DECEMBER 19, 2007
Please forgive me, patient readers. My life has not been my own the last couple of months, but I will endeavor to bring you all up to speed on our lives since the last post.
To start, around the first of November, our landlady informed us that she was raising the rent by 17%! Randy and I had considered a move prior to hearing this news, but as we hadn't found anything that we LOVED within our price range (and to be honest, we hadn't put a tremendous amount of effort into the search), we'd pretty much decided to stay put. This increase threw a wrench in our works. We decided for that amount of money, we may indeed find something we'd prefer to our current abode, so a more intense and thorough search was launched.
It didn't take too long to discover a couple of things: the first being that the landlady was out of her mind in terms of the comparative cost of the rent (we were certain that the "expat premium" was coming into play, the mistaken notion of most Chinese that if you are not Asian and are living here for employment purposes, cost is no object), and the fact that we could probably have something much nicer for the cost of the increase, maybe less. We settled on a larger, more nicely furnished apartment on the 24th floor of a nearby building within the same compound. A bit of haggling ensued (as is the custom here), and Randy signed the lease just prior to my departing for a month long trip stateside for the Thanksgiving holiday. I lamented the fact that the move would need to be accomplished while I was away, but felt that the deed was in good hands. But packing for my trip to the U.S. was a bit of a trial. I had to pack the items I was taking on my travel, and then I had to pack the items to be moved. I wisely opted to pare down while I was at it, a decision that has made my life simpler upon my return.
The new apartment is quite warm and bright as it is high enough to not have the problem of other buildings blocking the sun, and the views are fantastic!! On a clear day, we can see the Pearl Tower (in Pudong) from our kitchen patio. Also, the patios are much larger so we'll be able to enjoy some real time outside utilizing them. Our main patio overlooks the garden, and as such, the bedroom is much quieter as there is a decent buffer of the garden and other buildings between us and the traffic on the street. We are told that we are high enough to be above the "bug line" (who knew such a thing existed???), and due to this fact, we have no screens on our windows as the bugs will not fly high enough to be a problem here.
I had a lovely visit back in the states with my family although Randy could not join me due to work obligations. My son, Jake, and my brother, Alan, traveled together from the Atlanta area and spent a week in town. I was able to complete our Christmas shopping, wrapping, and delivery before I returned to the Orient. I even traveled a bit within the state .... a couple of weekend trips to visit my son David and his family in Grand Rapids, a trip to my best friend and her husband's home near Detroit (Judy and Neal), and a beautiful casino trip with my folks into the Upper Peninsula where lots of fresh snow floated to earth daily to highlight the lovely Christmas decorations and lights. I didn't hit it big on the casino trip, but I didn't lose the farm either.
I will say that I underestimated the amount of relief I would feel when I took a bit of time to do nothing more than recline decadently on the sofa to view some American TV with a cold Michelob Ultra (something I can't get in China). I said to a friend recently that while I have come to tolerate and even enjoy our life in Shanghai for the most part, I think there is always a level of stress associated with dealing in day to day life in a foreign land, especially where the language barrier is so pronounced (even though I felt I had grown quite used to it). When just that bit of struggle is removed, the sense of relief is more intense than one would expect. Simply shopping for groceries, ordering a burger at the drive thru, purchasing some gift wrap at the Dollar Store ... these were all intensely pleasurable experiences because I could do it in my native tongue with reasonable assurance that I would be understood. It was really nice to give my brain that break!
The other great thing about the trip was that my mother-in-law (who is a priceless GEM of a woman) perfectly executed a surprise 50th birthday party for me at her home. The actual date is December 23rd, but of course, I am not going to be in residence for the real deal. Her house was decorated with the appropriate black party supplies and "over the hill" paraphernalia. I blew out candles, ate too much pizza and cake, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thanks, Norma!!!
So now I'm back in China where life is pretty good for the moment (which is not to say that I anticipate any tragedy ... but hey, it's CHINA!! Anything can, and probably WILL happen!). I did break a dental crown immediately upon my arrival, but my friend Ali assures me that Dr. Hu is gentle and speaks terrific English. I'll let you know. I see him tomorrow.
The Chinese are giving the idea of celebrating Christmas the ole college try! There are various attempts at decorated Christmas trees here and there (more than I expected), and some are quite lovely. As the general populous are not Christian, most do not understand what all the hoopla is about. Most think we are celebrating Santa Claus' birthday. One of Randy's coworkers said that she and her husband acquired an evergreen upon their son's request of a Christmas tree, but couldn't understand the child's dismay at a bare tree erected in their living room. They thought they'd gone to supreme effort, but the child had bigger plans in mind. Also, said child seems to think it is necessary to talk to Santa Claus on the telephone or the desired presents will not be delivered (there do not seem to be any Santa laps upon which little Chinese children can seat themselves). Of course, the parents don't have a clue as to how to get Santa on the phone (does he have a mobile???), and the child will not give them a list as he has the idea that the list MUST be a secret or else the delivery is in jeopardy. The parents are sincere in their desire to provide their little cherub with a "real" Christmas, but are stymied as to know which gifts are requested. Randy explained that yes, a list is a good idea but must be written in a letter which is posted to the North Pole. This seemed to go right over the coworker's head, so Randy explained that the parent can then intercept the letter so that they can review the list. I'll let you know how that goes.
Randy and I shopped in a nearby neighborhood mall yesterday. Most larger establishments are playing traditional Christmas music, usually in English which is quite pleasant. I have been humming along and getting into the spirit lately. While we were in the Lotus Store yesterday, I suddenly noticed that the music was "Oh Susanna!" "Is that a Christmas song?" I asked. Randy replied that the Chinese must think it is. Maybe it IS in Alabama! We are so often bemused by the misguided attempt at Western customs here in Shanghai, but hey, they are trying (as my mother would say, "BELIEVE me, they're trying!!). Makes us chuckle!
So we did indeed purchase a 3 foot Christmas tree along with some lights, garland, and a few shiny ornaments. In spite of the fact that the lights twinkle on and off (which is not MY cup of tea), it's a cheery little Charlie Brown tree and adds a bit of holiday spirit to our new home. I brought along some Santa caps and a couple of stockings from the states which have been hung by the chimney with care (OK, use your imagination .... they're really hung on the front of a cabinet in the living room), and as our new apartment also came furnished with a CD player, I also brought along some holiday music to brighten the atmosphere. Almost like being in Michigan for the holidays ... almost .... really!
We have received a couple of invitations from our Aussie friends, Mike and Ali, for a Christmas Eve party hosted by a business associate of Mike's, and Ali is cooking Christmas dinner with all the trimmings Christmas Day. The city seems a little quiet here right now due to the fact that the vast majority of expats return to their native land for the holiday, but that's OK. The relative peace seems appropriate (and appreciated) right now. There are plenty of available taxis, and many open seats in our favorite restaurants. We're happy that Mike and Ali have stuck around as we'd be truly alone for the holiday (yes, it's possible to feel alone in a city of over 20 million people).
Please forgive me for the leap from Halloween to Christmas in one post. Now that I am back to my normal routine, I expect the (mostly) weekly posts to resume. In case I do not post before next week, I wish you all peace, love, and happiness for a wonderful holiday season.
To start, around the first of November, our landlady informed us that she was raising the rent by 17%! Randy and I had considered a move prior to hearing this news, but as we hadn't found anything that we LOVED within our price range (and to be honest, we hadn't put a tremendous amount of effort into the search), we'd pretty much decided to stay put. This increase threw a wrench in our works. We decided for that amount of money, we may indeed find something we'd prefer to our current abode, so a more intense and thorough search was launched.
It didn't take too long to discover a couple of things: the first being that the landlady was out of her mind in terms of the comparative cost of the rent (we were certain that the "expat premium" was coming into play, the mistaken notion of most Chinese that if you are not Asian and are living here for employment purposes, cost is no object), and the fact that we could probably have something much nicer for the cost of the increase, maybe less. We settled on a larger, more nicely furnished apartment on the 24th floor of a nearby building within the same compound. A bit of haggling ensued (as is the custom here), and Randy signed the lease just prior to my departing for a month long trip stateside for the Thanksgiving holiday. I lamented the fact that the move would need to be accomplished while I was away, but felt that the deed was in good hands. But packing for my trip to the U.S. was a bit of a trial. I had to pack the items I was taking on my travel, and then I had to pack the items to be moved. I wisely opted to pare down while I was at it, a decision that has made my life simpler upon my return.
The new apartment is quite warm and bright as it is high enough to not have the problem of other buildings blocking the sun, and the views are fantastic!! On a clear day, we can see the Pearl Tower (in Pudong) from our kitchen patio. Also, the patios are much larger so we'll be able to enjoy some real time outside utilizing them. Our main patio overlooks the garden, and as such, the bedroom is much quieter as there is a decent buffer of the garden and other buildings between us and the traffic on the street. We are told that we are high enough to be above the "bug line" (who knew such a thing existed???), and due to this fact, we have no screens on our windows as the bugs will not fly high enough to be a problem here.
I had a lovely visit back in the states with my family although Randy could not join me due to work obligations. My son, Jake, and my brother, Alan, traveled together from the Atlanta area and spent a week in town. I was able to complete our Christmas shopping, wrapping, and delivery before I returned to the Orient. I even traveled a bit within the state .... a couple of weekend trips to visit my son David and his family in Grand Rapids, a trip to my best friend and her husband's home near Detroit (Judy and Neal), and a beautiful casino trip with my folks into the Upper Peninsula where lots of fresh snow floated to earth daily to highlight the lovely Christmas decorations and lights. I didn't hit it big on the casino trip, but I didn't lose the farm either.
I will say that I underestimated the amount of relief I would feel when I took a bit of time to do nothing more than recline decadently on the sofa to view some American TV with a cold Michelob Ultra (something I can't get in China). I said to a friend recently that while I have come to tolerate and even enjoy our life in Shanghai for the most part, I think there is always a level of stress associated with dealing in day to day life in a foreign land, especially where the language barrier is so pronounced (even though I felt I had grown quite used to it). When just that bit of struggle is removed, the sense of relief is more intense than one would expect. Simply shopping for groceries, ordering a burger at the drive thru, purchasing some gift wrap at the Dollar Store ... these were all intensely pleasurable experiences because I could do it in my native tongue with reasonable assurance that I would be understood. It was really nice to give my brain that break!
The other great thing about the trip was that my mother-in-law (who is a priceless GEM of a woman) perfectly executed a surprise 50th birthday party for me at her home. The actual date is December 23rd, but of course, I am not going to be in residence for the real deal. Her house was decorated with the appropriate black party supplies and "over the hill" paraphernalia. I blew out candles, ate too much pizza and cake, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thanks, Norma!!!
So now I'm back in China where life is pretty good for the moment (which is not to say that I anticipate any tragedy ... but hey, it's CHINA!! Anything can, and probably WILL happen!). I did break a dental crown immediately upon my arrival, but my friend Ali assures me that Dr. Hu is gentle and speaks terrific English. I'll let you know. I see him tomorrow.
The Chinese are giving the idea of celebrating Christmas the ole college try! There are various attempts at decorated Christmas trees here and there (more than I expected), and some are quite lovely. As the general populous are not Christian, most do not understand what all the hoopla is about. Most think we are celebrating Santa Claus' birthday. One of Randy's coworkers said that she and her husband acquired an evergreen upon their son's request of a Christmas tree, but couldn't understand the child's dismay at a bare tree erected in their living room. They thought they'd gone to supreme effort, but the child had bigger plans in mind. Also, said child seems to think it is necessary to talk to Santa Claus on the telephone or the desired presents will not be delivered (there do not seem to be any Santa laps upon which little Chinese children can seat themselves). Of course, the parents don't have a clue as to how to get Santa on the phone (does he have a mobile???), and the child will not give them a list as he has the idea that the list MUST be a secret or else the delivery is in jeopardy. The parents are sincere in their desire to provide their little cherub with a "real" Christmas, but are stymied as to know which gifts are requested. Randy explained that yes, a list is a good idea but must be written in a letter which is posted to the North Pole. This seemed to go right over the coworker's head, so Randy explained that the parent can then intercept the letter so that they can review the list. I'll let you know how that goes.
Randy and I shopped in a nearby neighborhood mall yesterday. Most larger establishments are playing traditional Christmas music, usually in English which is quite pleasant. I have been humming along and getting into the spirit lately. While we were in the Lotus Store yesterday, I suddenly noticed that the music was "Oh Susanna!" "Is that a Christmas song?" I asked. Randy replied that the Chinese must think it is. Maybe it IS in Alabama! We are so often bemused by the misguided attempt at Western customs here in Shanghai, but hey, they are trying (as my mother would say, "BELIEVE me, they're trying!!). Makes us chuckle!
So we did indeed purchase a 3 foot Christmas tree along with some lights, garland, and a few shiny ornaments. In spite of the fact that the lights twinkle on and off (which is not MY cup of tea), it's a cheery little Charlie Brown tree and adds a bit of holiday spirit to our new home. I brought along some Santa caps and a couple of stockings from the states which have been hung by the chimney with care (OK, use your imagination .... they're really hung on the front of a cabinet in the living room), and as our new apartment also came furnished with a CD player, I also brought along some holiday music to brighten the atmosphere. Almost like being in Michigan for the holidays ... almost .... really!
We have received a couple of invitations from our Aussie friends, Mike and Ali, for a Christmas Eve party hosted by a business associate of Mike's, and Ali is cooking Christmas dinner with all the trimmings Christmas Day. The city seems a little quiet here right now due to the fact that the vast majority of expats return to their native land for the holiday, but that's OK. The relative peace seems appropriate (and appreciated) right now. There are plenty of available taxis, and many open seats in our favorite restaurants. We're happy that Mike and Ali have stuck around as we'd be truly alone for the holiday (yes, it's possible to feel alone in a city of over 20 million people).
Please forgive me for the leap from Halloween to Christmas in one post. Now that I am back to my normal routine, I expect the (mostly) weekly posts to resume. In case I do not post before next week, I wish you all peace, love, and happiness for a wonderful holiday season.
posted by Roxanne Gillett at
7:59 PM
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