Ni hao! I am in Shanghai! Finally I have touched the soil of the Middle Kingdom! It has been a long process to get here, but I never gave up and with the support of all of you, I have made my dream come true! Thank you very much, Tai xie xie le!
Saying goodbye to Sam was a little more difficult than I imagined, and for that I am grateful. For if I knew ahead of time how I would be feeling, I am not sure I would have left. Tears galore! But that's the magic of staying in the moment and not looking ahead too much - ya just don't know what's gonna happen, so ya keep movin' forward. The flight was fine, a little unconfortable as I had the middle seat in a row of five. I had to wake up a minimum of two people every time I had "to go". But they were nice and understood, so no tension. One of my neighbors and I got to talking and he had some compelling stories of growing up in Shanghai in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution. Oh lordy, what a difficult era. But things are different now, and he is happy to be free to visit China whenever he feels he need.
Shanghai is huge! It's bigger than NYC! The skyline it just as impressive - they are currently building the world's tallest skyscraper. Every building it seems is at least 30 stories! Yes, there are short houses like brownstones, but ya can't see 'em from the highrises! I giggled when I saw my first mass bicycle traffic crossing. Just as I imagined - about a hundred people waiting for the light to change - and then it did! Watch out! Get out of they way! So cool. Another giggle was the name of a small clothing boutique in the Jing'an neighborhood(the Soho of Shanghai) - it is called "Red Lady" - how chinese can you get! Love it! Communist and fashionable!
Well, gotta go. I am taking the train to Hangzhou for my training/orientation. It is a two hour ride. I am interested in seeing the suburbs and how spralling they may be, and then the country-side which may or may not look like chinese landscape paintings (I kinda hope they do).
Hope you are well, and send me some e-love.
Evan
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3 comments:
WoW!! I'm so happy for you!! I found my way to Chelsea Day School Sunday in hopes of catching you, but my hug will have to wait for your return....enjoy yourself and be open to the experiences that await you - I'll be 'watching' from half a world away!
hey uncle evan,
its fun reading your blog page. I look forward to reading a lot more. and learning more chinese words. see ya soon. and have fun..love lauren
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