By Olecia Christie

Everybody enjoys a trip overseas to a faraway exotic country, right? Well, how about we call a maybe on that one? Here's a story, not half as long as my flight, about my refreshingly unique experience in Shanghai.

Shang we?

When I fastened my seat belt, I had no idea I was in for a long ride. Of course, I knew I was on a 13-hour flight to Asia. But up to this point in my life, I had never done anything for 13 straight hours, so as I said earlier, I had no idea.

The whirring noise above was the only thing preventing me from sleeping. I didn't protest as the thought of being unconscious for hours over water didn't sit well with me either. Instead, I sat motionlessly, eyes fixed on the grumpy air hostess designated to my row. I craved sleep, but it was the last thing that came. There was constant movement on my flight. Among them were panicky aisle walkers, the overly-affectionate couple who sat across from me, and the Asian family of five sharing loud exchanges in a language I couldn't understand. This was the beginning of an eventful trip.

Lessons Learned

Shanghai was cold and wet. The air had a dual quality, thick from manufacturing emissions yet thin from high altitude levels. I stood outside my hotel in pure wonder at buildings that appeared to touch the sky. Everyone in the city wore dust masks. I wasn't sure if this was commonplace or if there was an outbreak of something. I thought for sure Google would help me settle whether or not this was normal. Except that there was no access to Google or any US-based search engine from my hotel room. I supposed I could wait until morning to find out if the world was coming to an end.

I spent a whole week in Shanghai. The days blurred together in a way I didn't quite understand. I opted to live in the moment with no care for China days or US days, except for when it impacted work. After all, I was there to pull off a global town hall event. I also kept track of Friday morning, Shanghai time, for fear of missing my 13-hour flight back to California. My colleagues planned mini-tours across the city, and each day, I found myself in awe of their culture and cuisine. Here are some of the fun and not-so-fun lessons I learned from my seven-day affair with China's busiest city:

The Shanghai market has everything you can imagine or not.

The market in Shanghai is impressive. I saw everything from glittering jewels to butchered animals I couldn't recognize. The Chinese people are expert shoppers, and I watched in amazement as my colleagues negotiated sales for which I would have given all my yuan notes. It was fascinating.

Taxi-cab drivers prefer exact change and Mandarin.

Heading to Shanghai? Stock up on your yuans, and brush up on your Mandarin. This was one of the most memorable not-so-fun moments. Let's just say after the third cab driver had yelled and waved the notes I gave him back in my face; it was pretty clear I needed the exact change or to be conversational in Mandarin.

The people are as warm as a perfect bowl of ramen.

Grace gently nudged me in the direction of the words Japanese Steakhouse. I hid my bewilderment as to why we were having Japanese in this beautiful Chinese city. One bowl of piping hot ramen soup later, I was the least concerned about the oddity of having Japanese food in China. Ramen is a must in Shanghai. It was exactly what I needed to close the curtains on the most interesting week.

If you are ever in the mood for discovery, add this city to your list and my number. I have loads of tips!