Wow- mid August- where did the time go? Next month I will have been here a year. Daaaaang. I went stateside in July- I needed me some Americana and I got it. 4th of July, small town fireworks, swimming pool and lightning bugs. I needed some time away to ‘de-China’. It was nice… And when I came back it was full force summer in Shanghai. Yep. Hot.as.hades. And humid. Did I say it is hot in Shanghai in the summer?? Cause it is.
My fav way the locals deal with the heat is what I call Chinese air conditioning – its when the men folk hike up their shirts and show their bellies. I guess it’s similar to how elephants fan their ears- increasing airflow over their capillaries – maybe. They stroll around- bellies showing proudly- and I have to admit I’ve been tempted to follow suit at times. I get stared at enough here so why not? Maybe next week.
The heat has forced me into evening runs- when it gets below 88 degrees I venture out – usually around 8 pm. The Chinese love after dinner strolls. I have to dodge them at times- I take the same route along SuZhou creek and I have started to see the same people walking their dogs- running- stretching- bathing. Yep. Full blown street showers. I was running along (more like a nice slow jog) and I thought I smelled Head and Shoulders… I squint ahead and see a guy in his undies pouring water over his head from a bucket on the side of the road. Hmmm. I have seen people washing their clothes in tubs on the side of the road, even prepping and eating dinner- but the outdoor shower was a new one. As I jogged past he didn’t pause or anything- so it must be a common occurrence for him… And I thought ‘maybe I should do that too’… Maybe I’m getting too used to living in China.
colleeninshanghai 
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