Week 8 - Mingyue Road, Jinqiao

Mike didn't want me to take this photo... and the first one I took was right behind the pole... but I had realised before we went out today that I had no photos for this week's entry, and so just before this happened I had taken a rather ordinary photo of the sun starting to set.

This is outside our compound, you know, where we live.  That blue truck parked up just ahead is our fruit man.  While I was buying some bananas and apples today, we were suddenly surrounded by the police with lights flashing and a couple of short whoops of their siren, the policemen just kept piling out of the cars.  We weren't quite sure what happened, we know that it's technically 'illegal' in China to sell things on the side of the road like this, but it's so commonplace that it's hard to avoid, and really, the fruit is fresher (and cheaper) than that in the supermarket.  What I found interesting was that the policemen let us finish our transaction, before cracking down on our fruit man, who started packing up as soon as I paid him.

I wonder if he'll have some enforced 'holiday' for a while - periodically he does disappear, but eventually he comes back.  Our DVD man once told me that he'd been jailed for a while, but I put that down to the counterfeit DVDs he sells, not the side of the street peddling.  And you can't really have fake apples - can you?

Week 7 - Car to car sales, near Kangqiao

Every morning I catch a taxi to go to work (I am currently teaching Year 6 until the end of the school year at an International School), and every morning I see this lady, and one other, trying to sell the stuff she is carrying to the drivers stopped at the interchange to turn onto the Hunan Highway.

I often wonder how much trade she actually does, I understand impulse buys for the back supports, the phone chargers, the steering wheel covers and even the nodding cactus decorations for dashboards.   But who buys those enormous maps for use in a car?  If I was in the market for a wall map, I am sure I wouldn't buy it when stopped at traffic lights!

What would the impact on her health be, walking through the idling cars all day?  I hope the sales they make are worth it!!

Once, my taxi driver bought a phone charger, and I enjoyed witnessing the transaction, yes he bargained her down to 5 kuai!

Week 6 - Night night, Jinqiao

Wednesdays are long days for our kids. Jie Jie goes off to school in the morning as usual, and then is picked up by a friend's mum and taken to ballet, and then dropped home around 5.15.  It is long for Didi, too, as he has no activities of his own and is home alone all day.  When Jie Jie gets home Didi is SOOOO excited that he won't leave her side, and Jie Jie is exhausted that she just wants peace.

This Wednesday night I went out after dinner leaving Mike to put the whippersnappers to bed himself, and success, read sleep, was achieved, but not in separate beds.  It was so cute when I got home to see them sleeping together, it was almost sad to move Didi back to his own room.

Week 5 - Ginger for sale, Jinqiao

Have you ever seen such beautiful ginger?  Blemish and wrinkle free.  This was for sale at a street market just around the corner from our home with loads of other fresh, and equally beautiful vegetables.  I just love that it's all in tatty old bags, on the footpath, straight from the farm.

Week 4 - FTC Robotics, SAS Pudong, San Jia Gang

Guest blogger....

On Saturday we took our robot on its first outing to play on the competition field at SAS Pudong.
My School has entered the First Technology Challenge competition which is getting off the ground in China this year. There are about 8 teams in the Shanghai area and this is the first time a few of the teams got together to share ideas and pizza.
Competition is at the end of April.... so we have a lot to do..

Mike