Been here 10 days! Yesterday it was 90% and today it was also hot.
Shelley has been amazing. She met me for lunch while her daughter was at basketball, then found a student to tour me around for 2 hours on Saturday afternoon. Guanyu took me to get a subway card and showed me a nearby grocery store which we shopped (I) shopped at, helped me buy some fruit and helped me ask how much a pedicure was (198 Yuan! about the same cost as in America — about $26.00.
Guanyu is in her second year as an economics student. She shares a room with 3 roommates. They have a desk under a bed, each. She comes from the north west of China, so Shanghai is very different for her. It is the first time away from her family, too, of course. Now she has friends she can hand out with. But it must be hard that first year, as it is for many new college students. They are not allowed to use anything that plugs in (for fire safety, maybe). But, you know, sometimes…
Friday night I walked around a bit. Lots of big video ads near the malls.
This morning I was telling Paul that I did not find a place for dinner that night. So today I decided to walk to the Japanese noodle shop. It was closed with a sign on the door. I walked back toward the Chinese markets, looking for a restaurant to try. Found one next door to 85 degrees the bakery. Line out the door of young people. I went in and showed my sign (I don’t eat pork/beef). The guy pointed to one picture. I ordered and paid 21rmb. He found someone to translate “for here or to go?” I said “for here,” Then he pointed to the long line of people waiting to eat here. So I said, “Ok, to go.” I was at the to-go counter ordering, apparently. Why ask me if it was for here? When I got it home later, found it was a lovely curry sauce on rice, with fried chicken pieces on top. A good deal, I think.
I also walked on the Chinese market. I used my sign to get some buns and rolls. One stand sells naan. I got one plain and one stuffed with…something green. All veggies come in this oil, so it was kind of greasy.
I also got two buns from the stand I was at a few days ago, and ate the fresh pineapple from the fruit seller. Today was a good day for eating.
I prepared a very specific lesson plan for my Tuesday class and clear homework for next week. Shelley will meet me for lunch tomorrow and help me make a few more copies. Hope the students enjoy what I am teaching and don’t see it as torture. Probably/hopefully they will immediately see how useful it is, and like it 🙂 Found some sassy articles in Time Magazine that should challenge their knowledge of American metaphors and idioms. Hope they don’t ask me about predicates. Never did get a good grasp on that.
With my extra time I am really catching up on movies. Saw The Shipping News and then whatever Tom Hanks latest movie is about the secret of Dante. Re-runs of Nip/Tuck are playing for at least 2 hours a day…waiting for them to move one from that show.
I cannot log into my Canvas grades, but I did get into Dictionary.com.
Hope all is well with all of you.