Lisa in China 2018

I took the metro to the Shanghai Library and turned RIGHT out of exit 2 this time. Last week I turned left and basically walked back home on accident. I found Wulumuqi Road easily, and all the cool stuff there! Lots of stuff for expats, including “avocado lady.” She is famous now, and even packages her own coffee called “avocado lady coffee.” She carries vegetables and imported products that look familiar to Americans, like Brussel sprouts, radishes, kale, and microwave popcorn, butter, and cereal like Fiber One, Kix, etc. It is a tiny open-front store that you can hardly walk in if someone else is there. Very popular!

And… I found a place to buy American movies for $1.80. Paul will love it!

Anyway, here are today’s translations.

I really think this one was trying to be funny. Gosh, I hope.

Sign: Don’t make grass cry and waste paper fly.

Sign: Together to Tide over Difficulties, Self-discipline, and Pursuit of Excellence

Lydia, who was teaching at Highline this Jan – April, took me to see Qibao old town. She used to live near here. It’s so much nicer than Yu Gardens area. Less crowded and insane — people are not trying to harass you to buy a watch!

Laura Manning told  me I really need to get my but to Xin Tian Din and enjoy myself. I took her advice and went to the big collection of remodeled old buildings that is now a swanky 2 blocks of foreign restaurants: Italian, Spanish, Wolfgang Puck, Haagen Das ice cream, etc.

In fact, the demolition of these old buildings had already been planned when an architect convinced them to remodel them instead. That was around the year 2000. It has been a huge success and expats and Chinese flock here. If you go to Wikipedia or a travel site and look up Xin Tina Din you can read more about this.

 

 

It was 70 degrees and slightly overcast. I sat outside at the Bottega Mozzarella Bar and had this. Totally off the healthy diet but very good!

I am checking the translations of another 2,300 words that Wenjie gave me yesterday. Here are two highlights:

Tuna Sandwich with Dried Meat Floss Charcoal roasted coffee

Some things are harder to decide, like should it be “changing room” or “locker room?” Or “Caution: step” or “Mind the gap?”  Mind the gap is already everywhere, so they might as well stick with it.

Other choices are hard, too. Like where they have “lift” and “trolley” should we really change it all to “elevator” and “cart?” Tough call. And should the centres become centers?  Should the “toilets” become “restrooms” or the Canadian “washrooms?”  It’s too much power to put in my hands! Well, they are getting American from me, except for Mind the Gap, which I see everywhere, and am keeping.

Oh — this one, too:

Sign: school for pregnant women

Student’s corrected translation: pregnancy school

Wow! School for how to get pregnant?

Si Chien (Bye Bye)

Here is the sculpture at my campus, Xuhui, commemorating the 100 year anniversary of Jiao Tong University. (2017 is it’s 121st year)

The pillar stands for 1 and the two rings around it each represent zeros, so 100.

The other day I took the subway to the Foreign Languages Book Store. I was proud of myself for navigating this.  On the way home I cornered some Americans on the subway to get them to talk to me (Westerners do not greet you on the street here). He said “The subway really is very easy to use,” and his wife agreed. I do not agree. I mean, after 3 weeks I feel fairly confident, but it’s not just the subway. It’s taking the correct exit and turning the correct way once you leave the exit.  They have been here 5 years. She said after the first year it’s easy and they really like it here. I get that. After the first year.

On my three block walk to the bookstore I think I passed 5 coffee shops. So here are the photos of each one. Amazing they all stay in business.

  The bookstore was lovely. English books on the first floor and kids and young adult books on the 4th floor.

 

Sarte’s vacation

So you enjoy your “me” time and have an independent streak? I have just the vacation for you! Hehehe.  A month in China with days in a row to yourself. In fact, you’ll be surrounded by people who don’t speak English.  Enjoy!

I really do love my alone time, and I enjoy puttering around the house, reading, etc. But this much me time is making me thankful for all that I have in my life, and for my boys who arrive in 7 days.

And today was kind of a social day, for a few hours.

On Tuesdays I get up at 6:30 and leave at 7:20 to catch the bus to Minhang campus.  It takes about an hour to get there.  Then I have time to go to the library, make copies, chat with whomever shows up, and check out books. I also go to the faculty lounge before class.

At the faculty lounge, one woman seems to be in charge of the coffee machine. She usually offers me coffee and makes it before I can say no. It’s like quadruple espresso.  Today she felt brave enough to talk to me in English.  Her husband lived one year in Ohio while getting his PhD, and she has been to America 4 times with him, to various places. She took her 5 year old daughter to Disneyland in U.S. I told her I will take my 10 year old to Disney land in Shanghai.

I went to teach class.  There were about 18 students there today.  After class I asked if I should change my teaching (so more students would come), but they said they really like it. I asked why more students were not there. They said they don’t know but probably they are having exams now and are too tired or busy.

Last class they said they want to know more about American politics, etc. and TV stuff, so I sent them a YouTube of SNL where Alec Baldwin is making fun of Trump.  Next week we can talk about the references.

Today for class I asked students to write a juicy, detailed introduction showing the problem of either food waste or bicycle hazards.  They could use what they have seen or look stuff up on the their phones.  Then they had to state the problem and a “think outside the box” solution we could try.

We had seen two sample introductions and thesis statements before, but still, what they can produce in 15 minutes is amazing! Thoughtful and beautifully articulate. These are graduate students in English at one of the top universities in China.

Then I made them give a 1-2 minute “Ted Talk” with no notes, just passion, based on what they just wrote.  Again, they were amazing!  They may have lacked a bit of passion as we would know it, but they were clear and their examples, facts, and solutions were persuasive.

Afterwards, I went to lunch with Adele and Grace at Canteen #2 on campus.

They were super nice and walked me to the bus stop afterwards. I always take the 2:10 bus home (which leaves at 1:50).  So from 3-10 pm I am on my own.

I find it’s hard to make myself leave the apartment, but once I do I usually have a very nice time. But today I was SOOO tired. I went and got an expensive coffee (24 yuan) and hung out for a bit.  I asked for cream — nope, they don’t have it. I can have a bit of steamed milk. I asked for more milk. Nope, they don’t understand. Okaayy….whatever. Chinese do not get the concept of cream for coffee. Not at Starbucks or this fancy coffee store.

Then I walked a different way from the 5 malls intersection and found another really cool street. Sadly, I found an awesome bakery and got some French bread, panino dolce, and cheese bread.  I did pass two McDonalds without succumbing. I passed lots of small shops along this fun street, then went home.  By 6:15 pm, it’s dusk outside.

 

I just got done reading some of Lonny’s writing on his experiences here in Shanghai while living at Xuhui campus’s faculty club and walking around Shanghai. I live where he lived. Literally, in the same room. I have seen everything he describes — the cats, people crossing the crazy streets, tai chi in the parks. I have gone with Yaping to the restaurants he visited. I eat out of the refrigerator he ordered. I use his blog to help me find my way. Lonny is not gone. He is just around the corner, enjoying himself, smiling, writing.  Lonny is not gone.

Shelley and Yaping have made a plan to show me around a lot because they want me to get comfortable getting around and knowing where some things are.  My neighbors Marsha and Frank help me, too.

So yesterday Shelley took me to People’s Square, Nanjing Road, and The Bund. My feet can hardly take the 5 + miles I walk almost every day.  I am sure I will build up endurance.

It has been one beautiful day after another, but the pollen is evil. Everyone is coughing and sneezing here, including me. The seeds and cotton-type stuff from trees blow around quite a bit.

I met Cindy at the American dinner party last week. Today, I met Cindy at 9:30 and her driver drove us in this nice van out to the wholesale warehouses.  We bought imported foods much cheaper than we could in shops here in town.  It was probably 45 minutes drive out there. (Her husband is a consultant for a new medical care clinic.  She has never lived outside the US. So the company has a car and driver on call for her. She tells them where she wants to go. The non-English speaking driver then drives her there and back.) She took her friend Amanda with us. Amanda speaks enough Mandarin to ask for the special jam Cindy wanted.  We all just chatted the whole ride. I bought some raspberry jam, butter, American cheese, almonds and pecans (nuts are very expensive here) and pasta for when the boys come.

Then we dropped Amanda off and Cindy took me to Ikea. I bought two small fry pans and two pots, a few spatulas, plates, knives, forks, and few more coffee cups. I have one hot plate already. I was going to buy a microwave, but maybe we can just re-heat food in our pots. I can buy a microwave online if I want. Everyone buys everything online these days! Then I had salmon for lunch at Ikea. Very nice.

Hanging out with Mormons is different, but the same. The Mormons are a bunch of very nice people who live moderately, most of them enjoy travelling, and they have various jobs. They have a network of Americans built in since they go to church. Today I was with Cindy, the wife of a doctor, and Amanda, the wife of a consulate agent. They discussed what dishes they would bring to Sunday’s church dinner.  They joked that the Mormons in Minnesota are famous for many varieties of jello and jello salads. They were going to make Hawaiian Haystacks, which I had never heard of (rice and various toppings). They do not suffer my pain of searching for coffee, since they don’t drink it.

That reminds me, Cindy has a coffee pot that came with her apartment. She is going to loan it to me while  I am here, I think.  Two of her grown daughters come into town tomorrow. I will ask her after May 6 about the coffee pot. They are going to travel to Beijing this coming week.

This coming Monday is a holiday, so I think I will have time this weekend to work, since many people have plans.

Here are pictures. I have been inspired by Debby Bacharach’s poems. Maybe I will write one soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took the subway to Yu an Gardens but did not know how to get there. Followed the crowds (it was Sunday) and found the “Old Town” shopping district, and saw signs to the garden. After much ambling I found it, so I can take the boys here.

 

My Chinese friends were surprised I went here on a Sunday. They all said, “Oh, too many people. Go on a weekday.”