Passing Time in the Storm

There's a storm warning today. The thunder sounds pretty scary. There might be a typhoon coming.

Yesterday I rode in a makeshift cab to Nanjing Dong Lu with some friends, you know, where there are some seats attached to a motorcycle. It was quite a scary experience. I thought we might die occasionally as we hit bumps in the road and drove so closely to real cabs but we made it.

I'm going to start doing some work for the Pudong Institute for the US Economy on my time off. The director is a PhD interested in US-China Relations and Economics so I'm hoping this will be a rewarding experience.

I can't believe it's the first day of September already. School has started in the States so I feel behind knowing I haven't done any of my work, in addition to knowing I've been here for over a month. I ended my rotation in Protocol and now am working in the trenches. I rather like it. I like Protocol too. It's two different crowds of people I'm dealing with, and both have their pros and cons. 各有所長.

I've decided I'm retiring from the pin trading business. The other day I coerced a volunteer into giving away one of his most precious limited-edition Barcelona lizard pins in addition to two of his other pins for my protocol pin and afterward he looked like he was about to cry. It wasn't a good feeling. I felt like a bully. Over some silly pins at that. So now I'm not trading anymore. I'm only going to take pins people give to me.

Being here in Shanghai, I've talked to a number of people about their viewpoints on general issues like politics, problems in society, the Expo, and so on. I don't know what to make of it. On one hand I feel like a lot of the younger folks I've talked to either don't care or are pretty brainwashed. One person told me he thinks the US invented GDP as a measure to lie to China about how best to achieve economic growth. There are other less sinister impressions people have given. Some people think the Expo is a waste of money and time, some people think it's great for China and its people. But who's actually speaking the truth is unfathomable. That's what happens when you talk to a society of people where the truth is dangerous to reveal.

They Make it Look so Romantic in the Movies

My sister's flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong was this morning at 9 00 AM. I got up and left my apartment at 7 50 thinking that would be enough time to get to the airport to see her off. NO. It wasn't. What ended up happening was me huffing and puffing up stairs and escalators to arrive at the departure terminal and discover (although I already knew when I got off the subway at 9 17) that her flight had taken off. Plus I was sweating a storm. How does the person in the movies and dramas always manage to narrowly catch their lover at the airport to confess their feelings or tell them not to leave? And look good doing it? URBAN MYTH!!!

Hypochondria

When you work with literally thousands of people each day it's only a matter of time before you get sick. I am no exception. It could be worse. Some friends have been sick since we've gotten here, some have even been in the hospital because of pneumonia. But I developed this nagging cough and semi-sore throat (feels more like a lump in my throat whenever I swallow) and then today in a matter of hours my left leg swelled up like a balloon due to--and I have narrowed it down to three probable causes--1) an allergic reaction to something, maybe cats I played with on Sunday (why do you think I am not a fan of felines?), 2) a severe reaction to mosquito bites (although I don't think this is likely since I've been bitten before and not experienced anything like this), or 3) bacteria developing from a pedicure I got in the Expo Village (I really hope this is not the case because I think I will throw up). O_o So which one is it? I just want to be healthy! Is that too much to ask for?

Seriously, I blame the aircon in the office. After 7 it becomes exponentially colder, and by the time 10 30 rolls around my brain is frozen so that I can't think anymore. I'm pretty sure other students have had health issues with the aircon as well. Maybe we can unite and demand it be turned down (or kept at an acceptable level).

Anyway, I hope I don't die. Being sick is an anomaly for me (thankfully) and so every time I feel slightly under the weather I can't help but make the situation more severe than it is. But if you saw my leg you'd probably tell me to go see a doctor. I'll post pictures on that later.

Pin Fetish

The last thing I would have imagined encountering here at the Expo is this fundamental craziness for pin collecting. For outsiders who may not understand the pin culture kicking and thriving between Expo employees, a bit of foregrounding should suffice.
At the Expo, there are various pins representing different pavilions, countries, organizations, and themes in general. Many of these pins are traded and collected between Expo employees, including pavilion workers, volunteers, bus drivers, even upper level management. Different pins have different values depending on how sought after they are, how rare they are, and so on and so on. The entire pin trading/collecting dynamic becomes a big bargaining process, not unlike shopping in the streets of Shanghai. More often than not it's not just a one-for-one deal. 2 pins for 1. 5 pins for 2. 3 pins for 6. You get the idea. It's all subjective to a certain extent. Different pins are of different worth and significance to different people. The craze with which this phenomenon has hit people is remarkable. It's gotten to a point where I try not to wear my badge when I don't have to (the lanyard holds the pins people own, like a trophy around their necks) because I see glints and stares out of the corner of my eye. I for one do not care for pin trading since there are none that I so covet. I mean, I'm more than happy to take a pin when someone offers it, but there's never a pin that warrants me approaching someone in order to initiate a trade. Bleh.

Since taking this photo my pin collection has grown through people's generosity.

USA Pavilion pins.

On another note, there are tidbits of California that I miss. I miss driving and my car. I miss the nice balance between suburbia and urban-ness (though ONLY at times--am I really admitting this?) I miss great weather. Oh, the mild, pleasurable climate that only LA can harbor. I miss Chipotle. I miss my family. I miss clubbing with my girls. I miss shopping in malls with rows of recognizable labels and clothes I'm fashionably comfortable with wearing. I miss wasting hours playing Big 2 and drinking milk tea. I miss having private space, namely a bubble around me that people usually don't penetrate that is violated here the second I step into any public area. I could go on and on because there are tons of things I miss, but right now there's no other place I'd rather be than here. It's proven to be an awesome experience so far.

New SEZ in China and Haibao's Market Power

The Chinese government is planning to make Kashgar in the Xinjiang region a special economic zone. The move is probably as much, if not more so, political than economic.
http://www.eeo.com.cn/ens/Politics/2010/07/23/176357.shtml

Tidbits
I find myself slowly losing English language ability even as it has been a week since I landed in Shanghai.

I think our apartment has very thin ceilings because I constantly hear running water when someone upstairs turns on the faucet. But that beats a few days ago when every 5 seconds there was a thump-thump-thump-thump sound in its place.

I think 海寶 is starting to grow on me. I used to think he was one ugly creature but his pervasive presence in the city forces me to take multiple good looks at him...and I suppose he's kind of endearing. Maybe he should stay a permanent mascot for Shanghai. It would make sense to leave all the 海寶-shaped bushes and posters intact rather than tearing them down once the Expo is over. I'm tempted to send 海寶 memorabilia to family and friends back in the States, but they'd probably be like WTF? What is this thing? But he's popular here. Loads of people are walking around carrying the signature 海寶 plush doll. 50 RMB!


海寶 says bye bye for now.

Here We Go

Let's see how long I can keep this up. Blogging about adventures in China is hard when one must simultaneously be out making adventures. In the 6 days I've been here, I've visited the following pavilions:
USA
Kazakhstan
Egypt
South Korea
Hong Kong
Pakistan
Africa

Here's one I have yet to visit, but should soon. The China Pavilion.

The Expo Village I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand it's really cool when you do run into people from other countries, because more often than not they're super friendly and will at least give you a smile and a nod if not engage in conversation. On the other hand, it's so underpopulated I wonder how many people actually live there. It's easy to take a stroll and literally not run into anyone the entire time. Another upside is definitely the swankiness of the spaces and amenities. I don't know how others are treated, but they definitely went all out for us American kids. By Chinese standards anyway.

Whee. There's a bar right downstairs too.


And here's a video of the place. Mind you, I am not a professional cameraman, so you'll have to bear with the shaky and ill-shot clip.

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Mmm. My sister bought it for my birthday and I tried it on for the first time today. So feminine. Flowery. Fresh. I'm falling in love with my own scent...