C is also for.....

Contruction!! The ever present, motherloving sound and sight of ripped up streets and sidewalks on every major artery, where they are often creating new subway lines, side streets and lane housing pathways. The swirling dust, the smell of sewers and the treacherous paths are all a common feature of daily life in Shanghai. Some say that the upheaval is a make work project during this time of economic distress. Other, more official voices, proclaim that the construction is more about the preparations for the international visitors due to descend on the city in 2010, when Shanghai will be hosting the World Expo.

Although I tend to think it is the latter, it is still hard to be sympathetic or understanding when the jackhammers start at 10:00 p.m. on the street behind the apartment and continue to the wee hours of the morning for a couple of weeks.