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...