Update 3/11/2011 - Cell Group, Work, My Neighborhood

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Today is Friday the 11th. I am at my apartment just after a full work day. I have been keeping very busy and getting behind on my updates.
Last time I mentioned a small group bible study on Wednesday evening. That turned out to be a very good experience. Shanghai Community Fellowship has many cell groups that meet weekly all over the city. This particular group meets fairly close to where I work in an individual’s apartment. We sang a few worships songs together and studied the book of proverbs. The group is made up of all expats (Expatriate: a person temporarily or permanently residing somewhere outside their home country) and English is our common language. Americans are most common, but there are many other countries represented as well. This internationalism, I believe, helps the group identify with each other in a way that is unique and different from the church I grew up in.
At work we have been doing a lot of changes to our building design. The goal is to create a new style of office building that caters to a more modern work environment. I would like to share more about this project but I have to be sensitive to the amount of information I am allowed to make public at this time.
I have been working on making study models of our buildings. Designers believe that having a physical representation of the building helps to understand and improve the design. It often makes problems a lot easier to point out. I went model supply shopping with a girl on my project team. She is Chinese which was very important for this experience. I don’t think I would have been able to find what we needed without her Mandarin skill. We went to a shopping mall full of little stores like a high density Hobby Lobby. Some of the model making material I am used to from school is not available here in China or is just hard to find. We had to settle on different products and these supplies were also a lot cheaper than buying the same things in the U.S.
I have also been learning new computer programs. One of them is a newer program called Vasari and I am now the only person in this Gensler office who has experience with it. I will begin to teach some others in the office how to use it soon.
Over the weekend I took more photos of the general neighborhood I am living in. I also went to dinner with a couple people from Australia after Church on Sunday. Their English is very British and I learned a few new words from them even though we were speaking the same language.
I plan on updating again soon after I check out more attractions in the city this weekend. All readers should feel free to leave comments. Let me know if there is anything you’re curious about. If there are things you want to see more or less of, don’t be afraid to say so.

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Photos

Fruit Stand
This is on my way to the Metro Station. I buy fruit here quite often.

Repair Shop
I assume this is a bike shop, they are a little short on space.

Old City
This area of this city has walls around it blocking it from view. This is a small opening in the wall.

Construction
Directly behind my apartment building

Construction
Directly behind my apartment building

Security
A cheap way to keep people from climbing your wall.

Art Supply Store
Model Supply Shopping

Art Supply Store
Model Supply Shopping

Comments

[Aunt Susan]

Love it
Thanks for the narative. I am always glad to read your thoughts

[Dad]

EARTHQUAKE
Did you feel the earth quake or the Tsunami?

[Loren & Shirley]

Thinking of you!
Thanks for all the information you share on your blog. We enjoy keeping up with what you are doing. We were also wondering if you felt any of the effects from the earthquake in Japan? We had to look at a world map to see how far China is from Japan. We are just thankful you are safe. Good luck with the model you will be making for the building design. And Loren said to enjoy the food. We are going out for Chinese after church tomorrow. Of couse, it will be the Americanized version of Chinese. Best wishes. Loren and Shirley