I took off for Shanghai on April 28 to work for a woman I’d never met and live with a guy I’d never spoken to. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous, but mostly I was just excited.
 
The job was with a mini news wire called Trombly Ltd. (http://tromblyltd.com/siteapps/859/htdocs/) They’re actually a new phenomenon in journalism – well, I guess any real media in China is a new phenomenon. 
 
The company sets up contracts with a bunch of magazines in the United States, which otherwise could not afford to set up their own bureau in Shanghai, and outsources business-specific news to them. It’s not exactly a news wire.
 
I found this company and set up this internship myself. All it took was hours of wasted time browsing blogs online late at night but trust me, it’s a lot cheaper than paying a big company like Next Step Connections to package your whole internship experience. All you have to do is find some companies you like, tell them you’ll work for free, and ask for some info on who’s hiring.
 
And you get more culture shock this way.
 
When I got off the plane I had to find my way to a random subway stop where I was to meet my new roommate – a young, local Chinese man who didn’t seem to speak much English. So, after not sleeping for more than 14 hours, I set off for Century Avenue subway station.
 
Getting there was fine. I took the bullet train from the airport, which plunked me into the subway system going 300 km per hour. Then it was only a few stops on the subway. But the subway station had six different entrances. I had no idea which one to meet my roommate at. And I had no idea what he looked like!
 
After about an hour of freaking out, marching up and down the busy street with all of my luggage, and desperately asking strangers who didn’t speak English if I could use their cell phones, I managed to get him on the phone. He took me to his apartment, where he had set up a bed in his tiny TV room, and let me unpack. It was small and dirty. But I was staying with him for free!
 
This is how the adventures began.
 
Stay tuned.
 
(For more accounts of Mathew’s adventures in Shanghai, check out www.journalismadventures.com)