Friendly stranger at my bus stop, zong zi, and the tea market

A nice Friday- with no 8 a.m class, so my day started at 9:45 a.m Lunch with Danny on Fridays is a real treat. He told me about the upcoming Dragon Festival ( June 1st - a holiday Monday!) and about Zong Zi - a special dumpling he will bring me to taste next Friday. It is the specialty eaten during the Dragon Festival.

I am pretty sure I have had this dumpling, but perhaps the filling is different. I've had this with plain sticky rice inside and with rica and bean paste.
He is bringing the recipe as well- sweet guy!

I truly expected this to happen ore often - as I know English teachers encourage their students to greet Foreigners on the street to practice their English. It happened to Jo and I at least twice she we were here in March 2012. But for FIRST time since I've been in Shanghai a group o four little kids walking home from school saw me seating at the bus and in sing song said " Hello! Hello! Hello!"
It was quite sweet! I asked them how they were and they replied " Fine, Thank you!"
(Argh….where is my camera for moments like this????)

But I DID  capture what happened next:

This friendly woman sat on the seat next to me and started a conversation - in Mandarin. In my limited (very limited) Mandarin I was able to tell her I was from Canada and that I was living in Hongkou District and that I was a teacher. She told me " Sister - Janada "(Canada in Mandarin) and then gestured that it is very cold in Canada, I laughed and told her "Wei" ( Yes).

A couple of SFLS students arrived at the bus stop- I don't
 teach them- but they knew who I was - and I got them to translate a little for me. They seemed embarrassed, but they were quite sweet.
My bus came and my new friend DID NOT GET ON - she just wanted to chat! How very nice!
Maybe she lives close by and sees me sitting there at the end of the day five days a week- going home- and decided to be friendly? Who knows- but I was quite pleased with it all

Today ( Saturday) Vicky, Emmanuelle ( new French teacher) and I are going to a "Tea Market". I have not been to one here- I visited one in Kuala Lumpur- so I am very excited!