Pudong

Well,

We had a great day today. Started and ended at the Bund and in between we went to the Shanghai Museum, Urban Developemnt Museum and the Children's Palace. Also included some shopping at the Forien (sp) Language Bookstores, I picked up several titles to use for my project.

The Children's Palace was really good. It's an after-school facility started in teh 1950's by Sun Yat-Sen's wife, providing cultural opportunities to the children of Shanghai (that can pay for it). It's housed in a 20-story building, most floors devoted to classes in computer, dance, music, arts, sciences, etc. One of the photos I posted is with a girl who goes here several times a week during the school year for enrichment activities. This is similar to the kind of things we provide for under-priviledged kids at the schools in the States and that middle-class families provide for through private lessons. It's so amazing to think that these children have no concept of the couhtry-side or small town stuff. Everything is done in huge, I mean HUGE, high-rise buildings.

I found cherries on the street today!!! Don't know from where, but they were really decent cherries, fresh, but expensive. Something like 50 yuan ($7.00) for 1/2 kilo! See the posted photos.

The Pudong area and "pearl of teh Orient" is really quite stunning from the Bund side. We stopped by tonight after dinner for a photo opp. Crowds and crowds. We left all important things on the bus. Did I tell you about the B&B I'm staying at in a few days? It's quite nice and comfortable, a quiet residential area, but still eaty to get to other places by cheap taxi.

So tomorrow we head out to the Old City, final shopping for some, I am mostly done. BTW, Krist, i am sending everything to your place....DO NOT OPEN!! or not, I forgot already what I have sent. Tomorrow is mostly books and things for my unit.

A final lunch with all of us tomorrow. Some go to HonkKong, some back to the States, some to other places in Asia. Hope all is well at home. Do Mika and Cap't Jack know I wil be home in less that ten days now???? w/ love, Steph