The Wandering Monkey

I am happy to say that I did have a good Thanksgiving. I spent the evening in my house with two good friends and another new friend I met, Lawrence. To my surprise, I found out that night that Lawrence went to the same university as me, U of Illinois at Urbana. Then, we got to talking and I found he was in the same college (business) and graduated at the same time as me, too! I somehow never ran into him while I was in school. So, perhaps now we will start our own Shanghai Illini Alumni Club!

So, yesterday I lost my wallet. This is always on the top of one's "Oh SHIT!" list, but it is especially difficult here. Normally, you call some 1-800 numbers, but I have not called the U.S. since I got here. My cell phone and home phone won't even reach the U.S., so I had to ask family (thanks!) to cancel them for me. The new cards will be sent to my U.S. address, but they they'll have to be shipped to China somehow (also a new experience). It looks like this is going to be a part of my life for the next couple of weeks.

So how did this happen? Well, it was very late at night. I was getting out of a cab at my home and I stepped outside, realizing quickly my wallet was not on me -- probably on the back seat. I ran after the departing cab, but cars are faster than people.

The next morning I asked a friend to call the cab company and report the missing wallet. I asked another friend if I could borrow some money since I had to pay rent that very day, too! So now I'm living truly on a budget until I can recover this. Most of that day I was relatively composed. But at the end of the day, I was just spent! I was teaching dance class, and I really had a hard time focusing. I let Kellian run the show for the most part. This stressed out feeling lasted all night, so I just went home afterwards.

I have noticed that stress can really build up here. I mean, frustration is a normal part of life. Stress will affect your ability to process things. But there are just some times when things are really overwhelming. It's really a pain, because suddenly you just can't think straight, which makes it even more stressful! When that happens it's best just to call it a day. But through this, I am happy to have friends who help.

Before I left for China, I thought the trip would give me insight my Polish family's immigration to America. They were all forcibly moved out during World War II and got to America after about 10 years of roaming. They were not in the strongest possible position in life. New country, relatively new language, new culture. And not much of a childhood, either.

My trip to China cannot compare to those hardships. Yes, I do have difficulties out here. And I am surprised by just how difficult it can be. But I am still well-to-do by local Chinese standards. I am generally respected by people I meet, or at least treated with respect. I do not speak the language, but one can get by speaking only English here. There are enough people and enough businesses that you could exist completely without any Chinese language. However, you do need Mandarin to take a cab!

I have been putting off learning Mandarin since I arrived here. At the beginning it made sense to wait. I needed to adjust to the new country, so many small things. But now I really need to learn the language. I will look for a regular person I can learn from. That is, once I get my wallet back!

All for now,
-J

Today I met with a Web designer. Good chap, from New York. It'll cost us a bit but I think it's worth it. Plus he's connected; throws lots of parties, has an 'in' in many bars, and has a 10,000-strong e-mail list. I think it is wise to partner up with this guy.

Kel and I are going to audition for the manager of Xin Tien Di something-or-other. That's a major expat hangout, with bars and shops and such. Perhaps we can get a swing dance night going on there.
-J

(Blog written earlier, in a hotel 6 hours distant from Shanghai)
Nov 16, Saturday Morning

On Friday Kellian and I got on a charter bus and traveled about 6 hours south of Shanghai to perform. There were many other performers with us -- the Phillipine band from the previous show, a three-girl singing and dancing act, a girl who played electric violin, a magician, and most interestingly two young girls 16 & 10 who did a gymnastic rollerskating act.

The rollerskaters had a very polished performance. They performed on a small circular wooden platform, and they did a lot of coordinated spinning and lifts, like figure skaters. For their finale, the small girl was attached to the taller girl by a teather wrapped around each of their necks. They rotated around the platform until the smaller girl took flight, the taller girl whipping the other through the air only by the strap on their necks. Then, the little girl drew in her arms and began a side-over-side rapid rotation. It was dizzying just to watch -- I can't imagine how that little girl ever got used to this. Finally, after a while of spinning in a circle, the little girl put her arms out flat again and immediately stopped her side-over-side rotation perfectly even with the floor. Not an inch of wobbling. Everyone was in awe of their performance, Kellian and I included.

We had the luck of going on immediately after them. So we hopped out on stage and did our thing to our favorite performance song, "Syphonia B" (known to some as "I Surrender I Surrender"). Kellian had been feeling ill from the long and bumpy bus ride, but she pulled it together for the performance. We did well -- got lots of applause and thumbs up afterwards. But I can't help but think we could learn a lesson in showmanship from the little gymnastic rollerskaters.

It's fun, these trips. It gives Kellian and I a lot of energy, which we really need sometimes. Planning the business, looking for studios and students, and practicing all take a lot of energy. These shows really give us encouragement, not to mention a little spending cash.

In a few hours everyone on this tour will be up eating breakfast, then back on the bus. I can't sleep now. I'm in the hotel waiting for the sun to come up. But this is pretty cool.

Today we started our second month of swing dancing classes. It flowed so much more smoothly than the first class! And, this time we have rented a studio which will not abandon us in the middle of the class. Our students all caught on pretty well, although the annoying CD player cannot skip ahead or back a song!

Last weekend Kellian and I took a day trip via bus for eight hours each way. We were hired to do a show out of town --- FAR out of town. (I wrote about this on paper and I will "retro-blog" a little later.) With enough shows and students, I could make a living swing dancing. That would be awesome, and I think it's technically feasible. It won't be easy, but it beats e-commerce for a living. If I can't survive by dancing, I may get a job at a local company as a 'cultural liason' (read: The White Guy). I would be the familiar Western face during a formal presentation.

I am slowly getting the hang of the life out here. I think back now about the first couple of weeks & months I spent here. Man, it was harder than I thought it would have been. Mainly it was so confusing and draining. Now for some reason I am getting used to it. It does not take so long to get things done, and I feel more comfortable walking around. I think that when you first get here, you have the 'fight or flight' instinct firing off almost every second. You are always especially aware of everything around you, and just walking down the street an hour really tires you out. But now I think I have a better bead on things. I know what's dangerous (like crossing the street) or annoying (like beggars and prostitutes) and so forth.

Getting used to the beggars has been one of the biggest challenges. I did feel for them when I first arrived, but having seen many beggars in San Francisco I had developed a thick skin. Now, this is even more the case. I instanty repel from any woman & child together on the street. No -- this is not a prejudice against children. Women and children form beggar teams. Sometimes the youth is the child of the beggar, sometimes not. In such a team, the child makes begging more effective, and the adult in return cares for the child and teaches him or her the ways of the street. Infants are carried in the arms, but if the child is older he or she will do the begging themselves. When I see them on the street, it's like a little race. Can I dodge out of the way or will they intercept me! Once I gave a coin to one of them, and immediately five more came at me with their arms extended. I didn't do that again. Now when I get the random urge to give money, I make sure there is only one beggar present.

On a more personal note, I still don't have a girlfriend yet. I don't see myself getting deeply involved with anyone anytime soon. In the back of my head there is always a little warning light, saying 'don't get involved with a girl 2000 miles from home'. If you fall in love, you are asking for complications. Not to say it won't happen; it might. But at the moment it does not seem like a good idea. We'll see...

All for now,
-J

Last night I had my housewarming party. It worked out pretty well! Now my house is warm.

We are about to begin a new course of classes in swing dancing. Kellian and I are working out some differences in our dancing stlyles, and I am e-mailing my friends back home for help in following Savoy style Lindy Hop.

I am going to e-mail my brother to see if he can come out here. We are working on the ways and means, plus a good time. Maybe next year early. I wanted him to bring my computer with him, but I am afraid it may be too complicated to arrange. There are several boxes and I know how difficult it is to make it through the airport in a new country, so we'll see.

Today Kellian and I met with a new agency through which we may be able to get some swing dancing jobs. We have a show on Friday, probably, then we will see how it goes. I like the people there and I think it will be good.

Overall I think I feel pretty good. I'm starting to get the swing of things (ack- sorry!) in Shanghai. Every day is a new experience, that much is true. You never know what will happen when you walk out the door, but that's what makes it interesting.

We now have three swing dancing events per week, and we are just about finished with our first month's class. Some of our students have come along very well! And we have found two people who are experienced Lindy Hoppers. We are trying to bring them into the fold. We are also considering doing a "Lindy in the Park" day. We can only do that for a few more weeks, as I understand Shanghai winter is very nasty. And, I can tell you Shanghai Summer is really nasty, so this would be a fall and spring thing.

With the holiday season approaching, we think we will be able to secure more performances. Hope so!
-J