Bazaar

Shanghai Community Center Spring Bazaar


Friday the Community Center Shanghai held their annual spring bazaar at the Pudong branch, and it was a flying success! The weather was divine, there was an excellent array of vendors and there were hundreds of expat and local supporters taking advantage of the unique offerings.

I certainly did my part to stimulate the local economy! I bought several gifts and also took a great interest in the Jinshan peasant paintings by artist Lu Yongzhong.

Before walking to the bazaar my husband and I had a conversation about our time here so far. We both agree that it hardly feels as though we're living in China. The area we're living feels very similar to a short visit we made to Rome (and other Italian cities) last year. Just like Rome, Shanghai is a true international city so we're living a vastly different lifestyle had we been relocated to any other city in China (except Beijing), just as the cities of Italy felt much more 'Italian' compared to Rome.

All continues to go well. It's uncanny how the 6 degrees of separation seem to prove out...yesterday I met two ladies from SC and both graduated from Clemson, my husband's alma mater. Met another fella who lived in Hickory for years, and yet another fella who has been in Shanghai for 12 years and owns a condo up hwy 25 near the Blue Ridge Parkway. My husband struck up a conversation with him upon seeing his NC Tarheels hat. Small world.

Mother's Day

HOLIDAYS WITHOUT FAMILY

George Burns once said, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” But I say holidays SUCK when they can’t be shared with loved ones. We have three terrific growns (pictured) and today I miss them more than ever. Traditionally for Mother’s Day the kids manage to find their way back to the nest. They cook, present me with silly cards and wonderful gifts, and they indulge me by playing Scrabble or other board games. I just realized I didn’t pack my Scrabble game…

At any rate, I'm making the best of the day by chillaxin'. As I blog my husband has ventured via taxi to the nearest KFC. Today I’m in the mood to dine on something familiar – it’s much more of an emotional need than a real craving for the greasy fried stuff. I’ve requested sauce-less spicy wings. My husband tried in vain to place an online delivery order, but we *think* the error message read we had an invalid address or we were beyond the home delivery area (the message was in Mandarin). YES, folks – KFC and McDonalds DELIVER in Shanghai for a mere $1US service charge (and no tipping). Home delivery service is a huge business here - anything you can imagine can and will be delivered to your door for a very nominal fee.

Back to the holiday and family topic. Before this weekend we were planning a trip home this fall, but having assessed the holiday situation and the kids’ schedules we will be waiting to make a family trip back to the states at Christmas. Expat life is a privileged adventure and something my husband and I enjoy very much, but absolutely nothing is more important than our family; children, parents, siblings and dear friends.

"Permanent" Apartment

Settling into Shanghai

Over the weekend we made our move to the place we intend to call home for at least the next year, if not for our entire stay while in Shanghai. The apartment offers very nice western amenities including on-demand water heater, oven, washer/dryer, central heat/air, double-paned windows, and more. The complex is extremely convenient to all "Green City" amenities of JinQiao, but with the convenience comes traffic noise; barring that, the apartment is ideal.


This move was by far our easiest given we had a total of 14 boxes and luggage. At the moment the interior is quite institutional, but as our knowledge and explorations of the city evolve so should our nest. The trick will be marrying Asian aesthetics with our vast collection of Mexican wares.

A little bit about the cost of expat housing; in a word - expensive. But housing costs in Shanghai, just like anywhere else, boil down to location and amenities, and we have it all. Ranking in the top 25 most expensive places to live in the world, Shanghai's cost of living expenses are comparable to NYC. Having moved from western NC, we are forced to redefine some lifestyle choices in order to maintain our home-country budget. A large cost for us is keeping and maintaining our house in the states. We may revisit the decision to keep our house next year.

Upon possession of the new apartment we discovered we would be without Internet for 2 days, and it's only then that I felt the first twangs of anxiousness. The Internet is my lifeline to the 'real world'. If it were not for the technological advances that allow me to stay close to loved ones I don't know that I could be a happy expat. As it is I blog, email, IM, tweet, wall, SMS, skype and photobucket my way to loved ones daily. Add Internet technology to our wonderful new digs and life is pretty super in Shanghai!

Spring in Shanghai

Green City of JinQiao - Beautiful!

Today I went for "Coffee Morning" at the Shanghai Community Center. It was the last coffee morning of the season, but it was my first, and it was an informal way to meet some new people and to learn of many more resources of the city. Two guest speakers talked about Jade and Chinese antiques. I will definitely be visiting the antiques dealer in the near future, I'll keep you posted.

After the meeting I spoke with the HR director of the center and I will begin work next Tuesday! I will be assisting the full-time web designer with web maintenance. I am looking forward to using my talents and to learning more about server-side issues in China.

The community center is located appx 3 miles from our temporary lodging, so I chose to walk home to take advantage of the glorious weather. Halfway home and in awe of the many beautiful gardens, I realized I had my camera so I took a few pictures. Select the image to see a larger slideshow and descriptions.

I don't know about you, but this area isn't AT ALL what I had envisioned any part of China to look like. Granted, we're in a very new area of Shanghai: Pudong, and especially the JinQiao area not long ago was swamp land filled with pig farms (or so we've been told) - still, with the cobbled walkways and old-world architecture the area evokes a European feel to me. What do you think?

Volunteering in Shanghai

Why I love my husband!

Inserted is a copy of an email response I received from my husband today. I emailed him to say I filled out an online volunteer form for The Shanghai Community Center after I signed up for a painting class that will be starting in 10 days. Once the Community Center saw my IT skills I was called immediately and asked to come in to discuss a volunteer web maintenance position. I emailed my husband to ask if he minded if I volunteered a couple of afternoons a week. His email is very typical of all the emails I receive from him and it serves as an example why I am still madly in love with him after more than 30 years together...
All is going superbly in Shanghai (for the exception of fish head fondue - no thanks!). I'll keep you posted on the volunteer position and the painting classes.

Chinese Grits!

Seems EVERYTHING is made (or can be found) in China!

Another reason we’re gonna love China – Chinese grits! We made our first trip to the Lotus, a large supermarket (akin to a Walmart superstore). The store is comprised of two large floors filled with everything imaginable and has an escalator to accommodate shopping carts. For many small reasons (and not just because we found grits), I will prefer to shop this store over the one located much more conveniently to our new apartment. I still can’t believe it - GRITS – a southerner’s quintessential comfort food! We were in the spices and dried fruits isle when my husband handed me the bag of golden milled corn. He mumbled half-jokingly, “Chinese grits…”, and once I took a good look at the bag, I assured him they were INDEED grits! I had to do a bit of convincing, but because they were less than $2, my husband consented to give them a try. They are a bit larger ground, and they are yellow (like the fancy stone ground type), but I cooked them this morning and they were GREAT!! Never, ever would we have imagined we’d ever run across them. However, because we’re venturing beyond the Laowai (foreigner) markets and shopping with the locals, we’re discovering there’s hardly anything that can’t be had here.

We packed so much food because we read post after post of folks whining about not finding this or that, and yes, if English brands are to be purchased, they may or may not be found and they will come at a premium cost. For instance, Skippy peanut butter can be had in the Chinese packaging just about anywhere and for a reasonable price. So, for those exploring a move here – just come on and don’t freak about provisions, almost everything can be found here in Shanghai and I’ll prove it to you by taking you to places that were shared with us.

We also packed baking pans, muffin pans, a wine opener, etc. which ends up being a waste of space and time. All the items can be had at the Restaurant supply market – a huge market for buying dishes, utensils, pots and pans, etc. We visited the market yesterday, I have chosen some fun “China” for our new apartment and the dishes are incredibly priced. The restaurant supply place is yet another treasure resource shared by my new friends. Next Saturday we’re returning to the restaurant supply with a list in hand, and some memorized Mandarin phrases ready to bargain. We’ve negotiated our way around Pudong for the past two weeks without speaking a word of Mandarin beyond “Ni Hao” (hello) and “Xiexie” (thank you). Pictured - restaurant supply market on corner of YangGao Lu (near Thumb Plaza) next to the Lotus supermarket.

My friends have also shared the address to a huge textile warehouse where I’m promised an overwhelming selection of fabrics and services. I am to take my bed measurements, and upon selection of my favorite fabrics our custom bed linens (or custom slipcovers, draperies, etc) will be made and delivered to us within the week. This beats the fake market HANDS DOWN!! If it weren’t for our friends, and if we were pansies and weren’t willing to venture out beyond our comfort levels, our selections would be truly limited. But by our newbie experiences in our whole 2+ weeks in Shanghai, seems everything can be found in China if you're willing to do some adventure shopping.

Shanghai - Week Two

What a difference a week makes!

I would love to report of exotic tours and fun findings around the huge city of Shanghai, but alas, I’ve nothing more to report that we have eaten out a few times, walked more miles than I dare say I’ve walked in 6 months, I have negotiated the supermarket three times by myself, and we have found a place to live. This week was really an exercise in routine, about dealing with the basics; food, shelter and small comforts. And speaking of comforts, we had a glorious foot massage one evening, more about that later.

First a little about our new ‘hood: We chose an apartment in the Green City area of JinQiao. Green City is convenient to my husband’s work, and it is a very popular expat area, especially for those with families. It is indeed green and clean, and it is slower-paced than many other parts of the city. The apartment is small, but it is lacking in nothing as far as expat amenities go. We are very excited to be moving in at the end of this month. We will be living within a stone’s throw to the supermarket, multiple restaurants, fitness center, and other shopping. If you are reading this and are needing a reliable local realtor who speaks and UNDERSTANDS English and westerners, we highly recommend Shanghai Properties and especially James. Email me if you would like to know more.

Negotiating the supermarkets: I have so much to learn, but already I’ve learned so much. The biggest trick is wrapping my head around how/where the Chinese would reason a certain item to be located/categorized vs where westerners would place items. Store layouts are more similar than not, but I spent 30 minutes trying to track down Chinese flour one trip. While the Chinese don’t bake (it’s not in their culture to have ovens, rather they purchase their baked goods daily) they still make tons of steamed bread dumplings so I knew wheat flour should be readily available somewhere in the store. I was diligent until I finally stumbled upon some large bags (literally the flour sacks) of what looked like flour. The only clue I had to go on was a small wheat symbol on the bag. So, I purchased a huge-hunkin’ bag of Chinese flour for less than $2.00 vs the imported Gold Medal brand for $8.00 – and that’s the sort of victories I’ve taken great pride in this week. It’s hard being a grown, sufficient, middle-aged woman who is reduced to being a 12yo when negotiating everyday life. But, to be a successful expat I’ve got to buck up, swallow my pride, and just have at it. My new friends are an incredible resource as well.

To get around when not traveling by foot we research a location’s pinyin address and then ask the concierge to translate that address into Mandarin for taxi drivers. Pinyin is the standard Romanization of the Mandarin language, it is what allows we westerners to understand and speak Mandarin without knowing the Mandarin symbols. For instance xiexie (pronounced sheshe) is pinyin for 谢谢 which means thank you. Most taxi drivers wouldn’t have a clue what the pinyin means, so the information must be translated to the Mandarin symbols. I am envious and amazed by the many young people who know Mandarin, pinyin, and English.

So, with all the walking and other new experiences, taking advantage of a foot massage was definitely a treat this week. For only $68rmb each (which equals less than $10US) we had our feet, shoulders and calves massaged for over an hour one evening. It was heaven! BUT, the massages aren’t for pansies – they dig hard and deep. Try as hard as he might I had this one little fella having at my feet, but I never flinched – I definitely got thrown in my “briar patch”! I’ve set a weekly goal for myself, if I walk at least 15 miles a week I will treat myself to a foot massage.

So, all in all my husband and I had a ShangHIGH week! We’re off to the restaurant supply market in the morning to scope out pots, pans and dishes needed for our new place - at over four stories high, we’ve been told to be overwhelmed by the selections. Can’t wait!