Element Fresh

Yes, there are noodles, Peking duck, dumplings, rice and delicious Chinese delectables in China. But every now and then a girl needs a Western Omelette with bacon and cheddar cheese, home fries and toast. Sunday morning I dined with my close friends Jason and Liz at a 5th floor balcony restaurant, Element Fresh to satisfy the craving. Shanghai definitely has it's share of Western restaurants. This one hit the spot. But hey, I did have Chinese red tea with my meal!

Book Karma

There is a book god out there sending positive karma my way.

The situation: I mail thirteen boxes of books from the states. 286 pounds. $286 to the USPost Office makes it happen. The boxes go into 5 Mbags, large plastic/canvas bags, special for papers, documents, and other media. Bags go on boat. Boat sails to China. No need to go through customs. Simple enough. July 7th I was told 4-8 weeks.

The situation: My apartment is empty! I go to IKEA on Sunday and buy three bookshelves, thinking, "those books will certainly arrive soon!". Monday morning I go see the action / liason man, Tony Tang to inquire about the bags. "Hmm." He says, "I think they are in this building!" School sends worker to my apartment with boxes, and voila, I arrive home to 5 Mbags.

The situation: I imagine a crane lifting the Mbags high into the sky and dropping them onto a cargo ship. Push around with a bulldozer to really pack them in there. Such suggested the state of my boxes and books. At least the plastic held up and all the books were piled inside the Mbags. Then the fun began: piling my books onto the floor and organizing!

The situation: happiness is having all your books lined up!

A Taxi Experience

Free time= GO DOWNTOWN! I live 35 to 90 minutes from downtown depending on traffic, time of day, where downtown, and weather conditions. I give myself an hour. I often share a taxi with friends- a ride downtown costs about $10. Not bad for one hour in a taxi.
The very first mandarin words I learned were taxi survival phrases: yogwai-right- literally "small turn", zogwai- left- literally "big turn", eeghezou- straight. I have lived here close to eight weeks and I have finally figured out how to correctly pronounce the name of the district where I live. Zhudi- pronounce the zh like a J. I kept saying it over and over to the drivers. To no avail. With inner anger I pulled out the (now) dirty and well-used business card with my address written in Chinese to show them. This is demoralizing after a while- "I can't even tell this person how to take me home!" I was 4 and knew my own phone number and address. Here I barely know either- cell phone numbers are 11 digits and I have NO idea what mine is without my cheat sheet. Anyway, instead of pronouncing judee- all one word, I learned to say Jooooo- deeee. Long emphasis on the first part. Now they smile right away, step on the gas, and start jabbering at me in Mandarin, as if I understand.
Want to see inside a taxi? To the right of the dash, a photo id card- picture and name. Under the name are the stars. Zero to five. Zero stars means this person is fresh off the country bumpkin cart and has NO idea where downtown is, let alone how to get on the highway. BAD NEWS. Usually drivers have one or two, meaning they know streets and maybe have patience with foreigners. Three stars is great. They can interpret your judee and bring you home. Five stars exists, in theory. I have yet to see a four or five star driver. I will probably speak perfect Mandarin by the time I get to one of those!
TAXI orientation part 2: All taxis are Volkswagens. The Germans pretty much have the corner on the market. One taxi company also has "learn mandarin" info panels for the passenger to view. Unfortunately there is never the pin-yin, the Chinese word written in the Roman alphabet, just a picture and a Chinese character. This morning there was a picture of a monkey. GREAT! I thought, next time I see a zero star taxi driver I will call him a monkey. But... actually, I have no idea how to say "monkey" because there is no pin-yin written to show me how to pronounce the word. Therefore, I can not say the word but know how to recognize the character "monkey" in case I run into it somewhere... From a language teacher's point of view this is not an ideal acquisitional situation.
Taxi orientation part 3: Globalization and prep for Beijing Olympics 2008 are underway- many many street signs are in English. Signs on the highway and in town have both Chinese characters and pin-yin. Very cool. Another Mandarin lesson: Bei means north, while Nan means south. (Beijing is the north capital, while Nanjing used to be the South capital, jing means "capital city"). So, Shaanxi Bei Lu means North Shaanxi Street and Shaanxi Nan Lu means South Shaanxi Street. Cool!
Final street note: while sitting in traffic one has time to notice the sidelines. In these pics you can see the bike lane off to the side as well as some random stores. I have NO idea what these stores sell. Very often I walk by and say, "They sell fruit and cigarettes." Most often I see people sitting in their shops and I wonder if they know what they sell! Street-front property is not just for commerce but for sitting and watching the world drive by. If it is the morning, they sit in their pajamas. The topic of Chinese in their pajamas is a post for another day.

Dior Rouge Party

How do I end up stumbling into these crazy situations? I am fortunate to meet people who know people who know people. My colleague Jonathan invited me to the launching of a new lipstick- Rouge, by Dior. He and his partner of many years, Leigh-Anne, are Shanghai veterans; they know the lay of the land, speak the language, share advice, and provide insights into the Chinese. Oh, and they used to manage a club. Needless to say they are tuned into the "scene" and briefly invited me. Yippee. By the way- the guy in the flowery shoulder cape is NOT my colleague- just some local flavor who was following the red and black dress code.
ANYWAY, Leann runs an events management thing and at work on Friday Jonathan says, "Want to go to a Dior party?" Umm... Yes. But what does one wear to this event??? Why, a little black dress of course- with a red flash of something. Speaking of red flashes, I was wearing a beautiful black dress with a flashy red cummerbund. Jonathan was asked to take a photo of me in my ensemble but he chose to focus on the Pearl Tower instead. Hmm...
The evening goes as follows:
9:45- I arrive at the Dior party. I wait in this gigantic crowd outside until I realize that I have a ticket and can enter. I walk across a red carpet and people take my picture. Maybe they thought I was famous. Do they know that I hardly ever wear lipstick or make-up?
9:50- I am on the 12th floor roof-top balcony of a building overlooking the Bund and the river with a breath-taking view of Pudong and the Pearl Tower. STUNNING! A waiter shoves a glass of Moet into my hand. No argument here.
10:00- Flashy red fireworks explode across the river and the Pearl Tower is illuminated rouge! Apparently it often shimmers in purple and blue and orange, but never before has it shimmered ALL red. Dior and Leann know how to pull strings, apparently.
10:10- "Jonathan- take a picture of me, please!" He clearly was focused on the lipstick bottle shaped Pearl Tower and alas, nothing of my elegant ensemble shows but my head. Oh well- let's all imagine my outfit.
10:30- drink more champagne. And some more. I begin to chat up the locals. "I just love your shoulder decor." (Did those words ACTUALLY come out of my mouth!?)
10:45- Curiousity overcomes me and I dive into the cultural questions. "So Jonathan, why don't they give out free lipstick here?" He explains that if there were freebies, there would be a stampede of fashionand image conscious Chinese fine-young-things and probably fatalities between the lipstick counter and the masses of nouveau riche Chinese woman getting to their rouge. Oh.
11:00- Chinese models roam the rooftop patios in skyscraper heels. Wow. This is runway model type stuff. Dior, actually. Double wow.
11:- ?? Champagne champagne champagne....

Does it make you want to go out and buy some lipstick?

7th Grade Adventure Trip

So the 7th graders went on a "bonding" trip yesterday. It was awesome. First, let me compare; Bus ride in my old school in the states- kids standing and shrieking, new immigrant kid getting pushed out the window, and small fires being lit in the back seat. Bus ride with SAS school: students share Korean dried squid snacks, kids reading books(!!), kids sleeping and talking. Hmm... So the bonding trip took us to a park called Oriental Green Boat. I guess PC terms haven't hit China yet. Anyway, we ran through an obstacle course, did dragon boat racing, scurried across swinging bridges and generally sweat enormous amounts. It was an all day trip that is a precurser to the CHINA ALIVE trip that we will take as a grade in April- six days in Beijing, climbing the Great Wall and touring the Forbidden City!
My ESL students are mostly Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese, and Chinese. A note on names; most Koreans have two first names- like Jun Sun or Yee Eun or whatever. When they get to American schools they change to an 'anglo' version. So, here Jun (the boy) and I pose. The girls are Ellen, Emily, and Susy. The girl Emily was Yee Eun just a few weeks ago and still doesn't respond when I call her new name, Emily. The Korean kids are bundles of energy when you get them out of the school setting (where there are generally neurotically studious). People call the Koreans the "Irish" of Asia- boisterous, loud, drinkers who enjoy socializing and are extremely outgoing.
A note on passports. This is the American school and over 60% of our kids are "American". However, if you look at them, many appear Asian. We have the ABC concept here. This means American-Born-Chinese. Many kids' moms go to the USA to have their babies and bring them back with the child's American passport. So the kid speaks Chinese at home but is a US passport holder. Interesting when your Chinese kid tells you he is American but has never travelled to the states. Other kids have moms or dads who have worked in the States and kid went to school there for a few years and now they live here, with the intent of continuing at an American university.
(n.b.- click on any photo to see it larger!)

It's 120 degrees. Let's go biking!

Many Americans living in China are sports enthusiasts. One must come here knowing that sports can be practiced and enjoyed but that have to be enjoyed within the realm of some of the most polluted air in the world. Shanghai's air is NOT clean. Apparently because of the Beijing Olympic preparations, Chinese cities everywhere have cleaned themselves up and life here is already an improvement. That is a topic for another post. I can't believe it. But anyway...
I figured, hey, it is flat in Shanghai- I will get a road bike and join the crazy Americans who bike here. My school gives us close to $1000 to spend on WELLNESS- gym memberships, sports clothing, bikes, massages, vitamins, doctor visits, whatver fits into the category. So I bought two bikes with my moola- (by the way, the money here is called the riminbi- commonly called quai). One bike is my girlie bike with a basket that I ride to school. The other bike is this snazzy French road bike that weighs jsut about nothing. So off I go with some people from school and a dude from the US consulate.
Imagine:
8:30 am. Get on the bike. It is VERY hot and steamy. Trucks spew dust and air out at you.
8:45 am. You ride in a bike lane. All roads have bike lanes. Big bike lanes.
8:46 am. So much traffic near home that cars are now driving with you in the bike lane.
9:00 am. Man from US consulate with fancy gadgets says, "You know the adjusted heat index is like 120 degrees." WHAT!? Yup, some mechanical number puncher calculates how much concrete a city has, the heat, the wind, and all sorts of other factors to shoot out a number. 120.
9:15 am. My pals from school, who are currently training for triathalons, say, "Francesca (me!), you are doing great. Indeed I am. Sweating and cranking the tires around and around.
9:16 am. Profuse sweating. Perhaps more sweat than EVER. Avoiding dust particles at all cost.
9:30 am. We are still in the dregs of the city but beginning to see some green. I smile at some Chinese dudes who are staring at me. They do not smile back. They think, "Why would some stupid white person do this on purpose when I ride a bike only because I can't afford a car!??"
9:38 am. I see rice patties and massive construction sites. These things exist equally in ever-growing Shanghai.
9:40 am. I sweat more profusely. Trying not to breathe in fumes from diesel truck.
9:45 am. We arrive at the green "hill". We rode around it. Notice attached picture.
9:50 am. I reflect that perhaps I will ride my bike more when it is under 100 degrees.
10:10 am. We ride back home, past shoe factories, under highway overpasses and past many people selling oranges. If I was with some less hard-core people I would have stopped but I didn't want to break the groove. More pictures to come.
11:15 am. Finish the 50 km total ride. Not bad. I am happy, falling onto the floor in my perfectly air-conditioned apartment.
1:15 pm. Showered and starving, I fill my belly with Bao Zi - DUMPLINGS!!!

Mulan Mu Lan Mulazzi?

How many names does a person need? Well, if you are a westerner living in China, your name is not enough. To have a business card printed up, one English name does not fly. You must have a Chinese name on the back, with all details translated into Chinese.
So then begins the lovely task of choosing a name. Chinese names are a bit like Native American names- they have meaning. Possible translations are Golden Bird or Crystal Jade and other combinations of words. The trick is to find a name that suits you. I do not think Graceful Flower is exactly up my alley, and I was stumped. So I requested the help of a Chinese colleague, Frances. I said, "Hey, my name is kind of like yours (the whole Francesca situation can be an email for another day). Will you help me with my Chinese name? How do you say Francesca in Chinese?"
Frances asked me to give her my first and last name and she would think about it. Now, understand, Frances is on my team and we meet almost daily. She "knows me" just about as well as anyone else here.
She strolls into my classroom the next day, and declares me, "Mu Lan." WHAT!? Like the Disney movie? I thought. She explained it sounded like my last name and also it fit my character- Mu (wood) and Lan (orchid). Frances said it was perfect and from the second I heard it, I agreed.
So, this is the basic about Mu Lan. She was a real character in Chinese history who first appeared in a Chinese poem about 1500 years ago. Her father is asked to go to war but he is too old and sick. Having no brother, Mu Lan goes in his place. She fights bravely for twelve years in the clothes of a warrior. She is triumphant in many battles and returns home. The Emperor wants to reward her and offers a Minister's post. Her fellow soldiers come out to the village to beg her to join them in noble positions of government. She sees them coming and dolls herself up with a dress and make-up. They then discover that Mu Lan was a woman! (Not unlike The Kink's discovery that Lola was a man!)

Last night at dinner with some friends the conversation came up and I declared how thrilled I am to have such a perfect name. Jason replied, "But she was a transvestite!" I prefer to think of her as the Orchid Warrior.

So, my business card reads Mu Lan on one side and Francesca Mulazzi on the other. How many identities can a girl have???

Tito Lounge Parade

Tito loves his Shanghai Racquet Club home. Typical Tito day: 5am- eat wet food. chinese wet food has chunks of fish and noodles and meat. yum. 10am- run to the door to meet the ayi. smile at ayi. eat more wet food. sleep under bed. sleep inside closet. (Can you see him behind the underwear?) sleep inside drawers. sit on window. stare out window. 5pm- go outside onto patio. sit on railing. 9pm- roll around on carpet with favorite red box. SAT 5am- walk around racquet club lawns with leash on. hide in bushes.

Made to Order Furniture #1

So stuff is cheap in China. Real cheap. Being the jewelry nut that I am, living in the land of "make anything for you cheap cheap" I decided to have a jewelry chest made. It is about 5' 8" tall with nine drawers for all of my jewelry. And doors. And a mirror. And a light. Now I just need to fill it with more jewelry.
How does one get things made? Well, I trade business cards with other teachers. I give you a card for a good restaurant and you give me a card for a custom furniture design place. So I went to the shop and looked at a bunch of pictures of possibilities and I said "yes this, no that, yes red, no gold hinges, etc." The order goes out and three weeks later some sweaty dudes in singlets carry it to your house. Ta-da!

Night Bund Boat Ride

A night out on the town. Here I am on the "Bund". This is the amazing mile long walk along the river. One side of the river, Puxi (literally West of the water) buildings are old French, British, and Dutch concession buildings from the 1880's. The Pudong (literally East of the water) buildings are the amazing buildings. One, the Pearl Tower is a phallic pearl rocket to the sky. Asia's second tallest building- the Jin Mao Tower (Golden Mao) is also on the modern Pudong side. The world's highest hotel lobby - floor 86- is in this building. Also, late at night a tv screen appears on one of the waterfront buildings. Literally like a screen saver with pictures of fish swimming across the building and flashes of famous paintings like the Mona Lisa and completely NON-Asian scenes. Typical China. So here I am BEFORE I got on the cruise. I am actually telling some Chinese dude that, "No, I don't need a Rolex right now. I am getting my photo taken." So we got onto the boat for the up and down the river cruise and surprise surprise, a Taiwanese opera singer (hired by the Taiwainese tour group who was onboard.) This little boy shared my sentiment about her. Let me say, I have heard better (like Arabic music in Moroccan taxis, for example!) I am in a surprisinly good mood this evening despite the 98 degree temperature- at 9pm!! Shanghai is growing at a break neck speed with buildings shooting up in Pudong (the new part of the city) at a mile a minute. It is the richest city in China and has aspirations to take the place of Hong Kong.

Dumpling Day

A dumpling meal!! The meal includes ordering 15 different plates of food. The food arrives in shifts and you scramble to empty plates of food as the waiters struggle to find room for more. Dumpling fillings include pork, scallions, beef, hot soup, tofu, and other unidentifiable treats. Sometimes the dumplings are steamed and sometimes they are steamed and THEN fried. Hung hao- means "very good"!! The street photos are random Shanghai scenes. Some streets are tree-lined. Many little fruit shops spill onto the streets. Bikes and mopeds and taxis everywhere.

Quarantine Day

Tito-monster's journey was long indeed. Providence to Chicago to Shanghai. He took special drugs and relaxed in the cargo hold. The next week he spent in the Villa Quarantine- a kitty vacation land where he got fed Eukanuba food, got bathed, and exercised in the "kitty area". When I retrieved him he was in his Furrari cat carrier being delivered by two
feline-loving workers. The smiling guy here is TONY TANG (Soprano?). He is THE man who gets lots of logistical tasks done for Shanghai American School. With Tony at your side, nobody can say no to you. An offer they can't refuse is often involved. Tito is now settling into his SRC (Shanghai Racquet Club) home. He likes to look out windows and eat the Chinese wet food from a can that often includes WHOLE chunks of fish with skin and noodles.

Shanghai Racquet Club Apartments and Resort

This is where I live. The Shanghai Racquet Club and Apartments are essentially a la-la land for expats removed from the "real" China. It's a dream place to live-a massage spa, three restaurants, a bar, nine pools, eighteen tennis courts, a gym, a grocery store, and a huge pond in the middle of it all filled with gigantic goldfish! I ride my bike five minutes to school and if I have a problem I can dial an English speaking operator. Life could be worse.