shanghai arrival

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friday 23 oct. 9:02 pm

the approach to narita airport japan took us over a seemingly agrarian community .
observing the checkered layout of the land and noticed its organic nature - how the irrregularly shaped residential areas was weaved into the rectangular patchwork plots of lland and copses of trees . from the air i could feel a sense of rural sobriety and harmony.
brief stopover in japan - the somber atmosphere reminded me more of kingston airport
than a so called first world transit hub......the calm comforting.

after 23 hours of travelling i finally arrived in china, the fabled middle kingdom, mother of the orient. my flight was for the most part, comfortable..the northwest airline stewards in bisiness class were exceptionally pleasant and ready to serve. the space generous, the creature comforts quite welcome. watched "batman begins" , a movie i would not normally see and thoroughly enjoyed it.
would recommend it. movie fans out there .i must admit that it was my first time travelling first class so my experience was quite luxurious. thanks to my good sponsors.
the paul andreu designed shanghai airport was clearly one of the most elegant buildings that i have ever entered. the ordered, canted curtain wall that enveloped the steel framed terminal signalled the spatial qualities inside. it's a huge, impressive structure, but not intimidating- clean, welcoming well appointed light airy interior. architecturally logically ordered in its esthetic and functionality. i make my way thru immigration and customs
with ease. i am met by a party of three - john, an african american of caribbean descent, the programs manager, yuli , a member of the office staff and a uniformed cab driver. we greet and i am whisked away towards shanghai
city. i am pleasantly surprised at john's heritage and the fact that he has been to jamaica several times as a film maker working on the critically acclaimed documentary "life and debt" among other projects.
a forest of well lit skyscrapers announce my arrival. i am well prepared for this.
shanghai is the fastest growing urban center in the history of civilization. the projected construction over the next 5 years is stupendous. - concrete jungle.

first shanghai morning - saturday.
i only sleep for four hours . don't know if it was jet lag or an over active nervous system.
i am feeling fine though aware that this is a dream come true.
john comes to meet me and we walk to his apartment where we join his partner.
pholomi, a beautiful black woman from brooklyn.
my first expereince of the streetscape exposes me to the hustle and bustle of a
densely populated city...bicylcles and scooters and taxi cabs dance around each other in
an improvised ballet seemingly oblivious of any traffic rules and regulations.
at the corner of the street a woman practices a dance with a ceremonial sword
.
the people stare at us an usual sight i can imagine. we walk to the y+ plus studio
along hua shan lu a main artery in this part of the city. the road is paved but dusty,
the sky overcast. we continue to draw stares, puzzling looks sometimes causing a dangerous distraction to motorists and scooter riders.
at y+, located in the french concession area of the city i am introduced to the space and the staff. located on 3 levels of an old french built maison it is an inviting exquisite place.
we lunch at a cafe below the studio.
i am invited to dinner with duncan and his fiance, tiffany and another couple at a popular restaurant. i am still tired and disorientated by jet lag but i manage to haul myself out of the apartment to go along as this was my first chance to meet with duncan since my arrival. i manage to find some greens, green beans and rice that i could eat.
the tofu that i ordered is saturated with oil, much to my distaste.
my first time actually witnessing people eat frogs legs. otherwise dinner was a quite pleasant affair of friendly banter and chinese lessons.

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