OCTOBER 18, 2007
I noticed as I took my walk yesterday morning that, without really realizing it, I have become part of a community here. My habit lately has been to go out the door with Randy in the morning, give him a kiss good-bye in the driveway where he meets our driver, and head out for my 40 minute power walk prior to Tai Chi every weekday morning. Normally, I walk around the outside of the complex to the front gate and collect my Brazilian friend, Suely, where one of the numerous school buses has picked up her eldest child, Daniel, for his ride to school. I know this seems unlikely but she talks even more than me (yes, I can hear the collective gasps), so I probably do not pay attention as often to my surroundings as much as to her stories of her family and ayis (she has TWO), and where they have lived and worked during Marcio's employment with Alcoa. We enjoy each other's company a great deal, and this relationship offers the added bonus of the incentive necessary to get us each out the door for much needed exercise.
Suely and Marcio have traveled to Australia this week to check out a possible career move for Marcio, leaving me to walk solo for a few days. As I headed out Tuesday morning, I greeted my Australian friend, Toni, who was putting two of her three kids on a school bus. She extended an offer to keep me company on my walk later this week before heading out for her usual jog (something I would NEVER attempt with my "old lady" knees). Shortly after that, I saw the owner of Bubba's Texas Roadhouse getting into his driver's van, and he waved at me. Our downstairs neighbor, Mike (Pittsburgh), strolled past me on his way out for his daily walk to his office which is very near here, and he smiled, "Good morning!" to me. The Finnish contingent was out herding a group of tow headed cherubs onto buses, and all greeted me with smiling faces. Phil Hu (my Mandarin instructor and Tai Chi colleague) and his wife, Tan, were just heading out for a game of tennis waving warmly at me. Rounding the corner for the backstretch, I happened upon Brian, a newly arrived American who is here along with his wife, Erica, and their two kids, yakking on his mobile waiting for his driver. I smiled and waved, and he paused his conversation long enough to yell, "Good morning, Roxanne!" I particularly enjoyed this exchange as Brian looks like a cross between Brad Pitt and Matt Damon (well, to be honest, Erica could be a model as well). As I made my turn into the driveway of our building, our neighbor directly above us in our apartment building was out with his beautiful dog. These neighbors are Chinese, and do not seem to speak any English. The dog is pure white, and I don't know his name or breed. Probably a Husky or Samoyed or something like that. Anyway, I greet my canine neighbors whenever possible and "Whitey" is particularly friendly ... seems to remember me and enjoys a back and ear scratch when it's offered.
I went back into my building to get my Tai Chi sword and prepare for class. At that moment, I remembered how I felt when we'd first arrived in Shanghai. I was scared to death to go outside the apartment, and I remember Randy encouraging me daily to go outside for a while. It almost felt like a dreaded chore to force myself to leave the apartment. Nothing was familiar, the entire atmosphere of strangeness was profound to the point of surrealism punctuated by the constant thought, "I can't believe I'm in CHINA!!" Sometime between then and now, I'd started yakking with girlfriends, waving at acquaintances, petting the neighborhood animals during my morning walk. It doesn't feel strange at all anymore .... not like "home" exactly, but definitely the essence of belonging has settled into my bones. I am now part of a community. It's a good feeling. I feel incredibly lucky to be having this experience.
Last week after Tai Chi, one of the Chinese ladies approached Toni and me. Phil translated for us, and we were told that they'd really like us to join the choir that they had recently organized in our complex. Well, I'd heard about the choir, and being a musician and somewhat accomplished singer, I'd considered it. But two things remained obstacles for me: they were singing completely in Mandarin (and memorization was mandatory), and I was convinced that they probably sounded like a room full of cats in heat (I know this sounds cruel, but some of the traditional Chinese music doesn't sound like something even made by a human voice to me). I'm not a snob, but if I couldn't stand to listen to it, I wasn't sure I wanted to be a PART of it. Toni, bless her heart, can't carry a tune in a bucket. We looked at each other skeptically. Well, you couldn't fault them for their sincerity or tenacity. They wore us down and we agreed we'd be at rehearsal that evening. In the meantime, Phil (who is also singing) agreed to help us with the Mandarin. And the Chinese in this compound are always SO delighted to have non-Asians as part of their groups, you can't help but smile. Some of us call ourselves the "unpaid monkeys" because we are constantly having our photos snapped during the dances and various events in which we participate. We know for a fact that our likenesses are being used in video tapes and brochures to sell and lease apartments to other expats .... "See!! Look at all the other expats having a really GOOD time in our apartment complex! Never mind that it's the same three non-Asian people in ALL the photos .... they are having FUN!!" Toni's husband, Simon, hopes to sue somebody for copyright infringement someday and make a bundle!!
Unbeknownst to me, Suely had also been approached about the choir and, although she isn't a trained singer, agreed to participate. She and I showed up together for rehearsal. There were about 40 of us in the room. The piece selected is called The Motherland, and is being prepared for a performance on October 28th at the Shanghai Gymnastics Arena as part of the national observances going on all month (October seems to be National Month ... the 5 year National Party Congress took place this month and that was a big deal too). Phil was able to email us renditions of the music, and it is a beautiful work of music. There is apparently another group of approximately the same size with whom we will combine for the performance.
I am definitely eating my words now about the room full of cats and all. They all seem to have lovely, trained voices. The conductor is adept and passionate, also having a great voice, and the accompanist is an accomplished young man who can really make a piano sing as well. Quite a nice surprise!! Now if I can memorize the Mandarin, we'll be all set. I find myself hoping that the group continues to meet and sing together even after the performance of the 28th.
Sword Tai Chi is well under way, and I am enjoying that a lot, although I have to say that we are probably more a danger to ourselves than any imagined opponent. In fact, the danger may lie in the location of our class. We are currently meeting outside behind the management building of our complex in the garden area. Today, as we were concentrating on a dramatic lunge move, I heard a loud WHAM behind me. At first, I thought it sounded like a gunshot, but as I turned around to check Phil who was directly behind me, Hanoon (a Singaporean expat) exclaimed, "A kiwi!!" Sure enough, someone had thrown a kiwi from one of the higher story apartment balconies behind us. Phil had missed being struck by mere centimeters, and would surely have been injured had that happened. I was quite surprised by the force with which the object hit the pavement (something about velocity and all that .... I barely passed high school physics .... barely!), and one of the Chinese women called management to complain that we were becoming targets for culinary missiles today. I was amazed that a management person and several security people showed up immediately and began a search for the "shooter." I'm not sure how they thought they would find the offender, but it will be interesting to see what they tell us tomorrow.
Randy is having what we have come to call a "Chinese" day today (that being when a perfectly lovely day gets screwed up due to Chinese bureaucracy). I won't tell you what the Aussies have named it, but we're all convinced that there is indeed a department in China designed only for the purpose of making sure things do NOT run smoothly (because of course, more jobs can be created when things are screwed up!!).
Anyway, back to Randy's day. He's been asked to travel to Brazil with the first shipment of parts from Shanghai to Brazil where they are to be assembled (at least some of them .... quite the international vehicle we'll have here once it's been fashioned properly). His flight has been arranged for next Wednesday. As of late yesterday, it became clear to us that more than a current US passport was necessary for traveling to Brazil. There needs to be immunizations (please reread Randy's report of his health check for obtaining his residency here in China approximately a year ago and his needle phobia), visas must be obtained, new photos shot, etc ... events that normally require two weeks to accomplish. A real rigmarole. Not to be daunted (and one accomplishes not much here without true determination of objective and a healthy dose of optimism), he struck out early for the Brazilian consulate this morning. I've had a few phone calls detailing the adventure of his day.
The Brazilian consulate does not open until 9:30 (maybe that's how they do business in Brazil). Once inside, everything seemed to go OK for the visa until they realized that the visa pages of his passport were full (yes, the man gets around). So, before the Brazilian end of the situation could be completed, they sent him off to the American consulate to rectify his passport situation. When he arrived at the American consulate, the consulate was closed today, but another location was doing business (we have TWO in Shanghai???), so he struck out for that part of town. The second location is currently closed for lunch, but will open in an hour or so. The good news is that it is located in the French concession so Randy will get to have amazing French food for lunch today!
Oh, well. Such is life in Shanghai. One must approach everything here with an open mind and a sense of adventure ... you never know what life will hand you in this neck of the woods!!
Suely and Marcio have traveled to Australia this week to check out a possible career move for Marcio, leaving me to walk solo for a few days. As I headed out Tuesday morning, I greeted my Australian friend, Toni, who was putting two of her three kids on a school bus. She extended an offer to keep me company on my walk later this week before heading out for her usual jog (something I would NEVER attempt with my "old lady" knees). Shortly after that, I saw the owner of Bubba's Texas Roadhouse getting into his driver's van, and he waved at me. Our downstairs neighbor, Mike (Pittsburgh), strolled past me on his way out for his daily walk to his office which is very near here, and he smiled, "Good morning!" to me. The Finnish contingent was out herding a group of tow headed cherubs onto buses, and all greeted me with smiling faces. Phil Hu (my Mandarin instructor and Tai Chi colleague) and his wife, Tan, were just heading out for a game of tennis waving warmly at me. Rounding the corner for the backstretch, I happened upon Brian, a newly arrived American who is here along with his wife, Erica, and their two kids, yakking on his mobile waiting for his driver. I smiled and waved, and he paused his conversation long enough to yell, "Good morning, Roxanne!" I particularly enjoyed this exchange as Brian looks like a cross between Brad Pitt and Matt Damon (well, to be honest, Erica could be a model as well). As I made my turn into the driveway of our building, our neighbor directly above us in our apartment building was out with his beautiful dog. These neighbors are Chinese, and do not seem to speak any English. The dog is pure white, and I don't know his name or breed. Probably a Husky or Samoyed or something like that. Anyway, I greet my canine neighbors whenever possible and "Whitey" is particularly friendly ... seems to remember me and enjoys a back and ear scratch when it's offered.
I went back into my building to get my Tai Chi sword and prepare for class. At that moment, I remembered how I felt when we'd first arrived in Shanghai. I was scared to death to go outside the apartment, and I remember Randy encouraging me daily to go outside for a while. It almost felt like a dreaded chore to force myself to leave the apartment. Nothing was familiar, the entire atmosphere of strangeness was profound to the point of surrealism punctuated by the constant thought, "I can't believe I'm in CHINA!!" Sometime between then and now, I'd started yakking with girlfriends, waving at acquaintances, petting the neighborhood animals during my morning walk. It doesn't feel strange at all anymore .... not like "home" exactly, but definitely the essence of belonging has settled into my bones. I am now part of a community. It's a good feeling. I feel incredibly lucky to be having this experience.
Last week after Tai Chi, one of the Chinese ladies approached Toni and me. Phil translated for us, and we were told that they'd really like us to join the choir that they had recently organized in our complex. Well, I'd heard about the choir, and being a musician and somewhat accomplished singer, I'd considered it. But two things remained obstacles for me: they were singing completely in Mandarin (and memorization was mandatory), and I was convinced that they probably sounded like a room full of cats in heat (I know this sounds cruel, but some of the traditional Chinese music doesn't sound like something even made by a human voice to me). I'm not a snob, but if I couldn't stand to listen to it, I wasn't sure I wanted to be a PART of it. Toni, bless her heart, can't carry a tune in a bucket. We looked at each other skeptically. Well, you couldn't fault them for their sincerity or tenacity. They wore us down and we agreed we'd be at rehearsal that evening. In the meantime, Phil (who is also singing) agreed to help us with the Mandarin. And the Chinese in this compound are always SO delighted to have non-Asians as part of their groups, you can't help but smile. Some of us call ourselves the "unpaid monkeys" because we are constantly having our photos snapped during the dances and various events in which we participate. We know for a fact that our likenesses are being used in video tapes and brochures to sell and lease apartments to other expats .... "See!! Look at all the other expats having a really GOOD time in our apartment complex! Never mind that it's the same three non-Asian people in ALL the photos .... they are having FUN!!" Toni's husband, Simon, hopes to sue somebody for copyright infringement someday and make a bundle!!
Unbeknownst to me, Suely had also been approached about the choir and, although she isn't a trained singer, agreed to participate. She and I showed up together for rehearsal. There were about 40 of us in the room. The piece selected is called The Motherland, and is being prepared for a performance on October 28th at the Shanghai Gymnastics Arena as part of the national observances going on all month (October seems to be National Month ... the 5 year National Party Congress took place this month and that was a big deal too). Phil was able to email us renditions of the music, and it is a beautiful work of music. There is apparently another group of approximately the same size with whom we will combine for the performance.
I am definitely eating my words now about the room full of cats and all. They all seem to have lovely, trained voices. The conductor is adept and passionate, also having a great voice, and the accompanist is an accomplished young man who can really make a piano sing as well. Quite a nice surprise!! Now if I can memorize the Mandarin, we'll be all set. I find myself hoping that the group continues to meet and sing together even after the performance of the 28th.
Sword Tai Chi is well under way, and I am enjoying that a lot, although I have to say that we are probably more a danger to ourselves than any imagined opponent. In fact, the danger may lie in the location of our class. We are currently meeting outside behind the management building of our complex in the garden area. Today, as we were concentrating on a dramatic lunge move, I heard a loud WHAM behind me. At first, I thought it sounded like a gunshot, but as I turned around to check Phil who was directly behind me, Hanoon (a Singaporean expat) exclaimed, "A kiwi!!" Sure enough, someone had thrown a kiwi from one of the higher story apartment balconies behind us. Phil had missed being struck by mere centimeters, and would surely have been injured had that happened. I was quite surprised by the force with which the object hit the pavement (something about velocity and all that .... I barely passed high school physics .... barely!), and one of the Chinese women called management to complain that we were becoming targets for culinary missiles today. I was amazed that a management person and several security people showed up immediately and began a search for the "shooter." I'm not sure how they thought they would find the offender, but it will be interesting to see what they tell us tomorrow.
Randy is having what we have come to call a "Chinese" day today (that being when a perfectly lovely day gets screwed up due to Chinese bureaucracy). I won't tell you what the Aussies have named it, but we're all convinced that there is indeed a department in China designed only for the purpose of making sure things do NOT run smoothly (because of course, more jobs can be created when things are screwed up!!).
Anyway, back to Randy's day. He's been asked to travel to Brazil with the first shipment of parts from Shanghai to Brazil where they are to be assembled (at least some of them .... quite the international vehicle we'll have here once it's been fashioned properly). His flight has been arranged for next Wednesday. As of late yesterday, it became clear to us that more than a current US passport was necessary for traveling to Brazil. There needs to be immunizations (please reread Randy's report of his health check for obtaining his residency here in China approximately a year ago and his needle phobia), visas must be obtained, new photos shot, etc ... events that normally require two weeks to accomplish. A real rigmarole. Not to be daunted (and one accomplishes not much here without true determination of objective and a healthy dose of optimism), he struck out early for the Brazilian consulate this morning. I've had a few phone calls detailing the adventure of his day.
The Brazilian consulate does not open until 9:30 (maybe that's how they do business in Brazil). Once inside, everything seemed to go OK for the visa until they realized that the visa pages of his passport were full (yes, the man gets around). So, before the Brazilian end of the situation could be completed, they sent him off to the American consulate to rectify his passport situation. When he arrived at the American consulate, the consulate was closed today, but another location was doing business (we have TWO in Shanghai???), so he struck out for that part of town. The second location is currently closed for lunch, but will open in an hour or so. The good news is that it is located in the French concession so Randy will get to have amazing French food for lunch today!
Oh, well. Such is life in Shanghai. One must approach everything here with an open mind and a sense of adventure ... you never know what life will hand you in this neck of the woods!!
posted by Roxanne Gillett at
9:48 PM
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