ChinaLohry

Slightly revised from a January 16th email.

We made it! And now we are navigating the busiest streets I have ever experienced-ever. Walking in a streight line is imossible because of the activity on the street and sidewalk. It's like an obsticle course that requires much vigelance. People eating, selling any variety of daily necessities, fixing shoes, making keys, lounging, anything you can imagine is happening in public. Because of the constant deluge of mopeds, crossing the street requires fortitude and at times acrobatics. It's a true sensory overload. Density makes quaint streets and mystery, like in Ve

Wow! So much has happened since the last post. We have sucessfuly ended our duties at the Shanghai Jazz English Training Institute after inadvertently setting of the spark that led to a big shake-up to some of the negative aspects of the company (for both foreign and Chinese employees). But more on that later. We have also sucessfuly completed a month long journey through South East Asia - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. Whew, a wild ride indeed. About two weeks ago we landed on American soil after a 30 hour trip back to Neenah. Readjusting to my hometown's way of life was a bit startling at first. Sometimes it seem like nothing over the past six months ever happened

Yesterday Dingding asked me if I wanted to eat the earth. I paused, tried to gather what he was referring to and gave him a confused response. The earth is a pretty big place, I told him; a difficult thing to eat. But that was not what he was talking about. So he ran to the kitchen and, after poking his head through the door where his mother was cooking dinner, came back with a large bag full of suckers.'Do you want to eat?' he asked. So, with suckers lisping our speech we practiced saying all the flavors listed on the backside of the package. It was only then I noticed Yummy Earth was the brand name of the suckers.

Dingding is four years old. My job is to teach him oral English, hi

If the foundations of China’s modernization are built on immense contradictions, say, for instance, those inherent in communist styled capitalism, then its most lush expression_r can be found in one thing — the phenomenon of a Chinese Christmas season. In the past couple weeks Christmas decorations have appeared on the facades of stores, restaurants and hotels, particularly those in popular shopping districts or more ‘westernized’ parts of the city. While some are simple cutouts of Santa’s rosy face, others, like highly produced advertisements and window displays, have striking similarities to those in the States. What’s odd is the sheer irr

At Kang Cheng I teach four classes that are 80 minutes long.  About half way through I give the students a much-needed break. They run around like lunatics, draw pictures on the chalkboard or invent any verity of mischief. It’s Sunday, after all, and although they are used to having to go to extra classes on the weekends, they are antsy kids who need to expend energy nonetheless. But something strange happened last week. The students in this photo have decided to conglomerate around a boy (George) who  pulled out a workbook from a different curriculum they all knew about, even the ones too young for it. Apparently every student has to go through it and this bo

Shanghai streets are filled with people moving from one place to another in a kind of aggressive bustle that feels like everyone is looking to get somewhere other than where they are. Busses, cars, mopeds and bikes assume the right of way over the pedestrian who is simultaneously dwarfed by immense infrastructure, which includes highways that tower twenty stories overhead. Public spaces that do not overwhelmed the human body feel like an oasis amidst a vast desert. This is why the Jiashan Market is one of my favorite places in Shanghai. The small alley it occupies provides a richness of life that accommodates my wanderings.

The Jiashan

On Saturday my classroom is perched on the eighth floor of a building. It has a wall full of large windows that face west. Towards the end of the afternoon the low sun radiates warm colors that tinge the smog and highlight the edges of buildings. Although the view is expansive, my attention is usually drawn to one thing—the highway. Everyday an endless traffic jam disappears beyond my vision; it’s easy to imagine it going on forever.

 

Of all the spectacular sights I have become accustomed to in Shanghai, this one has affected me most. It conjures my bleakest thoughts about the effects of China’s development and blatantly renders the human ca

 

One consistently interesting fact of life here is that nothing makes much sense. The makeup of Shanghai is full of confusing blends of western culture, from fashion and architecture to Christmas decorations. This Burger King advertisement is a great example. To be accurate, there’s no shortage of awkward advertisements in Shanghai but not many can match the seer absurdity of this one. Four beef patties and some bacon, ok. Maybe a bit over the top but I’m not about to underestimate any perversion of what might be considered food by fast food chains. More importantly, what is that woman doing? Who thought she would be a good addition to this montage? Is she suf

Convenience is something we all strive for, whether we acknowledge it or not. And usually, it’s such a commonly fulfilled pursuit that, barring some dubious event, its effect simply doesn’t register on the day’s list of grievances. For me this was all put into a different kind of perspective when I moved here. Everything, and I mean everything, was inconvenient. Very few thing here operate like they do back home and, if they do, language barrier is always ready to get in the way.  So imagine my surprise when Laura and I found, and used, probably one of the most obliquely convenient things in Shanghai – a passport photo booth in the subway station. Yes, this

Yifain Zhang, an obscure mythlological cat goddes, is said to have led a legion of cats to sustain rightousness in China before the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC). Her legacy is alive and well, at least around my apartment, where a large number of stray kittens prowl. But they are not exactly stray because that would imply they previously had a home. Here, instead of being an exception, they are permanent fixture, something like small furry neighbors that can be spotted sleeping in bushes or perched on ledges. Their presence is most evident when I cannot see them, at night, when the hisses and wails of kitty brawls (I'm assuming over territory) echo through my window. These bloodcurdling screams can be s