Spring in Shanghai

Yesterday was the warmest day we've experienced in months, and it was a good day to be outside.

   Emily was staying over a friend's house so Chris took Katie to Century Park.  Century Park is the center of the Pudong area where we live.  It's a huge park with a lake, boats to rent, trails, topiary garden, etc.  They rode a pedal car(?) and later went out to lunch.

     The trees here in Seasons Villas, and I'm sure all over Shanghai, seemed to bloom overnight.  It was really beautiful taking a walk around our complex yesterday.  There is a walking path through Seasons that goes from our street to the pond at the clubhouse.  The air was clean and the sky was blue.  Buddy seemed to enjoy it too.

The good and the bad…

There is so much about China that surprises me daily.  And there is so much that makes me angry as well as leaves me speechless.

     Last weekend I trimmed some overgrown trees in our small backyard.  I had a great big pile of branches, leaves etc., heaped in our yard, and the gardener was supposed to send workers to haul it away.  I repeatedly said there was so much that they should bring a truck.
     After several calls, and missed appointments, I was getting really annoyed.  "How hard can this be for workers to get this done?",  I thought to myself.  Finally on Friday afternoon, a single old man came to the door.  He looked like he could be in his 80's, but he was probably younger.  His skin was dark and leathery, and he had a small handmade blue knit cap on.  He wore the blue coveralls that all migrant workers / cleaners seem to wear here.
     He didn't flinch when I showed him the huge pile of debris he needed to clean-up.  He had no tools with him, just a large sheet of vinyl canvas and some rope.  I watched him from my kitchen window as he worked.
     He worked methodically breaking apart all the large branches with his hands, bracing the larger pieces with his foot on the ground.  He would bundle what he could together, working efficiently, and the rest he piled onto the canvas to carry it all out.  He had to make 5-6 trips out to the curb, taking each load on his shoulder.
     This old man, a migrant worker, just did his job with stoicism and fortitude.  I am sure he's been through tougher jobs than this.  I gave him extra money, and at first he turned it down.  I insisted, knowing that he would only be able to accept the cash, if I persisted.

I gave him 100rmb, which is about $17.00.
This is probably more than he makes in a single day.

Buddy's blog

Even with snow on me, I rock

I can still smell through the snow

      Ok, so,…I hear it's snowing.  I been around, but I've never been around this before.  It's cool., er,..cold…but I can handle this.  But when a dog goes out to do his business, there should not be steam rising from the spot he just did his business…jus' sayin'.  Thought I was on fire or somethin'.
MomLucy thinks it's so fun to take me out and let snow cover my head.  I think you have a brand new coat missy, and I have the same old one.
      The big news is that the little black poodle (aka her highness), has moved out!  No one to try and tell me what's what, no one to bark at, no one to….to….aw, I miss her already.  But don't tell Lucy's puppies that - they've been going to the pet store again.  They'll want to bring home some little, furry, annoying dog-creature.  Having another dog next door is one thing, but not in the same house.  Oh No…

Katie's favorite is a freakin' ewok

Can't believe this is Emily's favorite!
Did this dog just fall in the water or what - shame

Snow and stuff in Shanghai

do I look cold or what

It snowed steadily all day Thursday.  

It was really beautiful, and really cold.  It didn't snow enough to cover the ground, just the lawns and the trees, but melted on the sidewalks.  It may be the last snow we have this year.  I told the girls not to eat the ice because the air quality here is so poor, and the snow is very dirty.  But the girls had a great time making snow balls and throwing them at each other.

Chris

Sistas

Mercedes Benz ice rink

Wooaaaa!

Chris took Katie & Emily on a "father-daughter" day along with several other dads and daughters from Seasons Villas complex.  They went ice skating at the Mercedes Benz arena.  It was the first time skating for both girls and they loved it!  They're already planning to go again this week.

drummin….cool…

Chris played his drums at the Disney Shanghai party.  The party was a really big deal especially for all the Chinese employees.  It was their opportunity to celebrate with their coworkers.  There was a banquet and each department put on skits / shows.  I guess this is a very Chinese custom - for large, successful companies to host extravagant parties for the new year.  Some offices even hired choreographers to help them and had many practice sessions.  If the party is appears "cheap", the employees will talk about it.   The night of the party, Chris said there were about 500 people in the hall, and all the lighting, sound mixing, etc. were very professional.  

Chinese New Year part II

Chinese New Year is a really big deal…really big deal…

I didn't know much about Chinese New Year until I came here.  Chinese New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar, and is THE major holiday of year.  The last week has been spent filling red envelopes or "hong bao" to be given to those who have been helpful to you all year.  The girls have learned a lot about the various customs and celebrations and participated in the school show.  Katie and the rest of the 2nd graders all sang a traditional song in Mandarin.  Emily's entire 5th grade class performed a lion dance.  Emily played the drums, like father like daughter!

Lots of fireworks and firecrackers all last night, with the loudest at midnight. We even saw one of the gate guards lighting up their own box of fireworks, all the while with a cigarette dangling in his mouth.  And these are not the "Monterey Park-freedom fireworks" - not at all.  They are huge, light-up-the-sky professional-level fireworks.  These would never be sold in the US, much too dangerous.

KFC special deal bucket for NY with a string of firecrackers under the KFC logo

Budweiser in the "Year of the Snake" can

Duck gizzards

Duck feet

I added these last two images because I thought the smiling duck with "thumbs up" was a little too cutesy with the web feet and gizzards.  just saying…

Things I saw in Shanghai this week…

Here are some very random things I've seen recently in Shanghai..

Disney Chinese NY decoration

Disney Chinese candy

sugar cane straight from the field - if you want to buy,
the old lady comes out with a really scary looking machete and shaves it for you

Huge tangle of electrical wires wrapped around street light.
This is across from the Four Seasons in Puxi.

Chinese vodka with glass dragon blown inside

Emily: I want to be just like you Mama, and can I have an iPhone
Lucy: Nice try

Chinese New Year

Xīn Nián Kuàilé!

     Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival is celebrated for most of the month of February.  The girls and Chris are off school and work February 9th - 15th.  This is the biggest holiday of the year for the Chinese, and most spend this week with their families.  For many migrant workers, the trip can take them a week of travel each way.  It also may be the only time they see their wives and children all year.  Chris said they expect many of their current workers on the Shanghai Disney construction site will not return after the holiday - this is very common - but a headache for the Disney managers.
     The stores are packed with packaged gifts for people to take back home.  Since there is often long journey, the most popular gifts are individually wrapped candies, nuts and dried fruits.  Yesterday at Carrefore, big boxes of Ferrari-Rocher candy were loaded into carts as fast as the workers could get them on the display.

The store was also filled with lots of traditional and non-traditional decorations for New Year.  Of course I bought some!  We now have a "Double Fish"hanging from our front door - the symbol for ample food and abundance.  Also two hangings of red coin purses, with the symbol of "Fu" or wealth, and strung with gold drums (the sound to ward off bad luck), and gold coins (to bring good luck).  The tradition of giving red envelopes, or "lucky money" to those who have helped you through-out the year shows gratitude.  I am officially going native.

     Shanghai Daily (Expat newspaper) warned of travel congestion during the month of February.  Lots of people on the roads, extra buses running and probably more accidents and traffic.  So we are staying in Shanghai during the break and will possibly do some easy day tours.
     The additional road travel will also cause added air pollution.  Shanghai is known to have poor air quality, and sometimes it is actually hazardous.  We have (4) air purifiers in our house that run all day - one downstairs and one in each bedroom.  Chris has changed the air filters in them and it's pretty disgusting.