Your faithful blogger about to dig in to some tasty Chinese food.

Hello everyone. My name is Adam Moessinger.  I’m a 27 year old from the USA.  My hometown is Cumberland, Maryland which is about 3 hours outside of Washington D.C.  I am currently studying Chinese Mandarin full time at Jiaotong University in Shanghai.  I have been here for about a month, and the city has made quite an impression on me. But before I explain, I’d like to give some perspective about where I’m coming from. I’ve been living on and off in South Korea for the past four years.  During those four years, I spent the majority of my time teaching English in Seoul.  So, naturally I find myself constantly comparing Shanghai to Seoul.  In some ways they are similar, but there are some very obvious differences.  Seoul is a more developed city than Shanghai.  The overall standard of living is higher, and it is generally much cleaner.  The great economic success that Korea experienced in second half of the last century has left the Koreans very comfortable in their skin.  Seoul comes across as a city that is still progressing, but at a relatively slow rate compared to the past.

When I stepped of the plane in Shanghai, I could immediately feel the difference.  The Shanghainese have a hunger to develop extremely quickly and take leaps up the socioeconomic ladder.  A new building is being erected on every block, old stores and apartment buildings are being renovated, and the number of shopping malls is astonishing.  In other words, there is massive potential to be successful in Shanghai, and that is what led me here. I plan on studying at Jiaotong for at least a year.  My goal is to become fluent in Mandarin, but I am not naive.  Fluency in two years would be great, but upwards of three is a more realistic goal in my opinion.  Fortunately, CSA granted me a scholarship which has helped to ensure that I will be able to study until my goal is met.  I also plan on taking advantage of CSA’s resources to help obtain a part time job or internship during my time as a student.

Shanghai - my new home

As you can see, I’m not the most gifted writer, but my goal with this blog will be to provide an honest assessment of what it’s like to live and study in Shanghai.  My first bit of advice is that no matter where you are studying Chinese, sign up for the intensive course. This means that you will have a private tutor for 10 hours a week.  I find my tutor to be extremely helpful.  She keeps me stay focused and caught up in all my classes, and she gives me extra confidence to use my Chinese.

Cheers!
Adam