http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/ The Durkin Spruth Family in Shanghai, China July 15, 2005 - January 13, 2006 en-us 2006-01-12T08:11:45-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/035226.html This is it, our last night in Shanghai. We have 90% of our stuff packed and our bags are 100% full. That’s what happens when you come to a country that makes everything for the world.... Steve sprut003 2006-01-12T08:11:45-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/034990.html Eva, the Spaniard, is a whiz at bus routes. She has the only map I’ve ever seen of the routes, and has been willing to try them out. She convinced us today to forgo our usual taxi ride home (16... sprut003 2006-01-07T05:52:45-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/034989.html The process of networking is a weird one, and one which I haven’t had to worry about for a while, what with having a steady job. To do it in another country is even more odd.... sprut003 2006-01-07T05:48:06-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/033777.html What was I thinking when I signed up for a semester of intensive Chinese lessons? Four hours a day, five days a week Frances and I have been going to Chinese language class at Jiao Tong University.... sprut003 2005-12-08T07:08:26-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/032835.html Since turkey day is not a national holiday in China, we celebrated the Sunday before. Frances took the initiative and invited many of our new international friends (from China, Canada and Spain). At the last minute I bumped into an... Steve sprut003 2005-11-27T06:23:25-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/032064.html Not a good start to the day. It was dark, raining and most of all, ridiculously early. I was trying to leave at 5:45 to get myself safely to another part of town to go with my friend Han to... sprut003 2005-11-12T05:28:50-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/032063.html There are those moments of teaching when magic happens – when the students are in the palm of your hand, when you’re all together on the same wave length and something “real” is happening. While it happens somewhat regularly in... sprut003 2005-11-12T05:23:34-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/031015.html When we lived in Barcelona four years ago, we met a wonderful family who became our companions as we explored the city. While we have met many interesting people here in Shanghai, no one has quite fit the bill of... Steve sprut003 2005-10-30T04:50:21-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/030561.html This morning we ran in the Terry Fox memorial fun run. Since the race started at 9 am on a Sunday morning, at a park on the outer edge of the city, I did not expect many people. As it... Steve sprut003 2005-10-23T06:10:14-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/030095.html On to shopping. At times it feels like that’s the major form of entertainment in this city – the streets are constantly full of people who are out either window shopping or buying. Given what we heard in the US... sprut003 2005-10-18T07:41:21-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/030094.html I have been storing little thoughts in my head since you asked me to write about the “nitty gritty” of life in China and my head is now ready to explode with little tidbits so here goes. Mind you, this... sprut003 2005-10-18T07:33:31-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/029956.html Much to my surprise, my father decided to come visit us in Shanghai. He and his friend Maud were going to be in London, so they decided to extend their trip here. His planned visit overlapped with the National day... Steve sprut003 2005-10-16T08:53:20-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/029365.html Frances has a special built in radar that allows her to detect Spanish being spoken, no matter where she is.... Steve sprut003 2005-10-09T08:20:12-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/029363.html While visiting Changchun, in Northeastern China, I was invited to join a group of Chinese heart surgeons, for a trip to a nature reserve. The reserve was a four hour bus ride to the North, almost to the border with... Steve sprut003 2005-10-09T08:03:30-06:00 http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sprut003/china/027516.html What do you do when your taxi driver is sleeping at the red lights? Steve and I were surprised to hear some pretty heavy snoring coming from the front seat of the taxi this past Tuesday afternoon en route home... Frances sprut003 2005-09-17T05:07:36-06:00