China Day 2—Shanghai

What a wonderful place this is, although severely different from what we know. This morning was a whirlwind, and it was excitement at every turn! Justin, Liz, and I met for early breakfast in the hotel, then Justin and I headed to the train station to buy our tickets to Nanjing for the evening. It's good that we did because the trains fill up, and we could have been left standing or, even worse, without train tickets. We got back as fast as we could, then we all headed to church, which was only a short walk from the Lonyang Rd. Station.

The English ward meets in a conference center in a giant circular room inside a glass walled rotunda. It was a fun place to meet, even though it felt like we were going to hotel instead of to church. There are two English branches that meet there, and they actually rent out a section of rooms all the time so they have classroom space, nursery, storage, etc. We were late, but arrived for the sacrament, which is excellent, although we were still standing in the back as they passed it around. We only stayed for the first meeting, but it was one of the most wonderful church experiences I've ever had. In China, foreigners cannot attend church with natives, nor can they discuss religion across national lines. We found a group of people, probably about a hundred, that were all in Shanghai under different circumstances, for different reason, and from all parts of the world, including other Asian nations. As I sat there listening to each one bear testimony, I had a keen sense that these people needed one another more than any other group I've ever met with. They had no family close by, no lifelong friends, none of the bonds that provide support and stability for a life. It was truly a modern example of "strangers in a strange land," and I felt like together we answered the question, "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" I felt more loved, accepted, and needed than I have in any other ward or branch I've ever attended.

Many of the families were there because they had started business or worked with exporting businesses, and the financial situation has become very difficult for many of them. As it was the first Sunday of the month, the war joined together in a unit fast for the financial situation of the ward, and their faith was strong; I could feel it. They bore testimony of the power of the fast, both in their current circumstance, and in experiences past. They were humble, kind, and loving, and while many of them expressed an inability to comprehend why they were in Shanghai, they all simultaneously expressed comfort knowing that the Lord was with them, watching and caring for them in their special circumstances.

After the meeting we changed clothes, gave Jaime a fresh diaper, and set out for more Shanghai adventure. We returned to the shopping market, and had a marvelous time interacting with shop keepers, haggling over prices and finding all kinds of little somethings with which to remember the trip. We had checked out of the hotel, so everywhere we went, we pulled along our little suitcases and expressed continual gratitude that we had not brought larger ones. The market was busy, full of people, both natives and foreigners, and quickly learned to say "Duo shao," (how much?) and "Bu yao" (we don't want that.) Justin was a master negotiator, and we were grateful to have him on our side. We had planned to see a temple and some gardens while we were out, but time flew away from us, and we ended up just leisurely making our way back to the station for our train. We enjoyed some food here and there along the way, and Liz learned that noodles are fine, but dumplings are her heart's delight. She even bought her own from a vendor without Justin translating; she's a rock star.



We stopped for a real dinner, and enjoyed four trays of dumplings, and this time each one had a little brothy soup in them. Exciting and messy to be sure, but definitely delicious as well. I also enjoyed the "tea tree meat mushroom smells like urine noodles." They were great, although the mushrooms were a little tough. It did smell a little funny, but I wouldn't have chosen urine as the representative title. Weird.



The train was an awesome adventure. Let me rephrase: the train STATION was an awesome adventure. I felt like I was in a refugee camp, there were so many people shoulder to shoulder in there. Of course, it was Sunday night, the end of the weekend, and everyone was heading to wherever they needed to be for the week. There was plenty of jostling and pushing, but, fortunately I could see over almost everyone, and Justin was easy to spot ahead. Tall has its advantages. Both Liz and I fell asleep while waiting for the hour-delayed train, then slept most of the way to Nanjing as well. It had been a long day, and our bodies were feeling it. We finally got back to Justin and Jodi's apartment around 11:30 and settle in. We have a little room to ourselves, and they even bought us a mattress so we didn't have to sleep right on the bed frame.



Some things I've learned in Shanghai during the first couple of days:

1. They love babies. Jodi wasn't kidding.
2. They are, on the whole, a very kind culture.
3. While they are kind, don't get in the way when entering or exiting the metro. Or waiting in "line."
4. Skinny jeans are for everyone.
5. Hair product is extremely important.
6. If you're going to learn one English word, it should be "hello" It means so many things, like "Hello," "look here," "don't walk away," "I love your baby," "welcome to this foreign land," and "I'm sure we can agree on a cheaper price,"
7. The metro isn't quite tall enough for me. I had a few head bumps, and even more close calls.



8. It's OK, even preferred, to have the Statue of Liberty outlined in rhinestones on the back of your black pleather jacket.
9. Children are a real scarcity. In all our travels around the city we encountered only a handful of native children. What would the world be like without cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews?
10. Abortion is illegal, yet somehow there is still a staggering inequality of males to females. Learning the sex of your baby is also illegal. Everyone still wants a son, and they'll what they have to do to get it.
11. Public transit is my new favourite thing in the whole world. The Shanghai metro system is only 15 years old, but it's the fastest and fastest growing in the world. It's amazing.
12. It's OK to stare. And to spit phlegm wherever you want.

We're excited for our week in Nanjing. I think Justin and Jodi are excited to show us around as well, since Justin keeps asking us if we prefer R&R or adventure. I'm leaning toward adventure.