SFLS Group Photo...Skype with Jo......enjoying Pudong with colleagues........a wonderful day!

So, the morning began with getting ready for a group photo- (several actually)- here on the grounds of the Dorm, with Shanghai Foreign Languages School Staff to celebrate it's Golden ( 50th) Anniversary. White shirt (house), black jacket, black slacks/skirt. Can do.
The Foreign teachers complained of the early hour on a Saturday- but then we realized that the others had to travel from the 'burbs for (some) an hour to be here at 9 a.m.
Had a Skype date with sister Jo at 8 a.m. before the shoot. Wonderful! She had a list of questions....I  was thrilled to share my experiences with someone who had been to China with me ( March 2012- 31 days). Jo REALLY gets my daily life here- everything from the treacherous walk to the Metro station to get my bus each morning ( crossing the street is like taking your life in your hands every time)....to the street vendor's shops, restaurants, shopping  in local food stores, etc. She made me realize how much I had learned about how to manage the everyday simple chores in  China - that we learned on our first visit here.....so true!
I was excited to tell her I found a street vendor who makes the "savoury flat bread" we bought and loved in Guangzhou!!! Will buy some this weekend.
( So, as an aside, my neighbour Matt was woken up by my Skype chat with Jo- (well, because we are LOUD- but he heard me say " I've learned to be aggressive with the scooter drivers who simply ignore the red lights and zoom by with horn blasting - F$#%%^^   YOU! " I told Jo. That's what woke Matt up ....sorry........
The photo shoot was fun- much more organized than I anticipated - than we ALL anticipated.  Group shot ( over 100 of us). Languages Shoots- German teachers, French Teachers, /English Teachers, Spanish teachers, Japanese Teachers, etc, etc,
Then, Foreign Teachers by Campus- that is 7 of us. That was fun!

Victoria had invited me to go "Downtown"- which means the West Bund or French Concession - OR - the "NEW" Shanghai ( the last ten years- the scenes you see in Bond movies). I LOVE the " Downtown" for the shops, the restaurants, the people, the pedestrian Nanjing Rd- so I said YES!
Since we ( the Foreign Teachers at the Dorm) were all up and showered and dressed- it became a "group event".

Matt (England) Laura ( originally Mexico, but USA transplant - lives with her Chinese husband in the Bund) Victoria ( Russian) and Bianca ( Germany).

We hit a German restaurant because Vicky wanted Bianca to assess the authenticity of the food. so what did people order? The German - Bianca- had Spaghetti. Laura and I had smoked salmon on foccacia bread with "chips" - which we thought were "fries" - but ended up being Bar B Q chips- Victoria had a smoked salmon platter ( I SHOULD HAVE GONE THAT ROUTE _ DAMN) and only Matt ( The Brit)  had a huge pretzel with mustard mayonnaise and bratwurst.
The last two photos testifies that Laura and I had "too much bread" and not enough of the "other"

The "Bund" is a place where International things, movies, food, fashion, etc can be had. Lots of Ex-pats live here. I saw so many blue-eyed, blond people today - not a usual sight living in Hongkou
District.
Jo- Here is the same fountain that my favourite picture of you and I was taken. Remember?
Matt took a Metro home because he had plans and we carried on to a wonderful garden and a "marriage market" Just look!