Shanghai there

---

Hello dayre,

Life is certainly a whirl around here. Out early, home late, and any amount of excitement in between. Classes went really well today, plenty of laughs and buckets of enthusiasm, though I'm afraid that from now on they'll be a bit boring now that all the Kodaly pedagogical showstoppers have been used. Some of them might have to be encored. Feicimid. The teacher went astray a few times, even resulting in an impromptu example of 'how not to teach this song'...which ended up being probably more effective than the original plan. Neverdeless and not without standing Mr Kodaly caused Shanghaijinks in the Music Education Department this morning.

Well I just can't get over the high buildings around here. The Radisson hotel is like a spaceship on top of a roll of glitzy kitchen paper. The current but soon-to-be surpassed world's tallest building is like Mount Doom on a diet. From the classroom on the School of Music's 10th floor any building under 30 storeys looks disappointing. Aside from the skyscrapers, Shanghai is an architectural box of Quality Streets. You can move from Paris to Berlin to Tokyo to 1930 to the future in just a few steps. It's not hard to imagine the pre-WWII expat residents of the city reading their London Timeses/Deutsche Zeitungs/ Paris Baguettes sitting on the balcony (inexpicably mimicking him, hiccuping and amicably welcoming him in, or actually not in this case) while the servants scrubbed the steps. Some of the European-style houses are so ridiculously out of place I find myself feeling embarrassed to be European. Elgar said: "England for the English: Hands off I say". Well China for the Chinese...roysh! Jaysus. Birazze.

Hailing was off conducting Verdi at a 'do' for the afternoon so I was left in the capable hands of Sunxing, a student of Hailing's who is hoping to Shanghaitail it over to Hungaria next year.

But...no time to continue this fascinating account of my terrials and terribulations because Shanghailing is telling me to get the hell into bed before she smacks me around the head with a panda.

Loving Shanghai! The food is delumptious, scrimptious and scrambulous. I've been totally welcomed by everyone I met...especially the 20 people who tried to sell a nice watch to the 'lady' on the streets today. But seriously, it's brilliant, the hostesses couldn't be better, and I am looking forward to one hell of a Shanghaibernation on Saturday morning.

---

Comments

[O' D]

Hello!!
Hi diddly ho there neighbour. Well all seems to be going well over there, I'm wrecked this evening so not gonna even attempt to match your wonderful shanghai puns, I'm sure your mother will put in a good effort some time!! Anyways keep up the blogs I fell as if I'm there, a big hello to Hailing Claire xxx

[Fumie]

Hi, I'm glad you are enjoying there and Kodaly lectures went well! You almost look like a professor...(post Sarolta??!), and your new clothes are so lovely!! Say hi to Hailing, enjoy! Fumie

[Sarah Robinson]

More please!
ooh, just noticed this comments part! Hope you're still having a great time, and are warm enough, and seriously, not stranded anywhere?... am sure I speak for everyone, we're all in suspense for the next insallment! Love to Hailing! I love the pout!!