S is for SHANGHAI JEWISH REFUGEES MUSEUM

is for Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum

Nu? Jews in Shanghai?  Who knew?

Sonia was the consummate guide of interesting places to go.  When I arrived in Shanghai, she gave me several brochures and told me we could go to any of these if I was so inclined.  One got my interest immediately - Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. We went to the Hongkou District to check it out.

I pride myself on knowing much of Jewish history, but the story told in this museum was new to me.  It seems that from the early 1900's through the end of second World War, Shanghai took in over 18,000 refugees fleeing anti-Semitism and the Third Reich. Much of this was due to Dr. Fenghshan Ho, the Consul General of ROC in Vienna, who issued visas for Jew. In 1943, Japanese occupation authorities established a "Designated Area for Stateless Refugees", and forcibly relocated all Jews who arrived darter 1937 to an area in Tilanqiao, Honkou, where they lived harmoniously with the Chinese residents already living there.

The area of the Museum was small, but we were taken on a short tour through the building that was the former Ohel Moshe Synogogue.  We walked through a few exhibits showing pictures of people lives, interviews with some of the Jews who had lived there, and into the prayer area, with torahs still in the Arc.  

Then off to a disappointing gift shop. I am not quite sure what I had hoped to find - perhaps a yarmulke with Chinese characters, or a Chai with Chinese symbols - so all I bought was a refrigerator magnet that would prove to my relatives that such a place does exist.

But it does, and I was, as always, moved when I experiences the traces of the journey of the Jewish people, and moved, as always, by the kindness of the people who took them in and protected them in their hour of great need.

Here's Sonia and our friend from the Costa Coffee Shop buying our tickets to the museum.

                                    

                      This would have been a fun book to own!  Sadly, no copies were for sale.

                                               .

                               Another interesting book that had been turned into a cartoon.

                                         

(so, what did Sonia write about in her blog, writtenselfie.blogspot.com ?

P is for PANA WAKKE

One day I got an email from Sonia Zivkovic, saying (my wording) "Do you want to come to China through my company, Pana Wakke, and perform for children?"  The answer was, of course, YES! 

Several friends had done this tour with Sonia, or were going to, and had a great time in China and with Sonia. One of them had recommended me, so it was not a complete surprise.  And boy oh boy oh! This sounded like fun, and of course I wanted to accept the invitation. But what was Pana Wakke?  

Pana Wakke means, in one of the indigenous languages of Sonia's native country, Argentina, Brother Sister. It is a company formed by Sonia and her brother to bring American storytellers to China and other countries as an artistic and educational supplement to the schools.

Sonia is a great believer in and a strong advocate for the power of storytelling in education. As a former teacher and school leader, she knows how the musicality, the physicality, the vocabulary and the fun of storytelling help English language learners become more secure in their grasp of a second or third language. In every school, she is not only a contractor but a partner as well, offering performances as well as storytelling workshops for staff and parents, making sure the needs of the school are met.  

She is also a lover of storytellers. Sonia watches over every detail - how the mics are working, how the audience is situated, how much water the storyteller has, how cold the auditoriums and stages are, what the timing of the shows are, if the children are all in their seats, how the teller gets introduced, when lunch comes ...I admit, it took me a little while to get used to the fact that I did not need to help out - except to perform. How lovely that is!

She is also a magnificent tour guide. She sees it as part of her "job." We walked and walked and walked. Through parks, down hutongs and lanes, into and out of stores and malls and by buildings old and knew. Sonia could almost always give me the lowdown on the history, the reason, the She showed me places I would not think about going to, and had knowledge of different sites, theater, and restaurants not in the tourist guides. Plus our cooking class at The Hutong ranks as one of the best things we did in Beijing!

The schools love Pana Wakke, the book fair people love Pana Wakke, the kids love Pana Wakke (and some recognize Sonia as the bringer of storytellers!) and I love Pana Wakke - and Sonia too, who is the heart and soul of the company.

Want to learn more? Check out the website Pana Wakke yourself.

Sonia is blogging with me on China at writtenselfie.blogspot.com

O is for OMG!

OMG!

China is so big!  The cities are so crowded!  Traffic is terrifying! The Malls are ridiculously large and tall, and go down several layers subterranean!

OMG!

The food is so good!  You can buy this cool yogurt on the street in beautiful little milk glass containers (only one of which I remembered to bring home with me)!

OMG!

The bullet train is fast!  The train to the airport is fast!  Cars are fast!  Taxis are scary fast! People push past you! The escalators are so weirdly steep!  

OMG!

The Great Wall of China is so awesome - awe inspiringly awesome! The tourist areas are so crowded! The streets are so clean!  There are so many expensive cars getting stuck in so many terrible traffic jams on small streets!  The scooters are everywhere!

OMG!

Performing in schools in China is so fabulous! The kids are so great, and the administrators at the schools so welcoming!

OMG!

Walking fast through China's street is fun!  Clotheslines are everywhere!  Shirts, coats, dresses,  pants and underwear hanging from doors, windows, balconies!

OMG! I feel right at home here but as if I am in a different kind of home!  OMG!  It is so cold in Shanghai and so hot in Shenzhen!  OMG!  It is so much fun being in China and hanging out with Sonia and her friends!  OMG!  When can I return?

L is for Lodgings

   is for Lodgings

I do not usually look for fancy digs when I am traveling, though I do appreciate any luxuries offered.  My rooms in China were mixed in terms of luxury, but all rather sweet.

The first place I stayed, at the Rayfont in Shanghai, looked out over the city through smudged windows with views of buildings, construction, more construction and smog -  a typical sight, I was told. The bed was comfortable, we were given slippers and combs and toothbrushes, and I had an electric kettle for my morning tea - though usually I would go over to Sonia's for the great coffee she made each morning with her Aerobie AeroPress.  My room was clean - in Sonia's room there was a small pile of coffee that never got swept up until she finally asked someone to vacuum it.  So much for house cleaning!  We went downstairs to a lobby always stale with cigarette smoke (there were always young men smoking) and out to the bright world.  

Shanghai digs

Sonia warned me that the next hotel, in Wuxi, we went to would ruin all the others for me...and she was nearly right! It was a British high end chain and our "room" was a small suite - with two TVs, cozy bathrobes, great toiletries, the best shower I have ever used! and a big bed. There was a complete kitchen, and it was bigger than my first NY apartment!  The views were of a highway and some construction.  Oh...they also had a sauna and a gym. In Wuxi, I began watching some of the Chinese TV dramas which played well on those enormous TVs.

View from my Wuxi Window

My favorite place was in Shenzhen. It was a series of courtyard buildings that apparently had, not so long ago, been a place for prostitution. By the time I arrived, it was a lovely space with a cafe and lots of flowers and trees and a resident cat. Shenzhen is in a tropical zone, so the air was mostly balmy and the flowers thrived. A few mornings, before we went out, I took out my guitar and played on my little porch. Sonia and I would meet at another table in the courtyards for coffee and planning time.  

Shenzhen "villa"

Sonia is silly

Amongst the flowers

Cat on a mission

Beijing was another out of the way place - the Yoyo Hotel.It was off in one of the "alleys' of Beijing and felt almost like a secret. But in fact it was in the center of the bar nightlife!  I had a room with a shower and toilet in a glassed off area. Customer service was not great - I had nowhere to hang clothes and the one knob on which to hang the three or four hangers kept falling down! But the room was comfortable, I had my tea kettle and the bed was great. There was a spa downstairs that I kept thinking I would get to...but I was always too interested in doing something else - so I never got to it. In the area were some great restaurants, little shops, and interesting sights to see.

YoYo Hotel

Our last stop in Shanghai was at a place that rented out small apartments. Very small.  There was an office area in a loft, a small kitchen, a washing machine!!!, and a bed that was hard. I slept well, even though there was a lot of traffic noise outside my window. I felt right at home - kinda reminded me of NYC.

Don't forget to check out what Sonia has to say on this topic. writtenselfie.blogspot.com

G is for GREAT WALL OF CHINA

  is for GREAT WALL OF CHINA

Getting to the  Great Wall of China  was a schlep from Beijing, which was almost enough to make me decide not to go. But, Sonia and I met some young storytellers at The Hutong who were willing to organize a car and driver and take me to the Wall. Thank goodness! It would have been a mistake to have missed such a remarkable experience.

Sven and Cas were wonderful guides, and the section of the wall they took me to was up in the mountains and away from the touristy and rebuilt sections. They called it the "wild wall" and indeed it was wild.  We had to clamber up over some rocks and Sven pulled me (as Cass pushed me) up onto the Wall. 

And there we were, part of a long history on the long and magical wall.

A view of the mountains

First view, in the car

On the Great Wall

Cas and Sven

Looking down on the valley from the Wall

Some contradictions in signage!

Don't  forget to check out Sonia's blog on the Great Wall at Writtenselfie.blogspot.com.

F is for FRIENDS!

  is for FRIENDS

We all need friends - to get through life, to enjoy the journey. Whether a partner or a buddy, friends make our life easier, more fun, and more understandable. 

This trip to China was all about FRIENDS. 

Firstly I heard about Sonia, Pana Wakke and the China trip through my friend Regi Carpenter. My friend Megan Hicks had just returned from the same journey. Sonia was an instant friend, from the moment we met via Skype - lots of nice big intelligent energy. 

Once in China, the tour was people to Sonia's many friends and colleagues, which she had made during her ten plus years working and traveling in China. Wonderful people, who did not blink when meeting yet another of her storytellers from the US.

And there were the friends we made together:

My first morning, I was waiting in line to get a cuppa at the Costa coffee place across from our hotel. The young man next in line to me leaned in and complimented me on how nice my hair smelled! Well, one thing led to another and there we were sitting drinking our coffee when Sonia arrived.  Nice guy - he had grown up in Shanghai and knew everything about the city.  He was interested in storytelling and maybe he will work for Sonia one day instead of for the big corporation where he brings in the big bucks!

Here he is with Sonia.  (What was his name?)

In Beijing, we took a cooking class at The Hutong (as I already wrote about in B is for Beijing.) Sophia was our teacher, and she was also the person who organized and/or set up the family storytelling class I taught the next day at The Hutong. I particularly enjoyed talking with her, and we have corresponded a little since I have been home.  I hope we stay in touch. She is one of those people who effortlessly make the world a little lighter.

Sophia (on the right, standing)

At that self-same storytelling class, I also met two wonderful storytellers who wanted to learn more about storytelling and storytellers. (They are also in the picture with Sophia.)  Here's  a picture of them on the way to the Great Wall of China.  More about Sven and Cas tomorrow.

Sven and Cass in front of a weird and wild hotel in the middle of nowhere.

Be sure to read my dear friend Sonia's take on friendship too, at writtenselfie.blogspot.com.

E is for EAST MEETS WEST

   is for EAST MEETS WEST

What did I expect when I went to China? 

A little bit - I imagined Red Guards on the streets, and Maoist sayings on the walls - a time capsule set to the Cultural Revolution and after.  What I did not predict was what is there -  modern cities with the most enormous glass walled malls with every world brand advertised in shops and on billboards.  

And the mix of the old with the new. Small buildings next to cranes building huge ones.  Scooters racing down small lanes and large streets. Cleanliness and order amongst the chaos.  

An ancient civilization in modern clothes. And I, a traveller, am there to experience it.

East meets West.

The West comes to the East and is warmly welcomed.

Sign in a bilingual school.

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D is for DUMPLINGS

   is for DUMPLINGS

Before I went to Shanghai, a reliable source who had been to the city told me that the city is known for its dumplings. Especially the shēngjiān (生煎; fried dumplings.) These are fried in a great pan over a gas fire, and are filled with yummy fillings.  The big surprise comes when you bite into the dumpling and soup gushes out - and onto your shirt if you are not mindful. 

I was keen for some of that stuff.  So, for my first Chinese breakfast, Sonia left me at our local Costa coffee place with a big cup of latte, and on her walk to the bank found me some lovely soup dumplings, or xiaolongbao, that she bought from a street vendor. Very cheap, very tasty, and I love street food.  It was a good way to start my dumpling adventure.

My first bowl of Shanghai dumplings. Yummy!

 

But these were not fried dumplings. Where should we go?

Sonia was not sure, but I had made a new friend at Costa - a young man who had grown up in Shanghai, gone to one of the International Schools, spoke English, and knew the best place to get fried dumplings - Yang's Dumplings.  Conveniently, they were in the mall complex right across from  our hotel. So one evening, we crossed the street (over a pedestrian bridge with exits in every direction) and went two floors underground to Yang's.  

Yang's Fry Dumplings did not look impressive. In fact, it looked like a cheap fast food joint - bright illuminated colored signs, little booths for four or two, plastic plates and bowls, and cheap silverware. But there was a long line snaking out the door and around the corner so we knew we were in the right place. Sonia and I got on the line, and waited. Finally, we were at the window, and I ordered a plate of six dumplings, mixed fillings. 

Then we watched a woman in another window put lots of dumplings in a humungous  flat pan and fry them over a heat source.  When they were ready, she plucked out our orders onto plates, and we sat down, and bit into the most amazing food I had ever eaten! Thick outer skin, soup or juices squirting out (and yes onto my clothes) and the insides were either pork or chicken or some green yummy vegetable mix. Pretty amazing food.

Here's Sonia about to bite into that lusciousness!  Check out the pink decor.

 

Since we were in Shanghai for a few days, we had more dumplings. One of the first schools we visited took us to a great neighborhood restaurant out for a six or seven (or eight) course Chinese lunch! Among the wonderful food dishes were more fabulous Shanghai dumplings in soup.  

A table full of delights - both culinary and human.

After my last show, Sonia and I got to talking about dumplings with one of the teachers. She suggested we go out with her to her favorite whole in the wall dumpling joint. How could we refuse? 

Sonia, our new friend, and more dumplings.

When I was in Hong Kong, I did end up in a famous won ton restaurant,  but I did not read the matchbox that told me of that fact, so I ordered my soup without dumplings, white bread and butter, and scrambled eggs.  Bummer.  I wonder what they tasted like.

My last night in China, we are back in Shanghai, and Sonia and I go for dumplings at what is now my, if not Sonia's, favorite place - yes, you guessed it, Yang's Fry Dumplings.  Yummy.

This is the "place" to go.

If you are ever in Shanghai, get some dumplings. Soup, fry or in a steamer - they are worth it.

Be sure to check out Sonia's blog for her take on the dumplings, writtenselfie.blogspot.comwrittenselfie.blogspot.com.