Shanghai - Discoveries

Lyrics: I don't want all of it, All I need is a little bit. - Madeleine Peyroux

1.) SEEING THE SIGHTS
The only disappointing aspect of Shanghai is that it is a city to eat and shop well, when what I wanted to do was investigate culture and history. The highlights were the Bund, with its beautiful colonial architecture and impressive Pudong skyline, Nanjing Lu, which is a beautiful street filled with shops and restaurants, and Yu Gardens and Bazaar, and with its breathtaking ancient architecture. I also went to two temples and explored the French Concession, which captivated me with its shaded avenues and European feel. Shanghai is on the whole an incredibly industrialized and cosmopolitan city, but I don’t like shopping and did not have a lot of money to spend on food, so my sources of entertainment were a tad more limited. The people were more interesting than the city in my opinion, particularly because they were as pushy and as unaware of social conduct as I had expected based on my reading. For example, when it is hot, men simple raise their shirts up and wear them as a quarter-shirt, in public, anywhere, completely oblivious to now inappropriate or distasteful that may be. Babies and small children also have holes in the back of their garments so that, at any moment, that can sit down on the street to relieve themselves. In addition, the recycling system seems to hinge on peasants that collect cans and bottles straight from trashcans. I spent a lot of time talking to my students about the political system, their views of the west, the economic and environmental realities of their country, and found that these conversations, more so than the sights, were the most exciting part of my trip. In any case, my picture website shows all of the things I did see, complete with captions!

2.) SING YOUR HEART OUT
I found that I truly enjoy karaoke. I had never really done it before, and in China, each group is put in a separate room, which is very different from American kaeaoke. I did it twice and greatly enjoyed dancing and singing to the point of exhaustion, despite the fact that, as some of you know, my voice leaves a lot to be desired!

3.) TIC
I also discovered that I liked China more than I originally thought I would. Contrary to my expectations, I wasn’t scared off by being an obvious outsider, I didn’t mind traveling into downtown alone, I didn’t care that people stopped around the track when I ran. It’s not that I felt completely at ease – that would be an exaggeration – but for the most part I felt comfortable. I had discovered my Hemingway side, the part that loved to travel and immerse, to look for and conquer, to leap and not see where I was landing. I think I grew to love the adrenaline rush of venturing into a city where I was noticeable, where I couldn’t communicate, couldn’t read. Actually, deprived of some of my sensory information by the language barrier, I believe I became even more aware of other aspects of the culture there. I think that if I learned more Chinese, I would actually consider living in China as opposed to the mild suburban street where most of you picture me :) . I had actually wanted to travel east to see rural life, Tibet, bungee jump at the Tiger Leaping Gorge, but time did not permit such adventures. Hopefully in two summers I’ll be back.

4.) EXPANDING THE PALATE
Chinese food was also incredible. At Fudan University (where we were living), I learned to love all sorts of vegetables that I had never seen before and to not underestimate the healing power of a good watermelon slice. At the nearby restaurants, I had great authentic cuisine. I grew to love red bean paste on my pastries and jasmine in my tea. And from the random street vendors I was brave (or stupid) enough to buy food from, I had incredible noodles and delicious kabobs. Specifically, I craved bao bing, which is a dessert made with crushed ice, evaporated milk, and an assortment of fruits and jams – sold on the street, it costs less than $1 and scares off most tourists because of the ice [you’re not supposed to drink the water in China]. I must admit that I was not incredibly impressed with the meat, which often came with either bone, lard, and/or hair from the original animal. I did, however, become an expert at using chopsticks to pick up even the most wiggly piece of rice or oatmeal! In terms of some of the famous restaurants I went to, look through my pictures…everything is detailed in the captions.

5.) NEEDLE-POKING
In an attempt to do less tourist activities and more genuinely Chinese ones, I dragged John, Eric, and Lisa to a typical Chinese hospital. The building, which looked like it used to be a private residence and was located in the French Concession, did not resemble the huge medical complexes in the US. Eric went off to get a massage for something or other, Lisa agreed to act as our translator, and John, after some prodding, decided to follow my lead and get acupuncture. After an explanation and diagnosis session, we both laid down on our respective tables. The doctor proceeded to stick needles in my wrist – which was my problem area – and all over my arms and legs as part of a preventive healing procedure. Soon, I felt heat flowing through my body. Everything was heavy, I couldn’t really lift my arms, and though I could feel sweat dripping down my back, I felt relaxed. Then came the electric shocks to each needle, which lasted for 20 minutes and were supposed to stimulate the area. When this was over, I was turned onto my stomach. The next procedure was very familiar to me because it’s also a Russian home remedy, but John was growing incredibly nervous. It consists of applying a series of glass cans – which have just been heated by inserting a flame inside of them – onto your back. Because they have just been exposed to heat, the oxygen is sucked out of them and they adhere to the skin, twisting it up. The idea is to remove toxins from the body – the darker the color of the circle is once the can is removed, the more toxins you had in your body. I, much to my relief, had barely anything! All in all, I was happy with our brush with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), though half the other Seminar Leaders were worried we would get Hep A. I should also mention that my wrist hasn’t given me any trouble after this session; whether this is a psychological effect or a legitimate realignment of my energy flow, I cannot tell, but I am willing to put my faith in those little filiform needles.

6.) SAYING NO TO DRUGS I will not go at length into this story because it’s a bit too crazy to write down. It's a typical "How the hell did Natalia get herself in that situation" story. It should suffice to say that one of the three nights I went out during my six-weeks in China, I had an encounter with Shanghai’s dark underbelly. A very large group of us had gone to an English pub to celebrate the end of HSYLC and, after spending quite some time there, headed off to another club to dance. Within the first half hour of being there, Nick had found a young guy from California who had been living in Shanghai for six years and had started his own club-promoting business. He seemed nice enough, so when he invited a bunch of us up to the VIP section with his friends, we all agreed it was safe to go. We danced the night away and everything seemed to be going perfectly well, until we got to talking about: (a) their addiction to cocaine and (b) their purchase of large quantities of Special K at a nearby club. The only redeeming aspect of this conversation was that they were being very calm and honest with us about their lifestyle, the choices they felt compelled to make in the club promotion business, and how surreal Shanghai’s drug scene has become in the last couple of years. We heard about silver platters covered in Ketamine, prostitutes lining up by the dozen inside some of the most popular clubs in the city, and crazy tattoo parties, among other things. I, the Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisor, got lectured on the negative aspects of drug addiction by people who were clearly neither sober nor clean. And then, THEN, they busted out THE crystal meth and proceeded to smoke it. From all I could remember from high school health class and DAPA training at Harvard, I knew this was not the best situation to be in, but I could not resist seeing how these young, seemingly successful and driven people accept this lifestyle as normal and conform completely to something that, at least to me, seemed so completely surreal. And so, though I obviously did not partake in any of their activities, I spent the night learning, from personal accounts, about Shanghai’s drug usage. It was an unwise decision, yes. It was driven by curiosity and a certain risk-taking mentality that could have gotten me into a lot of trouble, especially since I was completely unwilling to join in any of their behaviors, but in the end, I was rewarded by learning a lot, both about these interesting and very kind individuals, as well as the way that drugs are present in Chinese culture.

7.) DISCRIMINATION IS A NO, BARGAINING IS A YES.
We were turned away from a hotel because they did not have a tourist permit. The pollution was oppressive. I bargained for everything and loved it. They sell tea, bottled, in every flavor, size, temperature - my paradise. There is too much American fast food everywhere. There are over 20 Starbuckses in Shanghai. Drivers have no respect for traffic laws. I bought a beautiful jade bracelet. I tried running, but the pollution and heat were too hard on my lungs.

Shanghai - SATP

Lyrics: Whisper words of wisdom, let it be - The Beatles

The first part of my time in Shanghai consisted of two weeks of teaching a group of 80 high school students how to properly take the SAT Verbal section. I had three classes, each lasting an hour and a half, followed by hours of one-on-one counseling. Though I thought that I would be too shy or selfish to be a good teacher, I found myself excited, talkative, and completely devoted to my students before the first class was over. The freedom we had to design our own curriculums provided a welcome outlet for all of my energy, and I spent hours after my counseling was over searching for things to photocopy, writing up questions and examples. In class, my main goal was to keep the students interested enough to actually take in the information, so no single day was a repetition of the previous lesson. We usually started off with a quiz of the previous vocabulary, followed by an introduction of the vocabulary, an overview of the SAT questions I had assigned the day before, an assignment involving a passage reading, and then, a completely different activity. Sometimes we had games of charades against other classes, or debates, or literary analysis. I gave them short stories, news articles, scientific readings, seeking desperately to prepare them for different kinds of writing styles. All the while, I tried to make jokes, act out my vocabulary explanations, and call on the students often so as to keep them involved. I tried to be creative in my assignments, and as glad as the students seemed to be, I think I was even happier to be making the experience good for them. My favorite moment came after having a debate on bilingual education in the United States. We were heading upstairs to use the computers for the next class’s assignment (to write out SAT style questions about an brief article of their choice to quiz each other)….I found myself in a crowded elevator, surrounded by students who were still ardently debating, in English, their positions on bilingual education. I was so incredibly touched. I think I must have breathed a loud sigh of relief at that point because, even if their SAT scores didn’t improve, I had taught them something, I had helped them think in a bit of a different way.

The greatest aspect of this program was that we got to know the students very well over the two weeks. I was a harsh critic of their college essays, I met with them after class, I sat with them at lunch, I saw them in the office. All of us lived on the same campus and walked around the same premises. There were also only 8 teachers for all three sections, so we also became close as we worked together. The students became permanent fixtures by the copy machine while the teachers waited to photocopy their materials, they asked about our lives and we asked about theirs. I grew to know who liked basketball, who played badminton, who loved Plato, and who had invented their own Sudoku notebook. I can only hope that those two weeks were as great for my students as getting to know and help them was for me. I should mention that they did take pictures of us in the middle of class, and say funny things that were translated literally from Chinese, and stalk us in our rooms to go over their essays for the 15th time, but overall, they were great. I had expected a group of shy, well-behaved Chinese high school students, and to a certain extent, that is what I got. But I also got a group of colorful individuals who had varied opinions on topics from the westernization of their cities, to the Chinese educational system, to Taiwan and Tibet. The students were incredibly self-aware and, although stuck in a society that looks at success as a formula, were open to my ideas about creativity, the pursuit of individuality, and the blessings hidden in surprises. Interestingly enough, listening to myself speak to my students, I heard what I needed to hear myself.

Note: I also referred to my students as "babies," which they all found hilarious as soon as they heard me saying things like, "My babies were so good today" or "I have my babies reading Virginia Woolf for tomorrow" or the occasional "My babies SO beat your babies at charades today!!!!"

Thank Yous

Simply put, I started this blog because I will be away and want my friends and family to know where I am and what I am doing, and because I don’t want to loose touch as I search, and hopefully, find. But unlike my usual rush, this time I will stop to think, to admire, to be humbled by what I find and thankful for what I see. And so, comes the time to give thanks, partly to the days that have kept coming with complete indifference to my health, state of mind, questions, desired pauses, and partly to the people that have caused the incessant pressing of time to always be filled with more smiles than frowns.

Thank you to Jorge, Trevor, and Nancy, who came every time and held together, bolstered, patched up what they found. To Anesha and Brodie, who called and listened and pushed from thousands of miles away. To Kathryn Grace, who didn’t try to fix or alleviate or excuse or solve. To Becky, whose “kick your ass into gear” logic came at the right time, all the damn time. To Samere, who came to the Quad, who burst into the Jamaican accent on cue, who spoke calmly and earnestly. To Anna F, who recognized and was wise, and Anna L, who asked insistent questions about my health and trekked from the river to remind me that she still saw and recognized me in me. To Chine, whose mere presence was good, but whose genuine care and laughter and desire to see the world were contagious. To Chris Beavers (and everyone else at work), who was incredibly fun. To Emily, who tolerated and embraced without asking. To Crystal, who was unwavering in looking ahead. To Joanna, who always gave me the space to find my own answers. To Masha, who told me to pray and Krystel, who said “God gives you what you need, not what you want.” To Marc, who sat and shared in the University School parking lot for an hour about the world’s mad logic that, in the end, makes us all laugh. To Marcelo, who was there every single time without fail, and who reminded me how much I truly love to dance. To Seb, who bore my adventures and just shook his head at my insanity. To Alexis, who distracted and moved forward and spoke straight to the point. To Tara and Masha, who accompanied me on climbing adventures and catalyzed discoveries. To Janet, who laughed loudly at everything and made me laugh loudly too. To Carly, who talked, mused, and pondered with me on the water, in the water, at the beach, on the boat, in the pool, at the restaurant, and made me believe it was ok to not have all the plans, the answers. To Allie B, who knew what I needed, who came to sit by the side of the Palmetto Expressway after my accident. To Alli D, who lent me her gloves and a lot of laughter during those ice skating sessions. To Lisa, John, Tracy, Nan, Kelley, Nicole, Eric, Gracye, Will, and everyone else who made China and incredible breath of fresh air, and to Alex, who better keep his promise of introducing me to the wonders of CT. To my students, who opened and refreshed and sparked things in surprising ways. To Dr. Cacciola, who said the word "cancer" as casually as you would say "nightstand." To Mrs. Winrow and her English-speaking mother wisdom and humor, to Mr. Daniel and his constant belief, to Bunny and her effervescence, to Mrs. Morris and her encouragement, who all reminded me what I used to want, what I used to believe. To my grandfather, who led a long, rich life and taught me everything I know about growing potatoes, harvesting fruits, and the positive side-effects of carefully-timed, well-implemented stubbornness. To my grandmother who did what she always does best. To my mother, who quenched so many unvoiced thirsts. To my father, who has been, simultaneously, the single strongest pillar and the largest source of joy. To the people who laughed with me and hoped with me and walked with me, thank you so very, very much.

And so, we break and are broken. We loose and are lost. We fight and are fought. And yet we can’t escape each other, and shouldn’t really want to, at least not in the broader sense. There is a certain blissful communality in this world and it is our saving grace. If you stand by a stranger while waiting for the light across the street to change, chances are one of your laments matches up with one of theirs, one of your pains reflects one of their own. Your losses may have been different, but the scars they left can be placed onto each other and, skin to skin, you become equals. We’re all in repair, in some way or other. And at least one or two of your joys will be mirrored in them too, similar and shining in both. You might as well be holding hands, for you’re tied to each other, tethered really, through the ups and the downs, through the mere fact that you think, you feel. I think I’m scaring people by smiling at them in public for no reason, no reason at all other than the fact that I think we’re both blissfully here, in this world of dirt, of war, and hunger (not to trivialize), and we’re just two people who happen to be caught in a moment together. And then we step on and away, to more moments, more strangers, more of everything.

[I wrote this later, but adjusted the posting date so it's first...I think it belongs at the very beginning].