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 ?

Q is for QUESTIONS

 is for QUESTIONS

My trip to China was full of questions. Here goes:

Air and Water Quality:

• Will I need a face mask?
• Will I be able to breathe?
• Will I return home with an inoperable disease based on the water I drink or the air I breathe

Clothing:

• Will I be too hot in what I brought to wear and/or perform in?
• Will I be too cold?
• Will I have enough?
• Will I have too much?
• Will my suitcase be too big or small?

Language:

• How can I communicate with the Chinese people?
• Do I need to know the Chinese word for "help!"?

Transportation:

• How do we travel across the city?
• Will the transportation (i.e. busses, trains, planes, subway, cabs) be dirty?
• Will I be able to read the maps?

Gifts:

• Do I need to bring people gifts?
• Why?
• What is the exchange rate?

What I did not wonder about is interesting...

I did not wonder about 

• having a good time
• enjoying performing in China
• making the stories make sense in China
• eating great food
• enjoying my time with my leader Sonia.

And of course, all my questions were answered. I am alive and well, and had a great time eating good food around good people.

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?

N is for NOISE!

China is loud.  The trains are loud, people argue loudly in public. There are so many cars, so much traffic,  plus  all the people crowding into the subways, walking down the streets, in the stores, on the walkways – it does not only sound loud but it also FEELS loud!

Sonia and I were in a subway one day. Must have been rush hour, though every hour can feel like rush hour. We were all jammed up close together, and holding onto the pole, when a man started yelling at another man. Why? Of course, not speaking any Chinese dialects, I do not know, but it was obviously an intense disagreement. They argued for as long as we were on that train.

What surprised me about the scene was that most people were ignoring the commotion, and going on with their own conversations or silences. In New York, people would have tried to get away from the center of the conflict, some might have tried to reason with the two men, the scene might escalate into violence. 

Later, Sonia said that when she first saw scenes like that, she was surprised. In her native  Argentina, such a disagreement would have turned quickly into a fight. But here in China, the arguments are with words, and no one is shy about arguing loudly.

N is for NOISE!

N is for NOISE

China is loud.  The trains are loud, people argue loudly in public. There are so many cars, so much traffic,  plus  all the people crowding in the (wonderful) subways, walking down the streets – it does not only sound loud but it also FEELS loud!

Sonia and I were in a subway one day. Must have been rush hour, though every hour can feel like rush hour. We were all jammed up close together, and holding onto the pole, when a man started yelling at another man. Why? Of course, not speaking any Chinese dialects, I do not know, but it was obviously an intense disagreement. They argued for as long as we were on that train.

What surprised me about the scene was that most people were ignoring the commotion, and going on with their own conversations or silences. In New York, people would have tried to get away from the center of the conflict, some might have tried to reason with the two men, the scene might escalate into violence. 

Later, Sonia said that when she first saw scenes like that, she was surprised. In her native  Argentina, such a disagreement would have turned quickly into a fight. But here in China, the arguments are with words, and no one is shy about arguing loudly.

M is for MANDARIN

 is for MANDARIN

I love Mandarin oranges, for several reasons:

1. they are small and easily carried
2. they are incredibly sweet yet not cloying
3. they are good even when they are a bit crystalized
4. they do not drip orange juice all over you when you peel them
5. they are good to cook with
6. did I say that they are yummy? and easy to carry?

I saw several small orange trees in China, in the front of buildings or in courtyards, with the small oranges hanging on the branches like little balls of plastic tempting me to squeeze them. When I did, I realized they were actually real oranges and that indeed these little things were the Mandarin oranges I love to eat.  Somehow I never made the connection before between "Mandarin oranges" and China!  Then, at The Hutong, (check out my Beijing post), Sophia gave me a few Mandarin oranges from the tree there.  Yummy!

Mandarin is the official language of China. "Mandarin is a variety of Chinese spoken mainly in China, Taiwan, and Singapore by about 1.3 billion people."  Read more about it at this link:  http://www.omniglot.com/chinese/mandarin.htm. 

Check out Sonia's take on "Mandarin" at her blog writtenselfie.blogspot.com

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