Personal Triple Dilemma...
Nanjing yesterday...I received a notice from the company in Japan this
morning saying that the documentation I need to start visa application
is ready and have been mailed to me here in Shanghai and the mail
would reach me in 2 to 3 days via EMS...oh great, what a timing...long
enough for to be bored waiting for it at home, but too short for me to
go on the road again if I want to start the visa application
ASAP...sure, there are plenty of places I can go around Shanghai for 2
to 3 days, but considering the hot weather here in the city and its
actually cooler near the water here, I doubt that I would actually
want to go anywhere geographically close to the city amidst the
sweltering heat...
Yet, blowing constantly in front of AC at home isn't the solution
either. Not to mention that I am already running low on food reserves
here (already eating cookies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...they
are running out too), I think I am actually getting sick from
AC...feeling cold one moment and feeling like breaking into a sweat
the next...uggh, so much for the cool comfort of home. Yet, its rainy
and humid outside as usual, with the rain only making the sauna feel
even worse and not reducing the temperature at all. The heat returns
in full force almost immediately as the rain clouds retreat.
Oh yeah, forgot one thing: I am not even sure whether I can actually
apply for a Japanese visa from here. After all, I don't live in China
permanently and only has a "temporary resident registration" to show
that I actually belong here. If the guys at the Japanese Consulate
don't buy my argument that I DO live here because my father does, I
probably have to ship all the documents back to the US and rely on my
mother for another shipment to the LA Consulate (and I know perfectly
how unreliable and delay-prone this procedure would be)...and worse
comes to worst, I may even have to personally go back to the US to
apply for this damn visa to Japan.
So here it is: (1) to wait for the documents from Japan so I apply for
visa ASAP or get on the road immediately and worry about the visa app
later...(2) uggh, I feel kind of sick from the AC and (3) Can I even
get a visa in Shanghai?
Sounds fun. While I worry about all these, the only thing accompanying
me would be a TV (well, at least the weekend programs may be
good...relatively speaking of course) and writing would go that well
anyways since all the newspapers are off for the weekend (well, at
least the English ones in China, I think...whats the point in working
weekends when all the expats, the main target, don't read anything
with an official government-propaganda-sounding tinge?) Which brings
me to think that I should really go explore the city a bit more while
I still have the time...
Two things comes to mind: one is to wonder around the outskirts of the
city. I haven't been to most of the outlying districts of the city,
plus I really would like to see Chongming Island (even though its kind
of far and quite a hassle to get there with only ferry as a viable
transportation method...but then again, seems like the ferries are
quite frequent and the ports are close to subway...hmmm....would make
an interesting day trip)
The second is a total exploration of Shanghai nightlife...a much more
difficult and costly proposition. First, going to a club by yourself
is not the safest thing to do in China (as I mentioned before,
everything can be a brothel in China, and a club is certainly the
prime spot considering that everyone who goes there have some money to
spare...I certainly witnessed that quite a bit in some bars I went
to...the number of old Filipino prostitutes were quite amazing to
behold).
Wanting to go to a bar or club here just made me realize how detached
I am to popular culture in China. I often criticize China for not
being able to develop an influential pop culture because of strict
government controls on media (TV and radio, as well as
newspapers/magazines that spread celebrity gossip) but on the flip
side, come to think of it, am I placing too much emphasis on these
media outlets?
After all, we all witness the power of Internet as an entertainment
source (primary one, to be exact) here in China, able to spread any
gossip to millions of young people in matter of hours. Are they
similar physical entities capable of such things? I have mentioned
bars and clubs, but those are totally Western concepts that are
considered luxurious and are in fact, quite expensive for most young
people...so whats outside of the entertainment methods I can think of?
Yeah, to be sure, the rich young people spend their parents' money on
hip nightlife spots like bars and clubs, but what about the common
people? Unfortunately, I don't think I can ever really find out...I
tried hard when I was interning in Shanghai over the winter break, but
seems like my coworkers were the types that keep to themselves. We
only had one outing to an expensive bar and restaurant...and it seems
like they don't do much in terms of nightlife because most live with
their parents (housing is expensive, after all...)
So should I conclude that young people most meet strangers through the
Internet and that good friends go primarily to karaoke for fun? I
suppose that would be a widely accepted notion. But just as I feel
Izakayas in Japan are designed for mature people who are no longer
energetic enough for other activities, I feel like I am missing
something...I am missing the things that people of my age (not quite
rich, but full of energy) would do for fun...
Yeah, I guess I can't find out for sure...I really have been outside
China for too long...I didn't have enough common language with Chinese
students at Yale (and those guys can't represent the average Chinese
youngster anyways...the average would be more frivolous and flippant
than those Yalies are) and I really feel a cultural barrier when I am
here...maybe its a self-fulfilling prophecy...I don't know...but
either way, I lack the kind of friends who can truly be considered
exclusively Chinese but are still youthful enough to be just like
me...
What I am really looking for is an image of myself if I was never
given the opportunity to go abroad...well, I guess it would be
possible that I would have completely different character (I think
more mature, if I can ever be...the Chinese education system really
does kill creativity in people, and brain-washed with political
naiveté, of course) that this desire I have would be completely
baseless...but who knows, no one can predict the alternative reality
with 100% reality....
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