Waiting for Winter

Unlike the US where winter is declared on an arbitrary day, China officially declares winter when the average daily temperature falls below 10 degrees Celcius (50 degrees F) for five straight days. Reports were abound last week that a cold front was afoot and winter would likely be ushered in. Friday afternoon the temps started to drop, and Saturday and Sunday did bring about chilly weather - highs in the 30s, from the previous week's averages in the 50s. Winter coats, hats, scarves, and mittens were dug out of closets everywhere. Clear blue skies and starry nights kept the temperature low. Ok, I won't go that far - I didn't actually see stars. Normally, a low cloud of pollution over the city helps keep our temperatures mild during the day and night. Alas, Monday morning brought a return to higher temps, and by Tuesday afternoon, we were back in the 60s. According to Fu Yi, a forecaster for the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, "The warm weather retarded the city's move into winter." (I really can't top a statement like that)

With this week's predicted high temperatures ranging from 66 to 50 degrees F, I guess we'll have to wait a bit longer for winter.

*Picture above courtesy of Tracy, taken last February during Shanghai's biggest snowfall in 20 years.

Things I'll Miss About Living in Asia

In the spirit of making this blog about living in Asia more positive, I've been asked to list some things that I will miss when we move home. Since that date is about six months away, I figured I had better get started thinking about it! And yes, this blog entry will make you believe that I am living a spoiled life. Yup, I do believe I am. But, since I'll be going back to the real world when we move back to the US, I'm making the most of it while I can. This is for you, Jill:

1) Having an ayi (domestic helper) - Upon repatriating, this has to be the number one thing most wives miss about living in China. I, too, am not looking forward to the day when I will have to clean my house, do my laundry, and look after my child all by myself everyday. :-) Even though I have often complained about my ayis to many of you and have gone through four of them in two years, I absolutely love having this perk. For the low, low price of $441.00 every month (for a more expensive Philippina), I have a wonderful person come in 25 hours a week to help clean and watch Morgan. Since I never believed that I wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom, having another person come in to provide me some get-away time every day is beyond priceless. Yes, I could manage to do my laundry and clean my house by myself, but I figure, why do it if someone else can do it, too? As Bob's former boss once said, I believe in specialization. My specialization is teaching. If I can get someone else to do my laundry and cleaning, why not?

2) Cheap massages - I've written before about how cheap you can get a massage in China. Actually, if you really want to do it cheap, you can get one for less than $10. Since I frequent those places that cater to expats, we pay about $25. Hands down, you can always find an hour long massage for less than half the price you pay in the US. It's one of those perks that you take for granted - every time we go, which seems far too infrequently, we ask ourselves why we don't go more often. For me, this also ties into the above item. I won't be able to just take off in the afternoon for a relaxing massage when I don't have an ayi to watch my child. :-)

3) Traveling - One of the things I love the most about living in Asia is the ability to travel to places I would otherwise never see. The flights to this part of the world are so long - about 15 hours flight time to Eastern China, over 20 to Singapore - it's not a place we would normally think about visiting for vacation, especially with children. Traveling to Western Europe, no problem. The Carribean or South American - easy (relatively speaking, of course). Plus, we will lose the all important r&r money many companies currently provide to help make living here (and traveling out of the country) easier. I've seen many amazing places - Bali, Singapore, Bintan, Japan, Thailand, etc. and will sincerely regret not having seen more. Damn, if I just hadn't had that kid, we'd have traveled more! :-)

4) Traveling with Children - now I know what you are thinking - What???? Let me explain. Traveling with children in the US is not enjoyable. I have many memories traveling alone with Morgan and going up to security with stroller, carry-ons, and baby. As I struggle to get the laptop out of the backpack, lay out my medications and soy milk for Morgan, security officials bark at me to get my baby out of the stroller and get it up on the counter. As I step to the metal detector, they yell at me to take off my shoes. After I go through, I get searched (while holding Morgan who is now crying) and told to pick up my things, all with impatient travelers behind me. I know, I know - many of my dear friends have done this with two, three or four children! But, I know you get what I mean. Traveling in the US sucks. Traveling in Asia, however, is lovely. See, in China they provide special lines for people traveling with children. Have you ever seen those long lines at immigration? Not for people with children - you get to go in a special VIP line that is short and where immigration officials are quick (and usually friendly, I might add). At security, another VIP line! Most of the time I don't even have to take Morgan out of her stroller. They just roll it though the metal detector and hand search it while Morgan sits there looking curious. While I get my laptop, medications, etc out, they are busy entertaining Morgan so I don't have to worry about her getting upset. People in Asia love children. While sometimes this can be a bit annoying and over the top, when you are traveling, by far it is a huge bonus. Do you think we can have the Chinese provide some sensitivity training for our security and immigration officers?

Ok, I know there are more things that I'll miss when I return to the US, but right now I am stymied. I guess this means that it'll be another blog entry later. :-)

Living Area and Morgan's Playroom

Here are some pics of our general living space. To the left is our tv area with our tiny tree in the background. Most of the furniture in this living space is ours that we've aquired here in China, although a few pieces are the compound's. Below is our knicknack corner - thank goodness the shelving comes bolted to the wall because Morgan already tries to climb it. It also showcases our small, yet growing, collection of masks we've bought on our international journeys. The other picture is looking toward Morgan's playroom and the front door.

Below are some pictures of Morgan's playroom. Most people here in the compound (in fact, all of them, I think) use this space just off the main living room as another general living space. But, since it's just the three of us, a playroom is more convenient for us so I can keep an eye on Morgan while doing other things downstairs. Plus, if we have guests and it's too atrocious looking, I can just shut the door!

First Floor - kitchen & dining room pics

My kitchen is sort of horseshoe shaped. In a total sense, it's pretty big for Asian kitchens, but its configuration still makes it workable for only one person at a time to be in one given area. The above on the left is of my corner "pantry" area, and the right picture is the back of the kitchen with our water and basically junk. Behind me (not in the pictures) is a small laundry room. Below are the forward pics of my kitchen. The cabinets are high, too high for me - I need a stool to reach anything over the 2nd shelf from bottom. There seems to be lots of storage space, but certainly not what we're used to in the US. Many things, especially 110 volt appliances, are stored on my 3rd floor.

This area is a pic of my dining room. Like most places with kids, even my general living space has kid stuff. Morgan does have a booster seat in the dining room and a portable seat in the kitchen, but lately she prefers sitting at her Ikea table. If we're not eating together as a family, she usually eats there. The dining table came with the house - we hate it! But the buffet table in the back is one of our purchases here in Shanghai.

Outside Pics

My friend Jill asked me to post pictures of our house here in Shanghai. So, over the next few day I'll be posting some pics of our home. These pictures are outside the house. Above, the view is toward my house with the playground behind me. One thing I love about our (gated) compound is the fact that it's small enough that the kids (and parents) feel safe to play on the streets. Below is a pic of the outside of our house - I know, ugly as sin. Something like a Alpine chalet gone wrong. The other is a view of my garden. It's small compared to lawns in the US, but in actually, it's pretty big for a private, fenced garden here in the city.

Import Shopping

Ever wonder what it's like to shop for imported food goods in Shanghai? Here are a few items that I picked up last week:

Wishbone Fat Free Italian Dressing - $7.50
Newmans Light Rasberry Walnut Dressing - $8.79
Sour Cream (small tub) - $4.38
Can of Dr. Pepper - $1.16
Can of Sprite - $1.76
Can of (Chinese) Diet Coke - $0.37
Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts: $7.66
Small pack of M&Ms - $1.88
Quaker Life Cereal - $10.00

Ok, most of that was junk in preparation for our Thanksgiving last week. Next time we go food shopping, I'll post again. :-)

Morgan's photos

A few weeks ago, I saw a call for child models for some catalogue work. I know a few other expat moms who've done it with their children and had good experiences, so I thought we could try it. I'm not saying Morgan is the most beautiful child, most photogenic, etc. I just thought it would be fun. Unfortunately, the test pics were the day Morgan was starting to get sick, and she also refused to nap that day. :-( So, the pics weren't all that great, and I'm sure we won't get called for the actual catalogue. But, here are a few of her better pics so that you can see them. We did an impromptu one of us together at the end, and I was not expecting to get my picture taken! It was only after that I realized I had put one of Morgan's bows in my hair for safekeeping!