Let It Snow!

You know the saying that you never really appreciate something until it's gone? Well, I think that there is a little more to it: I think that you never truly appreciate something until it actually returns, that is when you realize how much you have missed it. Sometimes these things are things that you actually never thought you cared about, but when you get them back, it brings such joy, that you realize you have missed it all along...

Today it snowed. Big, fat, lovely snowflakes. It has been so cold in this city for a few months now, and it has actually been miserable. When I woke up today and looked at another dreary day outside, I just wanted to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. But then something magical happened (yes, I used the word magical because that's what it felt like!). The snow started falling! Everyone said that it does not snow in Shanghai, but today, for a few hours we got snow!

What amazed me was the peace and serenity it brought with it...walking around outside was calm, people were quiet, and this city was actually pretty enjoyable for a change. I loved every minute if it :) I can only hope that the snow (and the quietness it brought with it) will stick...unfortunately I don't think that is going to happen, and by tomorrow this city will return to normal. But for one day, it was fantastic.

Just Walkin' Down the Street

I have become used to the fact that many people here will stare at me walking down the street simply because I am white; it has taken months to do so, but now I just stare back at them- and occasionally I make a ridiculous face just to make them feel as awkward as they make me feel. I have to admit that I am thankful for the frigid winter temperatures just so I can hide my blond hair under a hat! However, what really cracks me up are the things that people do not stare at, or even think twice about. I regret that I haven't had my camera on me when I have seen some pretty hilarious things, but the following are a few samples of the local sightings:

Take for example, the grown woman riding her bike down the street....on training wheels.


Or perhaps the large bulldozer plowing down the street among all of the crazy
cars, scooters and pedestrians...


And perhaps my favorite, just a girl taking an evening stroll...with her monkey!


I am sure there will be more ridiculous things to be seen, it's just a matter of time :)

Oh Christmas Tree

Thanksgiving was over before I knew it, but I think Christmas will be another story...the traditional Christmas that I have known for my entire life is a wonderful, festive, multi-day event, and I love every minute of it. But this year, things will be very different being in China. The city of Shanghai has surprisingly put up decorations, even though it is not a nationally recognized holiday. Even with all of the decorations, it is just not the same as being home with my family...

Here's a golden tree in Shanghai, in front of the Gucci store, no less!


So, to get more in the mood, last night we bought and decorated our little tree, and it's lovely...Kos wants to keep it up until spring! We'll see about that!

Our little tree...


There are some good memories of Christmas trees from the past: one year, back when everyone bought REAL trees (a tradition I hope to restore soon!), apparently my sister and I cried and cried when it was time for the tree to be taken down...imagine 2 screaming girls bawling their eyes out as their father dragged a tree to the curb of a driveway! I'm not sure if we were more upset that Christmas was over, or if we just really loved that tree...

Another year, we all awoke to my mom calling for help...as we came down the stairs, we saw a fully decorated tree on top of our helpless mother! Apparently as she watered the tree, she knocked it off balance, and it fell on top of her! It was really quite a sight!

As hard as it will be not to be home, I will make the best of Christmas here...

Witnessing the Unthinkable

I cannot let go of what I saw tonight. Outside of our apartment complex is a long row of dilapidated housing that is part of old Shanghai. Initially, we thought it would be great to have the best of both worlds- western housing among local people- but tonight I have never wanted to be further away from this place.

As we walked down the street, we heard terrifying cries come from within one of the shops, and then a man dragging and hitting a child (I would say around 3-4 years old). Within seconds, he had the child out of his pants, in the freezing air, and it became apparent that he was being “punished” for wetting his pants. This man continues to hit the child as he is pulling off his pants- the hits seem to get harder and harder as the boy’s pant-less body braces for each blow. It seems as if he is trying to get the boy to pee on a building between each hit he gives to the child. Finally, a woman (I believe it was the child’s mother) pushes the man aside. The man, not embarrassed in the slightest, but actually seeming more angry that he was interrupted, walks away. The mother turns the boy to the intersection of the road (he is obviously still shaken) and he pees a small trickle from his tiny penis. The mother then whips up his pants, becomes stern, and begins to yell at the child once more. She shakes him a bit, continues to talk to him in this horrible tone, and takes him away.

I stand, frozen, in-shock, and helpless. A’kos wants to step in, but chooses not to when he sees the woman intervene. What absolutely amazed me were 2 things: one, how paralyzing a situation like this can be, and two, the only people shocked by this behavior were A’kos and myself. Almost everyone around us continued what they were doing with complete disregard for the abuse we were witnessing.

There is something bigger going on here- from what I have seen, there is less value for the collective lives of people in this country. Everyday I come close to being hit by a car or a scooter, I constantly get elbowed or pushed in line, and there is a complete lack of respect for other people’s space. My ears take constant assault- I have never heard so much horn honking, disgusting spitting, and aggressive yelling within inches of my ears, that it has caused me to rethink all of my assumptions of this culture. But aside from my personal discomfort, what I saw tonight reached a new level. I know that I cannot be sheltered from what is happening outside of the western world, nor do I want to be. I crave to understand other cultures and to know a world different to what I have always known. Yet, there is a point when it is no longer a cultural issue, but a human rights issue. I firmly believe that no human should be physically assaulted by another human, whether one thinks they have the marital or parental rights to do so. I am fully aware of the many people in the world that do not agree with this concept, and for them, I hope the same physical assault is given to them, based on proportion of body size.

I must reiterate- what I saw tonight was not a spanking, but a full beating- pure hate in the man’s eyes, to the point where all of the child’s energy went from crying to trying to withstand the blows he was receiving. No child should have to endure this. No human should ever be allowed to do this to another.