I am not surprised.

One week in Shanghai … I am still not surprised by the near misses when our taxi speeds and veers only barely missing on coming traffic in a seemingly equal disarray on the elevated roads. I am still not surprised when after two days of planning, a traipse across the city and a standard wait in line we discover at the ticket counter that there are no tickets remaining for any of the trains leaving for our destination. I am not surprised when, during a wander through the park we are addressed in English by every Chinese person eager to have a discussion in English to learn “where are you from, do you study in China, how long have you been in Shanghai, how tall are you, how much do you weigh, do you want to talk to me, we are best friends, right?” all asked in quick succession. I am not surprised that I got charged 10 times too much for a food treat from a street stall. I am not surprised that I didn’t even notice at the time… because of the suffocating and disorienting crowds that ebb and flow along the streets. I am not surprised that after six days I feel like I have never lived anywhere else and that at the same time I have never wanted to return to Colombia so much. I have never wanted to go home… so much. I am not surprised.
On Sunday, because our plans to go to Suzhou and get out of the city where thwarted, we went to the city planning exhibition near People’s Square in downtown. In case you want to see what the city will look like in 2010. For the most part it already looks like that. Huge. Sprawling. Immense. Almost elegant in miniature model form. The exhibit was truly impressive, but with all things after four stories and so many more displays I got burned out. There is only so much a girl can see in one day. And it is not like the city streets themselves aren’t a banquet for the senses- one that I choke on some times.