ShangHighs and ShangLows

New expat friend to the rescue.

There is a local, very popular expat forum frequented by the many thousands of expats living in Shanghai. The forum is just like all the others; filled with forum jockeys, trolls, cliques and a whole lot of forum smack that must be waded through to get at any sort of decent information, but the forum was the tool that saved me this week.


Through the forum I made a comment about my first trip to the local supermarket, I also asked for a resource to purchase a coffeemaker, and an angel of mercy replied to my post offering her welcome and help. That contact led to a wonderful phone call and then the phone call led to another contact. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for the two ladies reaching out, but both do so out of compassion and memories of how they felt upon first arriving to the city.

All that to say my new friend is showing me the wet market today (open market where the locals shop), AND taking me to a Costco-like store (where she assures me laowai items are much cheaper), AND helping me negotiate a local laundry, AND introducing me to the Community Center, a very large organization mostly patronized by expats. My first week here and already I’ve found someone who speaks English AND understands where I’m coming from - this is BIG!

“Dee” is originally from Canada, but has lived many places including the states. She and her family have been in Shanghai four years. I explained a bit of my previous day and she chuckled and told me, “You have experienced what is called a ShangLow day...we expats explain our days here in terms of ShangHighs and ShangLows, and you had a ShangLow day.” You’re darn tootin!

And another bit of revelation…seems my pronounced southern accent and colloquialisms are a bit difficult for some. I’ve been told by an Australian (who sports a heavy accent herself, thank you) that I am as difficult to understand as a Scott. For real? Another mid-western American told me the girls at the community center were going to have fun with me when they hear me talk; she onced lived in Atlanta so she had no problems working through the endless syllable pronunciations. So, maybe the assistant was having a legitimately difficult time understanding me? Who knows – the assistant idea is a bust. Dee also told me I was going to have to curb the southern manners and start taking up for myself or I would be eaten alive by the city. Snap - Heard dat!

At present we’re negotiating apartment options. Our Realtor, James, is GREAT – he is unassuming (which attests to his experience with westerners), listens and doesn’t pressure. Apartments are pricey but it’s all relative to location and amenities and our diligence – finding a suitable place is going to be the least of our issues. More to come on the real estate search another post. Thanks to everyone's encouragement and fun notes, it is WONDERFUL hearing from you all! Here's to new friends and tried and true friends!



Picture of Shanghai at sunset taken from hotel