Picking Pearls and Getting Glasses in Shanghai

---

The plan:

Get the kids up at 6:30 as practice for catching the school bus at 7:30 AM
MT takes Zoey to the vet at 10 for final exam for paperwork
Hongqiao Market: shoes for Emi, lunchboxes and souvenirs for Chrissy
Lunch at Blue Frog
Eyeglasses store in City Shop Building.
Kids to Lego Land at 2
MT coffee with another OT, Ivy
I go back to the market.

The reality:

MT and the kids made it downstairs sometime between 8 and 8:30 and woke me up. I had not slept well as a result, I think, of my anti-malarials which I had started taking on Saturday. We ate breakfast. The relocation person arrived to take MT and Zoey to the vet appointment before we knew it. MT disappeared. Ying Chen arrived. The doorbell rang. The free maid service from the compound, which MT has tried at least 3 times to cancel, arrived, handed me some thick plastic garbage bags and started working. MT and Zoey came back within an hour, application for Zoey’s official Chinese dog permit complete at last. We had to escape the maids, who are very noisy, so we gathered everyone together and escaped.

We took a cab to the market and looked for shoes for Emi. We didn’t find anything, but had a nice wander without too much pressure to buy. The kids spent their allowance at the toy store on the top floor. They are really getting the idea now and I think that is great! T bought a little truck that came with some cargo; E bought a pencil sharpener thing that had “pixie” dust in it, according to her. We left and headed across the street to the Blue Frog.

I find it amusing that we have such a clear favorite restaurant in such a short time. Probably because it has good kids’ food. T likes the fish sticks and E likes the spaghetti with sauce on the side. MT and I ordered the same thing we had last time too! It was so good!

While we sat at our table, with E and T sitting nicely on their chairs waiting for their food I had cause to appreciate just how well mannered they are (sometimes I wonder, like when one has their finger up their nose, or their shoes on the taxi cab seat-a major faux pas here). A clearly stressed Australian mother of three was screaming at a child who at first we thought must have majorly misbehaved - but later we realized his offense had been just refusing to choose something to order for lunch. I was shocked-she dragged him outside, left him there for a while (we think in their car with a driver) and used very harsh language. She definitely needed a time out to cool down. Another family had a child that would not sit or eat and actually threw food that hit an Asian woman at the next table! By comparison, seat wiggles, whiny voices, and the other behaviors that T and E exhibit when out and about are nothing! Throughout, E and T sat quietly and ate their lunch.

After the Blue Frog, MT and I took the kids, by taxi (3 blocks!), to the Lego place. Before we went up, we had some dessert at the Coldstone Creamery because we all deserved it! Inside the Children’s Technology Workshop, they happily settled in to play and we walked across the street to Starbucks where MT was going to meet another OT. We both tried kiwi juice. I really liked it- it was tart, sweet and crunchy from the seeds. MT’s friend arrived and I headed to back to the Market.

I blazed through the market spending less than an hour there. At Nevins’s jewelry booth on the 3rd floor, I bought myself a lovely natural lavender pearl pendant and earrings which I watched made to my specifications! It was fun to pick out the pearls, though I felt unprepared since I had no idea what pearls should cost or what exactly makes a great pearl. So I went with my instincts and tried to pick round, symmetrical and shiny ones! Matching the color hue exactly was more challenging, but I think I accomplished it! The best part was watching them pop the original pink pearl off the pendant I liked and replace it with the one I chose. Would anyone care to guess what they used to affix the new pearl? I was a bit surprised, I have to admit, when they pulled out the superglue. At least now I know how to fix it if it should ever fall off!

After finding my way out of the maze (and it took me 3 tries to find the exit) I walked out with a huge bag full of stuff! I would tell you all what exactly I bought…but that would spoil the surprise. Suffice it to say, I am 99% done with my Christmas shopping for this year. It is awesome.


I walked back to Starbucks to find MT and the kids, who were now snacking happily. We caught a taxi home, left the kids with Ying Chen and headed back out, determined to finally make it to the eyeglass market! We took the metro line 1 to Zhongshan Park and transferred to the number 3 line on the raised platform. That section of the number 3 is above ground, though I still haven’t felt the ascent or descent of the train! I just suddenly find myself up or under. It is very strange. At the first Shanghai Railway Station stop of two, we got off and went outside. We found the entrance and walked down a path, turned the corner and walked down some rather scary stairs.

Once underground, I was surprised by the bright fluorescent lights and the number of booths. People were everywhere. I saw no other foreigners though. The first booth we looked at had a great pair of glasses. But the people did not speak English and I did not feel comfortable entrusting my eyes to someone who didn’t understand me!

The next booth contained a woman named Wendy who spoke fairly fluent English. And a great pair of glasses. The frame is light pinkish-lavender and leaves the bottom of the lens bare. The ear pieces have great detail with swirls and read gems. I love them.

Wendy couldn’t determine what sph on my prescription meant, so she told me she would give me an eye exam. It would be quicker than waiting and calling home…only one problem. I was wearing my contacts and hadn’t thought to bring my cleaner or case. No problem, she says, I have. Well, okay. She brought me over to the corner of the stall where a drain grate ran across the hallway. She rinsed my fingertips with some sort of contact lens solution. The bottle was the right shape, only it was covered in Chinese characters. It smelled suspiciously like the tap water, but maybe it was made with it? I hope. I took my contacts out and put them in that solution in the case she provided (when I got home, I rinsed them twice with my own solution, let them soak, rinsed them again and let them soak for 24 hours).

Then I had to wait for my eyes to relax. MT headed out, hoping to be home in time for dinner and for Ying Chen to leave on time. I waited. Everything was blurry. Nothing was in English. People were walking and chattering and nothing made sense. I was bored. So I whipped out my phone, borrowed from J, and discovered to my delight that he has a gazillion games on it. I wasn’t surprised, of course, considering his job, but I was very pleased. I spent the next few minutes reaching the senior librarian level of Bookworm. My best word was scrawny.

Then Wendy said to come sit in the chair in the corner. I walked slowly there. I sat down and she used the exact same machine to get an estimate of my prescription that my eye doctor at home had used 3 weeks before. The one where you stare at the house and it becomes focused, blurry, focused, blurry, etc. Then she pushed my chair back and turned it sideways in this small closet. I could see an eye exam chart at the other end. I couldn’t see what was on it though, my eyesight is too bad.

Wendy reached into a small case and picked ups some frames. She fitted three lenses into one eye slot and a blinder into the other. She adjusted them to my head. Now I could see. At least with one eye. The chart was full of Es. They faced left, right, up and down. I guess this is how you would have to do it for a population that largely doesn’t use the English alphabet. It wouldn’t really work with Chinese characters, certainly not if you wanted to be able to examine foreigners as well. I think I wasted my money at home because this exam was free and I ended up with the exact same prescription as the one from home.

So the guy in the corner went to work making the lenses for my glasses. We had ordered the extra thin ones, which were a bit more expensive, but totally worth it when one’s prescription is as strong as mine! He, as far as I could tell, put the lens in the machine and the computer told the machine how to shape it. I asked Wendy to take a picture since I couldn’t see…she couldn’t get a good shot because of the safety shield. So, in a very Chinese fashion, she lifted the shield and took the shot.

I walked out about an hour after arriving at the market wearing my new glasses and headed home. I had no problems on the subway or on getting a cab from Beixinjing Station.

I arrived home to find MT, E and T eating a lovely smelling dinner of meatballs and gravy, pasta, green beans and cauliflower. Over dinner, I learned that MT’s trip home was not quite so uneventful. As a matter of fact, it gave her blisters. She was unable to find a taxi at the station, so she ended up walking all the way home: 7 blocks on the map took her 40 minutes. She plans to blog about it herself when she has time. You can check out her blog at: http://tworingcircus.blogspot.com/
Poor MT! I hope her feet feel better!

---

Photos

E with 4 pigtails
Because she is four. I couldn't quite figure out how to add the half!

Coldtone Creamery
Don't they look like big kids!

I found this funny
but also a bit sad...where is the kid's helmet? Are they just not available in his size?

The elusive eyeglass market
We finally made it to the market. I found some glasses I liked in one of the many, many stalls.

Eye exam the old fashioned way
The person couldn't read one tiny thing on my prescription...so she gave me an eye exam, free with the glasses. She used the same machine where you look at the house and it tells you the prescription, then I looked at a chart of different directioned E's wearing these glasses!

They make the lens right there in the shop
Using this thing to shape the lens for the prescription. Then the guy uses a miter or some other machine thing screwed to the floor to shape the lens to fit the frame. It took less than 30 minutes! And cost 450 RMB total.

Comments

[Bruce]

glasses
Can you tell me how much you paid for your glasses? And how have they worked out for you? Thanks!