Sept 22- Sept 28
Back to the Big City
We packed up our hotel room, checked out, and headed back to Jiading (a suburb of Shanghai), the same place we stayed when we first arrived in China. We’ll be here for the next two and a half weeks while our residence permits are being processed. It was strangely sad leaving our hotel in Jintan. It’s only been a few weeks, but that room has become our home, small and cozy. We’ve spent more time living together there than we did in our home in Ogden!
We traveled on a high speed rail from Jintan to Jiading. The high speed trains are magic! What would be a three hour drive was only an hour in very comfortable seats, without the stress of traffic, and a fraction of the cost (around 550 RMB/$77 USD by car compared to 90 RMB/$12 USD by high speed rail)!
Thumbs up for Shanghainese Cuisine
Some of Matt’s coworkers who work in the CTC facility in Jiading invited us to dinner at a traditional Shanghainese restaurant. The menu was massive, with both traditional and unique items. Some regions of China specialize in spicy cuisine, however Shanghai cuisine is generally more sweet than it is spicy. Surprisingly, some of the flavors of the sauces were the most similar to the flavors we often eat in Utah (the fried fish tasted so similar to what we know as sweet and sour.)
We shared many delicious dishes, with duck tongue being the most unique (fun fact: duck tongue has bones in it). Chinese people love their duck tongue dishes! Matt and I gave it a try and readily admit it is not something we will order for ourselves in the future (although we think everyone should try it for themselves). Check out a quick highlight of the meal here.
We are grateful and awed by the kindness and generosity of the people we’ve met here who embrace us, teach us, and share with us their culture.
Into Downtown for Residence Permits
We made a quick trip into downtown Shanghai to turn in paperwork for our residence permits. We took advantage of the mid-week break and wandered through some of Century Park- a haven in the middle of the city.
Volcano Pizza 🌋🍕🍫🤯
We’ve seen advertisements for Volcano pizza at Domino’s all over. We challenged ourselves to have an open mind and give it a try. Yes, the “volcano” part is filled with chocolate sauce. Yes, those are marshmallows on the pizza. And yes, everything else about the pizza (sauce, cheese, toppings, etc.) is as normal as we could ask for. We were skeptical, but folks, we’re here to tell you it’s not that bad. We would even say it was not not good. (An additional unique fact about Domino’s in China: you can order much more than pizza or wings. You want some mini hot dogs? How about salmon with rice? You can find it at Domino’s.)
Zhouqiao Old Street
Near the heart of Jiading, nestled between the busy streets of downtown, is a quaint area with shops, restaurants, a temple from 1207, and beautifully decorated canals. It was fun to explore this district Saturday night. As we wandered through the streets and shops, Matt, in his usual charming and unassuming way, struck up conversations with people. Everyone is so friendly and eager to speak with us, and because Matt speaks Chinese, everyone assumes I do as well. There is often a moment of a humorous attempt to communicate through actions and the little shared language we have before I jump to using my phone. Gratefully, the miracle of technology has allowed me connect with people as I continue to work on learning Chinese.
Among the people we spoke with was a woman from Taiwan who was even more thrilled to chat with Matt when she learned he lived in Taiwan. She told him of a recent typhoon and mudslide in the eastern part of Taiwan that left 19 people dead and whole villages submerged in mud. Just a day later we learned of the horrific shooting in Michigan. These events reminded us of the fragility of life and has caused us to reflect on what we can do to lift where we stand. Our hearts ache for individuals and families all over the world who are facing tragedy, devastation, pain, and loss for whatever reason.
We bought a knife
Hotel life can get old. We’ve begun buying fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement our eat-out-for-every-meal diet. But we needed a knife. Turns out in China, you have to register to buy a knife, including small paring knives. So Matt’s on the knife registry. Watch out!
A Small World!
On Sunday, we headed back to the Shanghai branch. (Only an hour commute from Jiading vs. two hours to Suzhou.) Attending the Shanghai branch is a delight! We appreciate the opportunity to gather and worship with members of the church from all over the world… including Brigham City! (We ran into Darci again, this time with her boyfriend Freddie, who’s visiting for a month. For more about Darci and Freddie, read about our first Sunday in China on this post.)
We also met Arsha, the brother in the center of the picture above. He was visiting Shanghai for work and will be back periodically. The five of us discovered unexpected connections: Arsha was born and raised in Sweden, but is of Iranian decent, Freddie speaks Swedish and served his mission in Denmark and Sweden, Matt’s company is based in Sweden, and our first friends in China are from Iran (read about them in this post).
Over lunch, Arsha shared his incredible faith journey, how he became acquainted with missionaries, and how he determined to join the Church of Jesus Christ and stay active as the only member of the Church in his family in a country that looks down on believers. His frequent comments about how God has worked and is working in his life reminded us of how God does the same for us.
We see in the comings and goings of our lives a divine touch and orchestration. People and places and experiences that remind us God is in the details. In a country of 1.4 billion people, we have met people from all over, but with so much connection. There is a phrase in Chinese, 人生何处不相逢 (Rénshēng hé chù bù xiāngféng), where in life do we not meet? We trust we will meet all of these people again, and look forward to introducing Armin & Mohaddesah to Arsha. It’s truly a small world after all.
Tiāntiān xiàngshàng 
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