Rylee

Okay, I know...what does Rylee have to do with China. Nothing...well maybe the cute outfits that she is wearing were made in China, so there is a link. Sara is her main caregiver while we are away and as you can see she is having fun dressing her up. I miss my little Rylee. She is always so happy to see you, never crabby and always loves to snuggle. She wouldn't survive very well here in Shanghai. Rylee would not have liked the 24 hours of traveling to get here and then she would have been quarantined for a couple of weeks. After all of that she probably would need some kind of doggy therapy. Plus there is not much grass and dogs are not allowed in the Parks. People around here do have dogs, and they do dress them up also. Dogs are not always on a leash, and seem more then happy "to go" anywhere on the sidewalks. Owners do not pick up the droppings, but there are plenty of street cleaners that evidently will come by to sweep up the remants.  On our walks I spend a lot of time watching where I'm walking to avoid both human and animal puddles and piles. They are also known here to eat dogs, and have been doing that for thousands of years. There was a recent article about how some animal rights groups are trying to rescue dogs and change the habit of having them for dinner. I'm thinking this might be happening more outside of the city, but I can't be sure of this as I usually can't read the menu.

Mark's birthday

Today is Mark's 49th birthday. We skyped with the 3 kids again this morning and they sang to Mark Happy Birthday and watched as he opened some of his gifts. It was nice to be able to share part of  his birthday with them. The weather here has been beautiful...in the 70's. So we played some bad mitton in the park. Later in the day we got the package the kids had sent for Mark's birthday. It is strange to get mail on a Sunday. It was filled with cards, a birthday sign and lots of chocolate. The timing of getting the package was great.  We took the subway to go out for dinner and Mark chose a German restaurant. We ate outside...only have done that once before on his birthday and that was in Australia. After dinner we walked for about an hour and then went home...and ate some chocolate treats!!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Great food...simple...no presents...relaxing with family and friends while eating a lot. Being in a foreign country that does not recognize your favorite holiday is sad. Makes you realize how others must feel when they come to the US and they want to hold on to their holidays and traditions. There are no turkeys in China...they just don't have them and because of this to have them imported for this holiday they become very spendy. With investigating where to attempt to have a Thanksgiving meal I discovered that you could order a meal from a restaurant for a larger group or go to a restaurant to have an American Thanksgiving meal. These are all a lot of RMB's. We invited our friends from Belgium to join us and they graciously accepted. They are familiar with the US holidays as they have also lived in the States for a few years. We chose a restaurant called "Babba's" which is a Texas style bar and grill. They promised a great American Thanksgiving meal for 300 RMB's per person or about $50.00. Yikes! Mark had to work as it is not a recognized holiday here even for 3M. This was Mark's first time working on Thanksgiving and for me it was a rare Thanksgiving off. Talk about role reversal. At the restaurant the turkey was grilled and it was very good...the rest of the food was way below average. It was disappointing and definitely not worth the money. Next year we may just go to McDonald's or something.

Jessica had to work on Thanksgiving. Sara went to a lawyer's house from her law firm. Bryan went to a friends family's house. Bryan, Sara and Jessica celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday, along with Rylee. Via skype Mark and I joined them during their meal. It was almost like being there, but we were totally jealous that they were eating what appeared to be really good food while we were having our morning oatmeal. I guess they can handle that meal preparation without us. Later that day we skyped with them again and they had set up the Christmas tree and decorations.

Mark and me joining the kids Thanksgiving dinner via skype.

Chinese Symbolism

Last Wednesday I attended an event held by the SEA group I am a member of. It was a Chinese Symbolism talk and Champagne lunch. It over viewed how the Chinese use symbols and they are everywhere once you start noticing them. They are in paintings,carvings, architecture, furniture etc. They say you can't really appreciate Asian art and antiques until you understand their significance. They talk about the 3 stellar gods that represent... blessings, wish to have a high position and a good salary and one for longevity. Also the 5 blessings...to be healthy, wealthy, have a long life, die at a old age peacefully and to be virtuous. Some symbols include...fish for fertility, crane,pine tree and turtle for longevity, bat for good luck, dragon for power, white flowers are for mourning, clock represents the end. If you are given an umbrella they don't want to see you again. Tiger to be king, have power and to protect also. Mandarin ducks so you also mate for life. Lotus flower so you may have may than you need. Peony to always act honorably. Plum blossom which blossoms in the winter, stands for arises out of nothing which is to be the spirit of the Chinese.

Another interesting story is the 100 day old celebration that they have for their sons. This tends to be a big celebration where they collect money from 100 people to buy a carved jade lock...to lock in luck for the rest of their life. A 100 day celebration for daughters still doesn't exist.

On the night of marriage family places walnuts and seeds and flowers blossoms on the newly married bed. For fertility and to have sons quickly.

Some other bits of interests...

180,000 babies are expected to be born in Shanghai this year,  the most since 2000.

40% of women in Shanghai would like to have 2 children.

30,000,000 Chinese men will suffer low odds of finding a wife in the next 10 years, as the gender gap between males and females widens to 15 million.

That diapers are pretty rare here...don't really know what they use but most toddlers were pants that have the bottom area completely open...if they have to go they stop were they are and go...that's right it may be right in the middle of a sidewalk with people just walking on by. Parents don't even try to move them to the side. Now that it is getting colder I don't see so many bare butts anymore.

Kleenex must not be very popular here either. Lots of disgusting spitting and nose blowing going on out on the sidewalks. I don't think I'll ever get use to this.

Also been hearing about stories of no one stopping to help others that have fallen or gotten hit by a bike or car for fear of being blamed. Even with kids. If you kill them nothing happens but if they are injured you would be responsible and have to pay. I haven't witnessed this personally but have heard this from a few people. The value of others can be pretty low in such a crowed environment.

The Bund at Night

We decided to walk around The Bund area on Saturday evening. The lights reminded us of the Vegas strip. Tons and tons of people around. The best way I can describe the amount of people walking around on the streets is imagine what it is like as everyone is leaving a Twins or Vikings game or Concert and they are all out on the streets at the same time. It was fun people watching. We ate at a Japanese restaurant and had a really good dinner. It is always a nice surprise to have a good meal around here. It is really safe to be out in Shanghai. We never feel nervous or scared. The worst that ever happens around here is pick pocketing. We do get hassled out on the streets with people trying to sell us a "bag or watch" meaning a "Rolex or designer bag". It can get a little old.

Century Park

Mark and I took the subway to the Pudong area of Shanghai and explored a new park on Saturday. It was in the upper 60's and a great day to walk around. Fall is here. Leaves are starting to change color, light jacket is needed in the evenings and some days. It is light around at 6:00 am and dark at around 5:00 pm. Some people are out and about wearing their winter jackets...I guess they think it is cold.  This Century Park requires admission, it was 10 RMB per person. You can get a annual pass also. It was a very large park, lots of people and we walked a lot. This park was busy but we could easily walk on the sidewalks without tons of people. This is so rare. One area of the park had very old looking trees in pots. They were very small trees but they looked so old. It would be nice to know the story of these trees. Enjoy the pictures of some park fun.

Knitting for Charity

A few weeks ago I joined a knitting for charity group of ladies. These ladies created this group about 7 years ago. They knit projects for the elderly who are in need of afghans, scarves and hats that help keep them warm in the winter months. They also knit outfits for stuffed animal bears that are sold to help a Charity called Heart to Hearts here in Shanghai. This in an organization that provides funds for children outside of Shanghai that need to have heart surgery and their families can't afford to come into the city to have the surgery and stay while their child is having surgery and then need to stay in the area to recover. They tend to keep the children in the area for a few weeks to make sure they are healing well, incisions don't get infected etc. Since the chances of them getting proper care at home is questionable they keep them nearby until they are healed.

So when I showed up they gave me a very easy project. A scarf. Hopefully I won't mess that up. I also started to learn how to knit a pair of felted wool slippers. This project is a little more exciting then my scarf project. There are knitters of all skill levels and of course from all countries. This group meets every Thursday afternoon for a few hours, you just show up when you can. It is fun to sit around and knit and hear all of the different accents and conversations going on.

Did you know that in China elementary and middle school education is free but students have to pay for their high school education? Needless to say more male students then female students attend high school. A lot of the girls are sent off to work. This group of knitters have also funded over 100 girls high school education and have also funded some college educations. They can do this by selling some of their projects at local bazaars in the area.

Hair Cut

Hair cuts are always traumatic for me no matter where I am. I always wish I had different hair, can't fix it afterwards the same as the stylist etc. So I've been truly scared about getting a hair cut here. Mark was brave and got one a couple of weeks ago, but the man has no hair to start with so how bad can they screw that up? They didn't, it looked the same as always. So I've let mine grow longer then usual between cuts and then it finally got to the point I had to do something. So last evening Mark and I walked to a shop near our apartment. Different place from where Mark went, this one seemed more busy so I thought if it was popular with the locals must be good. Right?! Well, they spoke a little English and so off I went to get a shampoo. My favorite part usually but I couldn't relax as she would say something to me and I didn't have a clue. I kept nodding my head yes, because the water temperature was fine and the massage felt great...what else could she be asking me? Then I went to sit in a chair waiting for someone to come and cut my hair. Did I mention being stared at by everyone in the entire place the entire time. This is hard to get used to anyway but especially here where they were going to cut my hair...I get it, I don't have black hair, dark eyes and don't speak the language but quit staring at me all of the time!!! Anyway after struggling to communicate what I wanted done and even used the interpreter app on a phone he started cutting away. Not good! I know have a haircut I don't like. Way too many bangs and way too short in back so my cowlicks won't lay down. He also dried it so every hair on my head was coming forward...kinda like" Cousin It" but with bangs. Did he really think it looked good or was he trying to make me look bad?  Even thou I didn't know one single person there and probably will never see them again I couldn't walk out looking like that. I was breaking out in a sweat and just wanted to run out of there. I kinda fixed it before walking out of there  so I don't know if he was offended or not but I don't really care. So now I have to really grow my hair out and may not get it cut again until I get home to MN. I'm not sure if I can go through that again.