Bureaucracy and Saxophone Lessons

These two things are not related, but they both took up some of our time this week.  Here's a photo that captures the beauty of bureacracy:

The place to see and be seen if you want to legally reside in Shanghai.

This was our second trip to this office this week to get our official residency permits.  Matthew's colleague has been there at least six times on our behalf as well.  Everytime we go, we learn of a new form to be filled out or a marriage certificate to be shown, etc.  There must have been 20+ nationalities represented in this room -- Indians, Africans, Middle Easterners, Malaysians, Russians in pink hot pants.  Add to this mass of humanity, a VERY excited Eli, and you get a damn good time.  It got even better when we took a break at the snack bar and Naomi and I accidentally squirted a bottle of coke all over each other and the floor.  But it looks like me and the kids won't have to go back there.  Matthew and his colleague can pick up the final permits next week and we'll be legal.  And Matthew will be able to leave the country and get back in again.

Our other task for the week was to find Naomi some saxophone lessons.  We schlepped the thing around the world, so we were determined to make use of it.  We found this cool music school, JZ School in the French Concession (a hip part of Shanghai, in Puxi) about a 45 minute metro ride away.  They have a youth jazz orchestra and seem excited to have Naomi join them.  There are about a dozen kids ages 10-13 all with about the same level of experience as Naomi.  Naomi, Townes and I went out there today to check out the school and meet the conductor (who couldn't make it at the last minute, but talked to us on the phone for a long time).  They gave Naomi a bunch of music to start practicing, and she will officially join the group next Saturday.  They have a percussion class that looks like fun.  Townes will likely take it in the fall. 

Said saxophone.

The school is down this alley.  You walk through a courtyard where people live, past their laundry and hot plates, then enter a very modern music school.

After a cold drink, we headed home.

We passed these signs on the way.  We were wondering why you weren't allowed to tap your feet in the park...

I totally agree.

Then we came home and grabbed Eli and went to a park close to our apartment.  It's not the big park, just a hidden greenspace with lovely landscaping and a huge sandpit.