Back in Shanghai

Well, after more than 3 months, I'm back in Shanghai!  It's a little surreal right now, having just arrived 3 days ago and still being in the jet lag fog.  But, I was so lucky my first day back to have lunch out with good friends, as well as the excitement of seeing the new offices of the Shanghai Community Center - directly across the street from our apartment complex!  How wonderfully convenient for classes and tours.

I walked a little yesterday, in between the rain drops, and got to see some changes in the

neighborhood, including the new City Shop grocery store in the Green Villas complex where Peter & Nickle lived last year.  It's a nice expat store, featuring food from the U.S. as well as Europe and other areas, including a lovely bakery.  It's not inexpensive, but nice to have another option in the area - I even found caffeine-free Diet Coke - Chris will be thrilled!

I was having mixed feelings about coming back to Shanghai this Fall.  I've really enjoyed spending the summer with my girls - I miss them SO much when I'm in China.  Unfortunately, I got to see Elizabeth the least, although I'm really glad she came for the July 4th weekend and was able to work remotely during the following week.  Also, I'm glad she was able to come up for a couple of weekends, including Miranda's birthday, but I wishe I'd had more time to spend with her.  I got to see Samantha a short time for July 4th and then for several weeks after she finished her internship, spent a couple weeks at the lake and then traveled with us before moving Miranda back to Cornell.  I got to see Miranda on and off all summer, as she was working and living at Cornell, but spent a lot of her time off with us at the cottage.  She also traveled with Chris, Samantha and me after we left the lake and drove to Hershey, PA to see Hershey Chocolate World and the theme park.  We had a great time, even though Miranda wasn't feeling well and Samantha and I eventually caught the bug she shared with us.  It was great to be able to spend the night with Peter, Nickle and the kids as well, before putting Chris on the plane back to Chicago and heading off to Newport, RI and Cape Cod.  Although we only had a week, it was a nice mini-vacation and a great chance to see some sights, visit with Pierce & Paula, and spend the night with Paul, Karen & Jeremy.  We are doubly lucky that they took the time to drive to Seneca Lake and spend a 3-day weekend with us there for Miranda's birthday.  All-in-all, my time on the East Coast was really nice and filled with family time.

Once I returned to Elmhurst, even though I only had a week, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of the time with my best friend Jane.  Between a girls day out of shopping and lunch, followed by two dinners together, a game of Mahjong, a movie night, and book club, I just got used to seeing her again when I had to leave.  I really miss her and the time we have together when I'm gone - she is definitely one of the hardest people to leave behind.  I also was lucky to have lunch with my friend and neighbor Lisa, a lunch with my friend and former critique partner Wendy, and, of course, the wonderful fun on book club.  Seeing Harmony, and having her do my hair, is always great, but made me wish I'd be in town for the birth of her third baby at the end of September. 

The biggest hesitations for me in returning to Shanghai are that Chris is not going to be able to spend much time in Shanghai with me before I return in November and that Peter, Nickle & the kids aren't here anymore.  I know I'll have a lot of lonely times, especially in the evenings, although my lady friends here are great fun during the day.  Fortunately, Chris gave me an early birthday gift and bought me an airline ticket to accompany him on his business trip to Australia starting September 4.  We'll be there for 2 weeks and will be visiting Port Douglas (near the Great Barrier Reef), Sydney, and Melbourne.  I'm really excited and hope that I'm well done with my jet lag before we got on the plane for the 14 hours of flying time to Cairns (near Port Douglas).  I can't wait for the incredible sights waiting for us in Australia and have my camera ready and packed to go!

Today, I'm meeting up with Peter's good friend Matt, his wife Julia, and their 3 little girls, who just moved to Shanghai from Frankfurt, Germany.  Peter and Nickle left some boxes of Shanghai surprises for Matt & Julia in our apartment, so they're coming to pick them up today and then we're going out for some lunch together.  I'm happy to have another Watkins Glen native in Shanghai and am looking forward to having some fun with them when I'm in town.

I'm not taking Chinese lessons this fall, mostly because I'll be away for the 2 weeks in Australia and hope to travel with Chris when he goes to Malaysia in October as well, but I've already signed up for a couple of day tours and hope to do some more photo tours.  I've got my new fitbit and hope that I can get out and do some walking (and photography) around Shanghai with my free time.  And, as always, I hope to do some writing.  So, even though Chris will only be spending about 2 weeks worth of days in Shanghai during the 3 months I'm here, I plan to keep busy and enjoy the opportunities of living in Shanghai, meeting new people, and enjoying the culture, until it's time to go back to Elmhurst for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I'm lucky to be able to split my time and travel as much as I do, although I miss my girls when I'm here.