The Expo Village

So, I just learned today, that after the Expo wraps up and all the foreigners head home, they're selling the apartments in the Expo village from 800,000 to 1 million U.S dollars. That is so insane to me, that I am living in a million dollar apartment right now, in Shanghai. So, to all you second session ambassadors, that should get you pumped for our living situation. Not only that, the Expo village in itself is such a cool thing, it really is a village. The whole thing is gated off from surrounding Pudong, and it has spa's, coffee shops, restaurants, pizza parlors, convenience stores, everything, really, that you could want in your own mini village. Plus, it's incredibly safe, you have to go through a metal detector before you can even get in. All around, a pretty neat place.
Of course, then there's the Expo itself, which is slowly starting to dawn on me, how massive this whole thing is going to be. I mean, we're only on the "soft opening" right now, and the crowds are ridiculous, surging through the expo with their cell phones and camera's, the pushing and shoving in the bus alone is enough to make you cringe, but then there's the mayhem that often occurs waiting in line for these Pavilions. The line's are ridiculous, they wrap around the pavilions, and can last up to 4 hours or more. Thank goodness, there's somewhat of a ( another soft word) "soft agreement" between all the ambassadors, that we'll let each other bypass the lines. Hopefully we can get this to work so I can see these AMAZING pavilions. We're talking, INCREDIBLE mind-blowing structures, the pictures I posted don't even begin to describe the intricacy, and massiveness of these things. I could stare at the UK ( the one that looks like a porcupine) all day long and still not wrap my mind around the fact that what I'm staring at is actually real. Everything is so surreal...and just utterly massive.
Another great thing about this trip, is how warm and inviting all the Expats and people at the Consulate have been. Yesterday we went to the U.S consulate for lunch, an American-style BBQ complete with baked beans and Krispie Kreme donuts. The consulate is in the center of Shanghai, and is completly walled in, it's the strangest thing to walk from the bustling, noisy downtown Shanghai into a little green, shady, tree-lined oasis of the U.S Consulate, with it's Old South style mansion and large green lawn. Very American, but with very Chinese elements still. Anyways, all of the officers were very welcoming and friendly and gave us their business cards, shook our hands, offered advice, and we got to meet Consul General Beatrice Camp.
In other news, we all have the day off tomorrow, but soon the real work will start, and we will all begin our jobs of manning the masses, some downtairs, and others ( like me) up in the VIP lounge. I know this is a great oppurtunity to meet people as well as practice my Chinese, but to be honest, all I want to do is stroll around Shanghai, periodically stopping to eat delicious Chinese food, and really doing nothing at all. But...I guess I'm not getting my million dollar apartment for free....