In Shanghai!

"As seen on TV" - ShangWOW!

We flew out of Asheville, NC Thursday morning and arrived safely in Shanghai on Friday afternoon quite haggard and disheveled – 16 hours non-stop in coach – ‘nough said. We spent the weekend living 'upside down' trying desperately to fall in sync with the rhythm of our new lives. My husband was especially thankful to have the long weekend to adjust. He left out this morning for his new job a bit anxious, but rested.

First impressions of the city: Cleanest airport I’ve ever graced, the ride from the airport to JinQiao in Pudong boasts superb infrastructure, and the city of Shanghai feels like the largest city I’ve ever visited. I am overwhelmed in many ways but mostly by the number of dwellings; in every direction there are multi-level apartment complexes as far as the smog permits visibility. And that is the other first impression, the air quality appears to be the poorest I’ve ever witnessed, even more so than a bad day in Mexico City.

View from the bedroom on sunny morning. Apartments as far as the eye can see.

I’m happy to report the VPN (virtual private network) is an absolute Godsend and anyone entertaining a move to China should seriously consider subscribing to a service. I am using Witopia. I’ll spare everyone a tech talk – but for those interested select the link to learn more. We are able to connect to paypal, our US bank, Face Book, Skype, Youtube, Yahoo and Blogger. These sites are either permanently blocked are randomly blocked by the Chinese firewall without the VPN.

I’ll report on our market visit next. The experience warrants its own entry. A trip to the supermarket restroom is where I first learned of the significantly different style public ‘potties’ in China – stay tuned…

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.

14? Days and Counting...

Roller Coaster Ride

So, if you're reading this and doing the math - um, yeah - our departure has been delayed, again. OK - technically, we have never had a confirmed departure, just tentative departure 'goals'. Our new goal is March 26th - we'll see. However, if we had the opportunity to fly out tomorrow, there's no way we could go - we're still very much unprepared in every way. But, beginning Monday I am going into relocation warp drive.

I've done my first series of pouting (see last post - or don't). I'll schedule a follow-up wallow when I'm in Shanghai with nothing to do - right now I've got to pack! Plus, I'm really getting excited about living in Shanghai. My husband has been ready way before he was hired for the position.

A little about us: Once upon a time my husband, then boyfriend, coaxed me to ride a roller coaster. He rode the coaster with great abandon; wide-eyed, wide smile, and arms extended to the heavens. When the ride was over he was exhilarated. On the exact ride seated beside him I rode with great apprehension; eyes closed, butt clinched in utter fear, white-knuckling the safety bar. When the ride was over I was exhausted! ~ Such is telling of our adventurous spirits.

Over our 35 years together we've ridden many life coasters, I've learned to loosen up (pun intended) mostly because my husband has learned to ride with his arms around me (yeah, life's all rainbows and roses - NOT). Nonetheless, I will forever be in awe of my husband's spirit of adventure, and I believe he is grateful to have found a willing partner who is up for just about anything despite her natural affinity for merry-go-rounds.

All this to say, I'm psyched and I'm buckled in for what is sure to be an exciting ride!

15 Days and Counting...

Denial, Depression, Deluged

So, maybe I'm over exaggerating just a tad. On a scale of 1-10, with one being my most peaceful, I'd have to say I'm approaching a 7, and I'm coping completely chemically unassisted, thank you! My husband is faring similarly, only because he has the added pressure of his new job.

Deluged - With only 15 days left to departure we're far from prepared; the house is in disarray, we've not packed the first item, I'm STILL dealing with old business matters, we've yet to finalize medical, legal, financial affairs and the list goes on. The thing is, we've made headway in all matters, but at this point absolutely nothing is completed.

Depressed - Biggest concern du jour - I am woeful over giving up our beloved family pet! I don't expect anyone to understand this unless they have a dear four-legged family member. We have found him a new home where he will be safe and loved, but we're dealing with the guilt and loss of a most fun and loving spirit. I imagine a reader or two will roll their eyes (if indeed there is someone out in cyberspace reading this) - I'm well aware in the scheme of all the world depravities, finding a cat a new home is trivial, and yet the loss of relationship is very real to us today.

Denial - Or the refusal to deal with the fact that we're really moving to the other side of the planet. I can't bring myself to think we're leaving our growns (who are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves) and leaving family, friends and all things familiar. Dealing means feeling, but I'm gonna have to take the preferred southern approach on this one - as Scarlett O'hare so aptly put it, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

So, for me at least denial, depression and being deluged = wanting nothing more than to cocoon. I'm really having to fight the urge to roll up in a blanket and watch mindless reality shows to escape mine. I am overwhelmed, panicked, sad and excited - I'm a walking cocktail of emotions! But this is just another phase of the expat displacement. I'll get over this only to hit a 10+ at some point - fun times ahead...