First and foremost, Happy Children’s Day! Yes, on June 1st, China celebrates its children. It’s a great occasion for a new outfit, new toys, and an afternoon of playing rather than attending class! With the one-child policy, children in China are already endlessly doted over, but Children’s Day makes it an official holiday. Growing up, I felt most days were Children’s Days, but hey, an official day to spoil would have been excellent! :)
A lot has been happening, but the most interesting to note in the last few weeks would be the Expo. Since my post about my first day at the Expo, I’ve returned three times and have visited numerous pavilions, including pavilions hosted by China, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, U.S.A, Canada, Mexico, Vietnam, Nepal, Iran, Pakistan, and North Korea, just to name a few. It’s impossible to see all of the pavilions since lines can be up to eight hours long—don’t worry, the longest I spent in line was four hours!
The best pavilion by far was Germany; not only was it fun—they had a slide (it was meant for children, but I enjoyed it!) and an interactive show—but they also embraced the Expo theme of “Better city, better life” with numerous displays showcasing high-tech products of the future, all of which aim to enhance our lives. It was disappointing that many pavilions appeared to ignore the theme and instead focused on culture and attractions.
The China Pavilion was intriguing. The pavilion looked awesome from the outside, and the inside revealed a lot about the underlying intent of the government-sponsored show. A few displays portrayed the theme, but it felt a bit like propaganda.
On the note of propaganda, the North Korea Pavilion was certainly the most intriguing. It was a small building, and the inside contained numerous pictures of happy, modernized cities. As we sat staring in disbelief at the pictures, it was all we could do but exclaim, “This can’t be North Korea!” To add to the contradiction, above a wall of photos were the words, “Paradise for People.” I don’t think so…
The U.S.A.’s pavilion was remarkably good given that it was pulled off in just a few months. In November, when the Chinese Pavilion was almost finished, the construction on the U.S.’s had not even begun. Hilary Clinton raised the needed money at the last minute overcoming the obstacle of zero government funding—the U.S. Government does not fund pavilions for World Expos. The outside was classy, not frivolous, and the inside showcased three movies, which were all very good.
After my time at the Expo, I’ve decided that all in all, it’s kind of pointless. Shanghai alone spent 45 billion dollars towards Expo preparations. Now, some of that money went to worthwhile things like building new metro lines, but so much of it was spent on something that lasts a mere six months and will then disappear! China, however, finds the money well spent; the Expo is their way of announcing their presence to the world. I am sure that China could have gained much greater recognition from the international community had they spent the money towards lifting people out of poverty, improving schools and healthcare, or introducing green alternatives throughout the country.
My Expo visiting has finished, and now I only have six full days left in Shanghai. Gasp. Since returning from Tibet, time has flown; I’ve been visiting those special places one last time, picking up the last few souvenirs, and saying goodbye to friends. With so much going on, packing hasn’t even begun… I’ve started organizing at least though!
On Sunday, CIEE officially ends, but instead of heading home, I am off to the Yunnan Province in Southwest China with a CIEE classmate. After a week, I will come back to Shanghai for two days before traveling to India for two weeks. I will arrive in Portland on July 2nd.
I am super excited for the upcoming weeks, but I am very sad that this amazing year is drawing to a close. I’ve grown accustomed to my life in Shanghai and know it will be difficult to say goodbye. I have a feeling I’ll be back though! :)
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