I was thinking of the next topic for my blog … then this happened to me…and since I am supposed to talk about my life here, about things there are good, bad or just Chinese…. although a bit lengthy, I thought it was worth publishing it….

I would say this falls under the “Just Chinese” category.

All facts are (unbelievably) true and names of people and school changed or omitted to not cast a dark shadow on the school. All emails originating from the school have not been copied across to avoid infringing copy rights….(isn’t it ironic that I worry about copy rights in  China , the Country that seems to  always  be assuming  the right to copy???) but their content summarized by me.

I LOVE SCHOOL UNIFORMS

I think they are great, they are a great leveler…they make all students look the same, regardless of how big their parents’ wallet is… I wish I had a uniform when I went to high school in Italy… not being  exactly  slender, and my parents certainly not rich…and not being a fashion guru myself, I really struggled through my teenage years to find everyday clothes to go to school that:
 

1 Fitted me, 2 Could afford buying, 3 Were fashionable (yes, because in Italy back then and still now going to school is like going to a fashion parade where you show off your expensive and trendy clothes, starting as early as primary school)…

Had we had a school uniform at the time I would only have had to worry about finding the Extra Large size….

Anyway, my daughter goes to an international school in Shanghai that has a lovely white, red and blue uniform…and she has always added appropriate color stockings and shoes…(I’m Italian, and even though not exactly an authority in fashion, I can still match colors)….

But here in China they seem to have a different idea of how to mix and match colours and styles … and even though not my cup of tea, it is often entertaining to observe…. Glittery tops worn on track suit pants and formal shoes… , people  wearing pajamas  to go to the supermarket ( I promise  I’ll write another piece specifically on this hot Shanghai topic), colors mixed together like a  box  of crayons that has been turned upside down, and so on…

The school so far had been quite lax in applying the uniform rules…so in the last couple of years we have seen lots of ‘variations on the uniform theme’…like red skirt worn with white and pink hello kitty stockings, or bright yellow jackets or shoes that light up as you walk, school logo stuck on any white shirt because the kid had outgrown the uniform shirt, and so on…
 

So a couple of months ago the school decides to enforce the uniform, and in the middle of winter they send this letter in which they strongly recommend to only wear the uniform items, and to match them with black shoes/boots. 
 

Now May has come, the temperatures go up and it’s time to change shoes…  If you have been in Shanghai in summer you know what I am talking about. If you haven’t, try to imagine such heat and humidity that when you leave your air conditioned apartment at 7 in the morning you are sweating before you get to push the lift button …and after you have taken a few steps outside your legs become heavy, you’re suddenly conscious of every breath you take since even breathing becomes an effort, and by the time you reach school or your workplace you smell like a fish left out to dry in the scorching Italian summer, (except unfortunately you are still in Shanghai) , the only consolation being that everybody else smells as badly as you…

As the Shanghai summer impends ominously I go out to buy Greta pair of black sandals…

When Greta goes to school with her brand new black sandals this is what the Chinese teacher appointed to check the uniforms tells her: “We don't encourage sandals as your feet might get hurt, you should be wearing black leather shoes. Please wear them next time".

So I politely reply that: “ The sandals cover her feet appropriately and I take responsibility in case she gets hurt.  It is nearly summer now and with the increasing temperatures leather shoes ARE NOT appropriate because they don't let the foot breath, trigger foot perspiration and the formation of blisters. I do care about my daughter's foot hygiene and health, and the school does too, I am sure. So I do not encourage the use of leather shoes in hot weather.... Nonetheless, should the school want Greta to wear a different type of black shoes they could provide them at their own expense as I had already both black shoes, specifically black sandals. “

Apparently, I get told by the Chinese teacher appointed to check the uniforms, "shoe" in English means only "shoes with front cover" which is a formal style”. And that I can pass to the Parents Group my great suggestion that the school should choose shoes as part of the uniform, so they can forward it to the Uniform Committee and see what they say…

Hmmmm….I sense a tiny little bit of sarcasm in this response…,   which wakes up my usually sleepy animosity and stirs revenge feelings inside  me … so I decide to craft a proper reply in which I also copy  the schools principals (yes, there are two principals…one Chinese and one Foreign, because the International schools in Shanghai want to (appear to) be fair and balanced…)

THE LETTER

Dear Ms Uniform Guru, (for the privacy law which may exist in China, for the blog I decided to omit the real name of the addressee and make up one myself)

On the one hand it is a pity that you and I have to spend our precious time dealing with something that should have been much clearer and much simpler to start with…

On the other hand though, it has been for me an opportunity to deepen my knowledge about shoes, and I would like to share it with you…..

Your  sentence : “the word ‘shoe’ in English means only "shoes with front cover" which is a formal style” has triggered my curiosity and I felt compelled to do my own search….and this is the outcome:

1

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shoe?s=t

an external covering for the human foot, usually of leather and consisting of a more or less stiff or heavy sole and a lighter upper part ending a short distance above, at, or below the ankle.

2

http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/shoe

one of a matching pair of coverings shaped to fit the foot, esp. one ending below the ankle, having an upper of leather, plastic, etc., on a sole and heel of heavier leather, rubber, or synthetic material  

3

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/shoe

A durable covering for the human foot, made of leather or similar material with a rigid sole and heel, usually extending no higher than the ankle.

4

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/shoe?q=shoe

a covering for the foot, typically made of leather, having a sturdy sole and not reaching above the ankle.

I could ’t find anywhere your definition “the word ‘shoe’ in English means only "shoes with front cover" which is a formal style”

In any case, even if you could provide me with the source of it, it wouldn’t be the only definition of ‘shoe’ as exemplified above. Therefore, my understanding that a black shoe could also be a black sandal, would neither be wrong nor approximate.

Interestingly enough, when I was searching more detail about shoes I came across this website

http://www.shoeguide.org/Shoe_Anatomy

Maybe, what you described as “front cover” is  the “toe cap”, which I don’t see being a defining element of a shoe in any of the examples above , and even if you were to provide me with a dictionary definition that requires the “toe cap “ as being essential to define a shoe, it wouldn’t be the only one as exemplified above. Therefore, my understanding that a black shoe could also be a black sandal, would neither be wrong nor approximate.

For balance sake and to give both shoes and sandals a fair go I thought I’d search also the definition of sandal, and admittedly struggled to find one that could describe a sandal without using the word ‘shoe’.

1

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sandal?s=t

a shoe consisting of a sole of leather or other material fastened to the foot by thongs or straps.

2

http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/sandal

a light shoe consisting of a sole held on the foot by thongs, straps, etc. 

3

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sandal

1. A shoe consisting of a sole fastened to the foot by thongs or straps.

2. A low-cut shoe fastened to the foot by an ankle strap.

3. A rubber overshoe cut very low and covering little more than the sole of the shoe.

4. A strap or band for fastening a low shoe or slipper on the foot.

4

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sandal?q=sandal

light shoe with either an openwork upper or straps attaching the sole to the foot:

In any case, even if you could provide me a definition of sandal that does not require it to be a shoe, it wouldn’t be the only definition of ‘sandal’ as exemplified above. Therefore, my understanding that a black sandal is also a black shoe, would neither be wrong nor approximate.

Feeling quite relieved that my understanding of what shoes and sandals are is correct, and that when I bought Greta black sandals I actually bought her black shoes and not black trews, I would like to comment on another couple of things:

-   In regards to what you stated that “there is still confusion in the school’s information and that you’ll endeavor to improve it for next school year” (finally I find something I fully agree with you on), I would suggest the school updated the Uniform section of the school’s website since, correct me if I am wrong, it does not mention shoes at all….

Wouldn’t it be upsetting if all the new students next year showed up bare feet, like the poor children in our beloved Oliver Twist story…?

By the way, in the upcoming Oliver performance costume letter it was clearly stated that  “ Bare feet are preferable to the wrong style footwear”. …So my understanding is, please correct me if I am wrong, that Greta can perform bare feet, since I wouldn’t want to buy her yet another pair of black shoes (or “ soft soled/dance style shoes” are not considered shoes?)

 -  About my great idea that the shoes should be chosen by the school as part of the school uniform, you are welcome to introduce it to the school uniform committee yourself, as I think this year I have already contributed to the school much more than I should have: from helping to plan an appropriate and reasonable bus route for my daughter to fighting for her right to learn Chinese like her Chinese peers and not as a second class citizen; from ensuring that the quality and choice of canteen food was  at least the same as the Chinese local stream peers (even if, for some unknown reason, the international students have to pay more) to encouraging the introduction of “educational trips” (I kindly remind you that during a PSG meeting I offered to provide some ideas and you said yes , please do it and send them to me, only to be told  once I sent them to you and  spent time collecting the info that it was only the school’s job to organize the “educational trips”); from having to enquire about the toilet cleanliness and hygiene after twice my daughter came home saying that there was blood in some toilets in the girls bathroom to having to clarify why the final exams were held after a week of holidays (with 45 days of school left) and the parents only notified at the last minute therefore ruining their holiday plans; from trying and work out why my daughter was dropped off at our home bus stop 5 minutes before the bus arrival time and allowed to go home without anyone picking her up (therefore totally unsupervised) to finally having to write a semantic dissertation on shoes…..

I have given enough to the school this year, and unlike you I don’t get paid for it….quite the opposite. The school is not going to take advantage of my free services and free time anymore, at least not for this year.

Greta will be wearing her black sandals until the end of the school year, and possibly the first couple of weeks of the new year, and shall not be reprimanded for it.

Alternatively, if the school would like her to wear a different type of black shoes, the school can purchase them at it’s own expense.  She wears size 34.

WHAT I DIDN'T SAY....

I still think that with a white, blue and red uniform the shoes shouldn’t have been black, but dark blue….

But I don’t dare suggesting it to the school, I’m afraid they might get upset ....