The first week (and a bit) in Shanghai February 9, 2010
Posted by freda in China.trackback
We had a very full and interesting first week, and I have so many stories to tell (that I don’t want to forget) you’ll be here reading for days. I promise to minimize the detail in future entries… if I can!
We arrived here Saturday, Jan 16th, late afternoon, and our driver, Mr. Shi, and his 14 year old daughter, English name Sherry, Chinese name Yia-Jing (which I think is very pretty, but she introduced herself as Sherry), were at the airport to pick us up, complete with a huge bouquet of pink roses for me! It took an hour to get from the airport to our apartment, and then we were “home.” I was so glad Don had been able to get all our furniture moved in before he came to Vancouver for Christmas (which I already mentioned in my first blog entry before we left Vancouver) because the bed was set up and the towels in the bathroom, etc, but it was, at the same time, overwhelming with what still needed to be done. We were too tired to get cleaned up to go out for dinner, so we ordered in, and then unpacked our suitcases and started organizing our “dressing room closet” before falling into bed.
Sunday was absolutely gorgeous, with sun shining in blue sky and about 10 degrees out. We worked in the apartment all morning (I had to completely reorganize the kitchen, for one) and then met our friends Diane and Julio, and Sharon and Fred, for lunch at our favourite american-style restaurant, Element Fresh, not more than a 5 minute walk from our apartment. It was so nice we could sit outside to eat. Then we went walking for about an hour, picked up a few groceries at the little City Shop across the street from us, a corner store that caters to ex-pats, with lots of food items that look familiar to us (and are expensively imported), and back to work unpacking and organizing. Sharon and Fred (she works for Don at GM) who live in the same apartment building on the 9th floor (we’re on the 17th floor – though because the Chinese don’t use the number 4, there is no 4th floor, or 14th floor (etc), and they’ve also kindly eliminated the 13th floor for western superstitions, so Sharon and Fred are really on the 8th and we’re really on the 14th!) had invited us for dinner, which was greatly appreciated, given I had no idea how to use all of my appliances yet, and was too tired to think it all through. Fell into bed after a lovely few hours with them.
Don started work early Monday morning, and worked like crazy all week, going in early and taking conference calls most evenings. I slowly made my way through the boxes and organization of the apartment. And had many “little” adventures….
Shopping Adventures:
On Monday afternoon Fred came with Mr. Shi and me to help with some errands. My Chinese cell phone wasn’t working, so Fred took me to an electronics store to check it out. Turned out I had to get a new number as my previous number (which I used in September when we were here for our “look-see”) had been discontinued due to lack of use for three months. Then we went to a hardware store, called B&Q, for light bulbs, extension cords, etc – Don and Fred had discussed what we needed, so basically I was just along to pay, because hardware stores are not my favourite! But, in the same area as B&Q there are several other little shops, which Fred walked me by, explaining what’s in them, which are good, etc, and we came to a small grocery store that also carries DVDs – a big business here. Fred’s obsessed with movies, so he had to check out the titles, and of course I did too. It’s unbelievable what’s available here – movies that are still in the theatres in North America, like Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, An Education, etc, etc, are all available in DVD form already – all ripped off, of course, so we won’t be bringing anything we buy back to Canada. There’s lots of TV series DVDs too. I found, and bought, the third season of Mad Men, which I know for a fact won’t be available in Canada until March 23rd because I had wanted to buy it before we left and couldn’t. Well, here it cost 40 RMB, which translates to about $6.50 Canadian!! We started watching it, and while the quality isn’t perfect, it’s still pretty good, and certainly good enough so we won’t feel like we’re missing our favourite shows while we’re over here. And then, we went to Metro, which is a store like Costco, for which you need a membership to get in. Fred has a membership, so he could get me in, and I picked up an application form, and then we did some grocery shopping which, so far, has been the biggest ‘adventure.’ Luckily the grocery stores have ‘import’ sections, which is a good default place when I can’t find what I want on the other shelves. As it was, I couldn’t get everything I wanted at Metro because, like Costco, they only carry in bulk whatever they happen to get in at the time. I did get some things on my list, though, and by the time we were finished, and back in the car, it was 5:30 and I was exhausted!
Tuesday afternoon I went out grocery shopping again, by myself, this time to a French chain called Carrefour, which I like a lot better than Metro. I still didn’t find everything on my list, but I was happier with the fruit and veggie selection. I had great ‘fun’ buying rice. The sacks of rice are so humungous I wondered how we’d ever get through one bag in a year, never mind even lifting it up and storing it! But, then I found open bins of rice, like in a bulk food store. There were three different prices on the three sections of rice – though, to my untrained eye, the rice looked all the same. Well, I guess it looks the same to the Chinese, as well, because I watched a few women pick up handfuls of the rice and feel it before deciding which to buy! Since I have no idea what good rice should feel like, I just bought a small bag from the most expensive section to give it a try. Not that it was ‘expensive.’ I’m sure they thought I was crazy buying what was probably only enough for a day’s ration for a Chinese family!
Friday, after going to the police station with the General Motors HR person, Yolanda, to present documents that will get me my residency visa, I had Mr. Shi take me to a furniture store called Kava Kava, and ordered my ‘shoe cabinet,’ a piece of furniture I learned of from Sharon and have been coveting ever since. I think if you go to the furniture company’s website: www.kavakavahome.com you can see it. It comes in three sizes and many colours; I ordered the mama-bear-middle-size, in a glossy dark, dark brown colour (with no designs). I’m very excited about this purchase, which unfortunately I won’t get until March 13th as the factory is closed for a few weeks for the winter holiday/Chinese New Year’s in February. Mine will hold about 40 pairs of shoes. We’re going to put it in the entrance lobby of our apartment, right outside the front door, where you enter after stepping off the elevator. That area is ours alone; the other apartment on the same floor has its own entrance off a different elevator. Then we’ll have a couple of chairs there, as well, so you can sit to put on your shoes. As you may or may not know, the Chinese always take off their shoes before entering a home. We do that in Vancouver, as well, so it’s not a new practise for us, and here in Shanghai, it’s a good idea not to wear shoes inside because you have no idea what might be on the bottom of them!! It’s very dusty and dirty here because of all the construction, and the rain turns that dirt to mud, and then of course there’s the spitting and urinating, and who knows what else, that happens on the streets. Best not think about it, just take off the shoes and put on the slippers. I now know why the Chinese shuffle when they walk (well, not everyone, that’s a stereotype); it’s because of the little slip-on slippers – it’s the only way you can walk in them. Luckily I brought a selection of slippers that my visitors have been very happy to wear!
Friday I also went back to Carrefour to get some more groceries. I think I will try to avoid grocery shopping on Fridays! The line-up to weigh and price the fruits and veggies snaked around the produce bins and caused much determined elbowing to keep a place in line, which I performed like the best of them! Not much chance a little Chinese woman can push a large Canadian woman out of line!
Rice cooker:
I decided I needed a rice cooker after cooking rice one night and having the water boil over. The boys have one in our Vancouver condo and we all love it. So, I told Mr. Shi what I wanted and off we went to a humungous department store. Mr. Shi went in with me, found the housewares department, and up we went. It’s interesting here, because the store is organized first by product and then by manufacturer. We found the rice cooker section, and OMG, it’s a business unto itself in China – I’ve never seen so many rice cookers! The first ‘model’ I see, as we’re entering the section, must be the cadillac of rice cookers because the price tag on it was 2800 RMB – between $400 and $450 Canadian!! Just a tad more than I want to spend. Mr. Shi then takes me to the display from one Japanese manufacturer (I forget which one), says “Japanese make it better,” and we look at some of them, but again, I can’t believe the prices. I just need a little rice cooker, just for Don and me, not a huge family; just for the occasional meal, not a daily event. We move on to the Toshiba models – again, Japanese. He shows me one that’s 899 RMB – better, but still too expensive, though the sales clerk tells him she’ll give a discount, I think maybe 10%. But, it’s still more than $100 Canadian, and I’m not spending that. So, we look at the same display, cheaper…. There’s one at 699 RMB, but I’m still shaking my head. And then we see a few models on sale, that to my ‘untrained’ eye look exactly the same as the more expensive models – but maybe they’re last year’s?? – and there’s one for 399 RMB, about $60. This I’m okay with, so the sales clerk goes off to get one in the box, I hand Mr. Shi 400 RMB and he goes over to the cashier to pay, comes back with the receipt (fapiao) to show the clerk, picks up my box (he always carries my purchases if he’s with me) and off we go. Wait until you see it! (I’ll post a picture.) It’s a “display” item! It’s got the rice cooker insert, and then a basket to fit on top of the rice, I’m guessing for steaming vegetables at the same time. I haven’t tried it out yet. I asked Celina to show me which button to press to start it – of course the instructions are in Chinese. I’ll let you know after my ‘inaugural’ run.
No exchanges, no refunds:
I bought a couple of pillows at the B&Q hardware/housewares store, and when I got home I realized there was a slash in one of the pillows, os I put it aside to exchange later in the week. Well…. it turns out that’s not the Chinese way. No refunds, no exchanges, usually. They just expect you would “repair” the problem. Of course I didn’t realize this, and when I showed Mr. Shi the problem, told him I had the receipt, needed to do an exchange, he didn’t say anything except, “okay.” I didn’t realize this was “unusual” until we were in the store and Mr. Shi was explaining to the woman what I wanted. Like everything here, this required a consult. She grabbed another woman and the three of them had a confab. Wish I understood the language! All I know is that one of them demonstrated how it could be sewn back together, and Mr. Shi went on and on, and the only thing I understood was when he said “Cha-na-da” – telling them I’m from Canada – maybe explaining I had different expectations, that we do things differently there?!? Who knows. All I know is the B&Q women relented, and Mr. Shi happily ran off to get me another pillow. When we were back in the car (after I’d also bought some more storage containers), he told me “today is lucky day,” because of the exchange!! Amazing, eh.
Apartment maintenance and ayi service:
Celina, Fred and Sharon’s ayi (maid), who is also going to be my ayi, at least to start, came for the first time on Tuesday. We’re going to see if she can handle the duties at two apartments over the next few weeks and then re-assess. I don’t need her to do as much as Fred and Sharon want her to do, so I don’t anticipate needing her more than one to two days a week… we’ll see. She’s very efficient. In less than one day she washed all the floors (and we have a HUGE amount of floor space, just inefficiently set up otherwise), plus cleaned the master bathroom and powder bathroom, plus did the laundry. Laundry is the biggest challenge, and I will never do it myself! The washing machine and dryer are European-apartment-sized, and the dryer takes about 1 1/2 hours to dry a small load – unbelievable! Celina also discovered that our washing machine leaks and our dishwasher doesn’t work. She called the apartment maintenance guys, and for about a 1/2 hour we had two maintenance workers, plus a young woman (job?), plus Celina, hovering over the dishwasher, discussing the issue. Hmm. Turns out they had to phone the manufacturer (my appliances are all Gaggenau – supposedly high quality, but I’m beginning to wonder if they’re not all “knock-offs”) and it was arranged that someone from the company would come here Friday morning at 10 a.m. I’m still not sure if the washing machine issue was resolved. I also had apartment maintenance here to fix our bedroom curtains, which weren’t opening – all the curtains open by the press of a button, so who knows what was happening – and to show me how to turn on the bathroom floor heating system. Marble floors in the bathroom, and they’re very cold of course, but there’s under-floor heating, which wasn’t working. I think it’s rather standard and “very China” for there to be a lot of maintenance problems. Everything has been done for show, but not necessarily for function. All part of the ‘adventure.’
Dishwasher problem, part two:
Life here is certainly a learning experience! As you’ve just read, on Tuesday the ayi discovered my dishwasher wasn’t working, and a repair appointment was set up. On Wednesday afternoon someone from the lobby desk called to ask me if the repair man could come up now (was he here for another appointment, or Friday morning and Wednesday afternoon are interchangeable??) so I said of course, and up they came. After checking it out, it turns out the machine requires salt – special salt for dishwashers, not the eating kind – and a rinse agent before it will work. Who knew? Not the ayi, apparently. I had the apartment guy write down in chinese characters what salt product so I could have the ayi buy it when she went out to buy all the cleaning supplies whe needs me to have. I have her 500 RMB (about $80) and had my driver take her out. Handy, eh?!
Walking:
I’m trying to walk as much as possible. After a year of knee problems and surgery, I packed on weight that I now need to lose. Unfortunately it goes on much faster than it comes off. 😛 Anyway, I’m following a simple route (don’t want to get lost!) that sort of follows the river, though, for the most part, I can’t see the river due to buildings or construction. It’s a fairly good route along city streets that are quieter for traffic and people, so I can mostly move along at as fast a clip as I can manage, and I only have to cross a few streets – which is the most dangerous part of walking in Shanghai. (The hardest crossing is at the street that leads to the little ferry that crosses the river; I’ve become very Chinese in dodging the scooters that swarm off the ferry if I happen to get to that crossing just as the ferry has come in.) I’ve mapped out an hour-long route. On the way out it’s not very interesting, scenery-wise, though it’s always fun watching the bikes and scooters that pass by, so often loaded down with the most amazing assortment of ‘stuff.’ The worst part os one little corner of the wall built around a construction site that is obviously the “pee corner” – I can smell it coming before I get there, which is a good warning to move across the sidewalk closer to the road edge so as to avoid the “wet,” which the first time I passed, I didn’t do. (yuck) Once I turn around and am heading back the view is better, as I can see the Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Finance Centre tower (which we call the “bottle-opener building” because of its shape), as well as a large assortment of apartment and office buildings. I’m becoming inured to the sight of taxi drivers pulling over to the side of the road (luckily across the street from where I walk) to pee into the small bushes lining the fences of apartment complexes. I almost don’t hear the horking and spitting of the (mostly) men (I was going to say that I’d never seen a woman do this, until one day when a woman was walking towards me and spat right in my path when she was only five feet, or so, away from me!) as long as they’re not too close – then I worry! And it’s interesting that whenever I pass another “visible minority” (us white folk) out walking, we always exchange smiles and hellos, like a secret handshake of a secret club, and I wonder if they’re thinking, like I am, “it’s so nice to see another ex-pat, because I know they share my language.” I’ll have to remember to take my camera one day and get a few pictures of my route to accent this story.
okay, that’s enough for now. Next time, the fabric market, and other assorted details….
freda's world adventures 
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