Day 219 Christ is Risen! Happy Easter from Shanghai!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today!!!! Allelujiah!!!!!
I was the happiest girl in China to be celebrating Easter Sunday :)
Shanghai Grace Church welcomed me with open arms, and
a headset to listen to with an English translation- PTL!!!

It was a packed house of the Lord, they had to set up stools in the aisles.  I was one
of just three Westerners in attendance.  A frantic Australian woman sat next to me.
She had just moved to Shanghai three days before and was in the frenzied phase.
Being dropped off on Planet China will do that to a person.  I totally understand.

There is nothing sure to make me smile more than

watching dem Chinese babies!  And to watch Chinese

littles singing and dancing in church?! Oh. my. heart.

They were soooo cuuuute!  It made my Easter Sunday 

to hear these cuties sing Jesus Loves Me in Mandarin.

I was sorry I didn't have any more room on my memory

card to record that one.  Trust me, they were so precious :)
...and life is worth the living, just because He lives!

If I lived in Shanghai, I could easily see myself worshiping here.
The interior of the church reminded me a lot of the old Methodist
church where I grew up, in Nappanee, Indiana- even the balcony.

You don't realize what a rarity it is to see the cross displayed
anywhere in China. Even more stunning is the occasional
cross on a steeple as you look across the cityscape. It's
nothing like back home where you can hardly travel a few
blocks without seeing another church. To walk through the gates
 of this church and to see the cross, I couldn't help but smile.
Thank you, Jesus, for the cross. My chains are gone, I've been set free! 

After church, Jeanette and I went to the Boxing Cat Brewery
where they were serving Easter brunch.  We even found an
Easter egg filled with chocolates hidden by our table- perfect!

Jeanette had the biscuits and cajun sausage gravy...

...while I dove headfirst into the cream cheese filled french toast :)

While there looked to be a few hours' break in
the weather, we decided to go explore the
Yuyuan Gardens.  First, we had to get through
the Yuyan Bazaar.  It was only us and a million
other Chinese out for a Sunday stroll.  It was
NUTS, y'all; as in 'nuts to butts' kind of nuts :/

As we were being pushed and pulled through the sea of
Chinese humanity, I happened to look over and see these
two little cutie patooties :)  Almost all of the girls I saw that
day were wearing these silk flower wreaths on their heads-
just like the little ones were in church that morning.

All I could see were black hairs in every
possible direction around me.  In an effort
to hold on to my sanity while I made my
way to the Garden of Contentment, I happened
to look up for a change in scenery.  There
was Lucy, taking a break from baking!  Though
it could have been Ethel, too, I'm not really sure.

We were sucked in to the last corridor of bazaar madness...

...and then we were finally deposited in the Yuyuan Gardens-
also known as the Garden of Contentment.  Jeanette and I
were in great need of peace and contentment at the time.

What a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city.
It spite of the several thousand tourists who were also seeking peace and contentment, it was
surprisingly serene there.  My kind of place :)

It was a lovely way to spend an Easter Sunday afternoon :)

We hopped back in a cab, and made a second attempt at The
Bund, to take a walk along the riverfront.   It was not meant
to be...it had started raining again.

Instead, we headed toward Capital Plaza, and the Apple Store.
The store was also NUTS; filled with Chinese shoppers, who
all LOVE their Apple products.  Not that I can blame them ;)

The mall is right near the base of the Oriental Pearl Tower.
There was no point in going up, as it was a low ceiling
with the rain.  The 'sphere' at the base of the tower has an
indoor roller coaster which sounded like great fun to
me, not so much for Jeanette.  Maybe the next time!

You have to admit, it's a cool looking tower :)
The top of the tower has an observation deck
like Willis Tower in Chicago.  You get a little
freaked out stepping out onto the glass floor.

Like in this picture...no, those are not my
feet!  Thank you, Google images.  Actually, these
next several shots of the city are from the
tripadvisor website.  Shanghai is really
beautiful on a blue sky day, or a clear pollution
free night.  We had neither of those on our
holiday weekend there.  Drats.

The Bund

Beautiful from up there :)

And gorgeous at night, too; the Oriental Pearl Tower on the left.

  

Since the weather drove us back inside, what's
a couple of ladies to do, but a little more retail
therapy- of the Sephora, Gap, and Zara variety :)

You never what what you might see while you wait in line
for a dressing room.  What does the fox say?
I mean, really, China is just so weird sometimes.
I can't help but giggle inside. 

We worked up quite a thirst and appetite
while we shopped ourselves silly...last
on the list was a margarita quest.
Found it!  Here's to ya'!!!

There's nothing like fresh guacamole
made beside your table...

Nom!  Nom!

We slept in the last day of our holiday, then went for a
delicious late breakfast- my favorite meal to eat out.
Soon, it was back in the cab for a final time, to
hop the high speed train back to Beijing.  

I woke up with a sore throat that morning, and was looking forward to a quiet, restful train trip home. I did all my schoolwork on the way down to Shanghai, so I was sitting pretty for the upcoming week of school.  I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but when I looked in to teaching abroad, I was offered a guidance position in Shanghai, and the AP Psychology position in Beijing at the same time. China was never even on my radar, (I was hoping for Eastern Europe, or South America, or the United Arab Emirates), but it seemed that I was being pulled toward this part of the world. While Shanghai is further south, it's a port city, and decidedly more 'Western', I am confident that I made the right decision by coming to Beijing.  While I enjoyed my time working as a school counselor, second to being a therapist, I am happiest teaching at this point in my career. Beijing National Day School has been more than welcoming, I love living in my 'fully immersed' neighborhood, and I love my cozy apartment with the mountain views (on the 'good air days', that is!) There is a rich cultural history and charm to Beijing, and I look forward to getting out and exploring her nooks and crannies and hutongs this spring once the cold weather breaks for good.  I made the right choice by moving to Beijing, and I plan to keep on choosing happy :)

G'nite, y'all!