Springtime in Shanghai

The colors, smells, and feel of this bustling city have grown toward the better over the past few weeks. Seeing pink flowers, purple leaves,

and green grass bring about a sense of happiness and euphoria to even the most cynically negative person. Finding solace in the colors and odors of a new season brings about new people, opportunities, and fun. In just a few short weeks of the newly turned spring, I have visited lakes, new parts of the city, and countless cheap markets peddling endless amounts of watches, sunglasses, wallets, and of course, pirated DVDs.

My spring present to myself was buying a moped. I had chatted with friends about the possibility of buying a motorized bike, but the traffic patterns in Shanghai make the helix entering the Lincoln Tunnel look like a deserted highway. With great determination, I purchased my new machine, with lock, and took off on an adventure throughout the city. The swift wind flowing into my face and the somewhat fresh air felt like a wave of new emotion and freedom in my world of being an expat in a large city. Topping out at 50km (30mph), the moped

does enough for me to enjoy myself without feeling the fear of the possibility of flying through or on top of a windshield.

Spurring from a promise made to friends, one Friday night, I left work and headed to the Hongkou Football Stadium. Here, the Shanghai Shenhua (FireFall) play their football matches. They only have matches scheduled on Friday nights and Saturdays, making it difficult for me to attend a match. However, I was able to attend. After arguing with the ticket scalper about the amount of money that would be drawn from my wallet, I entered the arena. I walked through the uncoordinated line, passed through security, and took my seat for my first ever sporting event outside the USA. Before the match, everyone stood, put their hand over their heart, and to my surprise, they sang a song other than the US National Anthem. I sat taking pictures, and it was then that I noticed two things that struck me as odd. There is no food or drink sold in the stadium. Plenty of people brought

in their own food, but the stadium is strictly for observation, and not for charging an exorbitant amount of money for a measly soda. Soon, the players took the field, and the battle commenced. Cheering, I watched the combatants kick the life out of the ball. Unfortunately, the Shanghai team lost to Guangzhou 1-0. It was a hard fought battle with lots of excitement and red cards throughout.

This spring has proven to have a lot to offer, and I look forward to the rest of the spring and eventual summer. Explorations of the city and surrounding areas is something that I have not been able to do in a long while because of the weather. Now that the weather is changing, I look forward to exploring more of the mysterious and majestic city.