It’s time once again for a post about random yet interesting things that have occurred recently.

Going chronologically, this first incident happened earlier this year, in the midst of COVID-19, in late March or so. I was walking outside, and I happened to notice this rather odd scene in the river concerning large, inflated, and capsized ducks. It seemed all too telling of the general atmosphere.

Next, we move on to matters of food. Since we returned to school at the beginning of June, the school lunches have become even more random, hodgepodge offerings that, apparently, are not something to be feared but rather encouraged.

Another very random scene over the past week occurred while I was out walking one evening. I saw a fire burning on the side of the road, and as I got closer, I noticed that no one acted like this was anything out of the ordinary (and let’s face it, over here, things like this aren’t that out of the ordinary). The fire was made of large wood stumps of sorts, and there was a white circle drawn around it. I only saw one man standing nearby.

When I posted this image in WeChat, I asked if anyone had any ideas as to what this was. I was told that it is likely someone is mourning or commemorating the loss of a family member.

The past weekend, while a coworker and I went around town looking for bookstores that had English books, we stopped by at a bar called “Captain,” where we had some delicious food and drinks with a lovely view overlooking the river at the Bund.

And once again, speaking of food, this weekend is the Dragon Boat Festival. Instead of going on my trip to Yunnan to go hiking along Tiger Leaping Gorge, I decided to cancel it the day before due to excessive rain, and instead, I decided to just stay put in Shanghai. I was still able to celebrate the festival, though, when the mother of one of my students brought the teachers some “zongzi” (glutinous rice that is steamed with some kind of meat or sweet filling and wrapped in grape leaves into the shape of a triangle). There were six in each bag, so I decided that this would be dinner and dessert. I had forgotten just how filling these things are, and I was left feeling like I had just eaten a bowling ball.

I’m sorry that I don’t have more exciting adventures posted yet, but given the circumstances, I’m sure everyone can understand. Be assured, though, that when I am finally able to do so, I will indeed post more of my adventures and observations.