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| Juniors in Shanghai, April is 4th from the left. |
Being in Shanghai has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. The city was extravagant, and full of modern culture. I really became used to living there and felt like I could stay my whole life. There are so many awesome things I miss about it already. But what I miss the most are the friends we made. Our guides and classmates have been so kind and caring. Although I only got to know them for a few days, they mean so much to me. They did everything for us and made our time very enjoyable.
While our group faced a number of cultural and linguistic barriers with our Shanghai pals, we found that they were a lot like us. They get bored in class (and even skip sometimes), text all the time, get flirty, and like to have fun. Even though we are from different parts of the world and have been brought up in very distinct environments, we really are all the same (as cheesy as it sounds).
I wrote a short poem about one the students in Shanghai who I really connected with. Her name is April (at least that’s her “American” name), and we became good friends. She was very sweet and funny and, well, I developed a little crush on her while we were doing karaoke together. I want to dedicate this to her, and especially to all the awesome friends I have made here.
My Little Shanghai Crush
Maroon colored hair
with those nice creamy streaks,
Like raspberry
delight, deliciously tweaked,
Sticks out her tongue
to make a silly little pose,
I just wanna tell her
she’s cute and give her a rose.
Dressed in flowers, beautifully
blooming,
Her charm sends my
heart zooming,
She laughs at all my
silly rebellion,
Together we dance
through this Shanghai shenanigan.
Abeer Sikder is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying economics, political science and finance.