Time to Play Tourist!

So I finally had 2 days off where I wasn't sick or had an inconveniently-timed staff meeting to attend.... TOURIST TIME!!!


DAY OFF #1

Well, days off rarely start early in Shanghai. Finally left the apartment about 11am and headed to the Downtown area where I went on the hunt for Central Perk. Yes, that's right, named after the charming Bar-turned-coffee-shop from Friends where Rachel, Ross, et al. hung out on their iconic couch. Being one of maybe 3 people in the entire city with Thursdays off, I made the trek solo. Only took one wrong turn, but righted it and found the cafe on a charming little street full of other places I will have to check out sometime.

So walking down the street I see the sign hanging outside and am filled with a sense of familiarity and happiness. I enter and am overjoyed to find a large window with 'CENTRAL PERK" splashed across it. (OMG!! OMG!! OMG!!) I enter and am greeted and seated by a friendly lady. She seats me near a computer that is streaming an episode of this magical show. (Season 3, Episode 6: The One with the Flashback). I order the one coffee drink I can order in Chinese--"kafei natie"--and enjoy the episode until my drink is presented with great panache! Fortunately, the waitress was not Rachel and got it right.

Following this hour of nostalgia, I headed back to the metro to travel a couple stops south to the Bund. I had been here before, but I wanted to walk along it a bit more and really take in the history and architecture. It offers quite the view of the Huangpu River and the Skyscrapers of Pudong across the water. Shortly after arriving at this heavily touristed spot, I ended up shoving my ginger-ish hair into my hat. With this slight adjustment, I cut the picture requests in half. I will be carrying a hat with me more often when touristing here...

Running perpendicular to the Bund and into the heart of Shanghai is Nanjing Road. It is on this street where you will find the heavily trafficked Nanjing Pedestrian Street and all of its shopping, food, diverse architecture, and a steady flow of tourists who are perfect for people watching. I recommend this place after dark as it looks a lot like Vegas with everything lit up in a magical display of commerce and Chinese characters you can't read. Also on this street, right up next to the Bund is the Peace Hotel (top-right) where the playwright Noel Coward stayed and penned Private Lives in 1930.

Nanjing Road by Night

It's amazing how many styles of architecture are present in Shanghai. Neo-classic, Gothic, Deco, Nouveau, Contemporary, Modern, Ultra-Modern, plus all the different styles of Asian architecture of which I know nothing about...

Pudong from the Vue Sky Bar in the Hyatt Hotel.

After this walkabout I was back on the metro to meet up with my roommate Charlotte for the next adventure: Qibao (pronounced Chee-bow; rhymes with wow), Shanghai's nearest Ancient Water Town.

Walking through the decorative archway really was like walking back in time, with the exception of the battery operated toys and high-rises in the background. This little piece of Shanghai seemed to move at a slower pace and had a great charm about it. The shopping was exciting and the food exotic. The scenery was beautiful (especially with the setting sun splashing light about), and for the most part, the Chinese tourists were friendly and didn't get too weird on us fair-haired gals walking around. 

I will be returning to Qibao to walk these historic streets and perhaps do a bit of souvenir and Christmas shopping. They offer some very beautiful and (maybe?) authentic Chinese goods.

My only advice: be wary of pickpockets, and unless you are into exotic foods: don't look too long at anything resembling meat, or you may leave Qibao a vegetarian.

DAY OFF #2

After a struggle to find my keys (they were in my bag... where I must have looked a billion times...), I began the day with the continuation of my attempt to try coffee from all the major coffee chains in Shanghai. Today we have, Zoo Coffee! Well known for its Safari-inspired decor it seems like a popular spot, with adequate coffee. I wasn't able to get through the ordering process fully in Chinese this go around, and did resort to numeric hand signs and pointing while saying zhe ge ("this"). The staff was kind, patient and all smiles.

Coffee in hand, I continued my way up the street to the Jade Buddha Temple. I had heard good things about it, so I was very excited. After nearly trying to enter at the exit, a helpful employee pointed me around to the entrance and where I could purchase my 20元 ticket (~$3.15). I enter the gate and am already astounded at the grand majesty of the building in front of me. I step off the immediate path, tuck my iPhone securely into my boot--it's safer than my pocket--and pull the Nikon out of my bag. I spend several minutes in the main courtyard enjoying the blue skies above, the smell of incense, and the lilt of Chinese... German... French... voices---WAIT A MINUTE! French? My ears perk up and I nonchalantly search for the source. I find a family across the courtyard who seem to be the guilty party. I make it a clandestine goal to eavesdrop and attempt to comprehend their conversation whenever I'm in earshot. (And no, it's definitely not rude! I'm working on my listening comprehension! Okay, maybe it is a little rude...)

Having taken a picture of anything and everything in the first courtyard I continue into the first and largest building. My jaw drops to the floor. In front of me is a massive golden statue of.... someone important (I only know like... Gwan Yin.... okay?)

Wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling is decorated in beautiful carved pieces, grand and imposing statues of various deities, and bright fabrics hanging from the high ceilings. Light pores in from the doors and carved windows, incense wafts through the room and candlelight reflects off the bright gilded statues. Curious, I approach a volunteer worker and bravely ask "Ta jiao shen me mingzi?" Or "What is his name?" She replies with something I honestly don't remember but I am just thrilled she understood my Chinese. She then continued on telling me about the other statues and what they stood for--in Chinese. Not knowing how to tell her I have no idea what she is saying, I play along and try to grasp as much as I can. Thankfully she used body language to her advantage so I could tell when she moved from the warrior God to the music one... I nodded often and said the only things I knew that mildly fit the conversation, "dui" and "hen hao" or "right/correct" and "good". I thanked her and moved into the next courtyard. 

The path wound into another building and up the most shallow, steepest steps I have ever seen. At one point I had to duck my head to keep from hitting the ceiling. The life of a tall person in China...

At the top of the stairs there are several large solid gold ornaments that I'm sure serve a purpose, however since the plaque was in Chinese, I have no idea what that purpose was. Around a corner and down a hall is a dimly lit room. I can already smell the incense permeating the air. It does create a rather calming atmosphere. I step into the room and turn to see a beautiful cream/Jade colored Buddha adorned with flowers, candles, and all sorts of gifts perched upon his shrine. He is rather majestic, sitting there so reverently. There is a sense of ease being in that room with him. It's very nonjudgmental. And while he is the center of attention, he isn't overbearing, terrifying, or intimidating. I almost wish there had been a bench, I may have sat there for some time just enjoying the calming ambience. 

After a while, I made my way back down the treacherous stairs and into another courtyard where I found "reclining Buddha", Gwan Yin, a gift shop, and... MONKS! The monks were sitting at a table playing various percussive instruments. After a few minutes they began to chant and the courtyard filled with their rich harmonies. I found myself once again in awe and amazement. Surely, I am dreaming, or in a movie. This just isn't real life!

I hung out in the courtyard, taking pictures and listening to the monks for a while then made my way into the gift shop to peruse the goods. I could have spent a LOT of money in here. So many beautiful things, and so many things I weren't sure as to what they were, but they were definitely beautiful! I wandered around the main courtyard again, snapping a few more pictures before I made my way out. By his time I was getting rather hungry and it would be rush hour now which meant for a fun ride on the metro. I just love being sandwiched between people I don't know. So fun. 

I fought my way through crowd after crowd, and an hour later found myself at home. I cooked some dinner, then my roommate and I settled in to watch Frozen and enjoyed some good ol' microwave popcorn. I would call it a successful weekend.

The Blog from the Sick Days...

Hello outside world, family and friends.

So life has been a bit on the rougher side. Mostly due to the fact that a week and a half ago, I got sick. I work in a petri dish, a bacterial and viral haven; complete with sauna. It started like any other cold; that tingly feeling in your throat as you're lying in bed one night. You think, "uh oh..." and take some Tylenol before you go to bed in hopes it's some minor irritation or something. Then, you wake up barely capable of uttering a sound. A.K.A.: a teacher's worst nightmare. (Second only to screaming children and overly involved parents.) That first morning I rolled out of bed, crawled to my suitcase where my personal Pharmacy of America was stashed and dug out the Dayquil. Thank you, Mother, for making sure I packed some. I downed a couple, then continued digging for the cough drops, tissues, elderberry drops, and... the Throat Coat--the miracle worker. I packed enough to see me through the workday, and shuffled my way to the metro, making an extra
effort not to touch anything or breathe on anyone. When you have 25 million people packed into a city like sardines contagions spread like melted butter.

In the States, I might have been able to call in sick, and someone would take on whatever responsibilities I had or they would be left until I returned. However, in China, it's a different philosophy. Pay no mind to the fact that we work with kids, and if we get the kids sick, they don't come to class and the company makes no money. That doesn't sound fiscally responsible, but I'm no finance manager. And, in order to call in sick, I need a Doctor's note (what is this, 7th grade gym class?)... and that isn't going to happen unless I'm nearly dead, because, well.... it's me. So, like any adult, I silently suffered through the day. Okay, not silently... I spent a good part of the day hacking up a lung or two, the other half sneezing my brains out. It was awesome.

On my way home I stopped by the store and paid 45RMB for Progresso Vegetable Soup...... I paid $7.09 for SOUP! WHAT?!?!?! But it was all I could find that sounded remotely recognizable as sick-people food. And because I'm sick, it's even easier to justify spending money on things that just sound good, are comforting, and remind me of home. So I trudge my way home, enjoy some overpriced soup, down some NyQuil and pass out. This trend continues over the next few days. I spend my weekend sick... I complain about the inability to find tomato soup (which at this point I've been craving for DAYS!) then my friend send me a picture of... CAMPBELLS TOMATO SOUP!! ...ON A STORE SHELF! Even better, the store wasn't far from my apartment! So, I pull myself together long enough to make the 15 minute trip. I stock up on cans of tomato soup, some bread and cheese, then head back to make the most delicious meal I've had (comfort food always "tastes" better when you're miserable, even if you can't really taste anything...) I think this marked the turning point on the road to recovery.

But the funny thing about that road: in China... it's much longer than in the States. I can fully kick a cold in about a week State-side. In China, we're nearly at the 2 week mark and it's still there wreaking its germy havoc. Many of my coworkers have experienced the lingering cold as well and have reported, "it's a thing here."


More observations...

Front porch sitting is also a thing here. Except it's more... sidewalk sitting.

There are some evenings I go out on the town and I fumble my way through French more than I speak English.

Teachers and Students share bathrooms. They don't really care about it like we do in the States/"West".

Teachers can hug/pat/punish students. I morally choose not to punish any student of mine, ever (I'll leave that to my Chinese counterparts, if they feel the situation calls for it). But I'm glad I can hug the little tykes without fear of some parent getting all legal on me. I think understanding the importance, power, and boundries of physical touch is a key part of a child's education. So, I'm glad to see the positive aspects of physical interaction in the teacher-student relationships here.

I talk to Chinese people who don't know English (or have a limited vocabulary) all the time. Somehow, it works. It's harder, and we have to slow down our interaction, but it can be done! We by no means talk about anything deep or poetic, that is a bit tougher. But you can communicate with people who speak other languages! 90% of communication is body language and facial expressions anyway! Who needs spoken word! PSH! Overrated!

All stereotypes ever will be both confirmed and denied. Either way, it's kind of magical.

Don't expect to have your own table at a fast food restaurant. Or most restaurants that aren't "high-end". There's simply no space for that.

They play a LOT of country western music here.... and it boggles my mind....

The city never sleeps. Yeah, the metro stops running between 23:00 & 5:00, but people will be out all night and return home after the metro opens again. No joke. I have yet to attempt this. I'm not sure what I would do for all that time.... apart from sleep...

Most everyone here from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand are here teaching English. You stop asking after a while, because you know. And they know, you know. And you know, they know, you know. You know?

It's really easy to forget you're in China. I was sitting in a cafe the other night with some coworkers listening to a bunch of Westerners jam on drums, piano, turntables, electric violins, flutes, guitars, rapping and singing their hearts out. I could have been in SE Portland....

You get frustrated about a lot of weird, little things you've never really thought about or had to deal with before (Like any cooking instructions that might happen to be in English, are in liters and grams...) Then you remember you're in freakin' CHINA!! And then you're okay.

People not from America are always SO surprised when an American can speak a second language.... guys, we have a bad reputation when it comes to learning languages, we should fix this.

You get used to Netflix buffering all the time. Best time to watch? During the workday, between 10-1700 when you're home on your days off, ridding yourself of a cold. Got through a whole season of Orphan Black without a hitch. Then it quickly ended as people got off work...

Apparently to Chinese people, I look French. I always hear them saying "Ta shi faguo ren" around me, which means "She is French." To which I interject; "Wo bu shi faguo, wo shi meiguo." I am not French, I am American. Yay, stereotypes?