adjustment 3

Places of True Culture Learning! Culture Shock 2

Time in Country

Adapted from “Maximizing Study Abroad”, University of Minnesota

Phase 3 – GRADUAL ADJUSTMENT Phase 5 – MASTERY In this phase, expats begin to adjust to their new It takes a total of five to seven years (according to situation and slowly regain their self confidence. some studies) for an expatriate to fully develop Through relationships they build with other expats appreciation and understanding of the host country and locals, they begin to understand the new and its culture. Those on high managerial positions environment better and start to integrate into society. need firm relationships with people in positions of This phase can last one to two years, during which influence within their own organizations and outside they begin to appreciate and understand local habits, of it. It may be the only way to achieve sustainable language, lifestyle and business practice. This is the progress. But it takes time and patience as, before phase in which foreigners adapt to local culture, with getting close to people, we need to accept and much less anxiety. appreciate their culture, habits and language.

Phase 4 – BASIC COMPETENCE Culture shock is normal, and the feeling of confusion, It could take another year or two for expats to gain disappointment and stress will dissipate. What each basic competence in another country’s business expat can do to make the transition easier is to practices. This period could be even longer in the prepare by reading about the host county, its people, emerging countries where business rules are not rules, habits, taboos and business practices. clearly set and depend greatly on personal relationships. Still, as relationships build up, it becomes easier for an Copied from: expat to develop functional proficiency in a foreign https://www.moveoneinc.com/blog/reloca- environment. tions/what-is-culture-shock-how-expats-l earn-to-cope-with-cultural-differences/

24 SECTION 6 LEARNING MANDARIN

HOW TO COMMUNICATE When you first come to China, it can be difficult to know how to communicate with your ayi, the local vegetable sellers, taxi drivers, etc. However, with a few words, you can find that things can begin to work smoothly.

There are plenty of websites to help you learn Mandarin. Use the next few pages to help you get started, and then you can begin lessons when you arrive.

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NI HAO MA? Chinese uses tones to help communicate their meanings. Even though the number of words are not infinite, the use of tones means that each word has multiple meanings because pronunciation of the tone can change the meaning.

• First Tone (ā)-- even sound (like a vowel that says its name) • Second Tone (á)-- the sound goes up like a question in English (think uptalk where each sentence ends with a question) • Third Tone (ǎ)-- this is a variable tone that begins high, goes d own, and comes back up. It takes the longest to stay • Fourth Tone (à)-- a harsh sounding downward Below are some of the common phrases you will tone (dismissive) probably master in the first few weeks of living in Shanghai.

GREETINGS Chinese Pinyin English Characters Pronunciation Hello 你好 nǐhǎo Good-bye 再见 zàijiàn Thank you 谢谢 xiè xiè No thanks 不用了，谢谢 bú yòng le, xièxiè 没有谢谢 méi yǒu xiè xiè You are welcome 不客气 bú kèqi Yes 是的 shì de No 不是 bú shì Excuse Me 对不起 duì bu qǐ I don’t understand 我听不懂 wǒ tīng bù dǒng I 我 wǒ you 你 nǐ he, she 他，她 tā, tā I already have 我有 wǒ yǒu I don’t have 我没有 wǒ méi yǒu Do you have Wifi密码 Wifi mì mǎ shì a wifi password? 是什么? shen me

CHINESE CULTURE SCIS STUDENTS GET TO LEARN ABOUT CHINESE CULTURE 26 SECTION 6

QUESTIONS AND DIRECTIONS NUMBERS: Using Smart Shanghai will help you get where you want You should learn your numbers because it can help in to go in a taxi, but it also helps to know a few words so many different areas. There are hand gestures that are and directions when communicating with the driver. useful as well.

Chinese Pinyin English Characters Pronunciation 0 零 líng 1 一 yī 2 二 èr 3 三 sān 4 四 sì 5 5 wǔ 6 六 liù 7 七 qī 8 八 bā 9 九 jiǔ 10 十 shí Chinese Pinyin English 十一 Characters Pronunciation 11 shí yī 20 二十 èr shí Where is the 厕所在哪里？ cèsuǒ zài nàli? bathroom? 21 二十一 èr shí yī Hi Driver, I want 你好师傅， nǐhǎo shīfu, 100 一百 yī bǎi to go to... 我要去…… wǒ yào qù... 1000 一千 yī qiān go straight ahead 一直走 yìzhízǒu turn right 右拐 yòu guǎi turn left 左拐 zuǒ guǎi stop here 这里停 zhè lǐ tíng slow down 慢一点 màn yīdiǎn can / can’t 可以／不可以 kě yǐ bù kě yǐ (is it possible or ok?) Do you have / not 有没有？ yǒu / méi yǒu have? want / don’t want? 要／不要 yào / bù yào like / don’t like? 喜欢／不喜欢 xǐ huan/bù xǐ huan Bill please 买单 mǎi dān May I have 麻烦给我 má fan gěi wǒ a bottle of...? 一瓶 yī píng water 水 shuǐ beer 啤酒 píjiǔ I want it cold / hot 冰的／热的 bīng de / rè de

27 SECTION 6

HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR LEARNING MANDARIN Sapore di Cina: Tales, Images, and Flavors of China This website provides a variety of blogs regarding living in China, but also has links to 51 excellent resources for learning Mandarin. These range from conversion to actual online programs that help you learn the language. See their e-book for Living and Working in China for more information.

SHOPPING MANDARIN Ask Benny is a good site for situational specific It’s helpful to learn a few phrases below so you can vocabulary lessons. They also have podcasts and lessons with dialogues for newbies. Plus, they bargain smoothly in the markets, the shops, and just have some lessons that center on life in Shanghai, to get around. Good luck with your purchases! so it’s a good way to learn the area as well. Chinese Pinyin (http://www.askbennychinese.com/) English Characters Pronunciation How much does 这个多少钱？ Zhè ge duō it cost? shǎo qián? That is too 太贵了！ Tài guì le! expensive! Can you make 便宜一点？ pián yi yī diǎn? it cheaper? It’s too big 太大了 tài dà le It’s too small 太小了 tài xiǎo le When you are trying to translate from characters to This one 这个 zhè ge pinyin to English, you can use a pinyin translator like That one 那个 nà ge Pin1yin1 to help you communicate. It also has a A lot (very much) 很多 hěn duō dictionary to find words or phrases from English I want ... 我要 wǒ yào as well. (http://www.pin1yin1.com/) I don’t want 我不要 wǒ bù yào I want to buy / 我要买 wǒ yāo mǎi/ There are many more sites out in cyberspace, but these I don’t want to buy ／我不要买 wǒ bù yāo mǎi are just a few that might help you learn the language. Shopping 买东西 mǎi dōng xi Ok / Good 好的／好了 Hao de / Hao le

28 29 SHANGHAI COMMUNITY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL