A lot of their buildings, subway stations, and stairs use marble flooring. And the city rains a LOT. So (marble floors + rainy weather) + millions of people = high risk for slipping accidents. Smart urban planning, people. Of course, I say that because I have nearly fallen on my butt about, oh say, ten thousand times since I've been here.
I went on a search for a nearby church yesterday, and I figured, heck, why not go to the Cathedral in Xujiahui. It's even marked on the map as a landmark. So I brought my passport (Chinese nationals aren't allowed to go to some churches I think; they usually just let foreigners in) and went, and boy was it a little far. It took me forty minutes, and mostly it was because I had to walk really far through the train station before I reached the 4 Line. Then the train ride was fast. I even had to transfer to the 1 Line.
It's a smaller church than I expected. As I walked in, a whole bunch of volunteers were waiting around to give tours. One guy stopped me and asked me, "Are you Catholic?" I said, "Yeah," and prepared to take out my passport, just to prove that no, I'm not a Chinese communist. He then said, "Oh, ok, you can go in for free, and take a look around for free." So there's a fee to go in. I went in and took a few minutes to pray. A small band of Filipino women walked down the church aisle, chattering in Tagalog, and it felt like home.
Then I walked around Xujiahui. It's a busy area, but full of construction and shopping malls. As Russell has said, Shanghai is one giant shopping mall. There are malls that grow out of the train stations. There are huge malls on every block. And most of them have a lot of restaurants like Pizza Hut and KFC, and then a food court on the basement with the NICEST TABLES around. It's soooooo pretty. It made me want to just eat for the sake of sitting at one of those tables. And servings are not cheap like American mall food courts. They're real meals with real plates.
I went to one with a huge glass globe on it - forgot what it was called - and it was basically an electronic center. It was crowded too - I mean, how much can you get or look around in a shopping center full of electronics and computers? They're all the same on every floor, just different brands. But it was the weekend... I didn't go in the department stores that probably sold clothes. Ha ha ha...missed out on that. The intersection is so busy and the roads for the cars so wide, that I even walked across a bridge to cross to the other side of the street. Fun!
Oh, there are a million Dairy Queens here. As I passed by one, there was a strong sweet smell coming from it, and it smelled so good - it smelled like childhood. Although - it probably was just freshly baked waffle cones. SO GOOD. I got so tired from all this I didn't bother working out (fatty!).
Have a lot of work this week - but pictures will soon come up! I promise! And then...BEIJING! THAT will be quite an adventure - and I'll be having LOTS of pictures for you!!
Side note: [I am going to give up candy and junk food (ahem* Pocky) and chunju naicha. OMG - bubble tea will be SO HARD. Hannah made cookies - freshly baked from scratch. I could not resist two. But I haven't had cookies in so long. I don't like cookies here though and I don't eat them often. But I'll give them up...mostly =D. Still no meat on Fridays.... I think announcing it will help me stick to it better =D]
EDIT: I have just uploaded some pics! Yay!
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