It's all my fault

Liu Family Explorations 4

Day Nine. It's all my fault

Sigh. Well, this is the very last episode of LFE, because the group will no longer have any field studies after this one. the best one, or the one that sounds most exciting. SHANGHAI. the LAST one. And today, it just so happens to be all my fault! ><

This morning we all got up bright and early (the majority of us at 5:30am) and then set off for the train station, meeting up at--where else?--the nearest KFC. We all had umbrellas because it was raining nuts out there, just like Portland. Even though it was raining pretty badly, we were still right on schedule! Anyway, we all set out for the station with our tickets in hand, and breezed through everything. the train ride was smooth and easy, so we figured that Shanghai wouldn't be more than a piece of pie.

DUNDUNDUNNN~!

Well anyway after that we got off a long bus ride, we were dropped off near a bargaining shopping center. LOVE! Instantly we all went in, but mostly it was because half of us needed to use the bathroom. And for some reason, there was a man that looked like a police officer, just sitting there and holding a baby, telling us with his extremely soft voice that we were supposed to pay to use the bathroom. Not that the fee was much, but considering that I needed to pay someone else money to do my own business is obvious proof that the economy isn't improving much.

ANYWAAAAAY. Once we met up with everyone else, we all got carried away by the wonderful stuff they were selling, and Maya and Clare apparently tried to bargain for these rings, from 15yuan to 7yuan. the man was stubborn so i came along and fell in love with the sparkly rings too. (Not that i really wear rings, but who says i can't change for something so glorious?!) So we dragged along the two boys and begged them to bargain for us, but the man was too stuffy to budge. What a meanie! He was in a bargain center and absolutely REFUSED to bargain. (the irony kills me.)

Well, we did get a few things and then after that we were on our way through another little bargain center, but we met up with Amy's friend Tom and his little brother! What an extra help. Apparently they knew their way around and heard that Amy was in town. Why not come visit?

With all of us opening up our umbrellas and cowering from the pouring rain, we made it to Kojo's first destination, a bridge. So we stood around, took pictures, and found out a few things about this bridge that made it something more than a zigzaggy bunch of stone all put together.

Then Kojo's paper told us to go find some food to eat, and the first one he already wanted us to get. Xiao long bao!

(ummm...Little something dumplings. Let's call it LSD for short.)

Tom and his little brother took us to the nearby LSD place for famous LSDs, and there was a long line even in the pouring rain. We all just stood there and got drenched and poked each other with our umbrellas while Amy and Tom and his little brother stood there in line for us. Eventually we found out why the LSDs were so famous. THEY WERE SOOOOOOOOO YUMMY! We all went to sit down on the bench under a roof so we wouldn't get wet.

Now since these LSDs were so dang good, you wouldn't be surprised to see old homeless lady dumpling beggars coming our way to get ahold of some LSDs. And whaddya know--just as we sat down old homeless lady dumpling beggars came our way to get ahold of some LSDs! After all, we were kids and we might not be able to finish all twelve.

Well Amy, being Amy, with her motherly instincts and *very* kind heart, just so happened to give one of the old homeless lady dumpling beggars some LSDs, but they still weren't content. So one of them watched us eat intently, and i gotta say i understand now why some people get freaked out when I watch them eat. So we were just eating and Sean found a hair in his food, so he tried pulling it out and then he dropped the remaining four of his LSDs. OH NO! Instantly the old homeless lady dumpling beggar stopped him from picking them up from the floor and said "NO THEY'RE BAD IF THEY FALL ON THE FLOOR" and hurriedly snatched them up and stuffed them into her bag.

...Sean went back to buy more, needless to say. We managed to eat LSDs with the old homeless lady dumpling beggar still watching until she left because we each only had two left and obviously we weren't going to give them to her. So she went to bother some other poor fellow.

Anyway, we went back onto our feet and went to a food court, where we got lunch which was treated to us by Tom and his little brother. it wasn't the best, at least not the ice cream smoothies. But most of us were full (except the grownups and Maya, because Maya couldn't eat LSDs because they had pork inside) so we just sat there until Clayton introduced us to strawberries with sweet stuff wrapped with rice paper on a stick, and we all went outside to get some. (of course i ordered mine without rice paper. Who wants to eat paper when you can eat the good stuff underneath it?) And there's never really a day without at least one accident.

Well, Sean's Coca-Cola spilled all over his stuff, because apparently it wasn't closed.

Maybe it wasn't his fault, but we all needed to help him and today he needs to wash his backpack. *sigh* Actually it was my fault, because I'm the Blamed today. -3- so it was all my fault and I had to say sorry. Groups work in such strange ways...

Then Tom and his little brother left us, because we had other things we needed to do.

Byebye, and thanks, Tom and his little brother! =)

Finally we went through this temple and interviewed a few people to finish our Kojowork! And this time there was yet another accident, when I dropped Sean's paper on the floor. Naturally that wouldn't be such a big deal, except the fact that it was raining like Portland and the floor was drenched. Oops. Well that was actually my fault, and I DID apologize.

So after that, we roamed the streets of Old Shanghai and looked around for things that might be worth bargaining for. Clothes, little tiny things, stamps, and of course an Asian hat for Clayton, complete with the long queue in the back. (Clayton has been trying to sport the Asian look lately, but we all know he's a poser. =P) I didn't find much personally, but there was this store that i passed that sold 'MAMMOTH TUSKS'. Hahaha!

Anyway, we boarded the bus in the end, and this time I wasn't lucky enough to get a seat so i leaned against Amy. Once we got to the train station (we already had tickets), we looked around because i DEMANDED TO HAVE MY POCKY. In all the little stores there wasn't one bit of Pocky, and I was miserable. Miserable, that is, until Maya bought pizza by the slice and gave me a bite. She missed American food so much, that, she bought another piece. Except that because she bought that other piece, we were late.

That was all my fault.

So we all raaaaaaaaaaaan through the train station and through our stop and ran to the train, and finally went inside. But there was only one problem...we needed to be in car 16 and we entered car 4.

With the train about to leave any moment, we all started running in the opposite direction, hoping to get to car 16 in time. We certainly didn't expect a wall blocking us from going to car 9. So, panting for breath, we all ran out of the train and as fast as we could, and went back in through...car 12, I think. Now we were completely at the mercy of the train. We kept running between the aisles, ignoring awkward stares, until we got to car 15. YES! WE WERE ALMOST THERE!

Oh.

Um, there was a wall blocking us to car 16.

Great. Well, there was only two minutes left until the train left, but none of us (besides Sean) wanted to risk getting locked out of the train just to get to the right car. We all leaned against the wall at the end of car 15, which had just enough room to fit 5 kids, and there was a door marked 'Train Crew' next to us. Sitting down and pulling out our binders to finish up Kojowork, Amy explained to many confused-looking men why we were just sitting on the floor and looking terribly tired.

Then the Train Crew door beside me opened up, and the man inside was sitting in a chair, also giving us strange looks until I said 'Ni hao', and waved. He smiled. The man was friendly enough, i supposed. Amy explained to him as well why we were just sitting on the floor and doing work, and he said, "Oh! You need to get to car 16?" and he pulled out a key.

Yes, this man was DEFINITELY friendly enough.

He unlocked the door and let us in to car 16, with us all repeatedly thanking him, with 'XIEXIEXIEXIEXIEXIE' and then plopping down into the seats in the very back, eternally grateful. They even gave us WATER.

And in the end, the whole 'getting us late and running for our lives and through the train' was completely all my fault.

And that concludes the last epic episode of LFE. Please leave comments and feedback, because i can never have enough! It would be lovely. Absolutely lovely!

~~~Reporter Poh!