A Change Is Coming

Recently I was driving along and I notice just how blue the sky was. Not a cloud in the sky. Just a perfect winters day.

This got me thinking and wondering just how different the sky will look in Shanghai. Much has been written about the air pollution in Shanghai, so I am curious about the pollutions impact on the view of the sky. While discussing the air pollution, I recently downloaded an app to my phone which allows you to get up to date pollution levels. When I looked at the app I saw Brisbane CBD had an air pollution level of 17. However, Shanghai’s air pollution level was 122. I was rather shocked. The app called this level moderate which can affect people with poor respiratory health. So I now understand why face masks are popular there.

The air pollution problem also made me wonder about the smells of the city and what effect it will have.

There have also been other thoughts about how things will or might be different compared to Australia. Things like the visibility of the night sky. If Shanghai is anything like Hong Kong in relation to light pollution at night, I can safely say that there will not be a lot of stars to see unless I am away from the city lights.

Another is how will the storms be different . Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good storm and I am super excited about seeing my first storm in China, especially when I could possibly be in one of those towering building apartments and surrounded by lightning and pouring rain.

However, there is at least one thing that is different and that is the water. The tap water is very different because of a pollution issue. It is highly recommended not to drink the water in shanghai. One report stated that over half of China’s water resources are so polluted that it has been deemed unsuitable and unsafe for industrial use and human consumption. So I wonder how this will effect shower time and if I have to brushing my teeth using bottled water or boiled water.

One of my favourite difference test to do Is to drink and taste the coco-cola. Every countries coco-cola tastes slightly different from the others because of the water that is used in the production. Some countries have a slightly more syrupy taste to it, while others have a more watery taste. But it is always fun to try out.

One of the small things which has been stressing me a little bit is the rubbish bin issue. In Australia we just through the rubbish into the wheelie bin and put it on the curb to be collected. I thought that this was the general rule for most places in the world. However, while in Ireland this was not the case and I had to find so creative ways to dispose of the rubbish in a proper manner. So now that I am moving to Shanghai and will probably end in a tower apartment building, my thoughts have been about how will getting rid of the rubbish will be different there.

I am sure that there will be other differences too but it will all add up to one heck of a learning experience and an awesome adventure.