One Year in Shanghai

We have been in Shanghai a year now. Time has gone by quickly, which I suspect happened because we like it here. Our cats are growing, the marketplace is thronged with Chinese doing Christmas shopping - actually buying ornaments and Santa decor. Promoting a Western holiday that promotes buying gifts is good for business I guess. Our cats are getting bigger and the cement and glass towers are rising. As I have written before, there are things that we give up and things that we get by being here. Overall, I think I like it. Therefore, we went ahead and bought an apartment here in Pudong in Shanghai.



I am only a little farther in learning Chinese, which I see is becoming more and more a necessity if I really want to get into the culture here. It's getting better slowly. Margaret's reminding that I must study like a Chinese student - that is, dedicate some real time daily to mastering the language. I have picked up some consulting work to keep me busy and contributing to the family income.

However, a regular full time job, with the exception of native-speaking English teacher, is tough to come by without Chinese language. Most regular expat positions here do require some mastery of Mandarin.

One of the things I really like here that I definitely do not get in the States is having an ayi. An ayi is the lady that comes in to clean house, do laundry, cook and whatever other household tasks need to be done. At first, we felt like we could do without. However, the pile of clothes to be ironed kept growing, we got pretty busy and we really needed to dig our way out. We met an ayi in the hall one day who had some extra time and thought we would give it try. For 500 RMB a month, she comes in 2 full days a week to clean and do laundry. It is such a blessing. She is impeccably honest and beats back the chaos. Both of us hate to iron, but it a necessity with lots of cotton and silk.

For the first time since I can remember, all the clothes I have are clean and ironed within 3 days of when I wear them. I almost do not need about half my clothes. I was the guy who used to wait until I was almost out and do everything in several big loads. She makes little spring onion bread pancakes or dumplings. Really great. She does not speak English so I get to practice my Chinese. We have both laughed more than once at my attempts to get across an idea in this new (to me) language. It is especially trying sometimes because her "accent" is noticeably Shanghainese - not standard Mandarin. Often I have to run for the dictionary to get a word. It is the kind of exercise I need to do a lot more of.

We have kind of gotten into a routine with shopping. There are some things you learn to get from the supermarket like Carrefour. Some things that the Welcome market has a little better deal or much better quality on, and some things you can pick off the small street groceries. At the Welcome Market, the bakery is the best in the city. While the bakeries you see on the street have a few interesting items, it usually some version of white bread or cream cake.