leaving Shanghai

Yes, it is a student orchestra. The U of M orch came over for a cultural exchange with U of M orchestra director Jiang Pu-Qi's old alma mater.
Thing I will not miss about China: constant honking of car horns, all their brakes squeek. Spiitting in the streets, and ocasionally, a little pile of emesis (TMI?).
The street food venders are kinda cool to look at, but PU-Qi is adament we do not eat that food. He insists (and he was raised here, so who am I to question?) that the venders of meat-on-a-stick sprinkle heroin on the food to keep the customers coming back.
the place is crawling with civic employees cleaning the streets (spilling hot water from a small wheelbarrow and scrubbing with a straw broom).
Did I mention we are living just across the stree from and eye and ENT hospital, so there are folks wandering around with various forms of head bandage.
Yesteray was "shop till you drop" day, and I did! I'm not really into the knockoff clothes everyone else wanted, but I did get a pair of Puma sneakers for 85 yuen (about 11 bucks). We focussed on underground shops (literally) at the subway stop for the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Never made it into the museum. JJust something for the growing "next time" list.
Well time to go try and pack. I bought a new suitcase for all my new stuff, and it's still stuffed!
Karen