Commuting

Commuting back and forth to work over here can be a harrowing experience. Anyone familiar with Asia will agree that the driving style is a mixture of chaos and zen - cars seem to move randomly from lane to lane (and I say "lane" in the loosest of ways) and everyone cuts everyone else off. It's the automotive version of the way Chinese crowds work - no notion of waiting in line and priority of place. It's just about getting where you're going as quickly as possible.

Shenzhen is a crowded city with lots of traffic. A good portion of our ~45 minute commute is either trying to get to the expressway or get across the city. Cars move quickly in a never-ending game of chicken.




Once outside the crowded downtown, things open up and you get an idea of what it was like ten years ago. I remember lots of hills, huge expanses of red-orange dirt and a patchy canopy of trees. The sides of the road are lined with huge campuses emblazoned with odd-sounding Westernized names. Whether it's a literal translation of the actual company name or a description of their goals, there's no mistaking that the ownership is local.



Those little patches of greenery are the exception, however. Most of the streets are lined with aging high-rise apartment blocks that are desperately in need of a power wash and a coat of paint. There's a perpetual curtain of laundry hanging in every window and the "indoor" plumbing was clearly an afterthought.




There's an upside to all this madness, though. No matter where you are, no matter how long you've been in the van, you can always get something to eat. They even deliver.

A quick trip report

Yes, here I am in China again. This time, since I'm here for quite some time, I thought it would be a good idea to try and post a few updates from here. Generally, being in China means being indoors. I go from the hotel, to the factory, to the hotel. There's little opportunity to explore since I'm generally working all day and it's really not safe for a woman to wander around at night. That being said, here's my office:



Note there are a lot of things to drink on the table. See the green cans? It's beer. First of all, why they'd think that I want to drink all day beats the heck out of me. Second - it's been sitting in a warm room all day! Even less incentive.

If you were to stop by, you'd see this:



yep, that's me - typing away crazily while fighting off jet lag. There are those darned warm beers again. What's that? You're wondering what's outside the window? Ah, let me oblidge you:



Factories. Lots of factories. Probably filled with people that look a lot like me, typing away at emails, and fighting off jet lag. Sound familiar? This particular part of China is actually quite modern - and quite clean. There are "shanty towns" that I drive past on the way in every day, but they're mostly hidden behind the riot of foliage that just loves this hot, humid, wet climate. The jungle would dearly love to have this area back ...

I've also said that there is an upside to being over here - quality knitting time. Here's what happened on the flight over:



This is a Tuscany shawl from Amy Singers "No Sheep For You" book. I've almost finished 13 repeats of the pattern and I've still got a TON of yarn left over. This is being knit in Hand Maiden Sea Silk - one of the 150g skeins, of course. This is what I'm talking about:



Dude - there's acres of shawl still in that ball! I'm betting that I'll get 17 repeats out of this baby (Grumperina would have done the math, but alas, no scale) before the ball gives out. It'll be rather huge, me thinks. Should be done this weekend - or sooner if I get really sick of it. I do still have socks to knit.

It's the treadmill for me tonight - and 8 grueling miles. I hate the treadmill so much that I refuse to take a picture. Then again, maybe I'll take one next week - just to show you all what a torture device really looks like.

Book Review - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

For the February, 2007 Book Club we read an amazing book about Chinese women in the late 19th century. The story centers around two girls - Lily, the second daughter of a poor, farming family and Snow Flower, the only child of a middle-class bureaucrat's family. We follow their arranged friendship from early childhood through marriage and old age.

Things that I liked the most were the crisp, almost terse prose and the sense of "calmness" of the writing. The voice of the narrator was almost elegant and somewhat languid in pace but it was never boring. I also have to give her tremendous credit for keeping this book short. We could have spent at least another 150 - 200 pages hearing about the trials, tribulations and life experiences of these two women, but the entire book was kept to a slim 288 pages. A very quick read - and very satisfying.

I would definitely recommend this book, in particular for anyone that's about to get on an airplane or take a short vacation. Also a great weekend book. Build up that fire and get reading.

Next month is The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. I'll be pulling out my illustrated manuscript!

Book Details:

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
ISBN: 0812968069
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2006