Getting Shanghai-ed, 4/8

Shanghai is probably a lovely city if it is not rainy and cold, but I may never know for sure. Our last day in China was spent wandering around the pedestrian mall and Renmin Park (‘The Peoples’ Park’). We went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and saw two enormous models of the present and future Shanghais: in both there are tall, stately buildings, inviting waterfront, orderly neighborhoods. Shanghai will host the World Expo in 2010 and it seems as big an event as hosting the Olympics. They have their own mascot and everything. Those of you who have seen my father’s artwork will be struck by the similarities with Land of Oz and his many other works that incorporated themes of architecture, technology, and symmetry.

We also spent a delightful afternoon in the Shanghai Museum, also in Renmin Park. The paintings, bronze, and sculptures were exquisite! We bought a book about the museum and its holdings and took many photos (on flickr). Wish we’d had more time there. By the time we left the museum it was raining, so our plans to catch a cab back to the ship were dashed (everyone else wanted a cab, too). We walked all the way back, squishing and grumbling, but made it in time for dinner and perhaps more importantly, in time for the departure from port.

April 15. Again?

I haven’t finished writing about China or Japan but I can’t miss the opportunity to tell you that on the ship we are now on our second April 15th, all the more confusing because I don’t think we’ve really crossed the International Date Line yet: we’re not close enough to Hawaii. But it is not for me to question these matters. Today is Tuesday April 15, just like it was yesterday. We are now 11 hours behind the East Coast and will lose another 6 hours before arriving in Hawaii. This continued loss of sleep does not please the shipboard community and only adds to my natural state of befuddlement.

Now that we have left Japan it feels like we are heading home. Across the Pacific we travel, the waves swelling and pitching us to and fro. Students are thinking of upcoming final exams but many of us are trying to put the voyage into perspective: What have we learned? How have we changed? What next?

At noon today we had a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Virginia Tech massacre. The ship’s bell tolled 32 times. What have we learned?