Though I lived in Suzhou last year, I found a much better job in Shanghai for the next school year. The section of Suzhou I lived in didn't have a lot of expats or things catered to foreigners, whereas Shanghai is incredibly foreigner-friendly in terms of restaurants, bars, and things to do. It seemed an easy choice to move from Suzhou to Shanghai. At the moment, I am hoping this will be my last year in China, but it's too soon to tell what my future will bring.
I moved into an apartment in the French Concession, an expensive but centrally located part of Shanghai. I share the place with three others: a Spanish guy, a South African girl, and a Chinese guy.
We live on the first floor and have this as a view outside on our little veranda:
I moved into an apartment in the French Concession, an expensive but centrally located part of Shanghai. I share the place with three others: a Spanish guy, a South African girl, and a Chinese guy.
We live on the first floor and have this as a view outside on our little veranda:
I have the master bedroom, and here's a picture of my room:
So far, I am enjoying Shanghai more than I did Suzhou. Though Suzhou was less crowded and cheaper in some ways, Shanghai beats Suzhou in most other ways. There's more expats here, much more to do, the locals are more used to the foreigners and don't treat us quite as poorly, and it's a better location for leaving (there's no airport in Suzhou, and there's plenty of expat tour groups that operate out of Shanghai).