Welcome to Astronomer in Shanghai! Thank you for supporting my blog and for your interest in my life and experiences in Shanghai! As covid-19 keeps many of you sheltered in place, I hope this blog highlights that while forced isolation is trying, eventually things will improve. In Shanghai, life is close to returning to a new normal. I do want to emphasize that the timeline of recovery in Shanghai will not be applicable everywhere. However, we are all in this together and if we cooperate with social distancing guidelines things will improve.
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Life in Shanghai
I hope that all of you are doing well and that you have continued to stay safe and healthy. It’s been very reassuring to hear from so many of you about how you are staying healthy and keeping yourselves occupied while remaining at home. I know that for some of you, like my parents, the academic semester has ended (or will be ending soon), and you now find yourself with more free time. I hope that this transition to a different schedule has gone well and that you are finding new activities (whether it’s reading, exercising, or other new hobbies) that keep you upbeat. I know that for me maintaining a positive attitude has been extremely helpful during the covid-19 pandemic. Regardless of whether it was a now normal week of working from home, or maybe your first week back at work (depending on where you live), or a transition week to the summer schedule, I hope that it was still an enjoyable and safe week.
As I write this, it’s Mother’s Day. Since I won’t be able to travel home (for a while) to see my Mom and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day! in person, I wanted to take the opportunity to do so here. Mom, thank you so much for your endless love and support, especially as I’m half way around the world on my academic journey! I miss you and hope to see you (and get more jam 🙂 ) soon! Also, to all the mothers who are reading this, I hope that you and your families are able to do something special to mark the day!
In Shanghai, life continues it’s gradual return to normalcy. While unfortunately SJTU remains closed (and my research supervisor, Prof. Ying Zu, remains skeptical that the university will reopen), some of the more senior graduate students have been allowed to return to campus. I think if I wanted to, I can go to campus. However, since Ying is still working from home and I would prefer to avoid the commute on the subway, I’ve chosen not to. Additionally, some of my friends who are teachers are now back at work (although for some, they are at school, but the students remain online). Almost all stores and restaurants are now open. The only really noticeable difference is that everyone still wears masks. I know that wearing a mask may seem difficult (they’re not always comfortable), but I think it’s really important that you wear one every time you go outside. Wearing a mask offers some safety benefits, but also emphasizes that you view the continued health and safety of your neighbors as a priority! So, don’t be like the current administration, please wear masks.
In terms of statistics, the numbers have continued to improve in Shanghai. In total, there are just 26 active cases (19 in Beijing). This update places the recovery rate at 95%. For China as a whole, the recovery rate has risen to 94.1%. While I admit there is a lot of skepticism about the numbers in China, I strongly believe that while these numbers may not be entirely accurate (they aren’t in the US for the same reasons they aren’t here), the general trend of a rising recovery rate remains. I strongly believe that if people continue to wear masks, social distance, and remain vigilant, the situation will improve. So, please continue to take the necessary precautions. Additionally, I also think it’s important to stay vigilant because as I’ve mentioned before it’s likely a second wave may occur and even here in China, we are cognizant of that.
In terms of Astronomy, this was a very productive week! Since you now can all understand my research a little bit better, I hope that this update makes sense! I made some very nice measurements on the spectroscopic completeness of galaxy clusters in DESI (the fraction of clusters in the galaxy that will have their spectrum measured). This should yield very interesting results in the future as Prof. Zu and I work to determine how this fraction may impact observational results using simulations. Additionally, I also made more progress on my DES project. I had to remeasure some of the simulated results, but that should be finished up in a day or two, so that paper remains close to submission. Additionally, I had quite a few telecons, including on Thursday, a late night meeting with my Ph.D. advisor and mentor, Prof. Chris Miller, followed by a later DES telecon, as well as my usual Zu Group meetings. Also, I’ll be presenting my research at the upcoming Zoom DES collaboration meeting telecon!
Unlike in the Northeast, where this past weekend was met with snow and cold weather, here in Shanghai it has remained warm. Much of the week it was still in the upper 70s/low 80s (though it rained a few days). This warmer (but not super hot) weather allowed me to go for 4 runs this week! I’m really glad that I’m able to run so frequently! During my runs and walks, I also got to take a lot of pictures of more beautiful flowers. Shanghai in the spring is absolutely lovely!
In addition to the productive research and running, this was another enjoyable week. On Monday, I got dinner with my friends Heather and Shimi. We went to one of the fancy local malls. Unlike in the US, in China most malls actually make most of their money from restaurants and the restaurants are really great! You can even see people (wearing masks) and hand rolling dumplings in the mall! As you can see, malls are both similar and different to what is in the US.
On Sunday, Moishe House hosted a games afternoon, which was a ton of fun! As per usual, I baked for the event and made a strawberry cake (strawberry season is actually almost over here, which is so weird since it usually hasn’t even begun by June in the US), which was a hit. I spent the afternoon playing Codenames with my friends and fellow Moishe House community members! It was a lot of fun to get out of the heat and humidity for a little bit and hang out with everyone else! I’m looking forward to the next game night! I’m also so thrilled that the community has remained vibrant throughout the covid-19 pandemic!
Additionally, I had to share some cute photos of furry friends! The Moishe House is fostering a community member’s dog and the cat that lives in my lane neighborhood came back!
Food in Shanghai
As I mentioned, on Monday, I got dinner with my friends Heather and Shimi! We went to a Chinese restaurant. One benefit of going with friends who speak Chinese is that we can go to non-vegetarian restaurants and they can help make sure the food is vegetarian for me!
We got lettuce rolls with peanut sauce, tofu, scallion noodles, fried sword beans, and vegetable dumplings! Everything was delicious. The sword beans are one of my favorites and super common here. However, I don’t remember ever seeing them in the US when I’d go to Chinese restaurants.
Additionally, on Friday, my friend Hannah Maia introduced me to chuan chuan, Chinese kebabs. We got a ton of different vegetable, tofu, and bao kebabs, which were fantastic!
I think my favorites were the tofu, mushroom, and cauliflower.
There is so much amazing and different food to try here in Shanghai! I hope I’m able to try as much as possible and introduce it to you all virtually.
Although this was a slower week, the more relaxed schedule allowed me to spend a lot of time getting work done and being productive, while still making time to see friends. I think the covid-19 pandemic has really made me more appreciative of these small dinners and group hangouts than I was before. I hope that you all feel the same once things return to normal in a few months.
I hope that this update about my life and the covid-19 situation in Shanghai leaves you feeling optimistic that things will improve and return to a new normal. This upcoming week should be another normal and productive research week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the current covid-19 situation, please let me know. If you need to talk to someone about how to stay positive and productive while you shelter in place, please reach out. I want to help support you and assure all of you in any way that I can.
In peace,
Jesse
Hi Jesse, I’m glad to hear things remain on a positive trajectory in terms of people recovering. Hopefully you’ll have a more concrete idea of when you can go back to the office soon. That sounds so strange that your friends who are teachers are now remotely teaching, but from school. I know BU had that as an option for the first week of this quarantine, but they quickly realized that that doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense. I’m glad to hear that it wasn’t as hot this week and that you were able to go running! The flowers look amazing! Great job staying productive on your research this week! As per usual, the food pictures you send look tasty as ever! That’s so interesting about the malls. I’ve seen a few restaurants like that in malls here, but it is certainly a step up from the food court at the Wilton Mall. I loved the giraffe statue too! I’m glad to hear that game night and the strawberry cake were a hit! We’re going to attempt a virtual BU game night sometime in the next few weeks. Have a great week and continue to stay productive, safe, and healthy!
Love,
Emmet
Thanks Emmet! I agree that it’d be nice to know when I can go back to the campus. When I was talking with my friends about it they didn’t seem to think working from the office without the students being there made sense either. I look forward to trying those foods together! I hope that your virtual game night is fun! I hope you also have a productive, safe, and healthy week!
Hi Jesse,
It’s awesome Shanghai is almost fully recovered! I very much hope there is not a second wave. Presumably that would arise from travel. Do you know if China is still quarantining travelers and/or restricting travel? I’d imagine if so, it’d be less likely for there to be a 2nd wave. Anyway, good to hear you had a nice week!
Hi Ryan! The fear is that a second wave would occur when China opens back up. Currently there is a 14 day quarantine for new arrivals and only Chinese nationals are allowed in (I think they may be allowing certain visas soon, but I’m not sure). I think it’s just more a recognition that it could come back. Hope that you’re doing well and staying safe in Michigan!
As always a very informative and entertaining blog, Jesse. Thank you. And as always I am glad that you are well and that Shanghai is slowly returning more and more back to how things were before the pandemic struck.
Here, it is a little hard for me to imagine how NYS will be able to turn the clock back as we move forward. Given the incredible loss of revenue to the state because of the massive unemployment of resources and people and given the US thinking about economics (and its near adoration of Austrian micro-economic theory as opposed to more contemporary post Keynseian theory that suggests that banks and governments can in fact create money (especially in an environment of under-employed resources) .. anyway…
I love the photos of the food. Very exciting. My “foodie” response is this: I make hard cheese almost every week and if I use a gallon of milk to make a hefty pound of cheese (usually a cheese called cheddared squeaky curd cheese – this is a cheese that can be eaten the same day that it is made (no need for aging) but it takes about 4 hours to make the cheese ), I am left with about 7 pints of whey. I make wine and while wine yeast cannot ferment lactose , the main sugar in milk, if I add lactase, the enzyme that can break down lactose into glucose and sucrose, wine yeast can ferment those sugars , so last week I added some “indigenous” yeast I grew from some store bought raisins (preservative free) and after 8 days I have a very drinkable alcoholic whey wine (about 3% alcohol by volume – about the same as most low alc beers) . In the past in the highlands and islands of Scotland folk used to drink a version of this, called blaand (as in blond, not bland) but for the past century or so this folk drink has fallen our of favor (it was made with, I think a very different yeast – B. Claussenii – that would “infect” wooden kegs and barrels and Claussenii can ferment lactose and it can ferment wood sugars too. The whey was stored and carried in one or two gallon kegs and was drunk by those working the land.
Hi Bernard! I’m glad that you enjoyed this week’s entry! Your point about the economy is very good, since a lot of businesses are state run, I think that China may be able to jumpstart it’s economy more easily than in the US. I hope that the US does attempt to think creatively to recover and not just do more tax cuts and bailouts to massive companies. Thanks for the food lesson! It sounds like you must be quite the whiz in the kitchen, since you’re able to make so many things from scratch, which is truly impressive!
So glad to hear you are doing well, Jesse! What a sweet Mother’s Day Message to your mom. She is so special and I’m also so lucky to have her love and support in my life as well! The food always looks sooooo good in the pictures that you post!!!! You also seem to have such a large variety and many different vegetarian/vegan options. Hopefully one day I will be able to travel to China and try it all! Continue to stay healthy and positive. We miss you!
Hi Peri! It’s so great to hear from you! I completely agree about my Mom. I know she feels lucky to have you (and Kevin and Eli) around in Saratoga! I’m glad that you enjoyed the food photos. The food here is really fantastic! It always surprises me how different it is from American Chinese food and how much vegan/vegetarian food there is. I hope that you’re able to visit China, too! Whether you come while I’m here or at a later date, I’ll make sure to pass along plenty of recommendations! I hope that you and your family continue to stay safe and healthy!
What a lovely post to read on Mother’s Day, Jesse! Like dear Peri, I am so touched by your loving tribute here. This and your ecard and the lovely cat-themed gift you and Emmet selected and FaceTime really made my Mother’s Day special and bridged the distance. I am lucky to have a loving son like you. And like Emmet, I am impressed by what a productive scholar you are. Despite the heat and working from home, you are making great progress on your Astronomy research and getting papers close to completion. Great news, too, about your upcoming presentation for the Zoom DES collaboration meeting telecon! I am sure you will be a star (pun intended)!
The malls look fancy, and the food looks fabulous. I am always happy to see you interacting with your furry friends, too. But I absolutely loved seeing the flowers. Shanghai looks amazing in full bloom. I look forward to coming to China to spend time with you and Emmet come next year when the pandemic is over, of course, and travel is safe once again. Springtime looks so vibrant in Shanghai. In the meantime, I bless technology for keeping us connected. Here is to a great week for us all!
Love you, Mom
Thanks Mom! I’m so glad that you were touched by my Mother’s day comments! Thanks for the comments about my research progress. It’s been great to be productive while working from home. I hope the DES presentations go great!
I’m so glad that you enjoy seeing the flowers. They’re so many flowers everywhere and it keeps the city looking beautiful. I hope that you’re able to visit soon! It’ll be great to show you around and introduce you to some of the food that I’ve been trying! I hope that you also have a safe, healthy, and productive week!