My Last Six Weeks in Shanghai

I returned to Shanghai on March 17 for my last six weeks in Shanghai. It's hard for me to believe this wild adventure is coming to an end. Chris will not be repatriating until the end of the summer, but I am leaving on April 23 to spend Elizabeth's 25th birthday weekend with her in San Diego before flying on to Chicago. I want to have more than a week to get over my jet-lag before I drive to Atlanta for Samantha's Emory graduation.

Shanghai is fully in spring, while Elmhurst was still deep in snow when I left. While March wasn't as warm and sunny as a Shanghai spring is supposed to be, we finally got to beautiful, warm weather by the end of the month and as April arrived.

When I left Elmhurst, I had instructions to buy gifts for my sister, some friends, and future birthday and Christmas gifts. In fact, it seems like all I've been doing since getting to Shanghai is shopping. Fortunately, my friends here have been willing to jump in and help with all the heaving shopping requirements. :)   

I've loaded up on purses and carry-on bags, jewelry of all sorts, scarves, shoe bags (more to use as gift bags than for shoes), wine bottle gift bags, clothes (including 2 tailor made cashmere coats and 3 silk blouses for me), lots of gifts, and even new prescription glasses (much less expensive in China). I've taken a couple of trips to the DVD store, stocking up on some series I've always wanted to try but and can't get on Netflix. It's going to be hard to get used to the price of some things, in particular purses, eyeglasses, and DVDs, when I get back to the U.S. - I've become spoiled. 

Last weekend, Chris and I went with our friends Matt and Julia and their three daughters to the "dirty shop," which is quite like Shanghai's version of the Harry Potter Room of Requirement. There's a little of everything in there, but it's piled up to the ceiling, in no order, dirty, and in the dark, so finding anything is an adventure. And then, of course, negotiating a reasonable price. But, we did find a few things to remember our Chinese adventure, assuming we can get them back to Elmhurst.

One of the most fun things I've done during my second year in Shanghai has been the Indian Cooking classes I've taken. I've learn a lot about Indian cuisine and made a lot of the meals at home, to rave reviews. Payal, my instructor, has been wonderful about letting me know when a class is coming up that is compatible with my allergies and making accommodations when necessary, which is a huge relief for me and makes the experience even more fun.  That and the fact that several of my friends have taken classes with me, which has been a real treat.
 
Beyond shopping and cooking, the main activity that I've been engaged in has been mahjong. I was invited to join a wonderful group of ladies for weekly mahjong games and they have been great about teaching me the way they play. I still have no idea how to keep track of points, but it's been a lot of fun.

Chris has been traveling every week that I've been back, although he's been home on the weekends and is even taking a couple of vacation days so we can take one last Asian vacation while we're here. We're headed to Tokyo for four days, two of which we'll spend at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. The girls are quite cross with us that we're going to Tokyo Disney without them, but we wanted to see one last new country before we leave.

It's going to be hard to leave my Shanghai friends, although I know I'll be able to see some of them when they're back in the U.S. One of my best friends here lived in the Chicago area, and still has a house there, so I expect we can meet up. I know we'll see Matt and Julia,as they are good friends of my nephew Peter, and Matt is from the same hometown Peter and I are, I get to see them every summer at the cottage. There are many friends, though, that I don't think I'll see again any time soon. Many are repatriating or being moved on to a new assignment and some are staying here, although we expats never really know where we're going to be "next year."  Good-byes are always hard, although being able to stay in touch through Facebook, WeChat, and email makes it a little better.

In addition to a post about our trip to Tokyo, I still have one more post to make about China before I'm finished, because I've put together a fine collections of distinctly Shanghai sights as well as some amusing translation mistakes. Every expat here has similar photos as it gives us some comic relief on the days we need it, the days we call "IFHC" days ("I f****** hate China"). I haven't had many of those days since my first few months in Shanghai, but I have to admit, I had one this past week.

Even though smoking inside our apartments is technically against the law in China, the guest in the next apartment was smoking so much every morning this week that I was woken from a sound sleep by the stench in my bedroom and living room, giving me a headache every day. I went and spoke to the staff at the reception desk every day and was told they'd take care of it. If you've lived in China, you're laughing now. So, after the 5th day, I went to the assistant manager and then to her boss. They cleaned my air vents, checked the sprinkler system to see if there were holes between the apartments, and gave me a can of air freshener. Finally, when the manager spoke to the guest next door, who is only here for a month, the smoke seems to have stopped. Given that the worst of this was going on the same day I was struggling with moving companies, I'd just plain had it. But, the smoke seems to have ended and we are making progress on the move, so I'm back on an even keel.  

We have had a lot of great experiences here and learned so much about Asia, China, and specifically Shanghai. We traveled to places we never thought we'd see, often with at least one of the girls. We have visited museums, exhibits, and shows as well as many examples of incredible natural beauty. And, we've made some wonderful friends. Even on an IFHC day, those friends help immensely, by commiserating, listening, and even making me laugh. I am looking forward to moving back to the U.S., mostly because I miss our daughters, the rest of our family, and our good friends and it will be nice to live in our own home again. We've stayed in Shanghai, but not really lived here, especially given the amount Chris has traveled. But, despite being ready to go back, I will miss a lot about of days in Shanghai.