A Shanghai Weekend

This past weekend was eventful, relaxing and painful.

On Saturday, after working out and eating a great breakfast (I haven’t had to cook since Rick got here!), Rick and I made our way down to Figaro Coffee. I had another stack of books to drop off for their book exchange program. It also means less weight in my suitcase as I head back to the US next week.

I enjoyed a great tasting latte and was able to read a few pages in my current book. After some relaxing we headed to Yu’An Gardens to finishing buying gifts for a few different people. Once again, I found myself spoiling my niece and nephew.

By the way, why is it always so much easier to buy for girls than boys?

After dropping a few hundred kuai we headed over to the fabric market to pick up the clothes we ordered last week. With one exception all of our items turned out great. The exception was the suit I had ordered. First the pants where way to tight around my quadriceps and the tailor had forgotten to make my jacket. Either that or he fell asleep while making it. I’m not quite sure as the language barrier made it hard to understand and I couldn’t make complete sense of his hand gestures.

We continued our day with a visit to the pearl/counterfeit market and enjoyed happy hour at Big Bamboo (www.bigbamboo.com.cn). After a few drinks we headed down to Jimmy Moo’s a 50 style dinner that servers good hamburgers and shakes.

Yesterday was all about relaxing and taking it easy. I enjoyed a cup of coffee as I started to pack up my apartment. After a while we headed downstairs to my neighbor Pat’s place where we enjoyed a late breakfast of pancakes and bacon. After this the three of us headed out for massages. To get a massage here is unbelievably cheap 135-220 Rmb ($20-$32). I will be going back at least one more. Our day ended with a great dinner at Papa’s Bierstube and some American TV care of Pat’s Apple TV set-up.

Unfortunately throughout the weekend I was plagued by neck pain. I somehow tweaked it when stretching on Saturday morning. The massage helped a lot but just when I thought I was getting better a wicked headache hit. So yesterday ended with me laying in an extremely dark bedroom with a compress on my head and 800mg of Advil working its way through my system!

Thankfully my Monday is off to a much better start!

Captain Kodak

Over the past 10 days I have taken a ton of pictures. Just call be Captain Kodak. I’ve finally been able to update my picasa site with all of them. I don’t expect anyone to go through all of them. Feel free to just poke around a bit. Use the following link to access my newest public albums:

http://picasaweb.google.com/esjohnson80

Albums Recently created and/or updated include the following:

Great Wall
Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
Forbidden City
Silk/Copper/Jade Factories
Olympic Campus
Various Around Xi’An
Dinner Show
Terracotta Army
Wild Goose Pagoda
Various around Xi’An
Various around Beijing
JiMao
Rick in Shanghai
Chinese Opera (updated with a few more pictures as I visited it with Pat’s Family)

So Much History, So Little Time

On Sunday we had another early morning as we left on the 8:00am flight for Beijing. Our 3 day excursion in Beijing started off without a hitch. We grabbed a cab to the Crown Plaza Beijing and by 11:00 am we were relaxing in our room. After an hour of resting and relaxing we headed out for lunch.

Our original lunch plans were thrown out the window when we couldn’t find the café the concierge recommended. As we started walking aimlessly I could feel myself getting snippy due to lack of food. I’m sure I tested Rick’s patience. Thankfully I looked down a side street and saw a large sign proclaiming STEAMED BUNS!

Score 1 for us. The restaurant was bustling with people. Score again. We had found a popular place. We were on a roll. Then, I looked at the menu and realized it was ALL in Chinese and there were NO pictures. UGH! I tried to talk to one person unsuccessfully. I was about to write it off as a lost cause and head to McDonalds when a young waitress basically forced us to sit at a table. Thankfully her English was great. 18 (tasty) steamed buns latter Rick and I headed out to walk off our lunch at the Olympic campus.

The Birds Nest was an amazing sight. The water cube in my opinion was simply okay. I think it would have been more impressive at night. After taking a ton of pictures we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

I was extremely excited and nervous about our dinner plans. At 6:30pm a Bobcat Sales Rep and one of our dealers picked us up and took us out for Peking Duck. YUMMY! I was worried for no reason as dinner went off with only a few moments where communication broke down due to Rick and I forgetting to use basic/simple English words.

We spent Monday and Tuesday going on guided tours of some of the more famous locations in Beijing including: A silk factory (spent money), a jade factory (spent more money), the cloisonné factory (and spent even more money!), Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace. We also had time to take in a Chinese Acrobatic Show.

Our last tour stop before heading back to Shanghai was the Great Wall. There are three popular locations for tourists to climb the wall. We headed to the Badaling section which is 888m above sea level compared to downtown Beijing which is 44m above sea level. We went up by foot and we came down via a cable car.

As we took our time climbing it was easy to be overwhelmed by the magnificent grandeur of the Great Wall. It’s amazing to think about the time, effort and resources that went into its construction. The scenery from our different vantage points was simply breathtaking. It’s easy to understand why this great creation has such historical significance in China.

We left for Shanghai at 6pm yesterday. We were back in my apartment by 8pm. To sum it up…It was four days with little sleep, lots of shopping, many sight visited and a TON of memories made!

3 Blind Mice

This past Saturday Rick and I took off from Pudong International Airport. Our destination was Xi’An. This city is located in central China and was previously the capitol. Its history dates back as far as 2000BC.

Rick and I only had one day in Xi’An so I arranged for a tour guide and car in order to make the most efficient use of our time. Tony our tour guide picked us up from the baggage claim area of the airport. I have to admit I felt like someone special as I scanned the crowd of waiting people for a sign with our names on it.

Tony quickly got us (and our stuff) loaded into his car. We headed first to see the Terracotta Soldiers (a.k.a. Terracotta Army). The soldiers which date back to 210 BC were created by the First Emperor of China. The soldiers were found in 1974 by local farmers digging a water well. It is estimated that over 8,000 soldiers were originally placed in battlefield configuration in three separate pits. Some of the soldiers have been rebuilt and restored, however many still remain buried in the pits.

One low point of our time visiting the soldiers was our lunch. We walked in to the ends of what could have been a good lunch buffet. As we sat eating we all of a sudden heard a commotion in the open prep area (think carving station at a buffet). It sounded a bit like screams coming from the staff. Soon enough we realized what was going on as a rat scurried across the dining room floor. I simply looked at Rick, shrugged my shoulders and said “When in China its best to just keep eating.” As I took my next bit though I couldn’t help think about the nursery rhyme from my childhood, “three blind mice, see how they run.”

Most of our day was taken up by our trip to see the soldiers. We were able to stop at one more tourist spot though; we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda.

That evening we attended the Tang Dinner Show where we got to try many different types of steamed dumplings and watch a sampling of traditional Chinese dance and music. My favorite was the Warrior Dance. Rick liked the trumpet solo.

After the show we took our time getting back to the hotel by wondering through the Muslim Quarter and around central Xi’An enjoying the sights offered within the city walls.

I’ve heard that a true test of a relationship is if you are able to travel well together. I have to admit that the Muslim Quarter put this concept to the test. I walked a few blocks into the neighborhood and found myself truly enjoying all of the sights, sounds and smells. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Rick. I think he came close to having a panic attack. He was hung up on the smells. As he said his “olofactory [bulb] was on overload.”

Thankfully we were able to push through the uncomfortable moments and even managed to buy some bags of great tasting dried fruit and pistachios.

Nervous

Last Wednesday I headed to the airport with butterflies in my stomach. I was on my way to pick up Rick. I was nervous because I was worried about what his reaction would be to Shanghai/China.

I have really enjoyed my time here. That’s not to say that there haven’t been frustrating moments (there have been). It doesn’t mean that I don’t miss my family (I do!). It’s just that if I had to stay longer here in China I could do it. I’ve been able to reach a point where I could easily call it home…for awhile. So I was worried about what I would do if Rick didn’t enjoy his time in China.

The nerves I felt were a familiar feeling. I felt the same way when Kris visited me in St Petersburg Russia during my study abroad. During her visit though I think I was even more worried as I had dedicated so much of my time in school to Russia and the Russian language and I wanted someone in my family to get why I loved it so much.

Rick arrived safely in Shanghai; although I think he was almost the last person through customs. Since the moment he arrived we have been going non-stop.

After getting settled into my apartment Rick and I headed out to walk around the neighborhood. It was already dark so it was a bit hard to show off the sights.

We eventually made our way to Amy’s a place serving Sichuan style food for dinner; spicy and yummy!
I took the first four days of Rick’s vacation off of work. The first two days (last Thursday and Friday) were spent in Shanghai.

Highlight of the first few days in Shanghai:

1. Fabric Market – Rick scored a suit and cashmere over coat for $200. I also did a fair bit of shopping….I’m just fulfilling the stereotypical female role.
2. Yu’An Garden – our first chance to really barter for anything; unfortunately we had spent most of our money at the fabric market. Rick did get a gift for his niece.
3. Thanksgiving Dinner – I had made reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at an expat friendly restaurant. The meal served at the Big Bamboo was good overall; despite a poor attempt at a pumpkin pie. The disappointing pie was made up for with 2:1 Happy Hour drinks!
4. Counterfeit Market – Major purchases knock off Ugg boots and a Rolex watch
5. Jin Mao Tower – We checked out views of Shanghai from the world’s highest observation deck.
6. Dinner with the Neighbor – Rick was able to finally meet Pat (my neighbor) and his family; they were in town visiting over Thanksgiving.

Majors and Minors - an Evaluation

My college diploma is stored in a box.  Somewhere.  I think.  I’ve moved 5 times in 5 years so suffice it to say it’s never been displayed on a wall or even framed.  I didn’t walk across the stage for my graduation as I was scheduled to move to Connecticut.  My diploma simply arrived in an rectangular, unmarked, unassuming envelope.  It was sent standard mail.   The University of Minnesota did not incur much of an expense in getting it to me.

I on the other hand incurred a fair amount of debt in order to earn my diploma; some of which I am still paying off.  I received not only a Bachelor’s degree but also a minor in Russian language.  At times I wonder how much each cost me.  My primary degree is put to use often.  I mean heck, I work in corporate America, have spent time in sales & marketing and still cart around crates of my old business text books.  The money I spent on my major in other words was money well spent.

My minor in Russian language however isn’t used that often. Oh, occasionally I have had to pull out a simple phrase or two. Primarily when a new friend asks “Say something in Russian?”  I usually respond with the profound “Menya zobyt Erika.  Ya liubliu Rucckye yazik.”  (Translation:  My name is Erika. I love Russian language.)

For professional purposes I have only pulled out my Russian skills twice.  Once was in 2004 at ConExpo; a construction equipment trade show held in Las Vegas.  I helped a Russian visitor to the show buy a Bobcat T-shirt in the right size.  The second time, was just last night.

Let me explain....

My work day yesterday ended early as I was invited to attend a tea and dinner with a group of our dealers and end users.  I gladly accepted but knew that my chance for conversation would be limited.  Many of these folks don’t speak English.  I made it through the first few hours by occupying one persons time.  Our conversation was very basic but at least was in English.  I walked out of the tea session for a bit as I wanted to give the person I had met the chance to escape.  I know how hard it is to speak in a language that is not your own.  He deserved a chance to speak in his own language.  When I came back to my seat there was a new group of folks across the table from me.  

I leaned back in my chair prepared simply to drink my tea and listen as I didn’t want to force English on anyone.  Quickly, my ears perked up.  I started to glance often at the group across from me.  “Did I just hear Russian?” I thought to myself.  One person in the group was obviously not Asian; so perhaps.  “No; that can’t be” I assured myself.  

As the minutes slowly ticked by I kept hearing familiar, albeit foreign, sounds.  

I started to debate in my head  “I should break out the Russian.  No I shouldn’t I’ll look like a fool.  I should. I shouldn’t!”  After about 5 minutes I couldn’t take it any longer (plus boredom was getting to me).  I made eye contact with the individual I thought could be Russian and simply asked....

“Vy Govoretye Po Rucckye?”  “Da” he responded 

(Translation:  “Do you speak Russian?”  “Yes” he answered)  

YES!!! I was right, it was Russian.  The next hour flew by as I talked to the customer from Kazakhstan.  I apologized profusely for my poor conversation skills.  I told him that it had been 6 years since I last studied.  He smiled and assured me it was okay.  I did laughingly tell him that despite the break my Russian is much better than my Chinese.

Coincidently, the tea and dinner were a pre-event to a construction trade show that started today in Shanghai.  What is it with me finding the Russians at trade shows!?

Two uses for Russian in my 5 years in corporate America.  Others might think I am not get my money’s worth out of my minor; but for me I’ll take it.  I may just even crack open my Russian textbooks when I get back home.  Yesterday’s encounter made me realize that I miss the language -- and the people.  Too bad I don’t have time to squeeze in a trip to Kazakhstan.

Back in the USSR…

...Scratch that. I meant to say Back in China.

Yep, I am back in Shanghai. I got back on Saturday evening after a never-ending flight that started in Fargo and included stops in Minneapolis and Tokyo.

My two weeks back home flew by. I simply had a great time in the US, highlights included:

1. Having dinner and drinks with friends….multiple times.
2. Spending way too much money shopping in Chicago. Gotta love the cost of running shoes.
3. Driving. Driving. Driving.
4. Physical Therapy on my shoulder. For those of you wondering, I’m still fighting my bike accident injury so per my physician’s recommendation I squeezed in a few sessions of PT. Thankfully it’s not my rotator cuff
5. Working out at Fitness Formula Club with my trainer. Thanks Martin for kicking my butt!
6. Having my brother-in-law Bud cook dinner and lunch for me (and my family). Yummy Philly Cheese Steaks and Chicken Wings. Bonus: hearing my nephew say “I love meat, I’m carnivore!”
7. Spoiling Cori and Cooper with lots of gifts. I think the big winners were the most inexpensive; chopsticks and the loose change (the equivalent of nickels, dimes, and quarters) that I gave them.
8. Catching up with all my friends in Bismarck/Fargo
9. Looking at homes in Fargo. Man can you get a lot of house compared to Chicago.
10. Working to figure out where I will land next with Bobcat (more on that soon)

I have just shy of a month left in China. I return to the US on December 14. I know that the remaining time will fly by as I’ll be working to wrap up my projects at work, hosting Rick in Shanghai, traveling to Beijing and Xian and finalizing my next assignment details.

This week my main objective is simply to get over my jet lag. I didn’t have much issue with it going back to the US. Coming to China appears to be a different story.