Episode 12 Shanghai with Jilli Leonard

Immediately following college, 23 year old Jilli Leonard jumped on an opportunity to teach English as a second language in Shanghai. After 2 years of learning the ropes, she shares wisdom gained on the other side of the world while navigating a life in Shanghai. Our eyes remain wide open at her observations and insight at such a young age.

EPISODE LENGTH 40 min ([39:21]) above photo courtesy Jilli Leonard

You can keep up with Jilli Leonard on Instagram @manelikelions and also be sure to check out her new podcast Where’s the rice?

Listen on iTunes  OR  Google Play OR Stitcher

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SHOW NOTES

00:14 Changying’s parents awkward outing at Silver Dollar City
02:34 Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward
02:46  Bruce Lee audio clip from Fists of Fury
04:05 The Four Pests campaign
04:30 The Great Chinese Famine
[04:40] China vs US in obesity
05:06 What’s the average education of the average Chinese citizen?
05:58 The English language business in China is on fire
06:10 China Daily’s report on population segment studying English
[06:25] Jilli discusses what it’s like for an American attempting to learn Mandarin
[09:25] What prepares a 23 year old for a move to Shanghai?
[10:45] Initial challenges after making the move
[13:09] Challenges of clothes shopping for Westerners
14:19 What’s a Lane house?
17:01 Air pollution: what’s the deal with those masks?
[19:42] Personal space in China–not so much
20:41 Subway Pushers aka “sardine packers” and where it all began
[21:28] A culture of “saving face”
22:50 Chinese business culture and guanxi
27:30 Mencius’ philosophy on reciprocation between leader and followers
[27:55] What it’s like to experience a protest in China
[30:03] The delicate balance of tradition and modernity
[31:23] A shot of reverse culture shock with a chaser of Walmart
[33:38] Karaoke culture: West vs East
[35:24] Jilli describes how the move to Shanghai has changed her
37:38 Knowing Me Knowing You karaoke

NOTE: This episode features the story of one individual’s experience. Experiences of a country and its culture will obviously vary from person to person and it is important to do your own research from a multitude of sources. In addition, immigration rules and regulations are subject to change at a moment’s notice–always check with a country’s official embassy for the latest updates.

JILLI’S PERSONALLY RECOMMENDED LINKS

https://www.mychinavisa.com/ (getting a work visa can be a convoluted process… this service is a dream)

Buying online is the way to go in China. If you can read chinese, https://www.taobao.com/ is your saving grace. If not, https://www.baopals.com/ is an english interface for Taobao.

Smartphone Apps:  Pleco (translation), Alipay (wallet), WeChat (social) and MeiTuan (food delivery) are apps I couldn’t survive a day without in China.

For language learners, https://chinesepod.com/ or any kind of HSK Test prep is the way to go. (HSK is China’s Language Proficiency Test, which you can take at various levels, and looks really good on a resume)

If you want to connect, I dabble in photography–see my photos here  or follow me on Instagram, @manelikelions

Jilli’s Spotify playlist cure-all for feeling overwhelmed and missing home.

Additional links:

Move to China
Chinese Consulate offices in US

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