BRIEF update. Last night I arrived in Shanghai. I’m flying solo and staying in a hostel. During my stay I’ll try my best to capture the vibe of China’s coolest city by filming scenes, taking photos and eating street noms. Next week I’ll resume my normal monkey-ish blog videos and stories. Teaching ESL at a college in China definitely has its perks. The best perk being the vacations. Tons of them. I have a ten-day vacation going on this very moment and I could almost shit my pants I’m so excited. First stop – Shanghai for 4 nights. Normally I don’t post content like this. I just wanted to fill the blogging gap created by my travels. When I return to Rizhao I’ll resume the creation of my normal videos, posts and everything else blog-y. CHEERS!
A Monkey in Shanghai (April 28 – May 3)
April 28, 2014 | 12 Comments
April 28, 2014 at 6:39 pm
Cool… I was in Shanghai yesterday. Try to visit Yangzhou.. Like you, Im also the only English Native Speaker here in our College..Hope to see you here..
April 29, 2014 at 8:18 am
Kevin, I live in Shanghai. It seems to be the center of the universe. A really really really cool city. Food, fashion, and experience. This city has it. I’m glad I took a job here after American TESOL Institute in Bangkok. Really is a step above Thailand.
May 1, 2014 at 7:50 am
Kevin,
Your blog is well done and has a lot of interesting articles. I lived in Bangkok for 4 years and currently live in Dalian, China. We share the same views on a lot in both countries. What do you find cool about Shanghai so far? How is the nightlife? Girls? I am planning a trip there in August and would like some first hand knowledge:) Enjoy your spring break. If you ever make it to Dalian, let me know.
Ben
May 10, 2014 at 9:39 am
Shanghai is just a far more western city than I’m used to seeing in China. The nightlife is like Bangkok. There’s always something going on, it seems. The girls are hot, and most of them speak English relatively well, so it’s much easier to meet and talk to Chinese girls there.
May 11, 2014 at 9:08 pm
I am planning on getting a place using airbnb.com. Which area has the most going on? Nanjing street? Bund? If you ever want to visit Dalian, I can give you the lowdown on places to go here. Keep up the blogging genius.
May 13, 2014 at 7:48 pm
I stayed in the City Central Youth Hostel during my visit. It was a great place only a few metro stops outside of the real action, but an easy place to meet new people and relax. If you’re looking for something that’s right in the center of the action, then a Nanjing Lu hotel is a safe bet though.
May 2, 2014 at 10:54 pm
1) I’ve read several of your posts, about teaching English in Thailand and then China. How much does teaching English pay, how many hours a week do you work doing it, and how adequately does it cover your cost of living? Do you have to crank your cost of living down to the bone to sat afloat financially? I read one post of yours about not drinking a beer, because it costs as much as lunch … do you not make enough to cover a couple nights a week of enjoying a couple beer? I’d appreciate some nuts and bolts numbers to provide insight.
2) Imo – I’ve travelled a lot relative to most people – your posts describe many things that are cool to a person upon first arriving, ie. beaches, temples, night markets, street food … but what about community and english speaking friends? Do you have enough in-person social interaction to prevent you from feeling like more than a lonely nomad in a foreign land?
Thank you in advance for any response.
May 10, 2014 at 9:46 am
Gguy,
1) I made USD $1K per month in my first teaching job in Thailand, plus free apartment. It was more than enough for me. I was able to save almost half of that money since I tried to be frugal. I never struggled, just tried to save as much as I could so I could travel with the money I made.
2) You posted the exact same question in another post of mine…
January 19, 2015 at 3:40 pm
I am moving in February to Taiwan to teach and I am interested in Thailand for my next position. Would you recommend the company you worked with in Thailand? Your blog has been very informative about Thailand keep up the good work.
(sorry if you have already had this question a million times)
January 25, 2015 at 9:01 pm
Yeah I definitely recommend ATI’s “Special Thai Project” for a first-time teacher. Thanks for reading the blog!
May 19, 2014 at 6:47 pm
this is inspiring ,,,and next year i am going to travel to China with friends 🙂 ..and Beijing is our destination 🙂 It’s gonna be my first time there . your blog is very useful for us
thanks
Oley
May 23, 2014 at 2:45 pm
Thanks, Oley. Glad I could inspire you!