Ni Hao Cong Shanghai!

I'm writing to you from the international students dormitory at
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where I'm studying mandarin. I've
learnt so much already, I think I've spoken more chinese in my first
week here than I have in my entire life! Shanghai is an amazing,
bustling metropolis, with incredible contrasts and contradictions.
High tech apartments overlook shanty towns, and there are
disfigured beggars lying in wait outside the flashiest nightclubs,
panhandling the nouveau riche as they walk out to their Porsches and
Mercedes. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw my first Boxster S
here.. it just seems so wrong. But I'm loving it here so far, there's
just so much going on, everyday is full of new experiences. I have
already found part time work and am now planning to extend my studies
to a full year.

Anyway the reason for the hasty email is that I've been getting lots
of concerned emails from home asking if I'm still alive. It's nice to
know you're still thinking of me. Yes I am alive and well in Shanghai!
Sorry I havent been able to write. I've been busy looking for
accomodation ever since I landed here. The realestate industry here is
a shambles. I've looked at over 30 apartments so far. You can't
preview a property here without physically going to the apartment with
the realestate agent... they haven't heard of photos apparently. And
when you get there, the apartment is often in a state of disrepair,
decorated in "untouchable" style, or located in a slum area with dead
rats and homeless people on the street. Bizarrely, we often have to
wait outside the apartment for the landlord to let us in. Negotiations
are a three way affair with both realestate and landlord present. Once
the contract is signed you can move in straight away. Unfortunately -
therein lies the catch. Getting a contract signed here is harder than
winning an olympic gold medal!

Rent in Shanghai is more expensive than I anticipated, especially
around this university as it's near the heart of the city and the real
estate agents know us foreign students desperately need a fixed
address to guarantee our resident's permit. I've teamed up with two
filipino students to look for a 3 bedroom apartment, as it's cheaper
per head than all other accomodation in this area. So far, we've made
offers on 5 propertys. Each time the offer has been accepted by the
landlord, only to be rejected a few days later when it came time to
signing the contract. I'm living in some weird groundhog day from
realestate hell!

Here's a typical story of how bad the realestate ethics are here. We
actually found the perfect 3-bedder in my first week here, and put down
one month's holding deposit on the spot ($6,000 rmb). The next day we
met the landlord at the apartment, to sign the contract. But instead
of signing, he prevaricated for an hour, asking all these questions
about our jobs, nationality, and whether we cooked at home a lot (he
was worried that us dirty unemployed filipinos would damage the new
kitchen). We were beginning to wonder why he was taking so long to
sign the damn contract, when another agent turned up with a korean
couple, who proceeded to look around the apartment. When we asked what
was going on, we were told that this realestate agent was the
landlord's friend, but not to worry - he would sign the contract with
us, we just had to sit tight and give him face, because he had
forgotten to tell his friend to cancel the inspection. When it became
clear the Koreans liked the place and were going to make an offer, we
became very worried and asked our local guide/translator to do
something about it. But when our translator tried to tell the Koreans
that we had already paid a reservation deposit on the apartment, a
huge row ensued. The rival agent started yelling hysterically in
Shanghainese dialect, accusing our translator of trying to poach her business,
and the landlord, smelling a higher offer, took her side and actually
kicked our translator out of the building. He then disappeared with
the Korean couple and never came back. Ten minutes later, we were told
the Koreans had offered $2000 rmb more per month for the apartment and
our deposit would be refunded. No other compensation was offered.

So you can imagine how frustrating it has been. The only upside has
been I've gotten to know the neighbourhood around the university,
walking to all the various properties. But for the moment, I am still
homeless, and searching everyday for a cheap single room, or a
3-bedroom apartment to share with my friends. (The dormitories are
full but I'm on a standby list in case anyone vacates. During my first
few days here, I was able to live at my cousin's empty apartment in
the historic French Concession district of Shanghai, as she had paid
the rent up until Sept 6th. But since she has now emigrated to New Zealand
I had to move out to make room for a new tenant. Thankfully, my
German friend Meng Meng is in town and I've been able to crash at her
beautiful 1800's place across town instead of sleeping on the streets.
It takes me an hour and forty minutes to travel to campus each morning
though, and the public transport experience in Shanghai is not to be
missed! Imagine the Japanese subway stereotype times 2x. Yes, I have
smelt many an armpit during my first 10 days here. Im am planning to
stop showering at the gym in order to wreak my revenge on the locals
ahaha

Anyway I'm almost out of credit here at the internet cafe, so I must
go.