Assuming you've already found a place to live, hiring a household helper referred to as an "ayi" in Chinese, which means auntie, is fairly common practice. It is one of the great inexpensive luxuries of living in Shanghai. They can help you with everything from cleaning the house, looking after your child(ren), grocery shopping and cooking. There are several ways to find an ayi when you move to Shanghai.The most reliable is through referrals and recommendations from friends or co-workers. There are also maid agencies that you could go to hire an ayi. Third is by looking through ads posted in local Western newspapers or at supermarkets. Ayis can be hired part-time, full-time or as live-in help. One caveat is that most ayis don't speak English and the ones who do will probably charge a little more. This shouldn't be a huge obstacle to hiring one though, they can learn by example and along the way, this could be a great opportunity to learn the language.
Grocery and household shopping can be done at a number of Western markets that are located throughout Shanghai. The more well-known ones are Carrefour, Lotus Center and Wal-Mart. They offer everything from televisions to durians. They even have a foreign foods section where you can find hometown staples like your favorite corn flake cereals to your extra virgin olive oils. An IKEA mega store is also centrally located if you plan on furnishing your home or apartment. Another good place to look for furniture is your local expat newspapers. You can always find great bargains from someone selling their fairly new goods right before they return to whence they came. Shopping, unless you're doing it in a name brand store, is a good way to hone your bargaining skills. Whether you're looking for souvenirs, shoes, clothing, electronics at boutique stores, "designer" markets or pc malls, negotiating for a lower price is expected. Whatever the price tag says, you can always start off with offering half the asking price. As long as you're not making a ridiculous offer, be patient and don't be afraid to walk away from the sale. Most often than not, as you're walking away, the vendor will call you back and give the item to you at your asking price or something close to it. That's when you seal the deal and walk away with your booty.
To get around the city, subways are the most economical way to commute but be forewarned; during rush hours the crowds can be a bit much to deal with if you're not used to the millions of riders the subway transports every day. There's no such thing as personal space so don't be offended if someone is pressed right up against you on the subway. City buses are no different and are sometimes worse than subways. To avoid all that, just hop into one of the brightly colored taxis that are available throughout the city. Taxis are available all day and night but there is an additional charge for taking the taxi after 11PM. Even then, for most Westerners' standards, the taxi fares are dirt cheap. But beware of some shady cabbies who will try to run up the fare just because they see a foreign face. Shanghai's auto population has grown tremendously so gridlock is not uncommon during rush hour periods. If you're new to the city, don't be too shocked by the ride you get once you hop into one of the taxis. With the amount of pedestrian traffic, scooters, bicycles and other cars on the road, your taxi driver will be swerving in and out of traffic like he was in a slalom course.
Always carry around with you some napkins or tissue. They're indispensable. Whether you're at a restaurant or in a public restroom, not every establishment offers or supplies napkins or tissues so it's best to bring your own. Most Western restaurants supply napkins or wet towels so you needn't worry but if you dare to try a local restaurant, it's best to be prepared. Food in restaurants is generally safe to eat, just avoid the smaller make-shift restaurants and you'll do fine. For snacks on the go, street food vendors can be found all around town. It's best to avoid trying any of the foods from these carts due to hygienic reasons. But if you're a local then you've heard of and probably even frequented the small stretch of land on WuJiang Road. Here you can find all the street foods in a more organized manner. Shop after shop line the 1-2 block road and offer everything from deep-fried fermented tofu, also known as "stinky" tofu, to halal shish-kebabs. If you plan on trying out the local delicacies, good luck and don't forget your antacid!
All in all, living in Shanghai is safe but like all big cities, unwanted elements exist as well. Always keep an eye out for your personal belongings because pick-pockets are everywhere, especially in large crowds like the subways and buses and at busy street intersections. Most likely, if your purse or wallet is stolen, there's very little the police can and will do for you here. Traffic signals and traffic laws are loosely obeyed here so watch yourself when crossing the streets. With the explosion of the number of new drivers on the road today, it sometimes seems like the wild wild West on some busy streets. You have scooters flying down one-way streets in the wrong direction, cars and buses swerving in and out of traffic to avoid hitting each other, throngs of scooters and bicycles jockeying for position at the lights and pedestrians jaywalking across busy streets with total disregard for oncoming traffic.
One more thing you should be aware of is the lack of public hygiene. Coughing and sneezing in public without covering your mouth is normal. Spitting in public is also a well-know nuisance. The Chinese government has been trying to curb these habits for the upcoming Olympics through education and sometimes even fines. Let's all hope for a better living environment.
