The Visa Run

Since you haven't heard from the eastern hemisphere for a while, it's time for a little update of the past few weeks.

After the successful trip to Beijing, the week continued with a normal work week for once. Teaching at the school is really fun and the children are growing on me.

In the afternoons and evenings, I went with Bilal on the bike to Tianzinfang (a famous artist district in Shanghai with many small fine alleys to explore) for a delicious butter chicken (#stylehatimmervorfahrt) and to the rooftop terrace of Kartell for one, two, three glasses of wine with Camille and Bilal. We enjoyed an evening in a small group and had intensive conversations...

Friday evening it was time for some program again. DIXON (a very successful electro DJ) came to Shanghai and through some contacts we were able to get free tickets. Since I was still a bit exhausted from the previous weeks, I spontaneously decided to postpone my upcoming trip to Hong Kong and only fly south on the following Monday. So I had a weekend ahead of me without visitors or excursions or other obligations that I was really looking forward to. Furthermore, the autumn/winter in Shanghai showed itself from its best side again and the weather promised to be beautiful.

The night with DIXON was long but full of good beats and an exciting location. The next day, accordingly, we slept in for a long time before going to Fuxing Park in the afternoon to do some reading, playing Frisbee, and just lying on a green area. In the evening, I went back to Laoximen, a truly 'Chinese' neighborhood in Shanghai where you actually feel foreign in this mostly international city. There are fruit and vegetable vendors everywhere, there are dubious diaper shops that you're not quite sure if they are a cover for illegal meetings, smoky restaurants, absolutely indefinable food, and from time to time the power goes out on the street. There is always something to discover and I love walking through the small alleys, eating cheap, simple but delicious food, and feeling foreign and yet welcome.

The rest of the evening was spent lying in bed, watching a movie, and going to bed early in order to finally do some cultural program the next day. Well-rested, fit, and in a good mood thanks to the radiant sunshine, I went to Mengqing Garden with Yannik for lunch on the jetty, reading, and bringing out the freckles again. Afterwards, we rode our scooters to M50. One of the hotspots for contemporary art, consisting of a former factory site on the northeastern outskirts of the city. More than a hundred artists have settled there in their studios or galleries. Here, art lovers will find painting, multimedia, graffiti, sculptures, and much more. A perfect place to stroll through various hip cafes, halls, squares, and galleries on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and to further educate and inspire oneself artistically. And the best thing about it: everything is free (after living like a Chinese emperor for 2 months, this fact is slowly starting to matter).

However, the intellectual thirst was not yet completely quenched and we hopped back on the scooters and drove to Shanghai 1933. In the slaughterhouse built in 1933, cows and buffalo were once driven over the ramps. Today, the structure with over 300 columns in the art deco style has evolved into a new creative center of the city. After countless ramps and differently wide bridges that led from the outer area to the actual slaughter area inside and regulated the influx of animals, we ended up on a small hidden terrace with a nightly view over Shanghai.

As a conclusion, we had some dumplings in a small Chinese street between chickens, hairdressers, construction workers, families, and thousands of small street restaurants that represent a mix of a living room, kitchen, and restaurant, a beer in the familiar Windows Bar, and a movie on the couch in Yannik's apartment with Bilal and Yannik.

On Monday, it was time for the visa run to Hong Kong. After a relaxed flight, I arrived in the evening around 8pm and went straight to the first visa agency that caught my eye. Although I knew that every service offered at the airport and obvious to a blue-eyed tourist is usually totally overpriced, I didn't want to take any risks when it came to my visa and wanted to settle the whole process as quickly as possible. The idea of possibly not being able to come back to Shanghai anymore or only in a week's time was completely unacceptable. For that, I would be willing to pay more and then starve for the next few weeks, but at least at home :)

So after being sold an overpriced visa service and another passport photo, I left my passport at the agency at the airport and could only wait for my new visa to be applied for and accepted...

When I arrived in the city, I was warmly welcomed by an old acquaintance. With Fiammetta and her roommate Isabel, we went to eat burgers first and then straight to bed. Luckily, I was allowed to stay in the living room with the two girls for the next few days. The next day, I just started walking without much preparation. I let myself be carried away by big and small streets, alleys, parks, a public zoo, the harbor, and various malls and enjoyed the impressions of another new city. I ate everything that looked new and interesting, wrote in my diary, and looked back at the past weeks in Shanghai from afar. The climate was very pleasant and I was able to unpack my summer wardrobe again. Due to its amazing geographical location on the water, with mountains in the background, the warm climate, the colorful streets, and international cafes and open-hearted people, Hong Kong quickly captivated me. After walking 11 kilometers, the highlight in the evening was going up the Victoria Peak with Fiammi and Isabel for 1.5 hours. From the so-called Hong Kong house mountain, I could overlook the 8 million city and enjoyed female power with a bottle of wine. I was immediately integrated and accepted into the girls' clique.

Since I hadn't received any news about my visa, I nervously left the house the next day. On a recommendation, I went to the mainland towards Diamond Hill to visit a truly impressive monastery with a beautiful Chinese garden, as well as the Bird Market, the Flower Market, and the Ladies Market where no wish remained unfulfilled...

My Spiegel Online news app then brought me back to the world events in the afternoon. After looking twice, the US election result was officially confirmed. In the evening, I sat together with Fiammi and her friends in a small bar in Central Hong Kong during Margarita Happy Hour and we talked about the past, the future, politics, and the delicious drinks :) After that, we went to a poetry slam in a small bar. The young artists presented self-written texts about current topics that concerned them. The stage was filled with young people from different countries with different thoughts, fears, ideas, and setbacks.... a really successful evening full of inspiration.

Furthermore, I received a long-awaited call from the visa agency and confirmation for a visa extension for two times 30 days. The logic hasn't quite dawned on me yet, but now I can spend another 30 days in China, then go to beautiful and warm Hong Kong once more, and then come back for another 30 days....

Filled with enthusiasm and excitement, I returned home the next morning. To get some physical activity, I went to a climbing hall in the Shanghai Indoor Stadium that same evening, and the next day, I had my first squash lesson with Bilal, Yannik, and Victor. We exerted ourselves and spent the rest of the evening relaxed with delicious food and red wine on my balcony.

The next day, high-profile visitors were already scheduled. My dear roommate Dani and Thomas from Munich came to see what Matthias and I have been up to. After a brief first impression, we embarked on an ambitious Shanghai night tour in the evening, which didn't end until the next morning. After a few hours of sleep, we went to Tianzifang and had chicken hotpot. And since the stamina of the guys is tireless, the guys' crew went back on the slopes, while I went to bed like a good girl. On the following day, in the name of Stepping Stones and as part of International Handwashing Day, we went to a kindergarten outside of Shanghai for an event that I had prepared for the past few weeks. Together with one of our sponsors, we spent the afternoon in the kindergarten, teaching the children the 6 steps of handwashing through singing and dancing...

In the evening, we first went to eat burgers, then for a jog, and then went to bed early. I feel like I'm getting sick again....

The week with Dani and Thomas is progressing and surely has a few surprises in store. It remains exciting.