City of Contrasts 2

Rebecca's vpn, the way we bypass China's blocked firewall is down, so i have to resort to emailing my posts to John again. I think that I left off when we were getting reedy to go to the North Korean restaurant. It is fairly near the Chabbad House and Rebecca had been there once before. I guess the young women that work there are sent from N. Korea and things are very strict for them. They are allowed to work and go to their housing, but no internet or tv or interaction with people outside of work. They are all beautiful wearing lovely traditional costumes. The food is delicious. We really guess at what to order, actually I let Rebecca do it as she's been there before. They have a picture menu which is helpful! To start we have something which is a little like a sweet, chilled baked bean salad, a cucumber salad, kim chee (fermented chinese cabbage) and what looks to be a cake, but is actually sweetened, white, mashed potato served chilled. All are very good! Then we have a spicy translucent rice noodle vermicelli noodle/chicken and veggie dish and sauteed beef slices serve with a dipping sauce on the side and lettuce and carrot and cucumber sticks. You make a wrap with the lettuce to eat the meat and veggies with the dipping sauce…or so we guess. It is yummy. As an added bonus, these young women put on a show for the customers at 7:30. It is at once both charming and awkward. They all sing, dance, and play musical instruments, but it's not like being in a dimly lit club. The lights are glaring and it's mostly male customers. These young women are very demure and attentive and as they sing, they travel around the room shaking hands with the customers. We were enthralled, but also it was a bit odd. At the end of the meal, we paid (but something different here, in China they will never ask you if you are ready for your check, they will only bring it when you ask and you can linger for as long as you like.) We split a lovely mocha mouse cake at a pastry shop across the street called La Paleta and have chilled lemon green tea. We return to the apartment and it's so hot that for only the second time, we sleep with the air conditioner on…it is steamy outside.

The nest afternoon we make a pilgrimage to go to the fabric market area, Shanghai's garment district. The area is full of warehouse type buildings with floor after floor of fabrics and samples of clothing from the traditional cheongsam dresses to any manner of western wear. They will copy an item or you can deign it yourself from coats to suits to shirts and dresses to pants and even bedding and tablecloths, in leather or silk or linen or whatever. It is a veritable cloth explosion and a dressmaker's dream. We will come back at another time to avail ourselves of their services. This neighbor hood at 5:00 pm is humming with activity, vendors selling kabobs and stir fry. As I'm famished, we try a sampling of beef and eggplant and mushroom. The kabobs are cut thinly for quick cooking and are done before we know it. We mender in and around the neighborhood taking in the smells, the sights and sounds. At once disconcerting and fascinating is the chicken we see being bled in to the street shortly after his untimely death. Yes, this is a part of their daily lives. We grocery store shoppers think that there must be (as Gary Larson once satirized) boneless chicken farms. As we wind our way through this dark alleyway maze towards the metro stop, we stop in to a tea shop as I have been in search of a special tea thermos like the one that Rebecca brought back with her from her last visit. It is made of stainless steel and until now I have only seen them in glass. I've hit paydirt and we make our purchase before heading home. Once we arrive, I throw together a chef salad of sorts. I am careful to have washed the lettuce that I had purchased in water with a drop of bleach. Eating raw veggies is not done here very often, but I've been craving salad and so we take our chances. While we are eating the landlord barges in yet again. He is really obnoxious and starts to grill Rebecca. She immediately contacts Kevin ( our roommate who is on the lease) and he returns shortly for the tete a tete with the landlord and an interpreter. There are raised voices, but Kevin, I must say makes his argument in a clear thoughtful way never once losing his cool. The outcome is that we will be able to stay through August for a reasonable sum. Ugh…I don't like the drama. We go to see Rebecca's friend Asya later who is packing to go back to the US after more than 2 years. She is Russian born but lives in the US and can speak English, French, Russian and Chinese…perhaps more. Se spend some time there with her friends before going home.

Thursday was an interesting day. Rebecca wakes up very late and we make plans to go to one of Sun Yat Sen's houses, but then I go out by myself because Rebecca has work to do. I have my key, a bit of money and my metro pass in a small wallet which I must have dropped when I was on the subway car. I immediately go to see the metro officials and between my Chinese-English guide, pantomiming, some broken English and Chinese, and the "magic number" assisting us, I explain what has happened. Unfortunately, there is no centralized lost and found, so the chances of getting it back are slim, but despite the inconvenience of it all, it was not a bad experience. The women and men helping me couldn't have been kinder and more helpful. While I lost a little bit , I gained a better appreciation of the place that I am visiting. I manage to buy a new metro pass and go back to the apartment. I have been in contact with Rebecca because I leave her phone number with the officials in case something turns up. I get her keys and head out to make a new apartment key. Unfortunately, the guy who copied the key before i slowed, but I manage to find another hole in the wall with a key sign on the outside an inquire if he can meek the key for me. Again we pantomime and I get my point across showing him the key and saying in Chinese, "one!". he makes the key and charges me 5 RMB, about 85 cents and gets pissed when I pay him in some small coins. I may not understand Chinese, but i always say it's not what you say, it's how you say it…I return to the apartment with a surprising feeling not of frustration for the loss and the inconvenience, but with a feeling that if hard pressed, I can get around. I spend the evening trying to get in touch with Delta about the lost computer and have way less success with them than I had with the Chinese. Rebecca spends the evening with friends and I try to turn in aery, but sleep eludes me until around midnight. It's now about 5:30 and I am caught up with the blog which is good because I will shower and get out of Rebecca's hair. She has work to do on the computer and I think has been frustrated with having me around. As ist is friday morning here, I wish all of you a healthy Shabbat Shalom and will write more soon. Love to all.

City of Contrasts

It's Thursday morning and I am bound and determine to catch up on this blog, but honestly it's really hard to write when you have been out in the heat all day walking around. By the time you return, you are tired, hot and completely spent. Often when I go to bed I am so exhausted that it's hard to get to sleep and because of the humidity I toss and turn. When I wake up, often I feel drugged because I am dehydrated and woozy. The humidity makes my feet swell, maybe my circulation is not great. So last night we broke down and turned on the a/c in the bedroom as we slept. Wow, what a difference. I think that did the trick. I feel very rested this morning and as Rebecca dozes some more I am going to write.

So city of contrasts...Massive modern skyscrapers with beautifully landscaped gardens and ponds, gated with guards at every entrance adjacent to tiny, cramped cement dwellings on top of one another accessible only own the narrow alleyways by foot , bike or scooter. Modern grocery stores a la super Walmart with every possible option just down the street from stall after stall of veggies, fruit, eggs, and street food as well as carts and carts of household dry goods. The Bund (the original financial district) with its old and elegant architecture representing China' past overlooking the boardwalk and the other side of the river with it's modern and striking skyscrapers representing China's fast paced and frenetic future. Streetside in the French Concession walking down tree shades avenues with all manner of fancy shops nd then going through the narrow alleys behind them where an entire local Shanghainese culturel ives and works hanging their laundry out , even the unmentionables for all to see. A communist country politically with one of the highest rates of saving in the world, yet with some of the most consumerist populations I've ever seen. KFC, MacDonalds, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, providing fast food at, by Chinese standards, high prices packed with customers buying unhealthy processed food when down the street they could get 4 times as much fresh food for the same price. The older population coming to sing patriotic Cultural Revolution songs in the park while their younger counterparts are somewhat disconnected from their history because they are living such fast paced lives. Squat toilets and western style side by side in the same public bathroom. The city is a fractal both above and below ground. Street level provides an impressive skyline of massive high rise structures, modern boulevards, engineering marvels of wide elevated expressways and intense activity. Below ground spanning several levels are miles of metro lines, efficient, clean and crowded and an underground commercial center that is staggering. They say that New York is the city that never sleeps, but Shanghai really epitomizes this. Coming home at 3 in the morning, there are vendors selling their wares, from cooked food to household amenities and cabs and mopeds shuttling passengers like ants in a busy colony from place to place because the metro has shut down for the evening. The work on the highrise being built adjacent to us goes on 24/7. Even at three in the morning, alone, dressed up, you would be hard pressed to be mugged, it's just that safe. I'm not sure how this has been achieved, but it's pretty impressive. To be sure, crime happens, but in a city the size and scale of this one, the percentage must be incrediby small.

Now getting away from my musings I'll recreate the last several days events. Monday Rebecca spent the morning working so I puttered about and went to get stuff at the market just nosing around the neighborhood. Everyday it seems I find something new to see whether it's a strange looking vegetable that i've never encountered or the array of silly little dogs that ride around in the front basket of their owner's bikes tongues hanging out enjoying the view. Perhaps it's because there is the one child policy and thee people crave companionship, but there are lots of dogs here an they are doted on and coddled like the children. We went out to grab something to eat and Rebecca got a text from the student that I was supposed to have and she's decided to cancel. Such is life I guess. I had hoped to do some teaching here, but in the short time i have left, it doesn't look promising. Rebecca tells me that if I were to stay, there would b more work in the fall, but I think tat even though it's tempting, I will be back to the real world (for me) in late August. I am somewhat disappointed, but it will give me more time to explore and because it's relatively cheap to live here, I think that it will be ok. I spend the afternoon reading and attempting to learn a little more Chinese resting up because we plan to go to a club that has salsa dancing on Monday evenings and I want to be ready to dance! Dinner is leftovers and we leave to go to the club a couple minutes after 10 pm which frustrates Rebecca as the cab rates go up precisely at 10...oh well. The club is across town and i in the basement of a building. You'd never know it though. It's got an oval bar and a live latino salsa band, lounge chairs to it and watch, but mostly this is a spectator sport and the place is beginning to fill up. Things really don't get hopping until later. Rebecca bumps into her friend Andrew, a fellow that she met while couch surfing when he first got here this summer. They dance a couple of songs. He is great and Rebecca looks muy caliente as she twirls around the dance floor in her little black dress and spiky sandals. The music is great, the band awesome. We share a drink that has mint and ginger and gin in it...pretty good and I chat with some "ABC's" as the expats call them (American Born Chinese) who have spent the summer interning in Shanghai. They are from USC and Cornell but all are from the Wet Coast. I give them some tips on the dances, though compared to the ones on the dance floor, I'm a novice. However, these guys are even more fledgling than i. Another friend that Rebecca has made recently shows up too He's Nigerian born but has lived all over the world and is working on his second degree now in holland. He speaks English, French, Dutch, and is also learning Chinese. He too interned this summer at a Chinese firm. All of these young people are so worldly and self assured, well traveled and interesting. Rebecca has told him about us going to Nigeria and we chat about our trip and experience there. He is even kind enough to dance with an old American lady. We stay our way past my bedtime (4 am) but without regret. It was truly a great night out. We fall into bed exhausted. Early the next morning I speak to John. I had left our phone in the other room and he had tried to skype us so that we could talk to Van, but I didn't hear it and so we'll have to do it another time. That's the problem with this 12 hour difference in time. I stay awake and do some laundry but Rebecca rests again. Later we go out shopping and plan to vacate the apartment for the evening as Kevin is making a special anniversary dinner for his girlfriend. He is not one to cook very often, so this is a big deal. He has planned the menu and gotten help with his recipes and techniques via the internet. He shopped all over town to find prosciutto and creme fraiche. It's really cute how much effort he puts into it. Rebecca and I decide to eat out at a North Korean restaurant this evening

Sunday in the Park

As the title suggests, Sunday in the park is a big day...families are out in force...actually everyone is out in force. Rebecca is intent on going back to Lu Xun park because she is hoping to show me the groups that congregate to sing Cultural Revolution patriotic songs. So we grab breakfast and that's a whole story in itself... my tummy is a little funny and I just want some normal basic fare, so I ask Rebecca if we can just go to Macdonald's for an egg sandwich...I really want to eat something kind of plain. Needless to say, she gives me all sorts of grief for this and in the end we go someplace else where I get a egg salad sandwich that is not bad at all. Even I couldn't believe that I wanted to eat that but that's what I was hankering for.
We head over to the park this time on the metro and plan to meet a friend of Rebecca's from Chabbad there. We arrive at the park and immediately Rebecca hears the music and leads me to it. About a hundred and fifty or more people are congregated in a circle around a woman who is leading them in rousing songs. They are accompanied by an urhu, an accordion, a violin and a trumpet. It's a kind of sing along that anyone can join in and it's this wonderful spontaneous concert. Some have songbooks, and they all seem to know their parts, but clearly this is not choir practice. It's a come as you can sing along and they are really quite impressive. Rebecca's friend Ayelet arrives and finds us. She is as entranced with this "concert" as we are. She's a Chinese major at Penn and in a short time we have many locals surrounding us trying to chat with us about where we are from and what we are doing here. They are as interested in us as we are of them. We spend quite some time listening and chatting before moving on to explore the rest of the park. Ayelet buys a flute made from a gourd which is quite interesting played more similarly to a recorder and then we wind our way to the badminton courts to watch the matches. We head in the direction of the museum and find an artist selling watercolors painted on thin wispy rice paper. They have some lovely scenes and Rebecca inquires about the prices. While she prepares to bargain a young diminutive Chinese woman approaches us to ask if we require an assistance. Rebecca tells her that she's okay, but the girl jumps in anyway and gets all of the paintings for a mere song. When the girls express their guilt at paying such a low price, this young woman says that this man does this just for a hobby and it's okay. Turns out she is 19 and an English major and is in Shanghai to sightsee with some other students who are shopping. We ask her to join us for the afternoon and she obliges providing an opportunity to experience some cross cultural exchange. Her English name is Nara and she desires to travel when she is done with university. She is from the north, 30 hours by train, but I'm guessing it was a local train making many stops instead of a high speed one. We go again to Lu Xun museum and then invite her to lunch to thank her for helping to get the paintings. She seems pleased to hang out with us and we find a restaurant to accommodate us. Ayelet is a vegetarian while in China as she keeps kosher, so that is sometimes challenging, but the place we pick has a dish with rice and steamed veggies and a fried egg on top, so it's perfect. We chat away and surmise that the girls that she has traveled with are wealthier than she and that they had spent the equivalent of $200.00 on shopping the day before. She explains that she does not think that they should spend their parent's money so easily. She is quite shy and demure, but I tell her that she is quite brave to have some so far away from home on her own (since this is her first trip away from home) and to approach strangers like us as well. We plan to meet some other friends of Rebeccas and go to Shanghai's version of SOHO to check out their art scene and so we ask her to tag along there as well. It is really hot this afternoon and my feet are tired, but we walk and walk and walk. The gallery neighborhood is very hip and chic and the galleries are much like in New York...converted lofts filled with interesting pieces of all sorts. I'm really too tired to appreciate them today and feel like I must come back another time to really give them justice. We depart and walk to the subway and Rebecca notices that many of the outside walls of these lofts are covered with graffiti, something that is rarely seen in China. It is pretty cool stuff and it's pretty apparent that Nara has not seen it as well because she takes plenty photos of the different scenes. We part ways with her as she is going to head back to meet her friends, and we head back to the apartment. While I'm exhausted when we arrive, I cannot seem to nap, so I head to the market to buy stuff to make soup. My stomach is in the mood for Western fare still and I pick up the ingredients for a big pot of beef stew. It turns out pretty well and it's just what the doctor ordered. Later I go with Rebecca to wish her friend Ciara goodbye. She's off to Beijing and then home to Ireland. I say a quick goodbye and Rebecca stays. I'm going home to bed...T-I-R-E-D! As I drift off i am thinking of Arty and wondering if he made it back...got my fingers and toes crossed.

Shabbat and the Weekend

So Friday evening we returned to the Chabbad house and although we missed services, we were welcomed for another nice dinner. This time we were seated next to a family from France. Their origins are from Tunisia. Mom is a dentist and dad, a cardiologist and they have 3 mostly grown children...2 sons in college and a daughter still in high school. We spoke in a combination of languages. They had just arrived and were here to sightsee and see the World Expo. Across from our table was the Rabbi's brother and his family with their four adorable children. We chatted later with some of the same Israeli crew from last week and then met a few new people as well. One man whose last name is Melamed (I think) lives in New York and Shanghai. He has been in Shanghai off and on since he was in high school and is a walking history book. I would guess his age to be about 60 something. I believe too that his family connections go way back in Shanghai and he is related to either the Sassoons or Kadoorie families both huge pillars of the former Shanghai Jewish society. It was another rousing night of singing, toasting l'Chaim and eating very Jewish kosher fare. Rebecca had made plans to go out so we took the bus together until her stop and she gave me directions to get home and I was on my way. When I exited the bus at Peoples' Park, I was to catch a cab...good luck with that at 11 p.m. on a Friday night. I could have taken a motorcycle, but my Chinese is not good enough for bargaining and if I was going to risk life and limb on one of those, I was going to get it for a good price. So I just started walking towards what looked like there were crowds and neon lights. If China is anything, it is really safe. They are not allowed to own guns at all, and I don't normally see police with them come to think of it. I think that the only guns that I have seen have been for the guards watching over the Chinese version of the Brinks' panel vans transporting large sums of money. So even alone I felt comfortable, if not frustrated, walking at 11:30 looking for cab. I managed to walk into an area that was near clubs or hotels where people were coming and going, so I grabbed a taxi there and got to the apartment after much pronouncing in my way too imperfect Chinese. When the driver dropped me off, it took another while to get into the complex. I walked around the equivalent of 2 city blocks before I managed to find the unpadlocked way in. Exhausted I fell asleep around 1:30. I was meeting Arty Burack in the morning at 8:30, so I needed to be up and at em.

My friend Arty ( fFrom Bowerbank, Maine via New York) had come in from Qingdao where he was there visiting. He took the high speed train to Shanghai (about 10 hours) and had stayed in a youth hostel. I was impressed. He knows no Chinese, but with instructions from Rebecca managed to maneuver to our metro stop and I was there waiting for him when he arrived. Rebecca's got some tutoring to do, so we head out on our own. I take Arty to get breakfast down Feihong Road, so that he can get a feel for life here. We grab some fried dough sticks to munch on and continue to explore. Arty has spent the last 2 years in Afghanistan, so hot, crowded places where he did not know the language do not deter him a bit. I catch him up on what is going on in our lives and have him do the same. He is starving for real coffee, so we grab him a cup and head to Peoples' Park. We'll spend the morning there before meeting Rebecca to get fried dumplings for lunch. Arty is a former New Yorker, but even he marvels at the size of the city and the numbers of inhabitants. We browse through the museum in the park and learn about the infamous "Rape of Nanjing" a protracted and bloody campaign between the Japanese and Chinese during which thousands of Chinese were killed and beheaded and women raped. To this day Japanese and Chinese historians dispute the details and as a result, there is much animosity between the inhabitants of both sides. It is yet another reminder of how little we know about the history of this area of the world. Rebecca calls us and we take a break to head over to meet her. After lunch, Rebecca returns for another tutoring session and Arty and I head for the Bund so that he can get a look at that section of the city. We spot model train/plan etc. shop in the subway station and Arty, a model train buff can't help himself. He buys several models and has a great time looking around. This passion for building models transcends different languages and he communicates with the shopkeeper in a language that only people who understand models are privy to. The Bund on a Saturday afternoon is hopping. There are twice as many tourists there today than usual and after walking over there in the heat and taking the requisite photos leaning against the railing overlooking the river with the incredible ever changing skyline behind us, we find a place to sit, chat, and people watch. He is as taken with this city as I am. We watch as a dad puts down paper towels on the sidewalk so that his 2 year old son can "do his business"...definitely not what we're used to, but when in Shanghai. I am approached quite often even without my blonde daughter at my side, to be asked for photos to be taken with us. We oblige chuckling about how silly this seems. I point out different buildings that Rebecca has mentioned for their significance...the Pearl Tower and the Peace Hotel and realize that in spite of myself I am absorbing the vibe of this city. Rebecca finishes her lesson and meets us on the Bund. What did we do before cell phones to assist us in meeting people?! I guess that we gave better instructions. I make her come with us to yet another underground Bazaar that she has not been to so that she can be Arty's designated bargainer; he wants to buy some pearls for a friend. Rebecca's skills are masterful. By the time (about a half an hour) she is done, having walked away several times from the booth, she and the owner have agreed on a price a mere 1/4 of the original number. In the process, we are given a lesson on how to see if the pearls are real (you scrape them to see if they make pearl dust) how well matched and round they are ( you roll the strand on a piece of satin to see the symetry) and select the colors, size and length checking for luminescence ad surface scratches. In the end everyone is satisfied and as an added bonus, they restring my pearl necklace for free. The las time I had it done, it was done really badly and I paid 45 dollars for it and had to wait a week. These were done right in front of me with deft hands and amusing chatter between the shopkeeper and Rebecca. She gives us all bottles of water to drink and when we are leaving presses her cards into our hands encouraging us to return again. Even though we may have paid more than a native would, it was a really wonderful and impressive show of skill on Rivvie's part. Spent, we decide to go to the apartment to refresh a bit. We grab something to drink and a pastry and head back to show Arty our digs. He has 2 things left to do...buy a train ticket back and buy a backpack to take home the extra loot that he has purchased. I offer to loan him my duffel bag. i want to buy a new carry on anyway, and this will be a perfect excuse for me to get one. After a brief chilling out, we head to the Chinese Railway Station for our final activity of the day which proves to e quite the ordeal. The station is PACKED with loud, tired, frustrated, and unwashed bodies. The loudspeakers are blaring and every minute or so the signs flash new train times and departure and arrivals on the overhead screens. Here it is more tricky because none of it is in English. We get into a long line and wait out turn to get to the window only to find out that there are no tickets available to Qingdao for the next morning. Crap...now what?! Rebecca is undeterred. As we leave she looks outside an starts seeking out ticket scalpers much like those who prey on those desperate fans who don' advance plan to see their favorite performers, these guys do the same with train and bus tickets. Much conversation ensues and cell phone numbers are exchanged...the whole thing appears rather shady but Rebecca looks pretty self-assured. We decide to look for the bus station first after this protracted exchange during which we have to move away from the police to transact the deal, just to see if a bus is a possibility. It's like a well orchestrated dance...the police sort of turn a blind eye to what is going on and everyone comes out ahead if not a few kuai poorer. An hour later after getting directions from several sources we have literally run around in circles and not found the bus station. We finally decide that perhaps Arty should just take the train the next day and go back to see if a ticket can be obtained, get back in the long line and wait our turn. I feel sort of sorry for Rebecca and ll of her efforts and think maybe it's harder for us being foreigners, but surveying the crowd, I see faces of fatigue and frustration all around. It's a little reminiscent of an experience in Naples that I once had. FiNALLY it is our turn again and the clerk tells us that there is a ticket for standing room only on the noon train. The one before din't think that the lao wai would want to do that. Arty tells her to book it and we are relieved. It will be a long 10 hours for him on the train tomorrow, so we bid him goodbye and head back. I'm so tired that I'm almost ill. I fall asleep soon after getting back the apartment praying for safe travels for Arty....Wanhang hao. (Good Night.)

It's Monday morning, July 26, 2010. I haven't written in several days because there simply has not been enough time, so I will catch up in these early morning hours when I have the peace and quiet to do so. Of course that comment is taken with a grain of salt as Shanghai like any city has the din and clatter of an urban space 24/7. It is both an intoxicating sound for those of us who like the pace of the city as well as a reminder to me about how fortunate I am that I have the beauty and tranquility of my peaceful and quiet home in Monson (remind me that I said that when February comes and I am complaining.).

While I certainly am not doing it justice, I am starting to stumble by in my broken Chinese. Adding to the hello, goodbye, my name is, and numbers, I now have picked up more vocabulary from pronouns, to simple verbs. I am lousy at memorizing and Rebecca is patient but rolls her eyes at my poor attempts to speak.

Wednesday, Rebecca gave me a couple of places to go visit. She needs to get work done, and I feel comfortable enough to maneuver my way around armed with my map and guidebook. I's another steamy day, so I arm myself with a water bottle and head out. The subways are neat, clean, and the routes are really understandable. Signs are in both Chinese and English as are the verbal instructions on the loudspeakers and the visual prompts that flash on the screens on the subway cars. Did I mention that you can also talk on your cell phones on the subways and watch the tvs that are set to a sort of cnn station?! I'm heading off to see two different historical must-sees...a Shikumen house and the location for the first meeting of the Chinese Communist Party. As usual the trip over proves to be as much sightseeing as the specific location itself. I wonder if Rebecca is testing me as she has routed me through the Shanghai Railway Station. It is a mad crush of people, even more than one usually sees on the subway and you'd better know where you are going because it's easy to get caught up in the swell of the crowd and be redirected by the streaming human tide. Again it's like Grand Central Station at rush hour on steroids. All manner of people are there, women in flouncy dresses carrying parasol type umbrellas, men in light cotton pajamas, couples sporting their "lover's" matching t-shirts, women wearing what can only be described as bloomer shorts, men in business attire. One thing is for sure, to escape the heat of the city, the subway provides a perfect venue. There is an entire subterranean metropolis existing below the high rise building and tenement houses. You could travel for days underground subsisting on fast food and or snacks and buying whatever you needed to live. The bathrooms are clean, but the subways are not 24 hour operations. They shut down from late evening until the morning, so for several hours a day one would have to hide out someplace else. Well if my daughter is testing me, I pass, because I find my way into the French Concession area of Shanghai and walk towards the Shikumen house museum that is my destination. The museum is a restored 2 story house decorated with period furniture and acoutrements of the 1920s. There is a sort of mezzanine room between the 2 floors by the stairwell that was often rented out to artists or writers for a small fee. The influential and controversial author, Lu Xun lived in one such abode. Every detail is apparent. One could believe that the inhabitants of this house are just out for a stroll and left the house open. What is striking is that in this area of the old French Concession, which has been largely renovated on the street level to house shops, cafes, museums etc. all with a very chic, hip feel to them, still is a "working" neighborhood. Tucked away behind the shops in the alleys and above are real homes of the inhabitants. It's much like the French Quarter in New Orleans, but the "locals" here live i much more cramped quarters and the back alleyways still sport the outdoor sinks that are the norm in these parts. Yet trying to get a meal or cup of coffee in one of these chic cafes proves to be an expensive proposition. Yet another one of the remarkable contrasts of Shanghai. I skip refreshment, swill on my water bottle and head for my next stop, the site of the first national congress of the Chinese Communist Party. According to the guidebook, "No.76 Xingye Road, next to Shanghai Xintiandi, a fashionable pedestrian area, the two-story Shikumen building was completed in 1920 as the residence of two Communist Party members. On July 23, 1921, thirteen members held their first national congress of the Communist Party of China here, marking the birth of the Party." It was, in my humble opinion, a flag waving, exhibition touting, of course, the ideologies of the party etc., but very interesting and informative for those of us not well schooled in Chinese history. I cannot wait to do some more reading about the history of this vast and diverse country. It will take some time before it all makes sense to me. Our short U.S. history is really a blip compared to China's. After my tour of the museum, I returned to the plaza between the Shikumen Open House Museum and several of the shops to reflect, chill out and cool off and people watch, of course. This is a real touristy area and a woman started talking to me who was originally from Mexico, but now is from Utah of all places and on a tour. When she found out I was from New Orleans, she was thrilled as she is a huge Saints fan. We chatted a bit before I started to head back to the metro to maneuver back to the apartment. If I thought that this morning was busy, I was mistaken, it's even busier later in the afternoon, or maybe it just seems that way as I am tired. Without much hassle I make it back. Rebecca has had a productive day doing research on the computer. I rest for a bit before showering as we are going to meet friends for dinner at a medium priced (by Chinese standards) family restaurant. As there are four of us, we get four dishes plus rice...kung pao chicken, sweet and sour chicken, fried potatoes, and an eggplant dish. The first two dishes are good but nothing spectacular, but the last two are remarkable. The fried potatoes are coated in carmelized sugar and served with a dish of water to dip them in to cool them off an harden the sugar...delish...and the eggplant is fried in a light tempura style batter and served with julienned strips of chicken in a light sweet sauce. The dishes are plentiful and as there is no tipping ( it is evidently considered improper to tip) our meal costs us around 20 quai about $3.50. I hit the pillow early, but Rebecca goes to a friend's apartment to watch a video. Thursday arrives and Rebecca plans more sight seeing for us. We are off to Lu Xun (loo shun) a/k/a Hongkou (hong ko) park this morning. As a special treat Rebecca gets us a ride in one of the little tuktuks to get there. They are the sort of three wheeled motorized rickshaw vehicles that taxi people for short distances. They are cheaper than taxis, but bargaining is the norm and Rebecca argues with one driver before turning away and finding another to get us to our destination for 10 yuan a/k/a quai about $1.40. There's a reason they are cheap...the ride is crazy and let's just say that I saw my life flashing before my eyes on more than one occasion. About 2 blocks from where we were picked up the driver pulled over and talks to another driver, they switch vehicles, tag team style and then he commences to careen us down busy streets and back alleys to the park. Seriously it feels like roller derby. Anyway upon arrival at our destination, Rebecca gets out money to pay and he wants to charge us more for the ride, the classic take advantage of the lao wai, but Rebecca was having none of it. She stood her ground and told him that the deal had been made for a certain price and he responded with the fact that the other driver didn't know how far it was. Rebecca countered with, I'm not bleeping stupid...do I look like I'm Japanese? (Which in China is a HUGE insult as they have not forgiven the Japanese for the atrocities that were done to them starting in the early 1900's.) I'm a Meiguoren (American), I'm not stupid. Long story short, they dickered and she gave him about 35 more cents and then walked away. As inauspicious as the ride over was, ( of course it's all part of the flavor and intrigue of this experience) our entry into the park , which is free, is lovely. We happen across some groups of ballroom dancers practicing accompanied by boombox. We observe and I sway to the music. One of the Chinese men pulls me over the the dancing area and I dance several waltzes with him as two women nearby offer instruction and encouragement to me. Rebecca takes a photo for posterity and after a bit we thank them and move on. There is a lot going on in the park and it is shady and pleasant as the temperature is climbing again. I am armed with my fan and water, so I am prepared. We stroll around stopping from time to time to observe someone doing tai chi, and people singing somewhat karaoke style but not pop tunes, either Bejiing or Peking opera accompanied by musicians playing the accordion and the erhu ( a stringed instrument about the length of a large violin but played more like one was holding a bass). It looks kind of like a large soup ladle. We stop to sit in a stone gazebo and listen to a trio, two singers and an accordionist. They are good and we are sitting opposite 3 older ladies with great faces who seem as pleased to see us as we are to see them. They are kind enough to allow us to take their photos too. We spend a bit more time there before continuing our exploration of the park and happen on a fellow who is hand lettering painting fans for sale. I select one that I like for a souvenir and he paints my Chinese name and Lu Xun park on it. It's really beautiful with peonies a traditional Chinese flower on the front. The artist knows a little English and we chat as he calligraphies the characters. Later we come across some badminton courts at one end of the park and stop to watch some serious contests. Wherever we stop, we are a curiosity and if anyone knows English they attempt conversation. I understand more and more what Rebecca meant when she said that in Shanghai, she is a treated like a star. While she finds it tedious now, I am amused. Next stop is the museum in the park devoted to it's namesake Lu Xun. It gives details of Lu Xun's life. He was a prolific left wing writer who planned to become a doctor, but dropped out of his medical studies to focus on trying to fuel the spiritual side of his compatriots. He works were translated into at least 12 languages and he was very influential if sometimes controversial. On our way to grab a bite to eat we see couples strolling, card games, and mahjong being played. We decide to eat at the lunchroom in the park which is not fancy, but caters to locals and order tea as well. Our lunch comes on a metal school cafeteria tray: it consists of rice, a small beef chops in a thin brown auce, cucumbers in a broth, sauteed squash with chicken and cooked potatoes in broth. Our tea is served in glasses with loose tea leaves floating in the boiling hot water. It is accompanied by a well worn thermos of steaming water as well. Rebecca explains the tea drinking scenario to me. First of all there are all sorts of teas...leaf teas and flower teas. The best teas are from the first harvest as the new tender leaves are the best; they are referred to as daughter teas. The next harvest is good, but not as special and they are referred to as the mother teas. Finally the last harvests are called grandmother teas. Those are the ones that are more bitter and the ones that we get most often to drink in the US. When drinking tea, you are supposed to pour hot water over the leaves once "washing" the leaves then dumping that water out and pouring fresh hot water over the leaves thus rendering a drink that is less bitter. By the third round of hot water, the tea flavor is optimized. It is served plain without sugar or cream which were added by the English to mask bitter tea. After lunch, we linger over our tea. Rebecca reads and sketches and I people watch and read as well. There are a group of 4 men in the lunchroom playing cards and puffing furiously on cheap Chinese cigarettes. A man at another table snoozes, taking his afternoon siesta brought on by the heat of the day and a full belly. Other patrons read or chat and watch us as we look at them. A group of summer camp children march by perhaps on their way to the amusement park section or to get snacks at the kiosk next to the lunchroom.When we have rested thoroughly we head home and grab vegetables at the market so that we can make spaghetti sauce for dinner. You cannot find fresh basil anywhere, but we have dried and that will have to suffice for now. It proves to be okay and and we share dinner with one of our roommates. Now if only we had a good glass of John's homemade red wine and a hunk of romano cheese... Earlier in the day we get a call from Arty Burack. I found out that he has been in China, but because we have been having internet problems, couldn't get in touch. He plans to come to Shanghai for an overnight and we make plans to meet on Saturday.

Friday morning we spend taking care of laundry and puttering around the house. We plan to get a bit to eat close to the apartment and find a little dive restaurant and order noodle soup with what Rebecca thinks is chicken and fried rice. The soup is good, but the bones in it look like a smaller bird complete with head and feet...kind of weird to our Western eyes. As we eat we watch the quick fingers of one of the assistants as she stuffs and closes the seams of the dumplings that she is making in deft precise patterns. We eat our fill and stop in the convenience store on the way back to get water and kiwi juice for later. For dessert we stop at a Happy Lemon franchise to get my favorite frozen smoothie drink, mango flavored. It's cool and refreshing as well as delicious. Around lunchtime we get a call from the young woman that I am supposed to be giving lessons to nest week. She is going to be delayed, so i won't teach her until the week after. Rebecca is disappointed, but that's life...we will think of something else. The afternoon is spent readying for the weekend and relaxing. Will write more later...I'm off to go salsa dancing with Rebecca...

Friday came and it's starting to sink in that I've been here a while. Rebecca's doing work so I read and putter around the apartment make breakfast of leftovers and iron. I could go out for a walk, but we've got a raging storm going on outside. It's a pretty impressive view from 30 floors up the rains sheeting down, nature's way of accomplishing the weekly cleaning. Rebecca grumbles about the rains…she's a bit sick of this weather, but it is the "rainy season" here, so I think that this is what we have to expect right? It makes for an impressive show and I spend some time just watching from the balcony. It doesn't seem to distract the locals. They are still hard at work on the construction sites despite the downpour and while the air is thick with moisture, the temperature cools down quite a bit so much so that I need a sweater. I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a typical work week, but the construction sites are humming day and night. I feel as if I am getting over my jet lag, but I'm still a bit tired. I have vowed to get enough sleep while I'm here, so I allow myself an afternoon siesta and wake up feeling groggy. Having no agenda is a luxury…I cannot remember when I don't have a laundry list of things to accomplish, but it's a good feeling and I am able to relax more easily here because of it. It's in my nature not to be idle, so I am constantly tidying up. It certainly does not seem to bother the roommates or Rebecca. Late in the afternoon I freshen up and get dressed up as we plan to go to services at Chabbad on the other side of town. Rebecca and I take the subway and transfer to a bus which takes us to within several blocks of the Chabbad house. she explains that while there is a subway that goes close to there, it quits running after 7:30 in the evening and she may go out afterwards, and she wants to familiarize me with this route. The bus is a bit different than what I'm used to. While the driver sits up front, there is another person by the back door who is responsible for seeing that you pay or swipe your bus passes. Rebecca tells me that they are not all like that. One young woman gets on and does not walk to the back to swipe her pass. Instead the ticket taker goes to her, gets her pass and swipes it and returns it to her. We get to our stop and walk the several blocks to Chabbad. This seems to be an affluent area of town. We pass a pastry shop that is quite nice and peek in as I'm curious. It's mostly French pastries with a Chinese bent. They are beautiful, and I think that sometime I will come back and indulge, but not tonight. It's Shabbat and it's bad enough that we have to carry our wallets into the house…don't really want to offend our hosts. Services have already started and we take our places on the women's side. A wooden lattice "mechitza" separates us from the men, and I realize that this is the first time that I have prayed like this. My reform training has not prepared me for this, but I a enjoying the experience nonetheless. The Hebrew is fast and furious with page numbers being called out from time to time. That is the only English that is spoken during the service. There are twice as many men on the other side as women on our side. The singing that accompanies the service is lively, but Rebecca tells me that it's usually boisterous…that this is a quiet crowd. We use well worn prayerbooks and there is English translation opposite the Hebrew. Much of the service is familiar, but some of the melodies are not. Soon enough the service is over and we wish each other a good Shabbos and go upstairs to the dining room for blessings and a meal. This is an intimate group. Across town there is a large Sephardic congregation and also another in the area of the airport. We will probably check them all out. It's an interesting cross section from many parts of the globe. One table is full of Lubavitchers complete with payes, satin robes and fur hats. Several of the women have their heads covered. All of the men are wearing kippot. We have worn dresses and our arms are covered, but some women have pants on and some of the men are dressed casually while others are dressed in suits with their tzit tzit showing appropriately. We are served by several Chinese workers (essentially their version of the Sabbath Goyim) who provide us with challot and salads to start off…cucumber, beets, beans, pasta, hot sauce and olive and chickpea hummus. They remove these dishes and serve chicken soup. Anyone new to the congregation or visitors are asked to introduce themselves and each table must pick a song to sing. The group includes people from Israel, Brazil, Venezuela, Belgium, England and the U.S. I recognize a man that traveled on the same plane over as I and introduce myself. The meal is served buffet style and it's like we are not in China at all. There is couscous and chicken, stuffed cabbage, and green beans and roasted potatoes. Conversation is lively and every so often the Rabbi comes around with Scotch and/or Vodka to offer to anyone a "L'Chaim". He speaks to why we should be joyous on Shabbat. I am sitting next to and across from some young Israelis that Rebecca has met before. One of them has American parents who made aliyah years ago and she is a bit naive about the states, in my opinion, and American Jews and Reform Jews. I try to correct what I think are her stereotypes without argument, just letting her know about my experiences, but I'm not sure that she quite understands. It's all about perspective, and I have many years on her to provide me with a different lens. I remember when I was that age and how my opinions were expressed with such certainty, but now I realize that things are never so black and white. Hindsight is much clearer. Nonetheless we have a nice exchange. We sing the Birchat Hamazon after dessert and then linger over coffee and tea. When we finally leave, it's after 11:00 and Rebecca realizes that we've missed any opportunity to catch the subway home, so we hail a cab and she is aggravated that we must spend the money getting back this way. We talk on the way home about how she feels about Shanghai and it's culture and art scene. I again am reminded of my impatience with things when I was her age. She is far more worldly than I was at that age, but still frustrated by how slowly things get accomplished, how shallow the Shanghainese are and how disappointed she is with contemporary art. She knows that this is perhaps a sign of the times that this is not only prevalent in China, this consumerist shallow ideology of the current generation, but again I am seeing this city with fresh eyes and with the perspective of one who has less urgency to accomplish things. I remember how I felt at that age and for once I begin to appreciate being 53 despite the fact that I envy the enthusiasm of youth. when we get home it's midnight. I fall asleep reading and wake up a bit later, change out of my clothes and go to bed. Rebecca stays up, perhaps she will meet her friends, but I'm beat. Before I completely fall asleep, the intercom rings and one of her roommates has ordered MacDonalds take out…kind of ironic. I hear Rebecca giggling wishing that I was awake to see it, but I am drifting asleep and cannot muster the strength to get up…I'm sure there will be ample opportunity to see this another day………..

Monday…I haven't written in a couple of days…the internet's been down ( I think we have to pay the bill.) and I've been just jotting down things to write them later. We've sort of settled into a routine here. I've been here almost a week and I am an early riser…I think my jet lag is finally gone… and it's kind of nice to be up early to have some time to myself to reflect and think read, write and watch the city come alive. The recent rains have dissipated and the humidity is thick almost hanging over us waiting to burst forth and produce relief, albeit temporary, with another downpour. Rebecca tends to sleep late and stay up late in the evening…sometimes going out with friends to clubs, sometimes reading and chatting with our apartment mates. Saturday I woke up early, as usual, and I have gotten into the habit of tidying up the place in the mornings…washing dishes, damp mopping, ironing, laundry, grocery shopping. Then I write or ready until Rebecca gets up to see what is on her agenda. I'll fix breakfast for her too, which she appreciates. In this way I feel as if I am making up for her tour guiding. I went to the market, this time the "e-mart" and bought some essentials and milk (very expensive for here), some more dish detergent, bleach (you know me) white bread, and basically what amounts to thick sweet melba toast slices sprinkled with rock candy sugar. I was really curious as I'd seen it everywhere. I came home feeling pleased with myself because I had navigated the store and paid without too much confusion. I was unable to buy bananas however because I guess you have to weigh them before you get to the checkout and I had not. I meandered around the area soaking in the sights and sounds…tai chi on the open space in between the shops…children running around…people doing their marketing…mothers chatting while looking after their babies. I am fascinated with their ingenuity. I was struck by the same thoughts when I was in Nigeria…perhaps I see how we Americans have lost that edge perhaps because we haven't felt the kind of pressures that others have because if they don't work, they won't survive. I'm not sure, but wherever there is an inch of space, there is a hub of activity. When I got back, I busied myself unpacking the groceries until Rebecca gets up and then I fixed us some french toast and used some of our maple syrup that I had brought her. She had a English lesson scheduled for one of her clients, so we planned for me to go with her and just walk around while her lesson was taking place. We got off one subway stop early so that we could walk through Nanjing Dong Lu a walking mall for lack of better term on the way. The only place that I have ever seen a walking mall like this was in Boulder, Colorado. Take that one and multiply it like 10,000 times and you get the picture. It's a chopping District with wall stores, mostly of the department store variety and places to eat and hotels…very upscale… and there throngs of people that crowded the mall…well you just can describe it if you are a girl that has lived in Monson, Maine for the last 27 years…it makes the crowds in New York look like child's play. If one does not want to walk down this pedestrian throughway, one can always grab a shuttle which goes careening down the center in both directions, sort of an open air mini train like the ones you find at an amusement park only gas powered making your stroll somewhat of an obstacle course as you dodge those and or bicycles and scooters. I must say that it is remarkable seeing so many people all the time. Rebecca meets her student, an adult male in his thirties at, where else a Starbucks (kind of ironic) and tells me to meet her there in about 2 hours. There's enough to do…tons of place to browse and window shop. As I go down the street peering in to the windows, I see a line forming and curious, I get closer to see what is going on. Lo and behold, there is a Krispy Kreme franchise and they are handing out free doughnuts. The Chinese love both all things Western and their snack foods, so it is a perfect match, but so weird to see. I pop into shop after shop and finally in search of a bathroom, I go to the fifth floor of a department store and locate one. It even has regular toilets and toilet paper, quite a luxury in these parts. Oh and FYI, take hand sanitizer with you as most often there is no soap in the bathrooms either. My feet are beginning to hurt, I should not have worn these shoes, and I try to find a pair of flip flops, but this is in a fancy area and I am not willing to splurge even if I am in pain. Finally I Iocate a "dollar store" and find a pair for about 10 RMB, about a dollar fifty, that's more what I had in mind. My feet thanks me as I slip into them as do my blisters…oy veh. There are sales going on everywhere and unique at home, there are always salespeople willing to help. I am just browsing today. Soon enough 2 hours are over and I meet Rebecca. We decide to go to Peoples Park, Renmin Gong Yuan as it is a beautiful day…blue sky not clouded by the normal gray pollution of this city. It is hot probably i the high eighties, but for here at this time of year very peasant. The gardens are lovely…manicured lawns and shady trees we wind our way around couples strolling together, girlfriends laughing, grandparents tending their precious grandchild, teenage boys trying to look cool. There are ponds in which large lilly pads float, and as we pass them, Rebecca gets excited as she spies the Shanghai "Meet Market". Hundreds of signs are hung from the branches of the bushes and older parents and matchmakers linger near them. We have stumbled upon Match.Com, Shanghai style. Evidently, these are parents concerned that their single 30ish unmarried, professional daughters are getting along in years and so they take matters into their hands and "post", quite literally, their statistics in order that eligible young men and or their parents become aware that they are available. We walk and walk enjoying the sights, there is an amusement park within this garden, and children and adults enjoying themselves squealing with glee as they ride the rides. Snacks here consist of sausage like hot dogs served on wooden skewers, grilled meat/ chicken shish kebabs, and corn on the cob, milk teas, soy drinks and frozen ice cram bars and popcorn, soda and water. We enjoy just walking around and people watching and many of them enjoy watching us, although in this area of town, there are more foreigners so we are not as much of an anomaly. We leave the park and walk down to see the "county seat" for lack of a better term, The government building which houses the offices for this district…just as they have Beefeaters in London, so there are immobile, expressionless guards in front of this large stone edifice. We pass a couple of monks with shaved heads wearing gray robes and they stand out in sharp contrast to their surrounding compatriots. It's nearing suppertime and we go to Yang's for dinner. It is a local place in the mall famous for it's shenjianbao dumplings. Though there are many places to eat close to this one, most of them are half full while Yangs has a line out the door. We pay and then stand in line to get our order peeking in the glass windows to see an assembly line operation…one guy fooling out the dough and flipping the dough into a pile while 4 or 5 others scoop in filling and sculpt them into little pockets. They are then placed into trays awaiting their turn on the large cast iron pans to sizzle in oil and get sprinkled with sesame seeds. We salivate as the aroma teases our senses and then try to find anywhere to perch to eat them. As the place is packed, people do not linger or eat in a leisurely manner. They are intent and there is a method to consuming this popular snack. You pour a dark vinegar over them and add hot peppers if you want. Then you pick them up one at a time, biting a little hole at one end quickly sucking out the delicious juice inside. My first attempt does not go well and I provide

Rebecca with a small shower. That obviously has happened once or twice here before. We eat quickly listening to the sounds of slurping while sweating profusely. The dumplings are hot and the place is packed. Bellies full, we finally head home and brave the subway masses. I am a bit surprised by the "cutting in line" or the pushing on the the trains to get a seat. However unaware of personal space limits, they are, if someone gets on the train who is older or pregnant, and the seats are taken, they are given up as a matter of courtesy. The jostling and jockeying for position is just part of their custom as they say, "when in Rome"… Once back at the apartment I take a nap, the day has taken it's toll an when I wake up, Rebecca makes plans to go out. She leaves and I chat a bit with Kevin before retiring to watch a movie on the computer. Rebecca has told me that since one of the girls is leaving on Monday, that she'll be out really late.

Then next morning (Sunday) I wake really early around 5 and while I'm in the bathroom, Rebecca comes in. Exhausted she immediate crashes while I get up and start my day. A cup of tea (cha) on the balcony and I oversee the stirrings of the neighborhood ad Shanghai comes to life. Hard to believe that one week ago I was getting on a plane to come here. It does not seem possible. I survey the refrigerator and see the remains of the egg mixture that I used for yesterday's french toast and use it to fashion a sort of rice "gruel"/ pudding. It's not the best thing I've ever eaten, but will fill me up for the time being. I spend the morning as I always do, wiping down the ever present film of Shanghai silt off the counters and surfaces and damp mopping the floors, straightening up from last night. Rebecca wakes up late eats a bit of breakfast and then naps again. She is exhausted and I don't mind the time alone. I read and play cards, things I rarely do at home because there never seems to be enough time. I've already finished 2 books and am starting a third. I am frustrated by the lack of internet because I like to touch base with John, but I'll take a trip to a place that has wireless if it isn't fixed soon. At around 10, firecrackers start going off. At first I think it's at the construction site next to us, work goes on 7 days a week there, but then see it's in front of a store close by to us. Rebecca later informs me that any excuse is a good one to set these off…new baby, store opening…whatever. Rebecca finally emerges in the early afternoon and readies herself to go to work. Today's lesson is for a 14 or 15 year old girl and I'm going to tag along and go to another park and amuse myself while Rebecca teaches. We take the subway to the stop near Century Park and agree to meet in two hours. Before I head out to the park I spend a half an hour or more browsing through the underground subway market at this stop on line 2. It's like a cross between a flea market as the "stores" are tiny and the underground mall in Montreal, for those of you who have traveled there. It has literally anything that you could want…suitcases, handbags, shoes, clothes pearls, jewelry, trinkets, cloth, tailors, t shirts, jeans, cashmere sweaters, polo shirts, golf equipment and other sporting goods and it goes on and on and on without end. I heard, "lady you want…I give you good price…beautiful lady…special price, today only". I smile, tell them, Bu Yao, Xie,Xie ( literally no want thank you) and walk on…they are persistent. I will come back later on another day because I will want to bring home some gifts for sure, but just not today. I leave this shopping mecca, which is packed by the way, and walk in the direction of the park. Along the way I am fascinated by my people watching…the women wearing ankle socks made of stocking material, truly not a good look especially with a skirt, people in pajamas the couples walking arm in arm while the husband/ boyfriend lugs his woman's purse for her. Often they are wearing matching polo shirts. It feels like it's always rush hour, but Rebecca tells me I have seen nothing yet. What I don't see is graffiti or beggars, things ever-present in the subways at home. En route to Century Park I walk past the Museum of Science and Technology. It is a massive structure and it appears to web white busy on this Sunday afternoon. I pause wondering whether or not to go in, but perhaps I'll save that for when Matthew comes or for a day that is not so sunny. It costs 10 kuai to get into this park, about $1.50. it's beautiful…on a small lake and you can rent paddleboats, tandem bicycles, or covered bicycle surreys for 2 or four. People are strolling around or riding or paddling, some are tucked in the trees shielded from the sun by portable pop-up tents having picnics, or splashing close to shore with their kids. Funny, on this hot day, nobody is swimming. A family stools by with a new baby and I look up the word for beautiful (piao liang) and comment as I walk by. They smile and thank me for the compliment (xie xie) (Sheeyeh sheeyeh). A wizened old woman smiles at me as she collects the bottles and cans left behind. At the prescribed time I meet Rebecca and we return to the complex in order to freshen up before going out to dinner with friends. It's an eclectic group…French, Irish, Australian, and us. They pick a chain restaurant serving an odd mix of mostly adequate but nothing special western food. I listen to the conversations and remember having similar ones with my group of international friends when I was that age. I am nostalgic. After dinner, we cab it home and Rebecca and I go buy watermelon and bananas, but when we get home, I am so spent that I immediately go to bed. I don't think that I even waited for my head to touch the pillow before I was fast asleep. I will post more soon, but we're off to the Bund today. Zaijian!

Every morning I wake up thinking that this will wear off, the wonder and curiosity that I am experiencing, but each day brings something new to marvel at. Yesterday, Monday, as usual I stir before the rest of the apartment. Pierre gets up the earliest for work, but I am alone for several hours. Because we still don't have internet, I can't take care of the details that I have made a list to do, so I must make time to get that taken care of or find an internet cafe. Rebecca and I plan a sight seeing expedition for today. I have expressed interest in going to see the Bund and watch the goings on along the river, so we plan our day to do that. First, however, we go to see the electronics market. Think Best Buy to the nth degree. Our subway becomes an elevated train by the time we get there. It is in a neighborhood called Hongkou. It's basically a flea market set up, so small booths and shelves crammed together with narrow aisles to walk through. It's housed under a huge corrugated aluminum roof and the pace here is less frenetic due to the heat. It's cooler in there than outside as today the sun is beating down on us. I apply sunscreen to ward off sunburn. Inside the market you can get any sort of technology item…knock offs primarily…any kind of phone or mp3 player, stereos, speakers, cameras, video cameras, vacuum cleaners, fans, watches, clocks, and computers. There is also a smattering of other stuff…shoes, clothes, electric cooking utensils, refrigerators and washing machines (I still have not seen a dryer here…our apartment has a washer but not a dryer…we hang our clothes out to dry.) among other things. People are not grabbing us to try to sell us stuff here. Perhaps it's too hot or we just don't appear to be in a buying mood. On the edges of the market there are little food vendors in the alleyways. We choose one and he prepares our lunch for us. As far as Western concepts of hygiene go, let's just say that it wouldn't pass muster because the veggies weren't covered or refrigerated, but we figured with the coal fired wok and the intense heat coming from it, we would take our chances. Our chao cai (stir fry) consisted of chicken, potatoes, peppers, jalapenos and a sauce and we got rice to go with it. The more I eat here, the more I realize that the concept of Chinese food that I am used to is just a drop in the bucket. We munch our lunches with chopsticks as we meander through the market. When we've had enough of our fill (with both electronics and food) we head back to the subway. En route, we pass through a parking area which is chocker block full of scooters. If I say in once, I'll say it a bunch, there are just so many people and bikes!!!!!!!!!!! On our way to the Subway to go visit the Bund area, we stop to pick up drinks to cool us off. I get my favorite, a slushee made of mango and Rebecca opts for a lemon basil combination with small jelly pearls in it. It's weird the first time you suck one of those through your straw, but it's not bad when you get used to it. The heat is really intense and it's a relief to get to the subway. They are air conditioned and the combination of cool drinks and the cool air fortifies us for the next stop. The Bund according to the guidebooks was originally a towpath and its name is of Anglo-Indian origin meaning embankment . It came to prominence when foreign banks and trading houses established their claims and built the neoclassical and art deco edifices that remain overlooking the Huangpu River. Rebecca tells me that the side that we are on represents China's past and across the river, China's future an equally impressive display of high-rise modern architecture sprung up within the last 15 years or so. As usual the place, like all other places in China is packed with mostly Chinese and a few foreign tourists. the "boardwalk", actually concrete is really wide and long and the cameras click away as families, couples, and children are digitally captured in front of the spectacular view. Although the skies are blue, the rainbow of umbrellas dots the scene shielding the bearers from the blazing sun. The river is busy and it's a scene right out of a movie as the boats pass in front of us. Rebecca and I sit and she sketches the skyline as I survey the people. As often as not, people come up to us and look over her shoulder to see what she is drawing. Then they ask to have a picture sitting next to us. We are a novelty to them. I'm not sure that they would do this if I were alone, but this blonde lao wai provides an opportunity for them not to be missed. We linger until the heat is too much and then walk to catch a bus home. On the way to the stop, we pop into a couple of places, Dolce and Gabbana (just browsing) and an old fashioned bank ( to use the bathroom) This impressive building is a work of art. The foyer with its 30 foot or so ceiling is decorated with mosaic scenes of many world capitals. The marble tiles and columns and lacquered woodwork and furnishings are a throwback to a different and more opulent time. It is wonderfully quiet and cool a little oasis from the noise and heat of the outside. Once home, I take one of the several brief showers that I take daily to cool down and have an iced tea before taking a nap. My chest is heavy and I feel a bit congested not surprising when you realize what my virgin lungs have been trying to process. One really appreciates the clean crisp air of a Maine summer morning when faced with the polluted air of the city. When I wake up later, Rebecca offers me dinner, a tofu and veggie stir-fry that she has thrown together. I stay up for a bit, but not really late and she and Kevin decide to go meet some more French friends at a club. I am happy to nurse my oncoming cold and go to bed. I think that tomorrow we need to take care of the internet issue for sure………

Tuesday morning… my chest is heavy and I drink tea and have toast trying to wake up and clear my congested lungs. I head outside after about an hour and a half to the grocery store next to our complex only to find out that it doesn't open until 7:30. I decide to explore a bit more of the neighborhood. As I walk down the road that we usually buy our snacks I decide to keep walking as I see tons more activity down the road. Our complex is neat and orderly with guards manning the gates and manicured gardens. These houses literally several blocks away are crowded one to three story dwellings on top of each other with narrow alleyways and laundry hanging everywhere. Privacy is nonexistent, it is really a middle class phenomenon anyway, and the streets and narrow alleys are humming with the morning's activities. I have stumbled on to a Shanghai microcosm of daily life. People are out and about selling, buying, going about their morning rituals. Vegetable vendors, cooked foods, steamed buns, scallion pancakes, fish, seafood, meat live chickens, lotus, baskets, fans, you name it, it's here. I'm not even sure that Rebecca has been down this far, and I so regret not having my camera with me. Of course even a camera wouldn't do it justice…no to get this, you've got to see it, hear it and smell it. As it nears 7:30, I return to go to the grocery store. It is not yet open and a crowd has formed on the outside of the metal mesh gates . The women start to voice their displeasure as the minutes tick away until they sound like fishwives and begin rattling the gates in desperation. Evidently they want in and a manager comes to open the human floodgates just in time. Apparently there is a sale going on and they line up immediately to get in on it. I am here for essentials, milk, eggs, yogurt, kleenex, and dish detergent. I spot some sausage that I like and put that in my cart. Another shopper sees it and asks me where to get it. Wordlessly I convey the message with my finger pointing the way. She nods in acknowledgement. I browse the aisles some more and find some plastic popsicle molds and put them into my basket. These hot days dehydrate me and popsicles will be just the ticket. I make my purchases and head home. I unpack the groceries and make tea and lemonade before showering in a feeble attempt to cool down. It won't matter, in 15 minutes it will be all for naught. Rebecca gets up after i have mopped and tidied up and I make her a breakfast of eggs and toast. As we figure out our day I describe the neighborhood that I have ventured into and ask her if she has ever been that far down. She hasn't, so I say let's go. She showers and we head out. It's less busy than it was before. These folks get out and get their shopping early. I show her a place that had a line going up the street earlier and we realize that it was for steamed buns. We look at the operation and then see that the steamer pans are about 2 times the size of a commercial dishwasher pan, square in size and stackable. The cook is tending the coal fired steamer and literally hundreds of round perfectly white buns are being turned out and sold 3 at a time for about 20 cents. They are each softball sized. I am taking pictures and they are loving it. They are HOT off the press and we wait for them to cool off before biting into one. They are not filled with anything, but would be perfect to sop up gravies and such. I stop and buy a fan and take pictures of the vendor. They are happy to oblige. this is not some beautiful fan of the Japanese geisha variety. This is purely utilitarian and will be put to good use over the course of today. As we peer down the alleys, we tuck into one that intrigues us, darkened by the tarps protecting them overhead from whatever elements. Inside the cement is wet undoubtedly from washing the various items. It stinks of discarded,rotting vegetables, fish smells and chicken excrement. Despite our western sensibilities, this food couldn't be fresher. When buying a chicken, you choose the live one to be killed and it is done so in front of you. What is revolting to us, causing our stomaches to lurch and our throats to taste bile, is de rigger to these folks. Inside this dark and pungent corner few lao wais enter, so we are regarded as the novelties that we are. We watch as a woman squats and proceed to decapitate live frogs and skin them i one deft movement, recoiling in disgust when we realize that the hearts are still beating. Definitely this is not kosher style killing, but it makes you think twice about what will be on your plate for dinner once you have seen this. I come away with a newfound respect for people who process our food. Oh how I could convey the scenes that we encounter a these folks go about their daily lives. It seems so far away from a law office in Dover-Foxcroft or even from the apartment where I now sit typing on the 30th floor of my high-rise building listening to the strains of someone practicing piano in a nearby apartment. So near and yet so far…..We head later to the French Concession area of Shanghai…no longer called that (now several districts including Jing'An and Dapuqiao), and meander through the expensive and fancy shops. Of course hanging above many of the shops and overpriced cafes is the laundry of those who live in the back alleys. It's an incongruous pairing. Even I am shocked at the prices, $5 for a glass of orange juice, so we eschew an afternoon coffee in lieu of an ice cream and keep walking. After window shopping we take the subway to the Shanghai library to use the internet. One must pass through metal detectors and cannot bring much in to the library. Backpacks are screened and then must be checked into lockers in the coat room. to use the internet is free for the first hour, but of course Skype will be unavailable. As I suspect, John has been valiantly trying to get in touch with me. I catch up on email, explaining our situation and then we head home. I make a dinner of the vegetables in the fridge (a chao cai) with rice and wake Rebecca who has been napping. We are planning a quiet evening and Rebecca suggests we try to use the wireless at Starbucks to get in touch with John. We catch a weak signal and get through to Matthew who is a bit wound up about his travel plans and, after listening to us argue for several minutes, Rebecca throws up her hands and goes to hang out with her friends at their apartment. I finally get a call from John and we catch up on news. Will post more soon and I send love to all of you. later….

Despite being up late last night or until the wee hours of the morning, I woke up around 9:30. Rebecca slept later than I did, but it gave me opportunity to read and finish some writing. I ate leftovers for breakfast with tea of course and studied a bit of Chinese. I can almost get the numbers one through ten now. Rebecca has decided to take me to the Yu Gardens today. we head out around 11 and first go to have a house key made for me...about 50 cents... I get my camera out to try to capture some of the essence of daily life in this area. The sheer numbers of bicycles and scooters parked on the sidewalks is staggering. We even see an adult-sized tricycle made to transport large panes of glass. Huge turtles are for sale on the sidewalk...not sure if they are for dinner or as pets. Even though some people her are overweight, nobody is truly fat and there's a reason for this, they walk or cycle everywhere. It's hot here and they must just sweat it off. The dress for comfort not fashion in many neighborhoods. Not much thought is given to what they wear save that it is comfortable. Frequently we see as Rebecca calls it, the "pajama patrol"... people dressed in loose fitting men's pajamas. You'll see grown men dressing like that...pretty funny, but who can blame them, they are trying to stay cool. Matching does not seem to be an issue either...stripes and florals are combined in clashing colors...men are sometimes shirtless or wearing a sleeveless undershirt and shorts or shirts have rolled up to reveal their fleshy midsections. Of course the more middle class inhabitants dress in more upscale western fashion such as the twenty somethings we encountered last night with their party attitudes and bored affect. I can't get enough of the children here. Clearly they are revered and pampered. Their bright smiles and shining eyes could melt the heart of Scrooge. A couple of subway trains the 4 and the10 and we arrive close to the Gardens. We have to travel through a touristy shopping area, but to my delight it's not all tacky t-shirts. In fact though Rebecca rolls her eyes, there are lots of interesting items for sale...jade and pearls, shadow puppets and masks, silver jewelry and clothing from the Miao minority, amber and wooden carvings. There is schlock of course...tacky hats made of accordian paper and cutesy dolls, and paper fans and brightly colored pinwheels and every size repica of stuffed Haibao, the mascot for the expo. Tons and tons of food stalls abound...these people snack a lot...huge dumplings served in their own bamboo steamer served with straws so that you can slurp the juice out first before eating the dumpling...stinky fried tofu (that's not an understatement) fried chicken, sushi, drinks of all kinds including bubble teas with tapioca pearls ( a bit like sucking on a drink and getting an eyeball every once in a while) and smoothies made with sweet red bean paste. We browse a candy shop and come away with a few samples. The sales people are persuasive...an assortment of sesame candies and a sort of peanut brittle. Then it's on to the gardens. They are representative of classical Chinese gardening architecture according to the pamphlet and it was built during the reign of Ming Emperor, Jiajing (1559) as the private garden of Pan Yunduan, the administrative commissioner of Sichuan Province. It is a popular tourist attraction. That's putting it mildly...being there was like being at carnivale in Rio...there are so many people milling about. This place is about 2 hectares and it is packed. Still you find little pockets of serenity where it is quiet except for the constant hum of the cicadas. the gardens have ponds and bridges and rooms made of laquered wood that were used for different purposes of the family...the doorways are unique...the threshholds are at least 6 inches high indicative of high status presumably to keep out bad spirits and ghosts which are unable to cross them because their feet are together. We take in an art exhibit in one of the buildings on the Garden campus done by a French artist. She has taken photographs of different cites around the world and played with their image which I think then are silk screened onto fabric rolls. Her commentary reflects someone passionate about the way different societies impact the earth environmentally. My favorite is one that is blown up and looks very much like the motherboard of a computer. We continue our exploration of the Gardens. It's really the atmosphere of a fair. People are out with the families munching on their snacks and chattering away often stopping to stare at the lao fan (foreigner) or take pictures, but that's okay...I reciprocate and do the same. Late in the afternoon we leave to grab something to eat. Rebecca takes us to Nan Tiang steamed dumpling kiosk which is very famous. It's apparent because the line is about a block long. As we are waiting in line, we notice the women ahead of us has what looks to a whole fried bird about the size of my fist complete with head and feet. We ask to take a photo and start a trend...the giggley school girls ahead of us take pictures as well. We get to the window and order. It's a bit like going to Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. All they sell are these dumplings...thousands of them a day and that's all that they sell. They put some vinegar on them to eat them and one must first bite into them and suck out the juice and then eat them...they are delicious. We take our treats over to find a spot to munch on them and survey the tourists as we do. We head back after our snack stopping at the market close to the apartment to pick up some essentials. That's a treat for me as it's the first supermarket that I've been to here. Unlike the U.S., supermarkets, the larger they are, the more expensive they are. It's a bit like a walmart superstore as they sell everything from groceries to clothes to household goods. Interesting items include live eels, turtles, and frogs for sale. You also pick out your live fish with a net. That's what I call fresh! We grab some yogurt and toilet paper ( really important) and juice and head home. My evening is spent napping, reading and catching up on emails. I listen to the sounds of the city and chat a bit with Kevin (He is back after spending the day teaching his girlfriend's niece to ride a bike.) Rebecca goes to hang out at her friends and comes home late in the evening. I am still up typing but finally hit the hay around 1:30 am. More adventures to come.

I guess I must have known that it was going to be a late night as we really sort of regrouped today. Had a leisurely morning around the house with a brief stint to get breakfast...this morning it was steamed dumplings, custard baozi, some "pastries" similar to puff pastry one filled with a savory mixture and the other filled with a sweet paste of some sort. We also had "tea eggs", jidan...hard boiled eggs in tea, soy sauce and spices...pretty good. We shopped for veggies and let's just say that we had a hard time spending money...things are ridiculously inexpensive. Rebecca is patient with me as I practice learning how to count out the change to pay for my purchase, but I'm awful! She gets frustrated with the Chinese who tell her her Chinese is good from cab drivers to vendors, because she thinks that she does not warrant such praise, but I'm sure they are impressed by this foreigner as am I. I asked Rebecca about the children we see when we are out... always with grandparents. The grandparents take care of their grandchildren or grandchild mostly, although that is changing--the one child policy--dependent on a couple of factors. -And...take note Matthew and Rebecca, adult children are obligated to take care of their parents as they age. If they do not, then the parents can sue the children. Somehow I don't think that would fly in the U.S. The rest of the day for us is spent emailing, reading, writing, and cleaning the apartment and doing laundry. Even though Rebecca cleaned before I got there, we both like to go barefoot in the house and there is a fine layer of Shanghai silt that covers the floor each day which is why you see shopkeepers constantly mopping their floors in a wasted attempt to keep them clean. Late in the afternoon I fall asleep for a long nap. The humidity and jet lag have a narcotic effect and I wake up later feeling almost hung over. A cup of tea helps to rejuvenate me and Rebecca and I prepare dinner together in our kitchen. The kitchen is good sized, long and narrow with ample cabinets a refrigerator freezer, double sink and a two burner stove. There is no oven, which evidently is fairly typical. The two burners are large and the grates over them are higher to accommodate a wok. Cooking is quick in a wok especial with these burners and we fashion a tasty dish out of chicken, green beans, garlic, onions, ginger, spices and peanut butter over jasmine rice...more Thai than Chinese, but we can buy Chinese food...We relax a bit before Rebecca gets the word that her friends will meet us at an English Pub on the other side of town and we freshen up a bit before hitting the town. A half an hour cab ride later, ( about 4 or 5 bucks) and we are at the Pub. It's about $7 to get a bracelet for "all you can drink"...they will come out ahead on me for sure. We meet her friends...Niamh, Ciara, Guy, Louise, Sue Anne, Pierre, and several others. They are all great fun and I do my best to tease Rebecca in front of them. She's a pretty good sport to take it just as she is nice to let me horn in on her activity. There is a beer pong sign up and the Wentworths are on the list. Guy agrees to be my designated drinker, which works out all the way around. Our game comes up and we go against an American guy from the West Coast and another girl and let's just say that our start is inauspicious. The other team is smoking us, but I come through first for team Wentworth followed a little later by another score. Meanwhile, the other team only has to get one more shot in or we lose and the guy is talking trash to Rebecca who saves the day by sinking 3 in a row to leave us tied. We lose at the last, but make a respectable showing nonetheless. There is talk of going to a dancing club and Pierre is going back to the apartment and Rebecca encourages me to go with him as it is around midnight, but her friends prevail upon me to come out some more and I go. Rebecca is convinced that I'll hate this place, but in fact I don't. The music is loud and pulsating, practically reverberating through my bones, and the atmosphere takes me back to the days of disco. The place is jammed with affluent Chinese and foreigners drinking and dancing. There are cleaning ladies who push their way through the throngs to mop up the spilled drinks and garbage and we are packed inside like sardines. The difference here to when I was young...texting. Even while they are grinding the the music, they are communicating with their friends and it makes sense as the music is so loud, I can't even think. I get separated from Rebecca and hang out with her friends until they are leaving and when I try to find Rebecca, I lose them. So I call Rebecca and miraculously she picks up. She has gone to get a snack and tells me that I can catch a ride with her friends, but I can't find them at this point. I tell her that I'll go get money from an atm, but she'll have to tell the cab driver where to go. That seems to be a good solution, but then I realize that she has the only key. When I call her back after getting cash, I let her know that and she tells me to hang on that she be back shortly. She comes to my rescue and we head home in the cab...the metro doesn't run after 10 pm, and arrive at the apartment at 3:30 am. More tomorrow...I am tired.

Registration and Reminiscing (for Rebecca)

I'm up at the crack of dawn...6:30...guess I'm not really used to this new time zone 12 hours different from before. I'm thinking about what is on the agenda for today. Our first stop is going to be the Police Station to register with them and then a visit to Fudan University to check out where Rebecca studied last fall...As I wait for Rebecca to get ready I look out the window and see a couple of women doing their morning exercises on the lawn. We left the apartment later in the morning and went back to the bustling area on Feihong Road to pick up breakfast. We passed hundreds of cyclists, walkers,mopeds, scooters, motorcycles, cars, buses and taxis as well as what looks like motorized rickshaws. This section of town comes alive early. It is practically humming with activity and despite the rainy morning, people are out and about. Construction is going on everywhere around us and you see scaffolding made of bamboo going up story after story...yes bamboo! Brakes squealing, cars honking, jack hammers and the sounds of cicadas make up the percussion section as the city symphony comes to life. We check out several food stalls and Rebecca decides on a Shandong jianmian, a flat crepe like looking dish cooked over a 12 in diameter circular cast iron griddle fueled by a coal fired grill. As it cooks our vendor scrambles an eggs on top of it adds cilantro and scallions and hoisin sauce. Once it is cooked she rolls it up, but not before adding some fried noodle to give it some crunch. We also pick up veggie filled baozi (bow tsuh) translated "little bags" which are steamed white bread rolls filled with chopped greens and spices cooked in large bamboo steamers. We grab some warm soy milk drinks and head back to the lobby of our building to eat our less than a dollar (about 75 cents acutually( breakfast out of the rain before heading out again. First stop is a little shop about as big as a bathroom to have our passports and visas copied then off to the police station to register were we are living. Rebecca does this too as she has just moved. If we were staying in a hotel, they wold have taken care of this, but since we are in an apartment, it is up to us to figure that out. As we enter the stations 2 men who are just hanging out in the lobby and chatting announces in Chinese, "look foreigners" and so my cheeky daughter turns around and responds in Chinese, "And you are Chinese" giggling as she says it. A cute exchange ensues as they seem to be delighted that she is able to manage the language. Shortly thereafter, we get our turn at the window, forms are filled out, passports and visas are copied, and in short shrift, we are handed our temporary resident permits and are good to go. It's now raining really hard and umbrellas of every hue bob up and down as their custodians make their way about the city. Even those on bicycles and scooters get into the act managing to multitask pedaling while holding their umbrellas upright. More power to them...I usually cannot even manage one of those tasks without falling down. We detour through a plant and flower nursery along the way. The rains make for lush vegetation and I see plants that are unusual and exotic to my Maine eyes. Also there are live crickets in little bamboo cages for sale as well as birds of all sizes and breeds and small dogs and bunnies. The birds chirp away and the crickets hum, the rains fall as we wind through the narrow sidewalks. Then it's off to the subway...one transfer and it's a short walk to the university. Rebecca did not have the luxury of this subway stop when she was here in the fall. The stop has been added since then, a mere 7 months and she's frustrated that it was not here when she was. Of course a lot of construction must have been expedited because the World Expo is here now and it was an incentive to get things done. As we are waiting, I read the signs. They are in both Chinese (Mandarin) and English....among other admonitions are "no explosives, no littering and no spitting". Rebecca laughs because with the exception of the explosives, inhabitants here are prone to disregard the others. Despite this, the city is pretty clean as there are legions of people hired to sweep the streets and tidy up after others. We get to our stop and walk about a 1/4 mile to the university. Here the boulevards are wide and not quite as congested and crossing the street requires athletic skill as there is little regard for the "walk signal". En route, Rebecca points out the hotel where she lived as we browse through this shopping area close to the school. We manage to buy several dvds and check out a fresh market filled with stall after stall of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as meat, chicken and items from the sea...a feast for the eyes and for this foodie, great entertainment...foot long Chinese green beans and exotic produce that I've never even seen before. We try to find the stall that Rebecca frequented while student there run by two sisters that she really liked, but it seems that they've moved...she's disappointed, so we keep walking. Up ahead of us is another cluster of makeshift "kitchens" and the 2nd or 3rd one in, she realizes that it is their stall. When they see each other, the reaction is the same on both sides; they all giggle and exchange hearty greetings. Rebecca introduces me and as they are chatting orders lunch for us. It is a veritable Chinese Subway sandwich shop; except that it is a stir fry station with all the ingredients precut so that you point to what you want and they prepare it to order. In about 3 minutes you are handed a bowl of steaming vegetables and meat with rice or noodles if you want again for about 3/4 of a dollar. We really should carry our own dishes because you are given your food in all of these stalls in styrofoam or plastic bags or both. Well that's another conversation...We walk over to the university to find a dry place to sit and eat. Fudan University is massive. There are over 50,00 students there and the focal point of the campus is a massive edifice with large columns and wide stone steps overlooking beautifully manicured grounds and landscaped gardens. I have to take a quick pit stop and thank goodness I brought my own toilet paper...next we procure a sim card for the phone Rebecca procured for me. She balks when the vendor quotes her a $10 price tag and starts to walk away before he relents, they bargain, and she pays $8 instead. Of course the next customer is Chinese and gets it for $7...Then we hit the stationery store for supplies and Rebecca sends me on my way. She has a lecture to attend and I have instructions to get to the subway home. En route I only am unsure once as I'n not positive which side of the tracks to wait on, but with the assistance of kind lady and hand signals, I figure it out. Rebecca texts me 2 times...I think that I make her nervous...good preparation for if she ever has kids of her own...I plan on taking a rest when I get back and imagine my surprise when I am awakened by Rebecca nearly 3 hours later at 6 p.m. to let me know that she is on her way home. I freshened up and chatted with Kevin and Pierre while I waited for Rebecca's return. They're both interesting fellows. Pierre is working for a start-up company while Kevin is taking a gap years trying to intern before he resumes his studies for his last year. Rebecca arrives a little later armed with the Chines equivalent of a roast beef poboy without the lettuce, tomato and mayo on a toasted pita like bread...delish...okay, okay...so i'll start my diet tomorrow...Pierre heads out to dinner and the rest of the evening is spent (despite Kevin's offer to come out with him) reading relaxing, and watching the KIte Runner. I stayed up late until about 1:30. I'm on day three...Wenesday, the 14th and I'm up early. I'll finish this up before Rebecca wakes up and then we'll see what is in store for us. I know it will be interesting...