Shanghai Highlights:

1)      Running Through The Fountain On People’s Square.

The People’s Square is the largest public square in the city of Shanghai, and the site of Shanghai’s municipal government headquarters:

“We came across a fountain on People’s Square, like the one at the Gateway that little kids run through, except for there were no little kids running through it. I jokingly said to Adam, “Hey I dare you to run through it.” He in turn dared me. I don’t know what happened, but five minutes later we were saying, “One, two, three,” and we raced through the fountain as fast as we could. About halfway through, there was a whistle blown at us, but there was no turning back, so we finished running through. The next thing you know, 200 Chinese people are starring at and applauding these two soaking wet Americans that are laughing their heads off! The rest of the afternoon I was wet, but it was great” (Abby’s Blog)

After walking around a museum for a while, it felt great to spice up life a little. Sometimes you can’t help but run through a fountain. The security officer who blew the whistle at us probably would have scolded us, if it hadn’t been for the approval of everyone else there. ( In addition to the applause, several people were even taking pictures of us.) Besides, the sign only said we weren’t allowed to shower in the fountain. It didn’t say anything about running through it.

2)      Walking Along The Bund.

The Bund is the most remarkable part of Shanghai! On one side of the river are old European style buildings built in the early 1900’s, and on the other side of the river are some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world! It truly is a breath-taking site, especially at night.

3)      Riding Motorized Boats In A Park.

You may have noticed that I wrote: “motorized boats” instead of “motorboats.” There is a difference… a major difference. I mean it had a motor, but I don’t think we reach 5 mph. This was a beautiful pond, with wonderful brooks flowing underneath beautiful bridges… but there is only so long you can enjoy riding around in a boat at that speed. The next thing you know, we are cruising around trying to smash into other boats! It’s addicting! Within minutes, this pond turned from a peaceful, serene atmosphere, into a demolition derby. What a great way to start out the day: ramming children and old people in motorized boats. And in our defense, they were as obnoxious as us. (An old lady T-boned us!) Once things got going I was sure we were going to get kicked out of the park.

4)      Taiwanese Drink Shop.

Do you ever have those “tender mercy” moments, when you know it didn’t have to happen, but you are so glad it did? Although China and Taiwan are very similar, there are just a few things that I loved from my mission that I haven’t been able to find here in Beijing. The top of that list would be 冬瓜茶 (Winter Melon Tea). Walking down the street I saw a tea shop that had recently opened, and a man was handing out samples. I usually ignore these places, but I’m glad we stopped. The samples they were giving out was the drink I have been craving!  It turned out to be a Taiwanese drink shop, and the guy who opened it happened to be from Taichung, a city I served in for a significant amount of my mission. It made my day!

5)      Dance Party In The Park.

Our last night in Shanghai, we were walking down the street and saw some old people dance in a park. We were rather surprised by the upbeat tempo, and thought we would join the party.

Our dancing was rather different from theirs, but you would have thought we were celebrities by all the attention we were getting (I’m guessing they don’t have white people come dance very often). There were old men trying to imitate us from the side-lines, and the funniest thing was trying to teach a bunch of old ladies how to do the macarena! It was ridiculous!

6)      Hotel On The 35^th Floor.

Have you ever slept in the 35^th floor of a hotel? The view was amazing! Emily’s dad who is doing business in Shanghai let us stay with him. I don’t think I have ever slept in a more comfortable bed in my life… except for having to share it with Brett. A woke up during the night with his arm spread out across my chest, and his leg over-lapping mine. I wasn’t gentle as I pushed him back over to his side of the bed. (I’m not sure how he didn’t wake up.) He’s lucky it didn’t happen a third time, because waking up the second time in a similar situation, I decided I was pushing him completely off the bed if it happened again. Josh fell asleep on the couch that night, using a towel since there wasn’t an extra blanket. Freezing cold he came and crowded onto our bed.

7)      The Turner Family!

I love that no matter where you are in the world, the church is the same. Jared and Heather Turner are a young married couple in the Shanghai Branch, who have two adorable children with a third on the way. I know that they have busy, busy lives and yet they let us stay at their house for three days. Heather cooked us some of the best food I have had in China, and Jared took us around to see the city! I love that family!