Intermission I: Shanghai Song

So this entry is basically a link to the song I made this week isn't it dapper?

See you all sometime soon? I need to go back to watching 开心星星球 it is so amazing and the title song DANNNNG those chords I need to learn those. I am also watching 喜洋洋与灰太狼 and that's pretty cool too. It's all about China's recent history and stuff so I will do my next video on that I think.

在见! Ya know. You watched the video, right?

Chapter 2: I Stare Back

Chapter 2: I Stare Back

I have now been in Shanghai for a while now.

For this video, I decided to explore the topic of cross-cultural differences. As foreigners, we get stared at a lot, and it takes a while to get used to. It also makes me wonder, will this go on forever? Am I forever doomed to be stared at like “What on earth are YOU doing here?” But then I realized, as part of my studies, it’s my job to stare right back at them, looking at every single little thing they do. Somehow, it makes me feel a little worse, seeing as they get to stare at an outsider who has come to China, while I have come with the sole purpose of staring at them.

They might stare, but I stare back.

If you want to see more of Shanghai from Johnny’s perspective (and see some wicked sweet pictures as opposed to shaky still shots from a video camera), check out his blog:

http://frombostontoshanghai.tumblr.com/

If you have any thoughts or comments, leave a message on my YouTube channel or this Blogger.

Oh! And here’s your Chinese word for the day!

老外: (l – ow – why) (lao3wai4): Hapless foreigner. Also means grandmother on the mother’s side. Because she’s pretty hapless too.

Chapter 1: Setting Sail

你好! My name is Nathaniel Hahn, and I am a 3^rd year Asian Studies major at Northeastern University. I have decided to keep up a blog while I am studying at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics for the semester. In addition to a written blog, I will be making weekly videos that show my adventures as they happen. So, If you follow my twitter: (http://twitter.com/Nathaniel_Hahn) I will post whenever I make an update. Here's my video introduction!

As an Asian Studies major, I always seem to be caught in the middle of two cultures. On the one hand, I am VERY American, so I don’t exactly…fit in into Chinese culture. On the other hand, as soon as people learn my major, I am asked to explain the intricacies of Chineseness to a world where the mark of China is seen as the ultimate outsider.

Therefore, I intend to use this blog as a description of my life in the middle: not just the middle country (the Chinese description of China, 中国, literally means “middle country”), but the middle culture between East and West, and how I can ever possibly live up to the expectations of me brought on by my unique position.

If you keep reading, you will be sure to learn something about China that you didn’t already know, and perhaps it might spark an interest to visit here yourself. At least, I hope so. The future resides on these two cultures being able to cooperate in a complicated world, and I hope this blog can provide at least one piece of the puzzle. And hey, maybe I’ll even teach you some Chinese.

你好: (pronunciation: knee-how) (pinyin: ni2hao3) (translation: hello)