Shanghai Monkey Business
Climbing High, and the Peculiarities of an Insta-Job (just add noodles)

"In the twinkling of an eye, the magnificent building, situated at a diamond quarter of the First Street of China in the downtown district of Shanghai, has remained in fine Italian style of primitive simplicity and elegance. It has now become a world-famous hotel that distinguished quests[sic], businessmen and tourists from all over the world yearn for."
--From the "Pacific Hotel" Brochure.

I would not say I had done any yearning for a stay in this rather dumpy old hotel on the edge of People's Squarewhere my father is staying on business, but I did want to take a bath after my 23 hour train ride from Gaungzhou. Which I did. Then I slept three hours. Then I sunk into a net bar. Then I took another bath. My father worries about the black goop that comes out of the drain of the tub, but I told him I was just happy there weren't any leaches.

That very night, I took the elevator to the tenth floor in a bit of exploring. I was suddenly on the roof! And there, a catwalk! Up the spire we climbed, past the glass clock face and higher and out for a crow's nest view of People's Square. This is something I enjoyed in college and something for which I had to answer to the authorites for.


Going Out for Noodles, Coming Back with a Job

I settled into a little routine of web design in my Dad's hotel room while he worked. That noon, I went out for a bowl of noodles around the corner. Crowded as the place was, I soon had a young couple sharing my table with me. I made some small talk, asking them if they were students. Yes. In Shanghai? Yes. What do you study? Japanese. Business Japanese.

The boy didn't look like a "business Chinese" major. He had a skull tattoo on his arm and called himself "snake." "Like a PS2 player." I told him I, sorry, I'm a Nintendo player. He was very friendly and, like most rebel images, this seemed more just a protective veneer.

When he asked me what I was doing in Shanghai, I said that I was just traveling and visiting my dad, but mentioned that I might like to work here. Before I knew it, we were off to the school where he had been learning Japanese, I was meeting with the manager, and giving an "sample English lesson" about "Love and Marriage" in North America. Suddenly I was being offered a job with the option to sign a contract and I was making more money in one hour than my entire one-month volunteer stipend in Thailand. I start next week. We'll just see what happens as my visa nears expiration in another three weeks.

This China!