Today I went to church in Shanghai. This is the second time I’ve been, and this service was a more standard service (the last one focused on Men’s ministry, and didn’t have a real sermon.) All I can say is I think this is a very real picture of heaven… where people of every tribe and tongue are gathered together to worship.
I’m not sure if we will go to this exact location, as they have (this week) opened a new satellite branch much closer to where we will live. This is truly amazing, and the leaders of the church are openly saying they see this branch as the first of many – the government is opening doors that were previously closed.
People need rhythm and routine in their lives. Singing a Gaither song today was one of those routines that I’m glad we will be able to continue in Shanghai.
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Now for the other cool thing that happened today. I was solo – no driver, which means I was taking the metro (trains/subway) wherever I wanted to go. When going home from my dinner at Tony Roma’s, I had to interchange lines at a station where two lines share the same rails. Getting on the wrong train would not have been the end of the world, but it would have made things a bit more difficult.
So, I’m up on the platform, waiting for the train. I’ve learned how to read numbers in Chinese, but the digital sign didn’t list the train number, just the terminal station. I gather my courage and ask the gentleman next to me in Chinese (for those who are interested, I’ve put the pinyin of the conversation in parentheses):
Is the next train line number 3? (Xia ge hou che san hao shen ma?)
He nudges the girl with him, perhaps is daughter and she says:Line 3. (San hao shen.)
I then say: The next train? (Xia ge hou che ma?)
And she says: Correct, the next train is line 3. (Dui, xia ge hou che san hao shen.)
I say: OK, thank you. (Hao, xie xie)
Now, this exchange looks simple on paper, but given the fact I’ve had to synthesize this grammatical form and some of the vocabulary my time here (not from my training DVD) I was thrilled that the exchange when along without any questions of “what (shen me)” or “I don’t understand (ting bu dong)”. A simple exchange that tickled me pink…
Now about the guy who I originally asked. After all of this was done, he looked at me and grinned. I think he was surprised/impressed that a foreigner (lao wai) could speak at all! I didn’t think that he was that old, but my guess is that he was old enough that he did not speak standard Mandarin (pu tong wa). Rather, I think he spoke the local Shanghai dialect, which is close, but the way they say numbers is different.
This leads me to my final conclusions for the day. I know that Chinese people appreciate the effort to speak the language – just as most Americans appreciate the effort by foreigners to speak English. So, I’ve got to keep up my efforts to learn to speak the language. Today, however, reinforced my thinking that simply learning to speak will not be sufficient – I’m going to try to pick up reading the simplified form of the language. That way I can communicate anywhere in the country (the spoken language varies, but the written language does not). Anyway, that is a major task, so don’t expect any quick results….
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Shopping til I drop in Shanghai
Today I spent 9 hours shopping in Shanghai. I stayed in PuXi (West of the Huang Pu River) and found everything that we may need, except for ravioli…
The only thing I bought today was car seats. These are very hard to find, and when you do find them, they are not cheap. The concept is foreign to Chinese, so trying to explain what I was looking for was a particular challenge.
I was on a special mission to find some food products and toys. I was happy to find my way to an import food shop that when I walked in reminded me a lot of our local grocery store. It has nearly everything and in the brands we are used to. The problem is the costs. A bag of Doritos cost about 10 US dollars, for instance. (I guess we’ll have to eat one serving at a time – probably good for us anyway!) I also found lots of toys, but the ones we know have the same problem as the import food. There is nearly a Chinese version of everything, and they sell at a significant discount to the import toys. (Funny isn’t it? All of this stuff is made in China, but the prices in China are twice, or more, the prices found in the US.)
I have a few observations about shopping in China. (Keep in mind this is coming from someone who has never shopped for 9 hours straight in his life.) First of all, customer service is paramount. In nearly every store, there are attendants every 5 to 10 feet. I could tell how good their English was very quickly as their greetings in several stores in the afternoon was a stilted “hello, good morning”.
Second thing I noticed: don’t go on the weekends – way too crowded.
Thirdly, foreign brands are in vogue. I had never been to an IKEA before today. Needless to say, I won’t go again on a Saturday. The place was an absolute zoo. I have no idea how much business they were doing, but it had to be a small fortune. It was unbelievable.
Forth, as hinted at above, you can get anything in China if you have enough money.
Lastly, it’s good to have a sense of adventure. In a few cases, I was on my own as the driver needed to stay with the car. Armed with a small dictionary, and three or four ways to say everything in English and getting over the fact you have very broken Chinese, you can make to through OK.
I wish that I could describe what I went through to explain chocolate chips. I was shown chocolate in every form but chips until I got to the imported food store. I also wish I could explain the joy of seeing Fritos, Spaghettios, and Jiff peanut butter.
Finally, I will also say that I’m glad I’ve found a decent Italian restaurant. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you’ve had a good meal of food that tastes something like you are used to eating on a regular basis.
It will be great to get back home and get the family ready to come over here after today. I am certain that we can more than survive over here.
The only thing I bought today was car seats. These are very hard to find, and when you do find them, they are not cheap. The concept is foreign to Chinese, so trying to explain what I was looking for was a particular challenge.
I was on a special mission to find some food products and toys. I was happy to find my way to an import food shop that when I walked in reminded me a lot of our local grocery store. It has nearly everything and in the brands we are used to. The problem is the costs. A bag of Doritos cost about 10 US dollars, for instance. (I guess we’ll have to eat one serving at a time – probably good for us anyway!) I also found lots of toys, but the ones we know have the same problem as the import food. There is nearly a Chinese version of everything, and they sell at a significant discount to the import toys. (Funny isn’t it? All of this stuff is made in China, but the prices in China are twice, or more, the prices found in the US.)
I have a few observations about shopping in China. (Keep in mind this is coming from someone who has never shopped for 9 hours straight in his life.) First of all, customer service is paramount. In nearly every store, there are attendants every 5 to 10 feet. I could tell how good their English was very quickly as their greetings in several stores in the afternoon was a stilted “hello, good morning”.
Second thing I noticed: don’t go on the weekends – way too crowded.
Thirdly, foreign brands are in vogue. I had never been to an IKEA before today. Needless to say, I won’t go again on a Saturday. The place was an absolute zoo. I have no idea how much business they were doing, but it had to be a small fortune. It was unbelievable.
Forth, as hinted at above, you can get anything in China if you have enough money.
Lastly, it’s good to have a sense of adventure. In a few cases, I was on my own as the driver needed to stay with the car. Armed with a small dictionary, and three or four ways to say everything in English and getting over the fact you have very broken Chinese, you can make to through OK.
I wish that I could describe what I went through to explain chocolate chips. I was shown chocolate in every form but chips until I got to the imported food store. I also wish I could explain the joy of seeing Fritos, Spaghettios, and Jiff peanut butter.
Finally, I will also say that I’m glad I’ve found a decent Italian restaurant. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you’ve had a good meal of food that tastes something like you are used to eating on a regular basis.
It will be great to get back home and get the family ready to come over here after today. I am certain that we can more than survive over here.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year
Well, it's official -- it's the year of the move, and if all goes according to plan we are under 60 days to takeoff!
The last week has been good to see family and friends in depth. I've got 4 days before I leave to finalize our living arrangements and get some work done so that we can hit the ground running.
Our last few weeks here full time are certain to be chocked full. We've got a week in Arkansas with my extended family at the end of January so that the boys can see their great grandparents one more time before we go. I've also got a few business meetings in early February.
This also brings me to two of the difficult parts of all of this. In February, I'll take our family dog (Eddy) to his new home. One of my coworkers has agreed to take him. Given that he is in Iowa, where wild game birds are hunted on a regular basis, I think he will be quite happy. He will also have a fellow German Shorthair as a companion, so that will be much better for him.
The second “difficult” thing is not as bad as above, but today I have tried to stuff myself full of College Football. I’ve heard that I might be able to get NFL games through the internet (when it is not blocked), but I think the college game will be very difficult to follow. The few times I have been to China have certainly changed my view on this game – to the point that I almost always now say American Football. At this time, I’m not much of a fan of soccer. I’m hopeful that will change and I’ll pick up at least an appreciation of the global form of football.
The last week has been good to see family and friends in depth. I've got 4 days before I leave to finalize our living arrangements and get some work done so that we can hit the ground running.
Our last few weeks here full time are certain to be chocked full. We've got a week in Arkansas with my extended family at the end of January so that the boys can see their great grandparents one more time before we go. I've also got a few business meetings in early February.
This also brings me to two of the difficult parts of all of this. In February, I'll take our family dog (Eddy) to his new home. One of my coworkers has agreed to take him. Given that he is in Iowa, where wild game birds are hunted on a regular basis, I think he will be quite happy. He will also have a fellow German Shorthair as a companion, so that will be much better for him.
The second “difficult” thing is not as bad as above, but today I have tried to stuff myself full of College Football. I’ve heard that I might be able to get NFL games through the internet (when it is not blocked), but I think the college game will be very difficult to follow. The few times I have been to China have certainly changed my view on this game – to the point that I almost always now say American Football. At this time, I’m not much of a fan of soccer. I’m hopeful that will change and I’ll pick up at least an appreciation of the global form of football.
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