6 Days and Counting...

Packing Silly Necessities

So, I've finally begun to pack. We've read mostly through the forums at shanghaiexpat.com that just about anything is available in Shanghai, BUT many items are hard to come by and expensive because there is little demand for the items outside the expat community. We've read numerous posts recommending we bring all our western toiletries; toothpaste, deodorant, dental floss, OTC medications, etc. I'm also packing my 'big girl' panties, and all clothing since large women's fashions are not available. That goes for shoes and socks, too.

We have an ever growing pile of 'necessities' that will be packed and shipped next week. We've a veritable apothecary surely to meet our needs. We're also packing cooking items such as baking pans (since only expats have ovens, it stands to reason baking supplies would be limited and expensive), oven thermometer, measuring cups and spoons, etc and a couple of our Mexican 'garrafons' (hand painted ceramic water dispensers). We've also packed a new 'rabbit' cork remover - again, wine is a growing market there and wine openers are supposedly hard to come by.

But our 'necessary food items' are interesting (only to me, because I didn't realize they were important until we were faced with the possibility of not having them readily available)...case of microwave popcorn, chocolate of every sort; baking, ready to eat, cocoa, etc., peanut butter, oats, breakfast cereals, some Mexican dried spices, fresh roasted coffee, olive oil, queen olives+gin+vermouth (for my occasional martini), a bottle of scotch (for husband) and two industrial-sized bags of grits!

Silly necessities, eh? Unless you've lived away from all things familiar for any length of time, you can't fully appreciate how the simplest things can make the biggest impact on your daily living. Certainly the provisions offered in Shanghai will more than meet our physical needs, however, it's the simplest familiar things that serve as savored reminders of home and that's not silly at all.