June 17 - The final days in Shanghai

As promised, here is a description of our last few activities in Shanghai. After returning from our anniversary trip to Suzhou, we gave and graded class finals, turned in grades, said goodbyes, and packed up to leave our apartment and return to the USA.  We also include a few final shots of interesting sights we've seen around our neighborhood - there are always interesting sights, and so many that we have not shared!

First of all, we had to build a frame to protect a large wooden carving we bought as a souvenir. After trying to negotiate with a person at a home improvement store (a real communication failure, even when he called for a team of reinforcements), we decided that the thin wooden box John was planning was not going to happen because they did not understand what we needed for a frame. And when we asked about cardboard they told us they had none. Undeterred, we walked to the back of the building and found a whole mountain of discarded cardboard! And wooden pallets with slats we could use for frames.

The challenge was walking the mile back to our apartment.

 Next we had some last-minute shopping to do at what the foreigners call the "fake mall" - a mammoth maze of tiny shops that sell knock-off goods.  People can wander around in there for days looking for a particular merchant who made them a good deal the last time "because we're friends."

At the fake mall you can get new prescription glasses, trinkets,
purses, clothing, cut-out cards, electronics, scarves, shoes, and
most anything your consumer heart desires. Buyer beware!
Kathy's Uggs lost a sole mid-winter, and her Jimmy Choo
purse handle ripped out before she was through using it. 

A floor full of scale-model buildings representing the city of Shanghai

There were so many museums we had not had a chance to visit! But we did venture out during our final week to see the Urban Planning Museum and its scale model of Shanghai. It was a great time to see the model because we could recognize and be impressed with an aerial view all the areas of the city we had visited (mostly via subway). John, with his amazing sense of direction and navigational skills, had become very comfortable with all the subway lines and how to get anywhere we wanted to go.

The students from the English club, who helped us plan and run activities for English Corner every week set up a goodbye dinner for us at an elaborate fish and hotpot buffet. They loved learning about American culture and our family.

We also had a farewell lunch with two Japanese women and a man from Vietnam, some foreign exchange students who attended English corner.  They came to listen to us speak in church one week and two of them have enjoyed attending even since we returned home.

We had one more dinner get-together with the "empty nesters" group from across the city.

A very entertaining game - empty nesters know how to have fun!

Sadly, we also had to say goodbye to Jeremiah, our pet cricket. Happily, Jeremiah lived much longer than we thought he would, and filled our apartment with his song. Constantly.

We set his little cage down in the park with a supply of carrots
so he would exit the open door of the cage and have a supply of
food. Then we took back our souvenir cage.

Final pictures after the final, and tearful goodbyes. One class,
after hearing John tell them how special they are,
 did not want to leave, even when the other class was ready to file in.

Kathy will miss how respectful the students are, how easily they laugh,
and the way they are used to turning in assignments with two hands
and a little bow.  

And now, a few interesting sights.

A special dessert of sliced tomatoes
sprinkled with coarse sugar.

Waxberries (yum!) and special Dragon
Boat Festival treats - leaf-wrapped
glutinous rice with a meat-filled center

Our window-box garden. People who
know us know that we will always
have a garden, no matter what.

Bamboo scaffolding is everywhere
in construction zones.

Typical subway scene. We truly became subterranean creatures.

In our neighborhood was what seemed to be a place where
people could track and buy stocks - we're not sure!

"Our" egg lady, with her selection of a dozen different types of
eggs we could buy.

"Our" vegetable lady cutting slices of squash and winter melon
for customers who just want an inch or two.

Outside the supermarket, a guy on a motorized vehicle stops to
chat with friends on the street (Note the arm chair).

Further down the same street - a card game.

Lots of motorized bike barking on this sidewalk.

Transporting fish tanks??

Fish sticks

Water heaters are on rooftops in the country and the city.

Watermelons have thin rinds and are so sweet!

We plan one final blog post to share some of our favorite signs we saw in China and some of the fashions we saw on the streets.  Stay tuned for one more entry . . .