here’s to a little morning goo
The roads that lead to Shanghai University’s Baoshan Campus — like most roads in Shanghai — are rugged and rutted, part of the continuous and ubiquitous construction project that is trying to transform the former Paris of the East into the Pearl of the Orient. (I’m not sure what they are building, but I am quite sure that whatever it is will very likely be covered in several layers of neon lighting.)
The bumpy bus ride to Baoshan, which I take three days a week, is like regular Rolfing therapy. For 30 minutes each morning, it’s as though somebody put a quarter in the Earth and made the whole world start vibrating.
09.24.2002, 7:25 AM · Observations, School
go east, young man … far east
I’m having trouble sleeping at night. I go to bed early and wake up earlier. This is not normal for me.
But nothing is normal for me these days. I live in Shanghai, China.
Here, I’m still living like it’s yesterday. Today still feels too much like tomorrow. Here, Monday Night Football kicks off at 9 o’clock Tuesday morning.
I lost 12 hours of my life during 18 hours spent hopping from New York to Tokyo and finally Shanghai. Ten days into my Asian adventure, I’d say 12 hours is a pretty fair price. I’d likely give up more.
09.10.2002, 3:02 PM · Observations
