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Published: February 12th 2010
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Hello my friends from Shanghai -
I can’t believe I have been here 2 weeks already, the time is just flying by sadly.
For the first week I was here I went into school and talked to Joanna and Sophie’s classes about L S Lowry. Joanna dropped this on me just before I came so I had to do a quick internet search! We managed to get the words to Matchstalk men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs and the music too, so at the end of my talk, all the children sang from the words we had printed out for them. They loved it and for me it was amazing once again to see all the different nationalities in these classes, doing their best. I then went into William’s class and talked about Easter as their topic has been Celebrations. I brought some chocolate Easter Eggs for them and guess what - they really loved them! They all had one each and I don’t think many found their way home!
Ian and I went into school to the Chiinese New Year Celebrations. It was really impressive, with some of the children doing the Dragon Dance and Joanna and
Sophie taking part in a Fashion Show dressed in their Chinese dresses. Everyone was wearing Chiinese clothes and as Joanna had told me about this before I went, I took the beautiful jacket I had made here last time which is black reversible to a lovely chinese fabric so I wore this. The whole afternoon was lovely with the teachers taking it in turns to come to the front and wish everyone a Happy New Year (in Chinese of course). Yet another amazing experience for me.
We also went with William to his Tai Kwondo grading. He had a yellow belt and performed very well to earn his green belt. They all had to perform the set patterns and at the end all these little people (and some bigger ones as well) all broke a piece of wood held by the teacher - with their foot as they kicked it! Some limped away as they hadn't caught it quite right, but they all broke the wood. William actually collected his green belt on his birthday and was absolutely thrilled to get it.
Joanna’s friends Linda and Sam took Ian and I to the Shanghai Museum one day. This
was a great day out. The Museum was an amazing place, 4 floors, with one complete section on Jade, it was really beautiful. We had lunch in a Hong Kong restaurant which was so good and then we visited Madam Soong Ching Ling’s House. This lady pioneered education for women in China and it was very interesting.
Outside at the moment, it sounds as though World War III has broken out! It is Chinese New Year on Sunday and they have been setting off fireworks ever since I arrived, but tonight it is crazy. Apparently it becomes almost non-stop from now until Sunday! (Joanna here - mum has no idea what is to come, this is nothing!!!!)
Joanna and I went to the Fabric Market on Saturday and I ordered a cashmere coat. The lady delivered it on Tuesday - made to measure - for £50! I am very pleased with it needless to say. Joanna ordered one too but hers won’t be ready until after Chinese New Year. The lady wasn’t going to lose a sale just because I would have gone by then so agreed to make it and deliver it straight away!
On Tuesday we went
to Pudong, the other side of Shanghai to see Joanna’s new school which she will join in August. It is called Dulwich College and was affiliated to the London one. It is very nice indeed (I am just running out of adjectives here!) The area is so different, wide roads and not so much traffic and cleaner air. It is very nice here but much better there. The school is great and the children were very excited at the prospect of changing. Sophie had to do a 2 hr (!) test while we took William down the road to the Ducks School. It was so lovely I can’t describe it but unlike any other Infant School I have seen. They had all the red decorations up everywhere for Chinese New Year, mainly red lanterns and it looked lovely. William will be at the top of the school and move up with Sophie and Joanna next year. They will move house, yet again, to probably a compound complete with indoor and outdoor swimming pools so they are all looking forward to it.
We have eaten in Vietnamese restaurants, a Greek restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, an American type restaurant and we
are going to a Shanghainese one in a couple of days. All of these served very delicious food and everywhere has the most gorgeous cakes too, something I would not have associated with China. We are also going to the Lantern Festival next week, which should be impressive as the red lanterns are outside all of the hotels and lots of the shops and restaurants already.
I have had several nervous breakdowns sitting in the front seat of the taxis here! The traffic is even worse than I remembered. The drivers are fearless and so are the scooter riders and cyclists; they just drive at each other and wait for one of them to give way, they just keep going and going! Coaches are the same, it is incredible to see but very scary to be a part of!
I seem to have rambled on somewhat. There is heaps more I could tell you but will save it for when I get home and bore you then! My camera gave up shortly after I got here - at Sophie and William’s pizza making party in fact, but Ian has taken loads of photos so I will be able
to show you some of them. It was good to meet some of the parents again and see the children having such fun. When the cakes came they all sang Happy Birthday in English first, then Chinese, then Korean and they all know how to sing in all three languages! Sophie and William had bikes for their birthdays and whilst William was apprehensive at first to try without his stabilisers which he had on at my house, within half an hour he was away and there is no stopping him now! Sophie had already got her stabilisers off last year at my house and just couldn't wait to get going again. They went out with Ian for a little while this morning but it was very cold with a bitter wind so they didn't stay out too long. Riding around the compound here is great fun for them and they want to go out now at every opportunity.
I have just looked on the computer at the UK weather forecast and it looks as though you are actually colder than we are here. On Tuesday we were out in just our shirts as it was a beautiful Spring day.
However, today it has rained all day and almost snowed so it has been cold but overall not as bad as I had thought it would be. We went to the Marks & Spencer in Shanghai earlier in the week and I bought a blouse as I had only brought jumpers with me. They had a Sale on and it was Buy One Get One Free so Joanna bought a really nice dress and got a black jumper free! What a great idea that was.
Take care all of you and will catch up with you when I get back.
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Julie Bedford
non-member comment
Having a great time
Hi, pleased to hear you're having a fantastic time. Jo's new school sounds fab. Just starting half term here - thank goodness! Enjoy the rest of your trip.