Friday evening I went with a friend to a discount brand mall and felt whisked away to suburbia USA. We got out of the cab and into the courtyard and just looked at one another as if we entered the twilight zone. All southwest styled shopping center with courtyards, topped off with a Starbuck.
In my first weeks in Shanghai we went to see a face changer, and I truly think that the face changer embodies the feel and heart of Shanghai. Always changing in a cheesy way. Shanghai has an amazing ability to suddenly alter itself into a different city, a different country in a matter of blocks or meters. After the suburbs on Friday, I went to rugby practice then to a German Christmas market in the French Concession where “Danke” was more widely used than “XieXie”.
Today I wanted to have more of a Chinese day so went for a walk to find out where the metro was by foot from my flat. I stopped to watch the noodle makers, the auto-repair men, visit the street with only towels and bowls. There were small parks packed with elderly people sitting and kids playing, bikes and mopeds running red lights and amazingly dancing through the on coming traffic. I got lost and asked for directions to Decathlon and was told it was really far to walk. I still walked then got in a cab with a Chinese couple that was going to the same place. I asked them for directions then they both go on their phones for 5 minutes decided we should get a cab since it was so far…. It ended up being 4 blocks away. I got my things found the metro then went to buy a dress form on the street that only sells dress forms and mannequins, a rather creepy place.
All in all it was in interesting weekend learning more about what Shanghai. While it does not have a strong sense of identity or consistency I am learning where to go to make it the city I want it to be for me.
