Passport Nationality

American, Canadian

Current City

Shanghai

Current School

Concordia International School of Shanghai

What other Chinese cities have you lived in?

None

What other schools have you gone to in China?

None

What was one China stereotype that you thought before moving?

Before I moved to China, I thought the government was always watching you and it was impossible to access unbiased information.

How wrong were you?

Well, everyone has VPNs. If you want to find information you can. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat still work even if they’re a little bit slower.

Favorite spot in your city

I think ‘tianzifang’ is the coolest place. It is rather touristy but it still has some interesting restaurants and street food

Coolest travel experience since living in China

During Lunar New Year break, my family and I go to go to Japan, which was really different from China. As fun as China can be, Japan was so much cooler. The food was amazing and the sights were amazing. It was an experience that I would not have had if I hadn’t moved to China.

Favorite school trip

At Concordia, we go on small trips at the beginning of the year called interim. I got to go to Shangri-la and hike mountains in Yunnan province. We hiked out and slept in the mountains in valleys used by yak herders. It was the most fun, fascinating experience to utterly escape technology and learn about the tibetan culture that is typically so overlooked in China.

What are the top school activities you’re involved in?

I’m involved in Cross Country, Model United Nations, and French Honor Society.

Have you won any awards or worked on any awesome projects that you wouldn’t have been able to back home?

I haven’t been here for that long. However, on interim we got to go out and help harvest barley. It was hard work but it was also pretty fun and interesting.

Write a piece of advice you would have liked to have before moving to China.

You can keep in touch with your friends in the states but you will have a much better time if you focus on making friends in China. If people do things differently or speak differently, accept it. You might not have your favorite food but this is a different country. Roll with the punches.

What is your fav Chinese dish?

Xiao Long Bao

Are chopsticks hard?

Nope, it takes you about three meals to be decent. Two weeks max before your proficient.

Got any fake market tips?

Take someone who know what they’re doing with you. They will scam you and the quality is pretty low.

What was one special opportunity or activity you got to participate in while living in China? (Did you get an award for it?)

This may not be a special activity/opportunity, but one of my best China experiences is KTVing. There is nothing like grabbing a ton of fun people and sing off-key until you’re hoarse.

What else did we miss in your life that you’d like to share?

As much as learning your moving sucks, everything is so much better if you take it with a positive attitude.