Flying into Shanghai airport after about 15 hours in transit (including a 4 hour midnight stopover at Singapore airport). The day was just beginning. After picking up my luggage I made my way to the pick-up point. I was going meet one of the Chinese staff from my new school, who was going to take me to my new home.

Before I arrived in Shanghai, I imagined it to be a clean, futuristic and bustling city. While it has all the bustle that I expected and there is definitely no shortage of neon’s, I wouldn't call Shanghai the cleanest city in the world.

On the bus ride towards my new home, the morning grew on. I witnessed little things that let me know that I was in a very different country to the one I had just left.

Short on sleep and food, I finally arrived at my new home. Trudging up three flights of stairs I thought "what have I gotten myself into?" The building was dirty, I can't live here! Shanghai is full of surprises, good and bad. Thankfully, the inside of my apartment was renovated and quite livable.

I said goodbye to my guide and went and got some much needed rest.

Several hours later I realised that I had a bit of a problem. My "guide" had neglected to give me any information about anything at all. I didn't know where to eat, where to buy bedding.... I didn't know what to do.