Hello!
First, a quick note about my week:
I want to mention an unusual interaction I had with my host sister Yimei. We were talking when Yimei unintentionally brought up a political issue (I think its better not to name it specifically or go into details) that I feel strongly about. Though I know she didn't mean to launch a political discussion and didn't realize how heavy her words were, she made a few casual comments that I felt I couldn't ignore completely. I told her that her statements were not necessarily true and asked about her background knowledge on the issue, suggesting that she may be missing part of the story. I was stunned at how quickly she became very upset, particularly since she had made the inflammatory claims and I had only asked for her reasoning. She sounded near tears when she told me that since we have different opinions, we can't talk about it, and since I'm not Chinese, I'll never understand her point of view and there's no use trying. This mentality is what really struck me. I know this sounds epically corny, but I feel like that statement is literally the antithesis of a major American ideal. I told Yimei that no, I didn't yet understand where she was coming from, but I might be able to if she helped me. I told her that I didn't want to change her opinion, just understand it- that's why I'm here in China, to learn things that only Chinese people can teach me. From there the cliches built- it's good to have different opinions, in America we like to talk about them, no one will ever understand without talking, lalala. Somehow my speech actually carried some merit; Yimei believed that I was just curious and let down her guard. She ended up telling me about the things she has read and learned, and the personal opinions she had drawn from that information. When she asked me to do the same it was clear that our facts have a huge chasm running between them. I think we both viewed each other's take on it with skepticism. Though neither of us believed the new revelations, we both found it interesting to compare our versions of the truth, if somewhat bemusedly. The whole thing began as a sticky situation, but in the end I'm glad it happened. The political discussion yielded cultural lessons.
Now, on to Wednesday
Spoiler alert: PANDAAAS and CHEEESE.
We arrived in Shanghai around 11am after a comfortable hour(ish) on the high speed train. After several subway lines and a short walk we were able to check into our hotel and begin our Shanghai adventure. And where do all adventures start? The zoo!! We were all resolved to see pandas while in China, and a major incentive of the Shanghai trip was the fact that several pandas have been relocated from Chengdu for the World Expo. The weather alternated between drizzles and showers, and while it wasn't as cold as the psychotic news reports predicted, I was preparing mentally for a potentially miserable trek. On the contrary, the drizzles ended up being an amazing stroke of good luck. The entire zoo was utterly deserted; sadly this meant all the food stands were closed, but that aside, it was much more fun having the place to ourselves. After visiting West Lake on a nice day, I can say that when it comes to tourist destinations, I absolutely prefer a chilly breeze and open walkways to the massive crowds of sunny days. We were worried that the animals would all be hiding due to the rain, but once again, the weather proved to be our greatest ally. When we made our way to the pandas we found that there was an outside enclosure connected to an indoor enclosure, the latter of which was roofed and contained only by glass. Rather than scattered around the large outdoor enclosure as they would be on a good day, all ten pandas were chilling in the much smaller indoor component. They were SO CUTE!! We spent about an hour watching them play, roughhouse, sleep, and look generally huggable from just across the glass. We also watched them get fed bowls of milk (?), carrots and bamboo. I took about 80 pictures, that's how unbelievable it was: a line of 10 pandas drinking milk, a panda hanging from a log, a panda sitting on his butt on a slide, a panda eating a carrot, a panda with a big belly... I swear, it never got old!! It was absolutely amazing to see SO many pandas SO close and with no need to share. The fact that this was possible thanks to crappy weather also adds a nice moral to the story. :)
After saying goodbye to our ten best friends, we visited a few more noteworthy animals. First, we saw a huge lion, also particularly interesting because he was so close and active. Despite the raw power and majesty, I think he was just as unhappy as any kitty to be out in the rain. Unlike other kitties, however, this lion began to growl and roar, seemingly at us. There is no way to describe a full-blown lion roar experienced at close quarters with no background noise or distraction. We also saw a giraffe that was practically knocking its head on the glass, adorable giant-chipmunk-tiny-deer things, elephants, and a silverback gorilla. I visited a major zoo in Bangkok that was not up to my humane-treatment standards, so I was happy to see that the conditions were just as good as the nicer American zoos and it was probably a bit cleaner and less smelly too. I probably should have expected this; as the World Expo is sure to demonstrate, Shanghai is an immensely modern, sophisticated, and international city.
Wow… the zoo was so exciting I didn't really pay attention to the rest of the day. I guess I was still playing with pandas in my head.
Oh, yeah! Food! Unfortunately for those interested in Chinese cuisine, this was not a cultural dinner… but it was VERY much enjoyed. We had driven to a small traditiional shopping street to look around and have dinner. Cassie and I, of course, were very quick to spot a beautiful, shining, majestic… Americann diner!!! They nailed the decor, complete with mirrored walls and leather booths. Cassie, Alex, and Sandy got burgers / fries, Lauren got pesto feta penne, Derrick got creamy shrimp fettuccine and I got an egg / bacon / cheese breakfast burrito with potatoes (breakfast for dinner! True diner style!). To seal the deal Lauren and I also shared cheese fries… withh REAL cheese, not the gross liquid nacho kind. Now, you've got to realize, legit cheese fries are difficult to come by in the US. I was PHYCHED. Ahhh, so satisfying. I've missed cheese! Other than the problematic lack of cheese, it's not that I'm tired of Chinese food itself, just the monotony. I've realized that at home I would never eat the same kind of food multiple days in a row. I miss the variety.
The shopping street was very nice to walk around. Most of us didn't buy anything because it was pricey (stores rather than stalls), but there were lots of neat things to look at. In particular, there were several photography stores displaying and selling gorgeous prints. I was interested to note that almost all employed the same Photophop gimmick, which I thought enhanced some pictures and was very distracting in others.
From the shopping street we met Derek's friend. They tried to take us to some kind of bar, but as all the party spots were full, we ended up in a nice coffee shop. The two quickly supplied all of us with very large frappacino drinks, complete with whipped cream. We tried to protest this addition to the unnecessarily generous food offers, failed, accepted the delicious chocolate yum drinks, and made quick work of them. This seems to be a repeating occurrence.
Uhm, I think that's all we did (the pandas! The pandas in my brain are blocking out everything else!). It was really a great day!
Yeeeeey
Kaybye
Thanks for reading,
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