Hodgepodge Update

So, JA China. Even though that event happened eons ago I am still obligated to blog about it since it's pretty important. Even though our kids didn't end up taking any awards home that day I was immensely proud of them. There was a portion of the event called a "green trade show" where teams had to market and try to sell as many products as possible to "clients" who walked around with pretend money. Our kids were ecstatic that they had received 11 orders. These three kids, around 11 and 12, who come from migrant families and have received nowhere close to the quality of education I had growing up, were able to confidently present their product to foreigners--CEO's, and English-only speakers. The team that won Best Sales Award ended up having something close to 26 orders, but if there was an award for sales pitch presentation, these kids would have taken the day.

I love you guys!

To be honest I don't know that the Green Innovation Challenge Event really helped in terms of encouraging kids to develop practical business ideas. I mean, obviously most of the products were unfeasible, so it's not like logistics were relevant at all. It definitely fostered a desire to be entrepreneurial and for young students to be creative thinkers. But at the end of the day reality wins out over idealism and it's really one big competition. Everyone, kids, teachers, and to an extent volunteers alike, all care very much about who emerges victorious. And that's how the real world is. The people with the best ideas, most charismatic personalities, the ability to persuade, those are the ones who will make their way to the top. I'm super happy that my group of kids didn't falter in the face of competition and carried themselves well. They definitely are equipped with the necessary foundation to be able to compete now and in the future. So what's the next volunteer event? Working for Habitat for Humanity, helping to build a house in Pinghu!

News media (except in China) is abuzz with Liu Xiaobo's recent Nobel Peace Prize Award. It's big international news right now, to anyone who cares. Except China. Most ordinary Chinese have no idea Liu is and what just happened, and they probably never will. In fact I found myself wondering how Liu himself even found out he had won the prize, given that he is sitting in a jail cell near Beijing somewhere, isolated from the rest of the world except for occasional visits from his wife. I came across a Globe and Mail article that looks at the issue in a broader context:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/tiananmen-dream-dead-in-one-generation/article1160927/
How much longer will China develop economically before the lid pops off on the bottle titled 'political freedom'?

Three weeks. That's how long we have until the end of the Expo. And there are even less working days left. I'm gripped by a monumental carpe diem attitude right now. I want to do everything that is associated with Shanghai. I haven't even seen a good part of the Expo yet. I love the city, even as it has its flaws. Oftentimes the conversations I enjoy most with tourists are with the local Shanghainese. I wonder how it feels for them to see the pace at which their city has changed and developed. I met a guy here who lives in Tianzifang (田子坊). Imagine if your home was in a place like Universal Citywalk. Or any other place with thousands of tourists a day, walking past your front doorstep, milling around your house, trying to take pictures with you. I would hate it. It's almost as bad as an ant invasion.

I will end my post here for now with something fun and quirky I did in the past few days. Taking studio pictures in China/Taiwan is a must do. To commemorate my fleeting youth I partook in this aesthetics-whoring activity. Teehee. But seriously, when I become old I can show my grandchildren (if I have any) or even my children, that I was not always a wrinkly raisin. Ugh, aging. I'm shuddering just thinking about it.