The children have finished their first week of school and we have been in Shanghai for nearly two months now. Time continues to pass, no matter where you live, so you might as well make the most of it. We have truly enjoyed our time in Shanghai. So many of you have asked about the transition and we are so thankful for your interest and concern. Our transition has been a relatively easy one. The good thing about having Rob in China for about two months before we joined him is that he had everything pretty well set up.
Any concerns that I had about the first week in China - going to the grocery store, getting water set up, getting internet and satellite installed, interviewing an ayi, and dealing with the movers and unpacking at the same time - were alleviated by Rob having taken care of it. I know this played a huge role in having a good attitude about everything. Life was a whole lot easier that first week because we moved into a working home environment.
Now that doesn't mean there haven't been a few adjustments to make. We have found there are a few things that take some getting use to while others have been a blessing.
Mode of transportation: bicycle
I never thought when I started riding bikes with the children in our neighborhood in Tupelo that I was actually in training. If I want to go anywhere in the neighborhood, the bicycle is my main mode of transportation. I am amazed how often I find myself on the bike. We ride our bikes to school, to the clubhouse and the pool, to the neighbors. I have even ridden my bike on the main road. A concept that totally scared the &^(*(#)$ out of me when Rob first mentioned it. It really isn't quite as scary as it seems, you just have to stay very alert and know that they really don't want to run you over - just put you in your place. :O Rob thinks the scooter is next, but I'll stick with my people-powered mode of transportation for now. Unless he comes home with a pink scooter. That may change my mind.
Working Out
The sky is not falling, the Earth as we know it is not coming to an end, but I may be meeting my maker soon. With all of this bike riding and time on my hands, I am turning over a new leaf and working out. My thighs may burst into flame before they stop hurting but I am committed to taking better care of this vessel the Lord has given me. I have been biking, swimming, and lifting weights. My body is sore and may be in revolt, I'm not sure right now. I'm still waiting for the burst of energy that working out is suppose to give you. I just want to take a nap when I get home. I am also giving my faith a workout by joining a Bible study that lasts the school year. Our minister is a dynamic speaker and I am anxious to spend time with him every week to grow my faith and be a better person.
Household Help
We love our Ayi Qian. She adores my children and will do anything that I can figure out how to communicate to do. We made Rob's birthday cake on Friday and we currently enjoy riding bikes to and from school together twice a day taking charge of one twin each. But it takes some adjusting having household help in your house every day. And the ayi is not the only person. There are gardeners, lawn mowers, rakers, house workers, water delivery guys, and your driver. You are surrounded by a staff that is a well oiled machine. Everyone has their day and their schedule and they work seven days a week and all hours of the day for the most part. For example, on this lovely Saturday morning, I had a worker show up at 8:00 to work on our terraces. He tore out the terrace floors last week with his trusty jackhammer and now he is reinstalling what he took out. The satellite dude came over at 9:00 one night to fix the TV. Next week it will be something else. You never get to have Pajama Days when you have workers in and out of your house at all hours. The good thing with our landlord is that she uses the same workers so they are becoming like family, too. One of them watched part of Grown Ups with me yesterday afternoon instead of taking a nap. Maybe there is hope for Pajama Day yet!
Church
Now I am the first to admit that we have been heathens for most of our married life yet have very strong opinions about our Church house and faith. It's not like you can go visit 20 different churches in Western Shanghai like you can in Tupelo. There are just not that many. If you do go, you have to be a foreign passport holder. One of those Constitutional freedoms that we tend to take for granted. I can tell you that it makes you a whole lot more appreciative that you don't to be ready to provide proof of nationality when you walk into the Church House. We have a great little church that is active and growing. It was amazing to be a part of such a diverse group of people worshipping Christ that first Sunday. I have never been part of a church that openly welcomes and seeks out so many people from so many parts of the world. It is awesome to see. Like so many places these days, we have what Rob calls "Karoake Church". No hymnals, singing verses splashed on the wall by computer accompanied by a Praise Band. We both struggle with this but it is something that we can get over. At least I think we can. When Amazing Grace was splashed on the wall last week with new verses, I thought we were going to lose Rob. We just weren't brought up in churches that relied on so much technology and "new age" tactics to keep the services fresh and well attended. Religu-tainment. My own son wears shorts and Crocs for goodness sakes. Please forgive me, Reverend Goldberger!
West Salon - THE Beauty Shop
I'm not much of a girlie girl, but I LOVE to go to the beauty shop. Dennis at West Salon has made it his mission to create the best darn hair dressing experience of your life. Which is so up my alley and I must say he does excel at it! In his little six chair shop, he is able to work magic with Western hair and color and it doesn't stop there. I don't know how many folks he has working for him other than a lot. At one point there were five people foiling, coloring, fanning, consulting, and checking my hair. It must be what it is like to be a Kardashian! Once they were finished and my color was processing, I got a shoulder and neck massage while I waited. Every few minutes two or three of Dennis' workers would interrupt my massage to check my hair. I didn't care if my hair all fell out at this point I just wanted my massage to continue! When I didn't think it could get any better it was time to wash my hair. OMG! is all I can say. Twenty minutes of shampooing, massaging, conditioning, more massaging, and total relaxation. The haircut was perfect. Dennis consults with his technicians, checks in during the process, and then takes over the scissors at the end to ensure the perfect cut and style. I don't know what it's like to work for Dennis because he is such a perfectionist. But I know that he knows something about the salon experience and he is training his staff well. The best part about it is that you don't have to have an appointment and he is open seven days a week..
Working in Shanghai
(This is my observation based on the visits we've had and the time that we have lived here.)
We have had FIVE typhoons in the Shanghai area since we lived here. Thankfully, only one of them made landfall close to Shanghai. You wouldn't know it watching local news coverage. There is no Jim Cantore standing on the shores here. The city doesn't come to a screeching halt either. The ONLY workers excused from work by the government were the outdoor construction workers. If you work in the streets or anywhere else, you go to work. Keep in mind that many people ride bikes and scooters to work. You don't work, you don't eat. The street sweeping crews were all out in force with their tricycle carts and brooms sweeping up leaves, branches, and debris in the pouring rain. The wind was so forceful that it blew over one of the carts near the house. She then had to clean up the mess that made in the middle of a busy street. Gives a whole new meaning to "will work for food". It's just what you do. Whether you are painting the fence along the highway, cleaning the streets of Shanghai, working in a restaurant or selling your wares under a tent, you go to work every day. If there is a holiday, then you work another day to make up for taking the holiday. They may take a nap after lunch, but they are going to be at work rain or shine.
No comments:
Post a Comment