It's been awhile since I've used this thing, but since Facebook is prohibited in China, I'm hoping this is a good way to share with everyone some of the things I'm experiencing. And today had a lot of experiences! 
This will likely be one of my calmer days in Shanghai, so my co-manager, Stephanie, and I took advantage of the downtime and did some sight-seeing. We went to the Yuyuan Gardens, which were founded between 1559 and 1577 by the Pan family. They're
classical Chinese gardens which were ransacked during both the Opium War and the Taiping Rebellion. They're an example of Ming dynasty garden design, and some of the highlights are the Three Ears of Corn Hall, the Exquisite Jade Rock, the Hall or Heralding Spring, and the gilded woodwork of the Ancient Stage. For lunch, we went to a very nice Sichuan restaurant. Sichuan food is known for being spicy, but I kind of think they saw 3 Western women and toned it down a notch. I went with two other Program Managers, and we each picked out an entree to share. The other two picked familiar proteins - Sweet and Sour Ribs, and Crispy Duck. I went by the recommendation of a local, and got a Sichuanese specialty - Braised Pigeon! That big bowl on the right is my pigeon, and it was delicious - tender meat, spicy brother, flavorful vegetables. The amount of bones in each bite was a bit unappetizing, but once you got past that, it was pretty amazing. Next on my list of traditional Shanghainese food to try is frog legs!
