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!
Labels: living in shanghai, shanghai real estate, shanghai rentals
