Monday we had class. Monday night is buy one, get one free at bluefrog, which is a popular American restaurant throughout China. These things are huge, so a group of us got together and grabbed some burgers! This is a picture of me, Rochelle, and Jeremy happily enjoying our bluefrog. They were playing soccer games on the television, so our friend Fito, was torn on whether to take this picture or risk missing a goal...
Tuesday, we had a field trip to an art gallery. My professor asked me how much I guessed one painting cost, and silly me -- believing that nothing in China should cost more than 300 kuai -- guessed $3,000 USD. I sensed that I was falling into a trap. However, I didn't realize how big the trap was until my professor told me that it was going for $10 million USD. A lady, a bull, and some chicken scratch... go figure! However, the professor remarked that the value had increased greatly due to the artist's untimely death. Art that increases in value due to tragedy, not just chinese phenomenon.
After the field trip, Jeremy and I went shopping for gear for our pending Chinese New Year trips. Jeremy and a crew are headed to Harbin, China which is in the very NORTH of China. Harbin is famed for its ice festival, which boasts many castles carved from ice. Jeremy & gang also plan to go snowboarding up there... should be great, but wayy to cold for me. Plus, I've seen a similar festival in Quebec. One can only see so many ice castles if you know what I mean. You gotta hand it to them. This thing does look really cool.
However, I needed a jacket that isn't a peacoat. Though fashionable, peacoats are not suitable for hiking. Jeremy need scarves and snow pants. So we headed to the Shanghai Science & Technology Museum... subway station.
Surprisingly in the basement of the subway station, there is the equivalent to a giant fake goods mall. I have developed quite an eye for fake goods, and these were among some of the best quality I have seen. However, better quality means less haggling room. I did end up buying a black Northface jacket. It's a nice jacket, and with a U.S. price tag of around $20, it may be the cheapest jacket I have ever owned.
After a few hours of shopping and haggling, which I have found to be the best way for me to practice my Chinese in a fast-paced environment, Jeremy and I decided to head above ground so that we might see a different part of Shanghai. Pudong, which means, 'East of the [Huang]pu,' is the opposite side that my school is on, and for me, the less explored side. So Jeremy and I wandered over to the Science & Technology Museum, but as it was only about an hour before the museum closed, we decided to save it for another day. Here's a classic Barbs pic for those of you who are interested...
Wednesday I had a full day of classes, so I just walked around with Meredith and Elinor. Yesterday was our first... bad China day. Running around the city as an American in Shanghai, you can really be oblivious to some of the human sides of China. However, yesterday, the city opened up to us and showed us its more desperate side.
When shopping, Meredith was shuffling through her wallet and pulled out a $20 U.S. bill. At the sight of what is the equivalent of about 140 kuai, the woman grabbed the bill and took off running. Meredith chased her down and got the $20 back, but it was a disheartening experience.
Then on the metro, the little boy who works our neighborhood was on our train. Chaperoned by a woman, he was being walked around our train, asking for money. In China, as is common in many developing countries, the beggars here belong to a network organized by a gang of mobsters. The mobsters who run the gang often live plush lifestyles, drive BMWs, live in high rise apartments, etc. However, the people who are at the bottom of the chain often live desperate exsistences. In China, it is common for the gang leaders to maim their beggars, so that they appear more desperate, even when they are women and children.
We have seen women who appear to have had a hammer taken to their knees, a man who is missing both legs, but perhaps the most pitiful is the little boy, who can commonly be found up the street, as we walk to the bank. He is ALWAYS chaperoned. I think they worry he will run off with some of his earnings. A pedestrian can't give money to the children, because they are closely watched and must take back all their earnings to their masters, often the people who harmed them in the first place.
The little boy has had his right eye sewn shut in the most hack-job ever performed. His scars number about 7 and each are about an inch long. It appears that after the initial infliction, the wound was not tended to. The scars show signs of infection, and his eye is permanently swollen. As he stood at my arm, tapping me on the elbow and begging, I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw up. I didn't eat dinner last night. I couldn't.
Perhaps another woman felt the same way. As we got off the train, a woman was wretching her brains out into a garbage can in the metro station. As we made it back to our street, rats scurried into the sewers. Overall it was a rough day, and I missed home for the first time. I woke up this morning and got a ham bao bao from McDonald's.
Tonight, I'm going to get ready for my trip. We have a lot of packing and organizing to do before our 8:30 am train...
Life is busy in the pearl of the Orient. As many of you may know, I am preparing for the Chinese New Year, from which I have a week off of school. My itinerary is jam-packed. I will be traveling with 3 others, Alex, Amanda, and Trent. We also hope to be joined by some other kids from our program at various points throughout our journey. We will be traveling by train to Guilin, by bus to Hong Kong, by train or bus to and from Hainan Island, and finally by plane from Guangzhou to Shanghai. It promises to be an exciting trip.
Widest to smallest lines track our itinerary.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment