I AM TIRED

1.5 million people. The population of a small country, and expected number of visitors at the Expo tomorrow.

1 Million Visitors, Cute Babies, and 老朋友

Quick updates on what's happened since my last blog post:

The Expo hit a record high of 1 million visitors on Saturday, October 16. Check out the sudden spike on the graph.
http://en.expo2010.cn/yqkl/index.htm

Volunteered at an orphanage dedicated to cleft lip and palate babies today. It was a sobering and rewarding experience. Shanghai Healing Home, link below.
http://jamieweidner.squarespace.com/

Friend from home Henry is currently in town visiting. I am now using him to translate bits and pieces of Shanghai-nese I hear but cannot understand. Friend I met in Taiwan last year Sam also visited recently. It's always nice to see familiar faces.

Between collecting data at the Shanghai Library, planning my trip to Thailand, and thinking about how I already miss Shanghai, I wonder about the identity of this city post-Expo. Shanghai has been enmeshed in Expo-ness, figuratively and literally. How odd will it be for the average Shanghai-nese to see Haibao in every corner of your life--on the subway, in the alley you live, as a nicely shaped shrub around the city--on a daily basis one day, and have him be gone, erased, wiped out the next? The government gets things done quickly--pushing forth the retirement of Haibao and associated propaganda will probably not be an exception. And then the larger philosophical question: what happens to Shanghai post-Expo? The city has centered around planning and executing this tremendous event for years now, and now that it's coming to a close I feel like it's almost inevitable that the city remakes itself or goes through an identity crisis. Maybe I've gone a little too "native"; after all, a good part of the world doesn't care for or experience any impact of the Expo on their own lives. But Shanghai, revolving around Better City, Better Life, will now become ____________. Talk about a serious mad libs game.

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.

Weirdest Encounter Ever

I went to People's Square yesterday in search of some wearable autumn clothes. The weather has taken a turn for the better. I never thought I would say this about rainy and gloomy weather since I am usually a sun-loving girl but it is definitely a better alternative than death by humidity. Anyway, I ran into the strangest pervert outside of Raffles City and I don't know why I talked to him for so long. I guess I found it entertaining. I was walking outside when a guy handed me a magazine in shrink wrap. I took it at first thinking it was free but my next reaction was that something probably had to come out of it so I immediately handed it back to him. It's free! he said. I looked skeptically at him and slowly took it back. He quickly finished.

You just have to register your name and then it's yours.

Before I could refuse his friend appeared and whisked me off. Where are we going? I kept asking him as we walked into an alley. Luckily I recognized where I was and there were people around so I wasn't worried about anything happening. I couldn't understand what he was saying but he asked me questions like where are you from? Are Americans really as open as Hollywood makes them out to be (after he found out where I was from)? How old are you? Then he told me I should get married in Shanghai and return to my roots. Do you want me to introduce you to someone? He has a really good job in the Shanghai government and he's an eligible bachelor! We finally ended up at this dimly lit facial spa on the second floor of a mall. Once I walked in I knew it was shady business so I immediately turned around and said BYE.

He proceeded to follow me out the door and said wait! I'll show you where the exit is. I told him since he had lied to me once there was no way I was listening to him again, but he did indeed lead me outside to where we came in. I thought that was the end of things but then he put his arm around my waist and asked me the weirdest thing I have ever been asked in my life.

Can we pretend to be a couple?

NO! What the hell?

Come on, it'll be fun.

Are you that desperate to have a girlfriend that you need to play pretend games?

You've never been with a Chinese guy right? You should try one out so you can compare.

By this point I was thoroughly entertained (and mildly creeped out) so I decided to see where it would go. Sometime before this exchange he also said I was pretty but had bad skin and he could show me where to go to fix it.

So we eventually made our way to Nanjing Dong Lu where along the way he kept trying to hold my arm and put his hand on my waist. I combated his attempts by moving and pushing his arm away. When we found a place to sit down we chatted a little. Highlights include him asking me if I ever had a one-night stand, and if I would like to have one with him, me asking him if he was gay because he talked quite effeminately, to which he responded no and showed me his normal talking voice (which did indeed sound like a straight guy), him describing his job as a bartender and being in movies with Nicholas Tse, sleeping with Carina Lau, and criticizing different parts of my body then immediately proceeding to tell me he could recommend me to a place that could resolve my "issues": gym for my stomach fat, salon for my dry hair, exercising my chest to acquire some cleavage, and so on. At the end he asked if we could kiss and I said no. He kept persisting and finally I got up to leave. He then settled with a hug but tried to cop a feel when we pulled back.
Through all this I should have been severely offended. I did find parts of it unbelievable. But generally I found it all very amusing. It was probably because I kept thinking he was gay even after he asserted he was not. That was just the vibe he gave me. It was a very long and useless solicitation on his behalf. He would have been cute if he wasn't such a 大色狼.

Wowza. Roughly T-1 month until the Expo ends. Where did the time go? I really am not ready to go back to life in the States...

A Tour of Europe

I finally had some time to visit other pavilions on the Pudong side, which I hadn’t done for a good while because of work and other stuff keeping me busy. I did a partial tour of some European pavilions until my legs decided they did not want to walk any longer. It was an enjoyable and insightful experience. Working in the same routine day after day, you obviously become used to the way things are run at your own pavilion. I was curious about how other pavilions run logistics at their venues and how it compared. I also tried to put myself in tourist shoes and compare the experiences of other pavilions with what goes on at the good ol’ US of A. Here is a brief recap of my impressions of the pavilions I visited today.

Russia Pavilion

Very Alice in Wonderland. Giant flowers, vegetables, and mushroom-like houses. It would be trippy if you were on something. On the first floor there were also displays of Russia’s nuclear fuel capabilities and current state-led developments in this issue area. Interesting but no coherent theme.

The Netherlands Pavilion

Otherwise known as Happy Street. The pavilion is outdoors and made to resemble a giant apartment with different living units—kitchen, living room, etc with scattered exhibits of random stuff, like a 3D image of a crystal dress and a floating rock. You had to peer through eye-sized holes for many of these exhibits. No coherent theme either.

The UK Pavilion



It looks exactly like the design concept image. Hands down my favorite pavilion tonight and in my opinion probably the most interesting one in the entire Expo, just because it completely fits in with the theme of sustainability and better environmental practices. It’s like the Doomsday seed vault, with each individual rod containing a different seed. But the reason I thought it was cool was because I didn’t have to wait in line. If I was a regular tourist and had to wait 3 hours to walk into a single room with no content inside except for the rods holding all the seeds I think I’d be pretty upset. There was nothing introducing the UK as a country. Sustainability and public diplomacy aren’t mutually exclusive.

France Pavilion

Beautiful and tastefully done, like the impression I have of the country. It made me want to visit even more. At the end there was a strange abstract performance with a Chinese lady prancing around with a Louis Vuitton bag with the company’s signature print in the background pouring imaginary diamonds into a trunk. The Chinese tourists ate it up. Way to fuel their frenzy to consume outrageously priced luxury goods.
*Insert shameless self-promotion here. An article I wrote for USC US-China Today a while back about luxury goods consumption in China.
http://www.uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?luxury_brands_focus_on_china_14057.aspx
I was also going to buy my friend some French tea until I realized each box was over 40 US dollars each. Then I put that shit down.

Germany Pavilion

Impressive. Large space, interactive features, and a good balance of national promotion and environmental sustainability. Pretty neat and dramatic “energy source” show at the end as well.

Spain Pavilion


Ok, sorry, but all I can remember about this pavilion is their GIANT CREEPY BABY. At the beginning there are bones hanging from the ceiling, you walk through giant screens introducing Spanish culture and lifestyle and then you come to a part where babies are saying “hola.” I thought that was cute until I ran into the baby. Its foot was bigger than me. It repetitively blinks and smiles painfully in slow motion while bubbles float and pop around it.

Not to sound cheesy but after visiting these pavilions I realized that the one thing the USA Pavilion has that the ones I visited don’t is human interaction. What we lack in technological sophistication we make up for with friendly bantering, offbeat joke-telling, and in some cases, amateur dancing. As a student ambassador it had been repeated to us that we were the “not-so-secret” weapon of the USA Pavilion but I dismissed it as something said to make us feel more important than we really are. I realized it’s pretty true…visitors may remember Spain for its giant creepy baby and Germany for its mesmerizing “energy source” performance, but for some who visited the USA Pavilion, they might just remember an entertaining conversation they had with an American in broken Chinese while waiting at the turnstiles...

Update post on JA China event to come soon!

My Mother's Messages

One thing I love about being abroad is that despite being thousands of miles away from home, I can still feel my mother's love. Instead of nagging and probing, it takes on the form of grammatically offensive and emoticon-filled emails. Different medium of expression, same abundance of affection.

Mon, Aug 9. 1.46 PM


Wed, Aug 11. 1.04 PM


Mon, Aug 30. 8.22 AM
*She titled this one 'Brandy's foot'.


I miss the parentals when I'm not talking to them, yet when I do I can't wait to get away from their incessant questions, especially my dad. When I help out with the cell phone game in Act III I look at all those middle aged people my parents' age and suddenly they don't seem so annoying anymore. I feel especially delighted when old ladies and men break into expressions of joy at the successful sending of a text message. I don't know if anyone feels that same sort of affinity to the Chinese tourists. Probably not, especially if you saw how aggressive and pushy these people are, but I'm weird. I really don't mind...the interactions are enjoyable.

No Words

5. That's the number of articles that come up in a New York Times news search when I type in 'Pakistan'. Pitiful. Embarrassed to admit it myself, I only vaguely remember a flood happening in some part of the world recently. But the floods that have hit Pakistan this time have left 20 million people homeless, 1 in 8 people being impacted. I didn't realize the magnitude of the disaster until I googled it myself. Even then coverage of it on news channels was nothing but sad. Donations have been paltry, not hitting half--actually not even one fourth--of the assistance that was given to Haiti. Are there so many of us now that the easiest thing to do when other fellow humans are suffering is to turn a blind eye? Or not even know that it happened?

Huffington Post blog on the Pakistan floods:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/parvez-ahmed/urgency-and-creativity-ne_b_706620.html

If pictures are worth a thousand words let this be a sobering reminder:
http://niceguycordero.tumblr.com/post/1093467526/karmahasutra-yes-those-babies-are-lying-on

Sadly I think the last time people genuinely felt the most compassion for each other was when we were still living in hunter-gatherer tribes and what was more important were our commonalities with one another, rather than our differences.