Holiday Party

It has been a crazy week and it isn't over yet.  Students and teachers struggle to work the week after finals have been taken and grades for the semester have been submitted.  Every class students try to get off on a tangent by asking where I'm heading for holiday.  It is also very interesting to here where they are headed for break.  Everyone definitely needs a couple weeks to recharge their batteries. 

Last Saturday Bri and I attended the school Christmas party.  It was a good time at a great venue.  The Peace Hotel was a swanky place on the Bund during Shanghai's prime in the 1940's.  It was just restored a few years ago.  It was a fun night and a really cool to view the full lunar eclipse from the hotels roof terrace.  We were lucky it was a clear night.  Did I mention is was a James Bond themed party?  Enjoy the pictures below.
Matt

The Peace Hotel is the fourth from the right below.

Fabric Market Fashion

Ayi's turn to cook

Every Monday our ayi cooks dinner.  It has been a fun way to try some new chinese food.  When we come home for lunch on Mondays the house smells like a chinese restaurant and if she is still in the apartment she usually wants to show us what she made and explain a few things.  We usually don't understand her so we mostly just nod and smile.  We've enjoyed most the dishes she makes and we'll probably start requesting that she repeat a few dishes that we especially liked after christmas.

Last week when I came home I was quite certain what she was asking me as she pointed to whole cooked fish on a plate.  I nodded and said "I like" in chinese so she would know that we like fish.  I didn't mention that my wife might get a little squeamish if the fish is looking back at her.  The fish tasted just fine and I'd happily eat it again although I would probably not request it.  The head of a fish doesn't bother me at all but that doesn't mean I want to see a chicken head on the plate when wing night rolls around again.  I'd rather eat mystery meat than have it clearly identified with a skull on the plate.
Matt

Fish, chinese brocoli and beef stir-fried with onions and peppers

This was another ayi dinner night this month.  Chicken wings, chicken stir fried with peppers and carrots, some sort of green stuff and a delicious zucchini with garlic side dish.

Bathroom Signage

     Bathrooms in Shanghai are always an adventure.  We've learned to enter cautiously, pay careful attention to signs and to not get our hopes up.  We've been in some nice bathrooms.  I'd even say some were cool based on the decor. Then we've been in some bathrooms that were unspeakable.  Today I found myself in the women's bathroom at one point for a few seconds until a realized the sign was just above the door knob.  I'm not going to get into poopy talk but Friday night I saw a sign above a urinal that I need help interpreting.  After school I went to a pool hall down the road with some other teachers and saw this in the restroom (which by the way I've found that only Americans call them restrooms).  I'll get back to you all if I can find out what advice this sign has to offer.  Take special note of the pictures at the bottom which I zoomed in on below.  It might be blurry.

Matt