Updates

I finally got a new USB and cleared my camera's memory stick. When going through the pictures, I realized how much I haven't posted on here that I should have. I guess I felt like no one ever read this blog, but in actuality, it's just that no one comments. (hint, hint). In the future, I will try to be a better blogger. Glad that you all read (in general, and this blog specifically)!

So, here are some updates. The Special Olympics were here in Shanghai, and the Caribbean Association treated the Jamaica and Barbados delegations to dinner after the close of the games. Here's a picture of the athletes:

Do you remember when the first Cold Stone Creamery came to Shanghai? I said that if they get a Chick Fil-A I was never coming back. Well, they don't have my favorite (and really, only) fast food joint, but we do have a CPK. Yup, California Pizza Kitchen. This is a chain that I discovered while living in the Midwest. Although I think most chains are gross, CPK is on to something with those pizzas. So, the other day I went to try it out, and was satisfied. It seems they import most of their ingredients, and the recipes must be adhered to, because the taste (of the BBQ Chicken pizza, at least) was the same. The only minor difference was that here the size of the chicken "chunks" was much smaller. No surprise there. Next time I want to try the spinach artichoke dip (my favorite) but being as I make a few adjustments (which is still a new thing in Shanghai, and sometimes causes problems) and the cost is more than that of a pizza, I'm going to hold off for a little while. Living here is like living in FL, MO, and NY all at once. Chick Fil-A must be coming...

I finally picked up my wedding dress. The first time I went, the wedding dress was not good, and their efforts to fix it were not up to par. The dress might have been cheap, but it didn't need to look it. In the end, the manager agreed to make a new dress. As a result, I made a few other changes to the design of the dress, so that it would be more flattering on my figure. These additional changes resulted in a 200 RMB price increase, which I agreed to pay only AFTER I picked up the dress (I had already paid the 600 up front, which I think they wanted mostly because there is no hope of resale if I didn't want it, the size being too big for most Chinese brides and the style not being in line with Chinese taste). Thankfully, I was not disappointed the second time, after they altered the dress so that it would, um, zip. I am pleased with the final result, and although it isn't exactly what I wanted, I think it looks nice. Total price: about 1100 RMB including transportation for myself (and L-squared) back and forth. That is about $150 USD, 110 Euros or 75 GBP. Not bad. I can't post the the picture until after, but here's a tease...




This is the store where I got the dress. The sign says something like Good Wedding Dress Store.








(Right) The inspiration dress. I really loved the neckline and sleeves of this dress. Photo found at http://www.sinceritybridal.com/eu_en/collection.php



















(Left) This is the prototype in the store of the shape of the dress. No, I do not have those flowers. Yes, my dress is this material and color. Both dresses have the "tucking" so I guess I like that too. The final dress is a merging of these two, with a few additional elements.

Wedding Dress

On Sunday, I went to Suzhou (a town not far from Shanghai), to the famous wedding dress street to find my wedding dress. I already had a picture that I wanted to make a few minor adjustments to, so thankfully my search was very directed. Wedding dress shopping, especially on a street full of shops dedicated tot hat purpose, can be information overload for a person like me. I am not a sport shopper - I do not have the patience, aptitude, finances, or disposition to go shopping just for the sake of shopping. I can spend my fair share of hours in the store (usually waiting for the fitting room), but I am almost always a goal oriented shopper. Get in, get what I want, get out. As quickly as possible.

Accompanying me was my TA, L-Squared. L-Squared is absolutely wonderful. Asside from regular work related things (Will you make 4 photocopies of this novel? I have new students and can't order more books on time. Thanks!), she also does a plethora of not exactly work related things (Can you buy some of that tea that makes you skinny for me please, five boxes? Can you tell this cab company that the driver ripped me off and go pick up the money he owes me? Thanks.Can you cancel your driving lesson this weekend even though you're taking the road test in two weeks and take me to the place in Suzhou where you buy wedding dresses? You're the greatest!), L-squared does it all.

So, L-squared and I met at 7:00 on Sunday morning (I was late) and got lots of exercise running, no sprinting, through subway terminals and the railway station so as not to miss our 7:40 train (like I said, I was late). We made it, right in the nick of time. About 35 minutes later, we arrive in Suzhou (which, by the way, is nothing like Shanghai) and took a taxi to the "Wedding Street" as she told the taxi driver. As it was minutes to 9 when we arrived at the street, the stores were just opening up. The first two stores reminded me why I think that most wedding dresses are ugly dresses. Honestly, if they weren't white and marketed as wedding dresses, very few women would wear most of these dresses ( I hope). I was gearing up for a long day, but then we saw a store with dresses that looked pretty good. This, our third store, was a gem. We looked around a little, inspected quality and style, and then asked if they make dresses, quickly. They said that was not a problem, I gave them my picture, and we discussed the dress.

I wanted a different fabric (the dress in the picture is made of satin, too hot). I tried on dresses of different fabrics to see how heavy they were. Finally we decided on a cotton silk blend, which I think will look nice. Then the color. Not bright white, but not the yellowed tinged one with the fabric I wanted that they had on display. No problem, she doesn't have any in stock, but she showed me a swatch of the color and said she would buy it. Do you want a small train? No. They were a little surprised, but I can skip the dress dragging on the ground. Especially because this will be my reception dress, which means meet-and-great, and dancing, too much potential for accidents. Floor length is fine. Oh, and I want this tucking to go down a little further. Ok. And a good supportive bra, not the one you give Chinese girls. Oh, it can come out. No, I say, I do not want to take it out, I want it to be good and supportive, because I need it, all day. No problem. We ironed out the details, I asked questions, they asked questions and we agreed. Now the most important part, the price.

And here is where L-squared blew my mind. I had told her beforehand how much I budgeted for the dress, my absolute limit. I told her that even if they quote a price that is under-budget, she has to bargain her butt off, because we both know that my foreign face equals price increase. And she did that to perfection. They quoted price that was less than half of my budget. And she argued. And bargained. And even got very creative. I can understand most of what she said, but in order to make things work better, I allowed her to translate anything beyond the most simple Chinese. That way they could go back and forth, and talk about foreigners, and the shop-keepers are not worried about me. Works better. And when bargaining for big-ticket items, it is no small affair. It takes serious verbal dexterity and creativeness.

Because the original price quoted was less than half of my budget, I would have taken it without argument. But not L-Squared. After she promised to bring back lots of business in the coming year, including herself (she is currently single), and talked about the foreign business I could bring (and then they could charge more), told them that I was getting married abroad, and that the dress better be the best quality because otherwise foreigners would have a bad impression of Chinese goods (which packs extra punch right now), said that the street was full of shops and although we didn't want to go somewhere else, we could...after all of that, when they were down to the last little 50 RMB(about 5 Euros, 3 GBP, 6.50 USD), she talked to me in English for a minute (more for dramatic effect than anything else, as she knows I understood most of it, but she also wanted to know what I was thinking at this point, being as I hadn't said a word). Then she told them, "Let me tell you something about foreigners. You know they like to give tips. So, even she (referring here to me) is thinking, what is the big deal about 50 RMB? But, if you charge her the 50 RMB, you don't get a tip. If you don't charge her the extra 50, then you get a tip, and if she is really happy with the dress when you are done, if you do a good, high quality job, she will give you at least 50 RMB, maybe more." Worked like a charm. they took my measurements, and I handed over 600 RMB for my wedding dress.

Yes, 600 RMB, you do the math. So, when I go back to pick it up I will take pictures and you all can let me know if you think I got a deal, a steal, or ripped-off. Until then, you'll just have to wait with baited breath. And if it is as good as I think it will be, then I think I have finally topped my mothers best bargain. Thanks L-Squared!

Post Script: Oh, and the picture above is not my dress, or even the shop where I got my dress. It was the only brown mannequin on the entire street, and so you know I had to take a picture!

Finally!

Here are some pictures of my apartment. Enjoy!

Here's the view from my balcony of the grounds.
(Actually, I have a good view of the city,
but it is a little overcast today, so you'll get those pics another time. )

The living and dinning room area.
Not huge, but nicely done.
Well, 'cept those white floors, they are driving me crazy.
I'm getting a maid, just to mop the floors twice a week!

The kitchen.

Like a galley kitchen, but larger than some I've seen in similar apartments.
The only problem is that hood is so low,
I used to hit my head on it.
My landlord and his wife are both short,
so it wasn't an issue for them, but it is too low for me.

The view of the apt. from the front door.

The guest bathroom.

There is a guest staying with us right now,
so you won't see the guest bedroom.

The study.

And the reason that everyone loves my apartment...
the TV!

Rent-A-Negro

I just discovered this website http://rent-a-negro.com

Here is an excerpt from the price quote page:

Pricing
	Event Rates • Corporate/Business Rate: $350 per hour • Personal/Private/Individual Rate: $200 per hour • Non-Profit Rate: $275 per hour • Drop-in/Appearances: $100 each • Informational/High Question Volume: add $100 per hour • Emergencies/Short Notice (24 hour window): add $150 per hour Ongoing/Retainer Services • $10,000 Annually (12 Events, 15 Calls, 10 Appearances, 3 Consultations) Additional Services • "Help! I need a Black Opinion!" $75 per call (30 minute duration) or email (24 hr response time) • Touch Her Hair: $25 each time • Touch Her Skin: $35 each touch • Compare Your Skin Tone to Hers: $50 • Tell her"you look just like..." another black person: $100 • Call her "sister" "sista" "girlfriend" or "girl": $150 each time • Dance Lessons for the Rhythm-Challenged: $250 hour • Challenging Racist Family Members: add $500 per person • Racist Guests at Event: add $500 per event (per racist) • "Will You Tell Them I'm Not a Racist?": $1500 per vouch • Certificate of Association: $100 A 8x10" certificate stating your affiliation with a black person.

I think I should start charging the Chinese people 100 RMB to touch my hair. I wonder if I could charge them to answer questions like "How do you get your hair like that?". Hm, maybe I'll give it a try!

Black is Beautiful

So the saying goes, and so too, does the headline of the most recent "City Weekend". Under that bold headline, the caption reads, "As Shanghai gears up for Beyonce's landmark concert City Weekend wonders what it's really like to be black in China." My oh my. "City Weekend" wonders what it's really like to be black in China. I was completely surprised. "City Weekend" is a magazine that is geared towards the "things to do" aspect of expat life - bars, restaurants, and events. Being black in China is not what I excepted to see on their cover. I opened the magazine, and read the following:

"It's not easy being black in China. For that matter, it's not easy anywhere in the world. Modernity seems inherently polarized against people of color, whether in the United States, Africa, or the streets of Sanlitun in Beijing, where people with black skin risk being hassled. At the risk of sounding like a bad Hallmark card, the four people we met in out Black in China story were pretty inspiring. They have a higher bar to cross that most expats and they do it. Everyday. With flair"

That's right. WE do it. Everyday. With flair.

Toil and Trouble

Double, double toil and trouble:
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
as taken from Macbeth

There is a wonderful lack of true toil and trouble in my life at the present moment, and for that I am intensely grateful. I am thinking about this because a few of my friends and acquaintances in Shanghai are currently experiencing double helpings of toil and trouble. The thing that separates me from them is something over which I have no control or influence. A little blue passport.

You see, in China, my little blue passport opens numerous doors. It even opens doors that my brown skin and curly hair would otherwise ensure were locked shut. That little blue passport makes it easier to get a job, change money, get a visa...all essential elements of living in Shanghai. As I witness the things that others without the blue passport (or a few other colors, European countries) experience, I am often saddened.

Although I would never encourage using fake documents, I now understand why people use them. I know people who have fake everything, the passport is fake, the birth certificate is fake, the visa was gotten through a connection (and a bribe), but they are here. And I also know people who try to do things legitimately and above board, and they get denied visas, denied residence permits, and sent home.

A friend of mine just married a man from a certain African country which shall remain nameless. Although his country does not have the best of reputations, he is an honest guy, who lived abroad and doesn't really know the "backway" to get things done. Theoretically, he should have gotten a Chinese residence permit thorough his wife. They followed all of the rules, provided the documentation, went to the Chinese embassy in his country, only to be told by her job, "sorry". The basic reason, wrong passport. If he was the citizen of a different country, it wouldn't have been a problem, but for him, it is a problem. And, to make matters worse, the school employee kept his passport, and waited until his visa had already expired to inform them that he could not get the residence permit. Overstaying your visa is a big deal in China, subject to large fines and/or imprisonment, and they enforce it. So, the next day he went to immigration to plead his case. They gave him a 7 daysextension and told him to "just go home". If only it was "just".

And yet, I know others who do all kinds of interesting things that boggle my mind and rarely run in to problems. (I will not go into detail here, not tryin' to blow up anyones spot.) I have seen passports that have different names, birth dates, sometimes even the country of citizenship. Yes, I have seen people who had never left Africa before coming to China and yet are the proud owners of European passports. I have listened to conversations where people are discussing which schools give everyone a visa (for a fee), which points of entry are lax (or can for enough cash), and which countries are the best for their particular situation. And as the technology gets better, it gets harder, but people adapt.

One of my friends got a "work" visa for a job that did not even exist, through one of his contacts. He needed to stay in China a little longer, but his visa was going to expire. So, he asked around, and found out how he could stay longer without a "legitimate" reason, according to the Chinese government. As it turned out, he was able to extend his stay, for over a year. Because he had the little blue passport (and a little cash) he didn't run into any problems getting the visa, residence permit, or leaving the country. Smooth sailing, aside,perhaps, from a little anxiety on his part.

Sometimes, I just wish things were different.

A nigger, coon, darkie, Jim Crow

A negro (pl. –es); a colored person; a blackamoor; a black man; a black; a nigger; a darky (darkie); a coon; a Jim Crow; colored people; the colored.

That is the definition, according to Sharp's electronic Korean-English dictionary, of "black person". As an educator, I am appalled. As a person, I am offended.

My students are doing oral reports on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, title VII. As such, numerous students asked me to look over the outlines that they had written, in order to ensure accuracy and good grades. As I looked over the outline of one of my students, I saw "As she was a woman and Nigger, these laws..." Whoa. I asked her where she learned this word, as she is not a native English speaker. "My dictionary", was her reply. So, I asked her to show me the dictionary, and what I read left me flabbergasted. I explained to my student that "nigger" is a bad word, inappropriate and offensive, as are "coon", "darkie", "blackamoor" and "Jim Crow". I explained to her what racial slurs are, and she looked up the word "nigger" in her dictionary. When she found the definition, she was shocked and embarrassed. I helped her to understand that I was not upset with her, as it was not her fault, but that I was not only taken aback, but shocked and appalled that her dictionary would contain such words as part of the standard definition for "black person".

The words "nigger", "coon" ,"darkie", "blackamoor" and "Jim Crow" are not part of the definition or translation of the words "black person". Appropriate terms would have included: "person or people of African descent", "person or people with dark skin" or, as some of the other dictionaries listed "Afro- or African-American" and "African". I think it is interesting that all of the dictionaries (so far) have limited to term to Africans and African Americans, as if there are not "black" people in other countries/continents. Some of them also used "colored" or "people of color" in their definitions. These at least I can understand. How did racial slurs become appropriate definitions/terms for a group of people, any people? Those are not even "slang" terms, they are offensive references and derogatory words.

Needless to say, a few people at Sharp will be getting letters from me.

The Typhoon is Coming, The Typhoon is Coming!

Important Announcement!

To All Faculty and Staff,
Classes are canceled tomorrow due to Wipha Typhon. We expect to resume classes on Thursday, September 20, 2007. Please remind students of the cancellation.
Thank You.
The Principal.

I received this note and looked out of my classroom window. It had been a dark, dreary day with heavy rainfall. I thought nothing of it, as we have had a few dark, dreary, rainy days in the past two weeks. My temperament was a little unbalanced, something I attributed the lack of sunlight and my secret desire to be at home enjoying the company of one recently returned significant other. I was so lethargic I found myself dreaming of Friday (it's Tuesday). My students looked equally as weary and melancholy as I felt, which is always a bad sign at the beginning of the week. I hoped it was just the rain that was affecting everyone. Oh, if today were Friday, I mused silently as I corrected my 10th graders' English papers, then I could go home, drink some chocolate, watch DVD's, and sleep until I wanted to wake up. I wouldn't even look at lesson planing, or grading, I would just relax. These were my thoughts. Well, those and why do some of my students think that one sentence = one paragraph and therefore 5 sentences = an essay? Only Tuesday and I need a break.
Is it wrong to thank God for a typhoon?

East China Braces for Fierce Typhoon

2 hours ago

SHANGHAI, China (AP) — China's commercial center of Shanghai was evacuating 200,000 people on Tuesday ahead of the expected arrival of Typhoon Wipha, potentially the most destructive storm to hit the city in a decade, local media reported.

Whipping up waves up to 36 feet high, Wipha was moving northwest across the sea north of Taiwan and was forecast to make landfall south of Shanghai early Wednesday, weather reports said.

"The typhoon is very likely to develop into the worst one in recent years. We are still observing it. It's hard to say at this moment," said a man who answered the phone at the city's meteorological bureau. As is common with Chinese officials, the man identified himself only by his surname, Fu.

At 9 a.m. (9 p.m. EDT) Tuesday, Wipha's center was located about 137 miles east of Taiwan's capital, Taipei, according to the Hong Kong Observatory's Web site.

Shanghai and the coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian to the south issued typhoon warnings requiring all vessels to return to shore or change course to avoid the storm, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

State-run newspapers reported that some 200,000 people living in coastal or low-lying rural areas of Shanghai were being evacuated as a precaution, although the city was only experiencing intermittent showers early Tuesday.

A worker was killed and another seriously injured Tuesday when scaffolding collapsed at a highway construction site in Taipei, Taiwan's Disaster Relief Center reported.

Schools, offices and the stock market in northern Taiwan were ordered closed as a precaution and flights from Taiwan to Japan, South Korea and a few other Asian countries were canceled, officials said.

The storm was upgraded from a tropical storm on Monday afternoon. Wipha is a woman's name in Thai.

The deadliest storm to hit the China coast in recent years was Typhoon Winnie in 1997, which killed 236 people. Typhoon Rananim, with winds of more than 100 mph, was the strongest typhoon to hit the Chinese mainland since 1956, killing nearly 200 people.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ifGXZg6pmxDVB7QgtZHc1cqRzQew

My does the time fly

I have been to the States and back again. Three weeks was not enough time, and so I didn't even tell most people that I would be there. Even still, I did not get to see everyone that I would have liked to see, or do even half of the things that I wanted to do. If you missed me, my apologies, I hope you can understand.

So, in three weeks, I a lot of time travelling. Drove down to FL. Fly to STL with a layover in ATL. Took Amtrak up to Chicago. Flew back to NYC. By my last count, I got to see about 35 relatives and freinds, including children. I spent 3 days in confined spaces (1 in a car, two on airplanes). It was a busy three weeks, and worth every minute. I learned some valuable lessons, that should prove useful in the future.

My flight back to Shanghai was bittersweet. I was not ready to go, but perhaps that is the best way to leave. And then it was interesting. Here are the numbers. 1 Hassidic/Orthodox Jew. 2 people being deported. 2 meals with pork (I knew I should have ordered the kosher meals). 3 people with brown skin (1 of whom sat next to me). 4 movies/tv shows that I watched. 6 hours that I spent trying, unsuccessfully, to sleep. 14 unaccompanied minors. I think that's all. Finally I arrived in Shanghai.

True to form, things didn't go exactly as planned once I arrived. In short, I am trying to find and move into my apartment...yesterday. Hopefully I'll be able to find one today or tomorrow so that I can move in ASAP. I would like to get settled before classes actually start.

Speaking of classes, work is going well so far. Orientation is on Weds., students report on Thursday, but actual classes don't begin until the followingMonday. So, right now we are preparing ourselves, our classrooms and in theory, our lesson plans. What I am teaching has changed, it's 9th and 10th grade English, two sections of Upper Level ESL (high school students reading at middle school level, so they can not be mainstreamed yet) and maybe TOEFL. My school is a young school, which has its challenges, but is also exctiting. Because it is young, the current faculty are instrumental in its development, which is so exciting. There'll be more on that later.

That's all for now. I'll keep you posted (no pun intended). Hopefully I'll have some pictures of my new apt up here within the next week.

Reflection

What a difference a day makes.

In my case, a lot of days, but the concept is the same. When I found out, about this time last year, that I would be going to China, I was full of excitement, nervous anticipation, a little fear and a lot of gratitude. After years of feeling like my life was not going the way I had envisioned (good job, steadily decreasing debt, apartment, car, committed relationship, 401(k), substantial savings and all that), the letter from the Chinese government was a breath of fresh air. I felt like finally, something was actually working out. And so I was elated. I had been saying I was going to go to China for over a decade, and more recently when I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, I had begun to say with increasing frequency that I was "just going to pick up and move to China." Well, issues of escapism aside, that is basically what I did. As a result of the timing, I had about 5 weeks to get everything together and get on a plane. I picked up and moved to China.

I scoured the internet for scarce resources. Took history books and academic texts out from the library. Lacking in funds, I went to Barnes & Noble and Borders and read every China travel guide I could find. I was often disappointed by what I discovered, as most resources online and in travel guides were clearly geared towards a) backpackers or b)upper-class whites (race was evident by the consistent references to "pale" or "white" skin and "blond" or "light" hair). Despite my best efforts, I left for Shanghai with a list of tourists sites and little preparation.

Upon my arrival, I discovered that although I do not traditionally suffer from "culture-shock", as I am not only the product of many cultures but also fairly well-traveled, decently educated and do not expect the rest of the world to be like "home", adjusting to life in China was not going to be easy. Non-white Americans are apparently a rarity, and I often felt out of place. Although the African community at TongJi readily embraced me, I never ceased to be "the American". I was not as easily embraced by the American community, although this most likely has more to do with American individualism than anything else. Many of my blog entries speak to the difficulties I encountered, and so I do not need to repeat them ad nauseam. There were many things I had to adjust to, and living a dorm room, being surrounded by 17-20 year olds, constantly being stared and pointed at, and feeling isolated definitely did not help. However, there were many wonderful things that kept me going. I made a few good friends, I was one of the best students in my class, and despite the rough patches, I actually enjoyed Shanghai.

And, as you all know, I have decided to extend my stay here. I have learned many things during the past ten months, and I want to reap in joy that which I have sown in tears. My life in Shanghai is going well, and I will have here some of those things which have been so elusive for the past few years (except the 401(k) and the car). I have a grasp of the language, a growing community, and I genuinely like this city. Living in China, I think, will also have long-term advantages, enhancing and enriching my post-Shanghai life. My being here also gives many of you the excuse, if you need one, to visit China - and maybe stop by Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

I know that life, anywhere, is not without its difficulties, but now I can anticipate and eliminate or lessen the common difficulties of life here. China's pollution is a problem, maybe I'll get one of the those air filters my grandmother has in her house. I have stockpiled hot chocolate and Great Grains, and I know a few people that will mail me "comforts of home" if I find myself in need. In order to alleviate one of the most annoying things I have encountered here, I am going to get a few message Tee's printed - "美国人" (American), "BROWN", "咖啡色" (literally, the color of coffee) and "Naturally Curly". Maybe I should get one that says "黑美国人" (Black American).

This brown-skinned multi-ethnic American woman with her naturally curly hair, basic Chinese skills, and student loans to pay off is signing up for another year in the land of dragons and tigers. So, get your vacation time and your bank accounts ready, 'cause I'm getting my apartment with guests in mind!