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November 19, 2006
To China and Back Again
Days 5 and 6 in China were largely uneventful. I spent Wednesday catching up on Big Idea work (several hours of it that was subsequently eaten by my laptop never to return again), visiting the offices of the company that hired me to do the Shanghai workshop, and a visit to the hustle-and-bustle of The South Bund Soft Spinning Market. TSBSSM is a coglomeration of fabric sellers that hock their wares in an overwhelming wave of free-market enterprise. You can have any kind of fabric imaginable, and their tailors are only too happy to make you a Chanel knock-off overnight for the low, low price of $60 for a two piece suit. It was like heaven.
I got a Chinese silk jacket made, along with a 60's inspired cashmere coat. The suit I had made was less successful (apparently I wasn't meant to wear Chanel--real or fake) and I declined to accept the finished product. On the other hand, I did pick up several lovely Chinese silk purses (gifts for two of my lovely friends) to go with the tea I had previously purchsed (gifts for three of my other lovely friends).
Nothing else really merits mentioning about the trip, other than a VERY scary 20 minutes when the taxi dropped me off 1/2 mile from TSBSSM on Thursday with no futher directions about how to get there. It turns out that the Chinese characters written down for me (to give to the taxi driver, since they don't speak a word of English) had just the *area* of TSBSSM, not the exact address. So while the taxi on Wednesday knew where it was from previous experience, the taxi driver on Thursday just took me to the general area (which was comprised of empty streets and cold, dirty office buildings, and looked NOTHING like the actual location I had visited the previous day) and dropped me off in the pouring rain. I ended up triangulating my way to TSBSSM through use of an elaborate game of charades at three separate cigarette-stand stalls. Highly amusing, now that I have some space, but it was simultaneously terrifying (I was completely, COMPLETELY out of my element) and irritating (I was forced to wear my wet clothes the rest of the day, which included a 20-hour flight plan back to D.C.).
Anyway, I'm back home now and fighting jet lag. Somehow, it's always more difficult for me coming back home--I suspect because it's not as exciting to be back in my room, as opposed to a bright new city ripe for exploring.
I've spend a significant amount of time catching up on the Big Idea, and even managed to spend Friday night with good friends, saying goodbye to one of our group who headed off to Iraq this morning. On Saturday, I finally got around to unpacking my suitcase and cleaning up my room with the help of Janie, who insisted that *she* be allowed to sweep up the cat litter tracked around the hardwood floors. What can I say? She's been trained well.
One unexpected development was an impromptu date with Mr. Bethesda on Saturday. Good times were had by all, let me assure you. And in an even MORE strange development, he's coming over for Thanksgiving dinner. Rest assured, it's more of a "he doesn't have any other place to go" thing than a "oh, it might be serious!" thing. But still.
And...I have tentative plans with two boys (let's call them Mr. Doctor--he's actually a Ph.D., but I like to call him Doctor anyway--and Mr. Pilot, who's name is self-explanatory). I went out with these gentlemen the week before I left for Shanghai (on separate dates, just so we're clear) and both went surprisingly well. So now there are 3.5 boys (Mr. FWB is the .5 here) being juggled. Thank goodness they have VERY different names, since I fear calling one by the other's name. A delightful problem to have, I admit.
Comments
it always amazes me how you juggle the big idea, the games, the books and especially the boys. i've only managed to go on a few (less than successful-- not quite sure what 'successful' really means) dates with very few people (three to be exact) for the past 16 months! then again, i've been too cheap to subscribe to online dating services. maybe i should try that... or maybe i should move to another country! :-P which country would you suggest?
Posted by: siti at November 20, 2006 05:25 AM
How many Taxi Drivers in America speak a WORD of Chinese.....
Why should anythihg in Shanghai be like Japan....
Thats like saying ARE APPLES LIKE ORANGES
Every Hotel IN Shanghai offers Massage, and you are not naked...You wear some type of undergarment
I think your breast massage story...is just that a story....perhaps it was your own fantasy.....
Also... there is a lot of food at meal times..but there is almost no snacking, and sweets are never served by anyone Chinese................
I think next time you need to ask is Mexico City Like New York City,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Most of the Neon is on Nanjig RD.....the Pearl Tower is a very big attraction............
Posted by: Bobo Polo at February 17, 2007 09:31 PM
