Life for newcomers to Shanghai can be vibrant and exciting. More often than not though it is overwhelming and daunting. Luckily, help is at hand, writes Sam Riley.
While starting a new life in Shanghai can be the adventure of a lifetime, for some expats adjusting to living in China can be a difficult experience.
Crashing headlong into a totally new culture and a language they don't speak can be a daunting and sometimes alienating experience for new arrivals.
The Community Center Shanghai specializes in helping expats overcome this so-called "culture shock" by conducting a range of programs designed to make settling into life in this vibrant and exciting city easier.
As well as courses, the center conducts specifically tailored orientation programs for executives of some of the biggest multi-national companies operating in Shanghai.
The center's Puxi director Michelle Wright says it is common for new arrivals to feel overwhelmed by the challenge of performing seemingly simple tasks when they first arrive in China.
"Coming from a Western country to Asia can be very, very different and there is so much new that you are being affected by," she says.
"Traffic patterns, common courtesies are very different, for example. Even the written language is different so you don't have your normal reference points. (But) it's much easier to adjust now than it was 10 or even five years ago because there's a lot more help available.''
Wright says the center offers a number of courses ranging from first aid and communication courses for ayis and drivers to Chinese language classes for expats. The center also has counselors who can provide advice to expats who feel they need more intensive assistance.
Wright says family members or friends of expats can recognize the symptoms of "culture shock," which include outbursts of anger or frustration with aspects of life in China. Other "culture shock" sufferers may become withdrawn and isolate themselves. In more serious cases, some even become depressed.
American Orlah King, her husband Rodney and their 16-year-old twins Christopher and Timothy have been in Shanghai for 15 months.
The King family moved to the sprawling metropolis from the small South Carolina town of Bennettsville, which boasts a population of just 9,500.
"Shanghai is a huge difference. The town we came from had literally one taxi - and I don't mean one taxi company," says Orlah King. "Coming to Shanghai with all the big city stuff, the subway, the traffic jams and the people. We didn't have any of that in Bennettsville so that in itself was an adjustment. I think everything in China is process and you have to make the mental adjustment that it is going to take time to do things."
The King family lives in the Hampden Woods compound at Xinqiao Town in the Songjiang District. Mrs King says other expat families in the neighborhood provide a strong social network, while membership in a variety of expat groups focused on charity activities made her new Shanghai life a busy one.
But the challenges and rewards of beginning a new life in a totally different environment do not stop after the first adjustment period.
Community Center Shanghai executive director Christina Showalter says many people found that after they had adjusted to life in China, a range of new opportunities for personal growth arose.
"Once they have found a circle of friends, become established, eaten in restaurants, gone shopping, been to bars, people tend to look for meaning in their lives," she says.
"People soon find there are so many opportunities for personal growth, whether that be through learning new skills or contributing to the local community."
Lauren Hansen, 27, is the director of New Horizons, a company that specializes in helping students prepare for the American college entrance exams.
Having lived in Shanghai for two years, Hansen - like many expats - initially socialized a lot. But after about 18 months, she says, her priorities changed.
"What's the point of being here if you are not on your game? Some people go the other way and go out drinking a lot. Then they wake up one day and realize they need to go home. For me, the natural process was that I got more serious about my career.''
The Community Center Shanghai will run a free half-day orientation program on Saturday. The course covers a range of topics such as getting settled, hiring household staff and managing workplace challenges.
Shanghai 123 - Orientation for New Arrivals
Date: April 12, 9:30am-2:30pm
Venue: Puxi Community Center at the Sun-Tec Medical Center, Annex Building 4/F, 2281 Hongqiao Rd
Tel: 5175-0519
Register online at www.communitycenter.cn
(Shanghai Daily April 10, 2008)