East Meets West (1)

9/3/06 - Turns out there's an active MIT alumni organization in Shanghai, and Bill found it. This afternoon we went to a barbecue at the home of one of the alums, a lovely house in an older neighborhood known to the tourist guides as the French Concession. Most of the other guests were young, and almost all were native Chinese. Two nearly grown kids, a 17-year-old girl and an older boy, did most of the grilling. There were a few little kids, including a 3-year-old named Julia, and our Julia, smack dab in the middle. Julia informed us early on that she was bored - this was before dinner started - but as more people talked to her and asked her about school and life in Shanghai she relaxed. One couple live in our apartment building, and have offered to help if we need it. It's nice to know that there's someone I can call if I'm totally confused. They both work nearby and he is about to open a wine store in the neighborhood with a group of partners. Perhaps we will offer to share our 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape, so we can find out if the improvised wine rack under the TV is an appropriate place to keep wine in this climate.