Sara Holbrook author/poet/educator
March 15, 2006
Jammers from Puxi perform a poem for four voices. Missing in the student poetry are poems about street crime (as so many are in the USA). Maybe because there is virtually no street crime in Shanghai beyond a pick pocket here and there and even that is rare compared to other large cities. 
March 15, 2006
You wouldn’t believe this campus. It is like a luxury community college state side. The staff and kids are all very dedicated to learning, you get that feeling just walking through the halls. A big highlight from my four day visit there was the poetry jam hosted by the middle school where the kids performed their own poems — one silly poem about broccoli, a poem for two voices where the sun and moon were talking to one another and a very touching poem written by a student who was close to a classmate who died — she wrote about how she could still hear the strains of her friend’s viola.
Speaking of violas — I was privileged to hear a three piece concert by the middle school stringed symphony and I’m here to tell you, any community orchestra would have been envious of their precision and ambitious music.
Shanghai is being developed under a 100 year plan, something unheard of in this country. But I suspect one can’t survive in a city of 20million people without patience. Looking out at the sky scrapers of Shanghai is like looking out over the peaks of the Rockies — the peaks disappear into the clouds and the vista is endless.
We had so many wonderful meals, great conversations and good socializing, it is hard to even single things out. Michael and I made thank you notes to send to teachers and staff and the stack was formidable. Particular thanks to librarians Ellen, Peggy, Colleen, and Mike for all their hard work in getting us there.
March 15, 2006
Poetry Jammers from the International School at Tianjin. After they finished performing my poetry, I asked them if they knew what the next step was. “Why, you need to write and perform your own poems.” And I know they will.
March 14, 2006
A normal school day. Or so it would seem. Up at 6AM, shower, eat breakfast as fast as possible and catch the bus. Looking out the window however (at everything except the traffic, see previous post) not much seems normal to me. First of all, it’s cold, Fahrenheit or Celsius, however you measure it and folks everywhere are riding bicycles to work. People are walking to work, doing marketing and picking up their breakfasts at small open air shops. (Did I mention it was cold AND raining?) The bus takes us through a small village and on to the school campus. This is a campus that is growing at an amazing rate — 300 students last year — 600 this year and 900 predicted for next year. The students are a mixture of many cultures, American, European, Korean, and many Chinese nationals all taking their studies in English. Just about everyone is at least bi-lingual, many have mastered three or more languages by middle school. Joining us at the school are a group of poetry jammers who have been flown in from Tenjeng for the assembly. I sat and listened to their lively performance of poems I wrote for my children a world away. It made me cry.
And get this — at SAS Pu Dong, it is cool to be smart. Like most middle schools, I have to do a little sales talk on the importance of poetry. But here it is because the students are so serious about their other studies they may question if they can take time out for poetry. Another magical day.
March 14, 2006
Imagine a city with the population of the State of Ohio. Forget it. You can’t imagine it. Even when you see it, you can’t imagine it. Now that I am home, I have trouble believing all that I saw. But you know what came through amazingly clear? The people are not all angry. I’m sure some are, human nature being what it is. But Shanghai is not like it’s little brother New York where all the cabbies are swearing at each other and people are pounding their fists on car hoods. Shanghai just flows in and out of itself like water sloshing in a mason jar, one incoming wave moving aside when pushed by the next.
On our first day in Shanghai we were taken on a mini tour by Shanghai American School parent Cyndy O. In four short hours we visited one of the tallest buildings in the world (out of the top ten Shanghai has at least 5), the fabric market where vendors in small, open air booths custom make everything from suits to cashmere coats to silk dresses and bridal gowns. From there we went to the knock off market home of rolex watches and all kinds of impressive brand names attached to copied merchandise. And then we went to a temple surrounded by (you guessed it) more shopping. Shanghai has really taken to this free commerce thing in a big way.
I picked up one good habit I would highly recommend for anyone visiting there — do NOT watch the traffic. Put yourself in the hands of a reliable driver, look at the buildings, the people on bicycles, the hand pushed garbage trucks, the lush vegetable markets — but DO NOT look into traffic. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
March 14, 2006
A construction wall appropriate since all of Shanghai seems to be under construction!
March 14, 2006
“Evil travels in a straight line” Ancient Chinese saying — which is why the bridges are arched and the path leading to this ancient home is zig zagged. Love that phrase, evil travels in a straight line. Boy, does it.
March 14, 2006
Dedicated teachers from Afghanistan.
March 14, 2006
The TARA conference sponsored two teachers from Afghanistan to attend. The challenges they described were overwhelming. Lack of electricity, working facilities and low funding all caused by continuing wars in the region. The limited number of trained teachers are working to instruct “trainers” who in turn instruct “mentors” who are the ones actually doing classroom instruction. Girls are welcome under the new education system, but many children go to school in 2 hour increments because of their work schedules. Not the teachers — the kids’ work schedules. In a land where so many of the men have been killed and the mothers were unable to get training under the Taliban regime, the children are working to help support their families. Hamaira (pictured) works in a women’s center, providing much needed support to women and children trying to cope with challenges unimaginable to most of us.
March 14, 2006
Chasing camels in the desert in a hotel minivan hardly qualifies as adventure in the National Geographic sense. However, when it leads to actually petting one and exchanging smiles with his handler, that’s pretty adventurous for a poet from Cleveland.
A visit to the Oil museum shows that this barren area was grass covered when the oil developers first arrived from England. Still in bloom, however is the Tree of Life. This spreading monster tree that has no apparent water source.
Over the shoulder of the camel notice the presence of tanks and the tents of an army installation. They were not too keen on having us take pictures and we were keen to eventually leave the desert, so naturally we complied.
Many thanks to Bridget Doogan and Dot for helping us on our tour of the desert. And thanks to Dr. Seith, our liguist/doctor companion who proclaimed it “A Magical Day.” And it was.
