So Long, Farewell

We had a wonderful week with Nicholas and of course, Sandi and Jeff. Nicholas had such a great time that he told his parents "I want to stay in Connecticut." He arrived before Christmas and played in the snow. As if Mother Nature knew what he wanted, it snowed again before they had to leave for the airport. Nicholas and Matthew were busy shoveling the walkway and parts of the driveway. They had a good time and even made snow balls. We headed into Flushing to meet with Jeff's parents for some quick dim sum before they had to head to the airport. We'll do this again sometime soon. I may head down to Boca Raton soon. I am getting tired of this weather.

Christmas

Sandi and her family arrived on Tuesday to spend the Christmas holidays with us. Nicholas, my little nephew has been very very excited that he was going to spend Christmas with his cousin, Matthew. Since their arrival, Nicholas' booming voice can be heard all over the house, the State of Connecticut and in New Jersey as well. They arrived and we just experienced snow which we've received over 10 inches of accumulation. He got to see snow and play in it. On Wednesday, they went into New York to spend the day and Nicholas was upset because he thought he was going to miss Christmas. Needless to say, he cried, no, more like wailed because he wanted to get home to Connecticut to spend Christmas with Matthew. Sandi was able to calm him down and I picked them up at the train station. Matthew and Nicholas tried to con their way into staying up as long as possible.

We woke up to two very excited kids who ripped open all the gifts in about 15 minutes. We packed the kids up and headed down to Jersey to spend the day with May and her family. It was great. The conveyer belt of appetitzers, food and dessert too. We ate, drank, spent time together and then once we got our fill, we all rolled out of the house with doggie bags to boot.

Sandi and her family will be with us until New Years Eve and we'll be eating left overs until we ring in the New Year. That's what the holidays are all about.

The Great Fire Wall of China

For several months, the Chinese population has enjoyed access to Voice of America, BBC and other websites normally restricted by the Chinese government. Well, no longer. The Chinese government has now reinstated the firewall that blocks access to this information. The same firewall that would hinder my efforts while I was in China to post to my blog. However, being a persistent person, I would always find ways around it. I wouldn't be able to see my entry when I posted it, but I managed to get it out there. Mind you, I wasn't writing about anything political. It would be the normal day to day stuff that we experienced. I would know my entries were posted when my sister would call and tell me she couldn't believe I wrote it. Yeah, yeah.

Fast forward, just when one thinks progress is being made, the population is reeled back another ten years. Typical of the government. Earlier this year, there were riots that erupted in Tibet. While watching the news, we would experience news forecasts that were blacked out. You'd surf the channels and find that the other channels were just fine and miraculously, the news would come back on at the end of the forecast on Tibet. The news in China was routinely edited but I would get snippets of the information sent to me by my sister. There were some disparity between the Chinese version and the U.S. version. The numbers would always be alarmingly low while the U.S. and other media would broadcast higher numbers of the casualties. Which version did you think I believed?

Holiday Gatherings

Today was the official start of the seasonal marathon of eating. We headed up to Duracell this morning for the annual holiday party. Matthew was really excited to attend since he missed the last two when we were living in Shanghai. We arrived, we ate, we socialized, we left. Mind you, we didn't go home. OH NO. We headed straight down to Margaret and Rick's house for a holiday gathering. They were gracious enough to host 22 of us. Yup. 22 that's the total number between kids and adults. The boys were pasted in front of the WII, the girls were making arts and crafts and the adults, well, we were parked in the kitchen island grazing non stop. Tidbits, crudite, wine, beer, you name it. We grazed and then we ate dinner on top of that. More like inhaled the meal. Shameful but true. We finished the night with dessert and coffee and waddled out of Margaret's place with full bellies. The kids were sugared up but we were all very very happy. Now we just have to figure out where the next gathering will be.

Projects

Matthew has been working on a project for school for almost a month now. This assignment is for a nativity creche. Nothing could be bought. Everything has to be made from scratch. We took a trip to Michaels and purchased all the supplies we needed. Total damage- $100.00. That's right- you read that right. I wished I were kidding. Armed with all the supplies, Matthew painstakingly started to craft the nativity scene with wooden sticks. He molded all the people in the manger with clay- Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, Three Shepards, a cow, a horse, a goat and Gabriel on top of the manger.

I must say, I am quite impressed with his skills. I can't draw stick figures without anyone asking me what it is. He came home from school and prepared a sketch of what he wanted the manger to look like and he was off. In the final days, the office was transformed into an art studio. He would use the lazy Susan to paint his figurines and then mount them onto the board. I delivered him to school this morning with the project and I think his looked the best. Perhaps I am being a bit biased but I may have the next up and coming artist in my house.

Soups On!

Thanksgiving is a time for all to give thanks. We have always participated in community service and this year is no different. Matthew and I signed up with our parish, St. Leo's to help prepare the food for distribution to the New Covenant House. We wanted to serve dinner this year to the needy but couldn't due to time constraints. I helped out in the kitchen by washing the pots and pans and Matthew was busy taking out the food trays to the awaiting cars for delivery.

We finished and went home to prepare our own Thanksgiving dinner. Tony smoked the turkey on the barbecue and it was very tasty. I prepared lots of side dishes and chilled the wine. We had our friends Al and Dawn and Tony's parents over to share the meal. It is our first Thanksgiving back in the States. Quite a difference from what we experienced last year in Shanghai. Last year, we were dining at the club house with our friends Anne and her family and Tony who arrived from Hong Kong to visit. This year, we're back in our house, settled and grilling.

So, to all of friends, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. You are always in our thoughts and prayers.

Interruptions

We've been chugging along. Matthew's been really busy with school, Kumon and Chinese school. It's Sunday morning for us and it's our usual routine...except today, no cable, no internet and no phone service. Early in the morning. What the ????

Called the cable company and reported the issue. No reported outages in the area. It became an emergency call. Two hours later, the cable guy shows up and he couldn't figure out what happened. He checked every wire in the house upstairs and downstairs, checked all the equipment and it was a complete mystery. For giggles, he decided to check the wires running from the pole down the road from the house. Bingo! It turns out that the wires were chewed through by our resident squatters- the squirrels. They've done a lovely job since all the wires had to be replaced from the bottom of the road to the top of the house. Total time, three hours to replace all the wires. Now we know why the squirrels love squatting in our yard. They must be getting a jolt each and every time they chew the wires. Hey, some like it that way. Me personally, if I were a squirrel, I'd rather keep digging around the yard for nuts.

HIstorical Event

Election day in the United States. Millions of citizens turned out to vote for the next president. Some even waited as much as four hours for their chance to vote. Tony and I were at the polls bright and early this morning at 6:15 AM. We did our duty and cast our votes for the change to take place in this country. The economy has been sliding downhill and the Bush administration, well, let's just say no one is happy with them. I never thought I would live to see this day but it has happened. Senator Barack Obama has been elected the 44th president of the United States. It's been a very tight and very grueling race and it's finally come to an end. I am so glad that we have had the chance to witness this historical event.

The tension between Republicans and Democrats are pretty apparent. Matthew's classmates were clearly divided. My nephew Nicholas almost incited a riot in the first grade class in Florida as well. He was telling all the kids that Sarah Palin was not the right choice because "she shoots and kills animals." Well, that's a fact that can't be denied. My sister Sandi received a phone call from a parent informing her that Nicholas is sharing this information with his classmates and almost caused a riot on the school bus. OK, maybe not quite a riot but let's just say my little nephew has gotten the attention of the first grade class. He's got a bit of me in him. Yeah, that's right. You're doing me proud kid! My sister Sandi should leave him with me for a few weeks. Good Ol' Auntie Sue will teach him right! If I do this right, he'll never get a visa into any foreign country!

Halloween

Halloween fell on a Friday this year and many kids were quite thrilled to be able to trick or treat on a Friday evening and stay up to count their goodies. We had an unusually warm evening - 60 degrees and it was perfect. Since we never get any action on our road, we took Matthew back to the old condo on Hope Street and spent the evening knocking from door to door. He dressed as his favorite- Indiana Jones and Tony went along as a SWAT team member. We came home two hours later and Matthew's sack was filled. While he was busy counting up his stash, Tony and I were busy checking out all the candy to make sure it was safe. We did find some candy manufactured in China which went straight into the trash. Need I say more?

Tainted Eggs

Looks like China will have to ramp up the food inspection process and buckle down on the food issues that keep spewing out of the country. It's been announced that Hong Kong inspectors have found eggs from northeast China to be contaminated with high levels of melamine, the same toxic additive that sparked the milk scandal last month. The same scandal that reported more than 50,000 children in China have fallen ill and several deaths have occurred. What is so unnerving about the tainted eggs is that this did not happen once, but twice in less than a week. Tisk, tisk.

There are many "regulations" on the books in China, but are hardly followed. Anyone can be bought for a price if you know what I mean. So, yet again, China is thrown into the headlines about food safety. So now, there is a mad scramble to start inspecting eggs in cities such as Shanghai. Let me recap the things that I recall since 2006- honey contamination, rice wine contamination, pet food recall, lead paint found in toys, moon cake filling, toothpaste, heparin, milk and now eggs. I am very grateful that we made it out of there without any serious side effects. Tony's stint at the hospital for E. Coli or salmonella was pretty hair raising. I handed over the hospital records to our family physician, Dr. D. He reviewed the file and stated that he's never seen "bacteria numbers as high as Tony's and he's actually survived without any serious problems." Usually, "numbers that high, people die." OK- so Tony rolled the dice twice and won. He was very, very lucky.

Scientists in China are worried that the melamine being used to adulterate dairy supplies, may have been intentionally added to animal feed in China. Uh, gee, you think? This would mean that chicken and possibly fish and hog feed could result in poisonous meat and seafood. I am worried for all my friends in China. This limits the food choices. Of course, they can shop at the expatriate markets and pick up meat from New Zealand and seafood imported from outside of China. I used to buy only fish from Japan. You can't imagine my food bill. I'm glad I did it.

The Chinese government has started to arrest individuals "responsible" and has of course, pointed the finger at someone and will probably start executing to show good will. That still doesn't solve the issue of the global food problems and how the world is watching China very, very carefully. Maybe now, China will really start to take things seriously. This on top of the fact, I am positive that the number of effected people has been seriously adulterated. If it's public that there were 50,000 children effected and four deaths, the real number could be double or triple and most assuredly, there are many more deaths than reported. You know how it is, China's got to keep it all hush to save face. The ancient Chinese custom of keeping the dirty little secrets hidden under the carpet and deny anything is wrong. Everything is rosy and just perfect. Nothing like living in denial. It all comes back to bite you in the ass.

The milk scandal surfaced in September, slightly more than a year after tainted pet food was exported to the United States, sickening cats and dogs and touching off global criticism of China’s food safety controls. Beijing responded defiantly to some critics of its record, but late last year it also announced a crackdown on shoddy and unsafe food producers and ordered the closing of thousands of slaughterhouses and food factories.

During that time, several Chinese melamine suppliers admitted in newspaper interviews to selling melamine to animal feed operations and fish feed providers in China. The government, however, never reported finding melamine-tainted fish or animal feed in China’s food supply.

I guess I'll never be granted a visitors visa to go back to China. I'm technically persona non grata. That's the beauty of living in a democracy. I have a right to my opinion and I can express it without being monitored. God Bless America.

Lunch Menu for Ina

While we were living in China, Ina would often wander over to see what Tony brings in for lunch. Never mind that lunch was available at the canteen. It just didn't meet his high standards or Ina's as well. She would often smell the food warmed up and would go have a "taste" of what he brought in. There were days when I would send in a double lunch. One for Tony and one for Ina. On the rare occasion, Mr. Miao would benefit as well from the baked goods included. This arrangement was going quite well except for the weeks when Tony was traveling and Ina would be looking for lunch. Sometimes, he would be gone for two to three weeks at a stretch. Let's just say, when he returned, she was very happy to see him back at the office again.

It has recently come to my attention that Tony's colleagues here in the U.S. do the same exact thing. They all covet his daily lunch. Yes, there is a cafeteria available at Duracell but the food....just isn't quite up to snuff. Just the other day, Tony went to work with roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and an apple turnover. All homemade. None of that prepackaged stuff. Let's just say, his friends are a bit envious of his daily lunch choices.

So, in the spirit of the daily lunch menu, this photo is for Ina. To recapture the moments when she would share and covet Tony's lunch in China. He''ll be bringing in pork saltimbocca with prosciutto and fontina cheese, roasted cauliflower and polenta with mozzarella and sauce tomorrow. When you come visit, I'll pack a lunch just for you!

Fall for Monteith

Catchy title. Matthew came up with that one as a tribute to Mr. Monteith, his former fifth grade teacher. One of the greatest teachers we've had the privilege of working with while in Shanghai. Of course, he ranks up there along with Mrs. Kuehn and Mrs. Wink, Matthew's elementary school teachers as well. I must apologize to Matthew's current teachers. They're great but no one will ever take the place of Mr. Monteith. If we can only figure out how to ship him to the United States and have him teach middle school. Hey, how about shipping the Shanghai American School campus out here as well?

Mr. Monteith has often mentioned that he would like to have the opportunity to visit the New England area and see the fall foliage. Since he can't be here due to teaching commitments, Matthew decided to send it to him with a picture.

We're in the midst of beautiful fall foliage in New England. The tree leaves are changing colors and its very beautiful to see. Not so great to have the trees dropping their leaves all over the driveway and property though. The weather is brisk and its apple season as well and I've been busy baking lots of apple pies. Tony and Matthew attack it straight out of the oven with their forks. Never mind that it is piping hot and that they risk third degree burns.

In the spirit of the season, Matthew has decorated the windows and house with Halloween decorations. We watch the squirrels and chipmunks preparing for the winter hoarding their nuts. Tony has even carved the Halloween pumpkin with the Batman insignia.
So here's to you, Mr. Monteith. You can't be here to see it but we hope that this will inspire you to visit us next fall. I'll even bake a pie just for you!

Milk Scandal

The latest food scandal that has China in the headlines has exposed information about the political elite of China. It appears that the political elite are served the choicest, safest delicacies. It seems they can get hormone-free beef from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, organic tea from the foothills of Tibet and rice watered by melted mountain snow. This is all supplied by a special government outfit that provides all organic goods from farms working under the strictest guidelines.

This secure food network is in stark contrast to the frustrations of the ordinary people of China who have faced numerous food scandals. While we were living in China, we lived through the honey contamination, moon cakes filled with bacteria-laden filling, eggs colored with industrial dye and fake liquor that caused blindness or death. We were lucky that we were able to pick up imported goods from shops that specialize for expatriates. The cost of groceries was mind blowing for what we paid for a box of cereal from the U.S. I could have purchased cereal produced in China but was often hesitant to do so. I scrutinized where products came from and would often purchase items from anywhere outside of China.

It is absolutely inhumane that the politically elite are offered food that is deemed "Nation A" which stands for "top end, irreplaceable, the best". These food products are offered to senior politicians or government offices and are not released to the general consumer market. The fact that rice is watered by melted snow from Mount Changbai, which straddles the China-North Korea border, fish is brought in from Hubei province- which is known traditionally as the "land of fish and rice" and tea from mountainous Yunnan area abutting Tibet and beef and mutton from the Inner Mongolia steppes. It has been documented that the rice comes from the northeast, grown seeds specially cultivated by experts from the Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It has a very small output, doesn't involve any genetic engineering and it tastes very good. Ninety percent of the rice cultivated goes to the Beidaihe Sanitorium which is a seaside resort for retired party cadres. The remainder is sold on the market. The market price for this rice is five times higher than ordinary organic rice and fifteen times more than the price of ordinary rice.

Reminds me of the time when my friend, Ina told me about the rice she saw drying on the highway between the car lanes. The farmers laid out the rice in the middle of the road amidst car exhaust fumes and locals riding their bicycles. Yummy. I always purchased Thai rice that was hermetically sealed from Thailand and never the rice available in the open buckets at Carrefours. We would often find the locals manhandling the rice with their hands. They would never use a scooper to put the rice directly into a bag. The rice was incredibly cheap versus the bags of rice I was buying. Uh, no thanks.

I have previously stated this before and I'll say it again. China has a very long way to go before the world can trust any and all products that come out of the country. The government goes through the exercise of cleaning up their image for the Olympics. The government manipulates and as soon as the Olympics packs up and leaves town, all the scandals come creeping out again. Coincidence? Nope. It's the government controlling the information that creeps out. They manipulated the Olympics by putting the "cuter" kid as the singer at the opening ceremony and dubbed her voice of the kid with the better voice that also happened to not be so cute. Let's see when the real numbers for HIV, AIDS and drug abuse come through. When the Chinese government can really be honest and address these issues, there is hope for the country.

Happiness is.....

Happiness is being back in my home turf and being able to get to and from errands by myself. No need to schedule a driver, ride the shuttle bus and tool around town in a taxi. Happiness is being able to walk into a store and find clothes that will actually fit me AND not have a sales person trailing behind me invading my personal space and watching me like a hawk. My friends in China know about the freedom I am writing about which they currently cannot experience. Happiness is being able to go to the supermarket and buy anything I want and not worry about food or milk being tampered. Yeah, that's right. That is my happiness.

I had to run a few errands this morning after Matthew left for school. I cleaned up the house, ran a few loads of laundry and got in the car to start my day. Yes- got in MY car to start my day. It was great to be able to listen to what I want on the radio and play with the radio knob. I was able to sing in the car and be off key and not worry about anyone snickering at me. It was nice to be able to do what I wanted and not have to schedule a pick up time. I wasn't on any schedule and wandered into a store to peruse the latest fashions. I was quite pleased that there items in the store that would actually fit me. I didn't have a sales person trailing after me or have to hear the snide "Xiao jie, ni hen pang" followed by the giggle and the smile. Chinese translation "Miss, you are very fat." Yes, I admit that I am carrying around extra weight since college but I must say, I am not obese. In China, I was something of a freak show. The Chinese women there border on the anorexic side while I am on the uh.... pleasantly plump side. Yeah, pleasantly plump. Mind you, I would not qualify to be painted by Sir Peter Paul Reubens if he were alive but I can't claim to be anorexic as well.

I'm out of a job......

Matthew's been in school for a month now and I have been his private taxi driver. When we arrived in July, we submitted an application for bus service with the City of Stamford but, we were informed in late August that the City never received it. As a result, we weren't on the list for bus service. This didn't make me a very happy camper since we found out about this one day before school started. We resubmitted the application and had to wait for Matthew to be input into the system. Should be easy right? Wrong. This whole process from start to finish took four weeks. Ridiculous by my standards but when you're at the mercy of the administration that dictates who gets on the bus, you kind of have to play along. I was a very good girl and I played along by calling the transportation office daily to get a status update. You knew I was a regular when all I had to do was say the last name and not even spell it. The staff knew me by voice, not by face. You get the picture of how persistent I was.

My follow up calls have finally paid off. As of this morning, Matthew was officially picked up by the Stamford school bus for the daily ride to/from school. I was giddy as I waited at the bottom of the driveway with Matthew and watched the bus approach. Now that he's been squared away, I face the reality that I am nothing but an unemployed homemaker and will need to concentrate my efforts to find a job. I really despise the term "homemaker". Then again, my nick name is Susie. I guess that kind of works.

Living in the wild

Living in the suburbs has it's ups and downs. Last night, I was awaken to the howling of several coyotes. Loud and clear in our back yard. This went on for about half an hour. The coyotes were howling at the beautiful moon and I was trying to sleep through the noise. It's nice that National Geographic likes to cut through our back yard as it makes its way through North Stamford. Since I am still Matthew's private limousine driver, this morning we saw an opossum who was sadly mowed down by a vehicle. In fact, we see lots of animals big and small who meet their unfortunate demise on the road.

Sometimes, I can hear the raccoons trying to break into our garbage cans. Luckily for us, it's locked pretty tightly. Otherwise, it would be a bloody mess in the morning. A skunk passing through our backyard will leave the tell tale sign that it's passing through. In Shanghai, we didn't see anything like this. If we did, they were in a jar located at the local herbalist or at Carrefours. The Chinese believe that the animals help with their inner qi mixed with the right herbs. It's not uncommon to find deer, bear claws and what not. So, in China these animals would be fermented in some type of rice wine or in some sort of soup stock. In the U.S., we find them running free until their unfortunate demise.

When it rains, it pours

I've been busy getting things back into order. To date, I am still the limousine service that takes Matthew to/from school. We do the daily jockey of leaving the house by 7:00 AM to beat the school buses on the road and I promptly drop him off at 7:10 AM. Enough time for Matthew to get to this locker and sort out his school bag. I proceed home to start the laundry list of items that need to be done that day. Most of the time, it involves locking myself in a room and facing the items that need to find a home.

Today, my routine has been blown. For starters, I've started the morning with a flat tire. One that won't come off the wheel base at all. I've called the service and someone was supposed to arrive to help me get this thing off the wheel base. So far, no show. In the meantime, I've kept myself occupied by calling the neighborhood tire repair place so I can schedule an appointment to get my tire repaired and putting things away. In addition, I have my eye on the clock because I need to pick Matthew up from school this afternoon.

Oh, did I mention that I've got follow up calls to the insurance company about the paint damage and for the damage to our items? Yes, that is the ongoing saga that doesn't seem to want to end. I've got to make follow up calls to the City of Stamford regarding the school bus situation. I've been desperately trying to get Matthew onto the bus route since the beginning of school. Ridiculous that this has been ongoing for the past three weeks but I have to exercise patience since if I tick off the wrong party, he may never be put on a bus route. So, I am exercising my karma and remaining calm. Hopefully, the rest of the day will be better.

School's Back in Session!!!

I love my son immensely. Those who know me, know that there isn't anything that I won't do for him. However, we have been joined at the hip every single day since June 12 when school was officially over. I have had eleven weeks of unadultered bliss of together time. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for the past eleven weeks. That's been a barrel of laughs. We have had our moments where we really didn't like each other and some unkind words have passed through our lips. Sad, but true.

I am happy to report that school is back in session. Half days but who the hell cares. I get a few hours of time to myself and not have someone screaming "Mom, Mom, MOM, MOM!!!!!" He's happy to have had a reunion with Rafel, a child he went to Piper's Hill with. He's met up with Nick and is busy making new friends. I've met some moms who are part of the school community and will be busy with school activities again pretty soon.

In the meantime, I will start my job search once I get this place under control. The boxes are being worked on and things have been donated to Goodwill. Lots of books have gone to the library and I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my friend Margaret so I can pawn off this huge contractor's bag and humungous box to her.

Stay tuned for Matthew's reintroduction to Chinese school. That's going to take place right the weekend after Labor Day. I can't wait!

Reunited

Boxes arrived together with the furniture and I must say, I am very happy to be reunited with the contents of the house. Although, there is quite a bit of work to be done.  There is stuff everywhere and it's a bit overwhelming when I go from room to room and scan what needs to be done. Let's just say, I'm not going anywhere for the next several weeks. It's going to take me about that long to get this place together. Don't let the picture fool you, there was another truck that came just as packed.

I've packed up and unpacked three times for this return journey home and am relieved that this is the last of the shipments. I'm not happy about the mess and I have to learn to over look what the place looks like.  Oh, did I mention that thing have disappeared and we've found clothing with mold and some furniture has been damaged.

The good news is I've found some things that I've long forgotten about and am in the process of "cleansing" the house and doing a massive donation.  The local library has received about 100 books so far, my nephew Nicholas has taken off with some books and my friend Margaret's son, Nicholas will inherit a lot of clothes and books from Matthew.

We're going to do a give away of furniture and clothing. Let us know if you need anything- we're always happy to help out!

Anticipation

We got official notice that our sea shipment has arrived in the U.S. and has cleared customs. YEAH! We know that U.S. customs has reviewed the boxes and we did not receive notification that anything has been removed. The big question is, did Chinese customs take anything out besides the liquor? We'll find out tomorrow when we get the delivery. In addition to some furniture, we're supposed to receive approximately 200 boxes. After weeks of living on the bare minimum, we will finally be reunited with the contents of our kitchen, closets and the rest of the house. 

It's been a long journey to get to where we are but, its close to completion. I'm convinced that Jose (the contractor) and his gang of merry men, really just want to move into our garage and stay there. The punch list items are slowing diminishing but it's still there. The lawn still hasn't been mowed, the litter is being cleaned up and garage door is down. Finally, we can get rid of all those animals that keep using the garage as a cave for the past six weeks. Oh, I really mean insects which are not so small. Some are large enough to pick up a small car on their backs to go back to their hiding spots.

The other day, I ran head on into a very large and UGLY cricket. I screamed, I'm sure it screamed as it took off for a dark corner in the garage while I ran the other way back to the laundry room and slammed the door shut. I'm not used to the "wild life" that insists on squatting around the house. I'm from New York where the only animals I had to worry about were rats and roaches. I'm in a whole new realm when it comes to the suburbs. I have to listen to the cicadas, watch the yellow jackets insist on building a nest in the eaves of my roof line and watch the deers as they stampede through the back yard. I even saw a coyote in my back yard the other day. What is this the Wild West?

Matthew has become quite adept at identifying the smells along Long Ridge Road. At any given time, you'll hear him scream "skunk" from the back seat and sure enough, about two miles later, you'll find the carcass of the skunk and some other freshly killed animal. Sad, but it's the reality of living with the animals in the area. It's not uncommon for me to find a raccoon that has met an untimely demise at the bottom of my driveway. While living in China, we really didn't see any dead animals on the roads since, they're usually skewered and simmering in some kind of broth ready to be sold as dinner. We're adjusting to life back in the States where insects and animals are not part of the daily menu offerings.

Stay tuned for the updates on the status of our delivery. I'm truly looking forward to finishing up this part of our move. I'll get to hand out eviction notices to the little squatters and focus on looking for a job. My status as a "kept woman" will come to a screeching halt once I am able to procure a paying position.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

We're officially back in the house and we're still waiting for our sea shipment from Shanghai. Living on the bare minimum is quite interesting. We're not sure when the sea shipment will appear but I'm going to be absolutely thrilled when it does show up. The house is in complete disarray because some of the furniture is part of the sea shipment. We can't entertain anytime soon because I need to get the house up and running before I'll allow anyone to come.

As of today, the construction is still ongoing. Garage door is still open because the electricity hasn't been completely rewired. This leads to many problems, such as small animals foraging for food in the garbage can. We spotted a small coyote the other day and I know it's been shopping in the garage. There isn't any food in it. There's just screws, nails, a paper cup, wood shavings and other debris from the construction. Nevertheless, it's still going through my garage looking for something to eat.

The deck is still being worked on, the vinyl siding isn't complete and the gutters are missing. The back yard looks like a scene from the "Beverly Hillbillies" because all our deck furniture is strewn in the back along with insulation pieces, nails, boards, planks and the old gutters. The lawn hasn't been mowed in over two weeks and is really overgrown. The problem is the workers have been here for a month and it seems like they're never going to leave. Every time we make a bit of progress, it starts to rain and they don't show up. We've lost about ten days due to the weather. I woke up this morning to torrential down pours. The front door looks like a water fall because the water is just running off of it in full force.

We're taking bets on what's going to happen first. The appearance of the sea shipment or the end of the construction. Tony and Matthew think the sea shipment will appear first. I'm betting the construction will be completed. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part but stay tuned for an update.

Living In Mayhem

We've been living in absolute mayhem. We cleared out all the boxes in the basement last weekend and ditched all the empty boxes. We turn around to have the air shipment delivered on Friday. That was pretty minor. 15 boxes in total and most of it was a surprise. I received an "iron pot" which really was the laundry hamper with some kitchen glasses in it. Who knew I would see some of my kitchen? The cupcake liners arrived which wasn't supposed to be here and I received 4 knives, 4 forks and 10 spoons. Go figure.

The construction is still ongoing. Garage doors were ripped out yesterday and the center support beam has been removed. We had two large steel beams installed overhead to replace the center support. It's great that we're going to be able to park the cars without having to maneuver around the pole. Today, the opening of the garage has been removed to make one large opening and hopefully, we can have the new garage door installed and working by early next week. There's a ton of work to do in the garage that involves rewiring electricity and rerouting the control box for the door.

Alas, the deck is about 60% done, the siding on the house is not complete and the gutters are supposed to get installed next week sometime. The rock, well it looks like that's not going to be evicted anymore. I've resigned myself to the fact that we'll have to be friendly with the rock. I don't like the fact that the rock is squatting in the driveway but, accept that even squatters have rights.

It's SOOOOOO Good To Be Home

Today, we've officially moved into the house. YEAH! The storage items came out this past Wednesday and Thursday. Three full trucks, lots of boxes and lots of damaged items. We're also missing things. We can't find the answering machine, things from Matthew's room and I can't find things that were in the family room. I know we're missing a heck of a lot more. Despite that and the construction going on, we're thrilled to be back in our own home. No more hotels and I even cooked in my kitchen. Large oven that can accommodate two trays simultaneously. That's a thrill!

We get to do this all over again next week when the air shipment comes in. Then we get to do it all over again when the mother load comes in, the sea shipment. We're supposed to get about 195 boxes that will arrive sometime at the end of August. Yes, yes, it was finally released by the Chinese government after customs manhandled everything in the box to their satisfaction. Let's see what will be missing when we get that shipment.

In anticipation of our move home, I went to the supermarket this morning. It was absolutely WONDERFUL to be able to buy things without funky smells from the meat department, people shoving me and most of all, no jumping the line at the check out counter. The cashier handed me my change NICELY and didn't throw it at me. The market had a full selection of everything and anything I wanted and it was CHEAP compared to China. I got a half gallon of Breyer's ice cream for $1.99 not 128 RMB which equates to $18.68 at the current exchange rate of 6.85 per USD. It was absolutely a pleasure to be able to peruse the supermarket and people would say "Excuse me" when they bump into you or passing you. Do I miss the shoving and the smells of Shanghai? NOPE. Do I miss my friends in Shanghai? YES. Absolutely. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be back and we've seen a lot of our friends here. Funny, all our reunions with our friends have involved food though. Gee, I wonder why? This will mark the start of the eating marathons. I am sure the restaurant industry will get a boost in their revenues because of our return!

Sometimes The Rock Wins

Through out history heroes have always had their enemies. Good verses evil, yin has it's yang. Well dear reader meet my nemesis. A two ton rock which resides in my driveway. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I hate this rock, I hate it with a passion. It is located in a place that makes it very difficult to maneuver in my drive way. I have tried a number of time to evict this rock without success. It started four years ago when we decided to repave the driveway. I figured that this would be a great time to move the rock using a bulldozer. It made sense, a simple nudge with a large bulldozer and I would be free. Well, they moved the rock but in the wrong direction. That's right, they actually moved it into the driveway. To make matters worse, it is now nicely encased in a brand new, expensive drive way. I was not happy. The rock had won for now.

Four years later, upon our return from China, I figured I would have another go. I hired a contractor to pulverize it to bits. I wanted to make sure that there was nothing left but dust when he was finished. He assured me that he would be able to do the job in one day using a jack hammer and I would finally be free. After eight hours of continuous jack hammering, he had hardly made a dent. What the hell is this thing made of? It's not possible. The contractor could not believe it either. I know, use a bigger jack hammer, you know the ones they use to bore through mountains, yeah that will do it. Bigger jack hammer, eight hours later the rock is still there, laughing at me, mocking me. I am not defeated yet. I have one last trick up my sleeve. I wonder if dynamite is legal?

I've Got Wheels

We've been back several days and we're suffering from jet lag. Correction, Tony and I have been suffering with jet lag. Matthew made the change pretty quickly and isn't feeling the pain that we're feeling. As usual, we've been busy running around town for errands and catching up on a lot of things. Due to insomnia, Tony's been busy researching different cars for me.

We were on our way to look at a car when we came across a 2007 BMW sitting on a car lot. We immediately pulled over and took a test drive. We returned and sat down to work out the numbers. Some negotiating and we have officially bought a car for me. It'll be picked up on Saturday. I wished we were able to negotiate a lifetime supply of gas. The gas prices in the Connecticut area are going to kill me. We haven't had to buy gas for two years. Talk about sticker shock.

Reunions

We're back and have been busy with meeting up with family members. We're going to have to find some wheels for me, a cell phone for me and get Matthew enrolled into school. In the meantime, we had a great time meeting up with my sister Sandi and her family and May and her family. We had the usual- Eclisse reunion dinner. Pappardelle with meat sauce, fried calamari and of course, zucchini sticks. Lots of food and lots of love was passed around tonight.

We're Going Home

Well, we're on our way home. Got up this morning, finished packing and we checked out. We're now hanging out in the airport lounge for our flight back to the US. It's exciting and sad at the same time. We are closing out a chapter of our lives in Asia and will start a new adventure in the United States with all our friends and family. They're excited we're coming home and we're already booked for the Fourth of July holiday as well. Our circle of friends has grown and we look forward to seeing them again in new destinations.

Family Reunions

There's something to be said about family reunions. We had two today. One with my cousin Stella and all her children Susan, Dior and Daisy. Daisy was in from London and it was great that we had a chance to see each other again. The last time we saw each other was oh....about twenty years ago. She's now an adult living in the UK and was here for a family visit. We last saw Dior and Susan in March when we were in Hong Kong. Joining us for this was also Stella's mom and sister, Helen and husband. It's been a long time since I've seen Helen and her youngest daughter is now 18 years old. I remember as if it was yesterday when her youngest daughter was born. Then again, Matthew is now 11 years old and it seemed like he was just born yesterday as well.



You know these family reunions lead to too many meals. We had a large lunch, followed by tea at the hotel and then I had dinner with my cousin Cheung Yau and his brothers as well. It's been a long time since I've seen my other cousins and their kids. When you see the kids all grown up and out in the work force, pretty scary.

It's going to be a while before we see each other again. Perhaps the next time we meet, there will be new babies in the group. The prediction is that probably two to three babies will be in the group and the family just keeps growing.

Here Comes The Sun

Two days of heavy rains and winds. We were getting cabin fever since there wasn't a whole heck of a lot to do. We took the underground tunnel through the subway system and found a place to have lunch. Afterwards, we decided to go over to the Hong Kong Science Museum since there was a way to get there underground with minimal exposure to the rain. We arrived and Tony and Matthew were busy with all the exhibits. One of their favorites, the invisibility mirror. They were laughing very hard each and every time they entered the exhibit. The invisibility mirror makes it look like half your body has disappeared. We managed to kill about four hours at the museum and Matthew was a happy little bugger.

We came out of the museum and saw the sun. YEAH! It's actually breezy and not too humid. Our hotel is within walking distance from the museum so we decided to take advantage of it. A great walk back and we took advantage of the sun and took some pictures outdoors. The weather has taken a turn and it looks like we'll have good weather for the rest of our stay here. I see the weather in Stamford is pouring. Hopefully it will be over by the time we arrive.

Sea Shipment Hiccup

Well, we've left Shanghai and our sea and air shipment has not. What is the problem you ask? Well, let me tell you. I received an email from our US relocation agent. It appears that the Chinese customs will not allow my sea shipment to go because they found four bottles of alcohol in my container. OK- I admit, my bad. I didn't fill out the form and now I'm paying the consequences. You see, the stuff was quite good. I was told "they could confiscate it or release it back to the Chinese moving agent to a designated friend." HMMMM. Based on the tone of the email- I am guessing that Chinese customs will confiscate it since the stuff was pricey. Expensive port, one unopened bottle of Chambord. one expensive bottle of pear liqueur from France and a very expensive bottle of French sauterne. My bad my bad. I should have just filled out the stupid customs form.

The likelihood of the booze to be returned...my guesss....zip. The likelihood of the booze being confiscated and drunk by the local customs agent...pretty good. Their only claim to fame for China in the booze department is the horrible baijiu. Chinese can't press grapes let alone grow any so, when they see expensive booze and need to impress ...... what do you think is going to happen? They're holding up the release of my stuff pending the outcome. If the stuff is confiscated, may the agent suffer from severe acute gastroenteritis. Severe enough to land in the hospital complete with antibiotics and no demerol for the pain. Yeah. Who said I can't be a practicing witch doctor? Now if I can just remember where I put my voodoo doll.

Competitive Research

The weather in Hong Kong has been very wet and windy. Matthew was bouncing off the walls in the hotel room so I decided to take him out for walk in the mall next door. Armed with a camera, he starts to take notice of the displays at Watsons. I notice he's studying the wall and is busy taking pictures of the display but I can't figure out what he's looking at.

As we're walking through the mall, he questions me about the use of the Pink Bunny in Asia. You see, Duracell has the trademark registration for the Pink Bunny in Asia. In the US, Energizer got the trademark on that one because of a technical glitch. He decided to embark on taking pictures of what the competitor of Duracell is currently offering. We return to the hotel and he immediately starts to tell his father about all the different giveaways that Energizer is engaged in versus what Duracell gives away with the purchase of batteries. He gave his father some ideas on what the next campaign should include. Let's see if Duracell will incorporate some of his ideas. Who knows, he may be the next Malgioglio employed by Duracell.

Typhoon Fengshen

We said our farewells to Mr. Miao at the airport and were on our way to Hong Kong. We've been following the weather because of the typhoon that wreaked havoc in the Philippines has worked its way to Hong Kong. We suspected that we would have a delay and we did. We arrived into Hong Kong and were greeted with gale force winds and sheeting rain. The typhoon was classified as a grade 8. That meant the winds were about 90 miles per hour and the gusts of wind can exceed 100 miles per hour. Considering the conditions that we traveled in, I was surprised that there weren't any other delays in the airport. Soaked through, we picked up our luggage and proceeded to the hotel and pretty much stayed indoors for the night. Susan had a reunion with her friend Mary and they were catching up in the hotel lobby for about three hours. At least they were in a safe place and dry. 

When I arrived into Shanghai two years ago, I flew into a typhoon. I guess it's only fitting that we ended our Shanghai adventure the same way, flying into a typhoon, Typhoon Fengshen to be exact. Fengshen means Wind God. The same one that capsized the ferry in the Philippines that killed many people. Actually, it was a miracle that we flew out at all. Many of the Chinese airlines cancelled their flights, why am I not surprised. Luckily for us, we took a Hong Kong airline. By the time we left Shanghai the typhoon was downgraded to a grade 3. The flight was pretty uneventful except for the landing which was a bit bumpy.

According to the newspaper this morning, 17 people were injured as Fengshen swept across the city with gusts of up to 90 miles per hour dumping heavy rain, ripped up trees and brought businesses to a standstill. There were 38 reports of flooded streets, 41 ripped trees, 25 flights were cancelled and 5 scaffolds collapsed in Hong Kong. We were pretty lucky that we made it without any problems. Now, we're just hanging out and waiting for the rain to die down before we head out anywhere.

Good-bye Shanghai

We are leaving Shanghai today. This is our final post in Shanghai so, I thought that it would be appropriate for each of us to reflect back on our time here and describe how living in China has affected our lives. The "Shanghai Great Adventure" is ending but a new one begins in the US. So without further adieu, I give you our reflection of China.

Anthony (a.k.a Tony)
I must say that China was not what I expected or could have imagined. People typically have pre-conceived ideas. Before I moved here, I imagined a place that was still rooted in feudal China and not a country that is under going a massive transformation into a modern and economic power house.

This is an amazing time to be in China. I see changes going on literally on a daily basis. Although amazing, I feel like they are doing this at the expense of their cultural history. They seem to want to eliminate the past by knocking down and replacing any ancient building or town, without hesitation, to modernize. The Three Gorges Dam project is an example of this. In their quest to satisfy their insatiable appetite for energy, China created an engineering marvel, the Three Gorges Dam. In the process, they have flooded hundreds of ancient towns, living museums waiting to be explored are gone forever under 40 feet of water. Who knows what wonders the world has lost forever. Just imagine knocking down the pyramids to make condos and then you will understand what I am talking about.

Before moving to China, I was sure that I would love the work and really struggle with the culture. In fact the opposite was true. I have made some really good friends in China, people whom I will miss dearly. Although they are Chinese and I am American we all want the same thing.

We all want happiness for our children, we love to laugh and have a great time with friends. We all share common bonds that thread us together as human beings. The world is not as different as you may think. It only seems that way because we don't truly understand it. Shanghai is a great city. It's almost like living in the future. Every building, train, etc. is the most modern I have ever seen. Contrasted to this are old cultures with unbelievable histories that can still be explored and enjoyed. Okay, it's not always paradise but what place is? We came here to live in the world and not just read about it. It has definitely changed me forever. It has opened my mind and has give me a thirst to experience the world.




I am so glad that I was able to give this experience to my son and I hope that he uses it to better his life. I will probably never get the smell of urine out from my nose but that was a small price to pay to experience such a wonderful place. I am truly happy that we had the opportunity to do this and would do it again in a heart beat if given the chance. My advice to you all is to go out and experience life. So many times we get into the rut of the same routine, the next thing you know time is up. I know this is a heavy subject for this blog but this in the moral of the story. So good-bye Shanghai and thanks so much for the memories. 

Susan
When the opportunity came up to relocate to Shanghai, it was on the tail of my offer to relocate to Memphis, Tennessee for International Paper. I just returned from turning down the relocation offer with my general counsel when Tony called to tell me about the Shanghai offer. It came as a whirlwind. Since I always like to have back up plans, I went out on job interviews in Connecticut and had four on the table. I had to turn them all down since the ultimate did happen. We were going to Shanghai. I arrived into town expecting to get the house settled and be able to find a job. After all, everyone needed compliance and governance taken care of in China right? WRONG! China wasn't ready for corporate governance. Then again, I live in the land of patent and trademark infringement. What was I thinking? It was difficult finding a place that wanted me. They weren't ready for the concept and it was going to be an uphill battle to get anyone to understand what my expertise was.




I ultimately became a stay at home mom and was busy baking lots of cookies. The concept of ME, being a "homemaker" didn't go well. I kept busy by volunteering at Matthew's school and spent a lot of time taking intensive language lessons, but in the end, I was a homemaker. This forced vacation allowed me the luxury of being there for Matthew and I was able to explore the city by foot. I saw things that as a foreigner riding by in a taxi or a car, I would have never seen. I came to Shanghai speaking very little Mandarin and struggled with communication. Going out by foot forced me to converse with the locals on the street. I rode the public buses and came to see the city through their eyes.




Walking the streets, allowed me to see how the locals really lived. I witnessed many changes to the city in the two years we've been here. Old lane homes that is the root of the culture of this society, once standing are now gone. A new gleaming high rise to take it's place. It brings a sense of sadness since family and community are a major part of this culture. Our move to the Shanghai Racquet Club, brought us to a community. We've made new friends and they have become our extended family members. These are extended family members that I will truly miss when we leave and return. We have become each other's support system since this place is such a transient town. We are there for one another and we have bonded in a way that our friendship will last forever. Though in the end, I didn't become a part of the Shanghai professional work force, I became a part of Shanghai and am truly happy to have had this experience of living in a different part of the world. It has taught me to adjust my expectations and appreciate all that we have back in the US. We have been truly blessed to have this experience and it has changed each of us in many ways.



Matthew
I expected Shanghai to be like Hong Kong. English speaking, clean and not polluted. Instead, I found Shanghai to be filthy, and most of all, a large public toilet. My Mom would drag my Dad and I on the trains to explore the city and we've seen a lot of it. We even had a chance to see a Formula One race in Shanghai. I will always remember that race for the rest of my life because it was the last race in Shanghai for Michael Schumacher before he retired. It was really cool because he won the race and it made it that much more special for me.



Now, two years later, I've adjusted and have made a lot of friends and will miss my school too. I never got used to the dirtiness of Shanghai. I really don't like the spitting, the pushing, the staring (oh yeah, I get a lot of that) and the way the locals always want to touch me. It creeps me out and my parents have explained to me that though I am part Chinese American, I have a unique look so its something different for the local Chinese. Living at the Shanghai Racquet Club has been a lot of fun for me. Even though, we had some bad times, it still has been a lot of fun. I would love to go to the stores and try my bargaining skills in Chinese and visit the Shanghai Science Museum with my classmates. I've learned a lot while living in Shanghai. My Chinese language is better, I can read a little bit of it and I can write as well. Mom and Dad had me take private kung fu lessons and that has helped me too. I made a lot of friends from the Pudong and Puxi campus of the school and I will miss them a lot. I'd like to say good-bye Shanghai! It's been fun!

Shanghai Tootsies

Moving day today. Anne, Andrea and Irene stopped by to have a cup of coffee with us. Normally, I'll be making the coffee in the kitchen but since we delivered the coffee machine to Anne the night before, Andrea and Tony went over to Starbucks to get what we needed. We had breakfast and our last morning cup of joe together. Tony thought it would be appropriate that we have a name for our little group. We threw a couple of names around and will now be known as the "Shanghai Tootsies". Andrea, Anne and Irene gave me a farewell gift- a sayonara doll. It was beautiful little doll in a kimono that you unwrap and it reveals a hand written message from each of my friends. It was an emotional moment for me and yes, I cried. The doll will always remind me of my times with my friends here in Shanghai.

We had dinner plans tonight for our final meal together. Andrea unfortunately couldn't attend. She just returned from a trip to Beijing with her guests from the US and the kids were really missing her. That said, Matthew said farewell to Foster and Tanner at the school bus stop. It was an emotional moment for them. We'll see them again for sure since Andrea's sister-in-law lives in Stamford. We met at Mesa this evening and had a great meal. It's Irene's birthday tomorrow and we celebrated after dinner. Chocolate dessert complete with Zahra and Matthew signing "Happy Birthday" that's been altered to suit the palette of an eight and eleven year old.

We ended the evening with our final farewells for real outside the restaurant. Irene, Marty and Zahra will be leaving Shanghai as well and will be returning to the United States in July. We've
decided to have annual reunions at different destinations. Our first one will be next summer, the last week in July to meet in Aruba. It's supposed to be a reunion for the ladies but it looks like the guys will be attending as well. I know that I will miss all my friends in Shanghai but really look forward to seeing them again in different destinations!

It's A Small World After All

Disney was right. It's a small world after all. We're winding down in Shanghai and we had lunch with Lucy and Ken today. Lucy is Margaret's friend and we've had lunch together over the past two years but the men, Tony and Ken haven't really spent any time together because of work. Today, over lunch, we find out that Lucy and Tony went to Ascension elementary school together and Ken and I went to Chinese school together. What a small world! As we sat over lunch, we were racking our brains to remember little tidbit details. Obviously, once we get back, we're going to see if we have any photos from the schools and try to find each other in the photos. No doubt that we'll see them again when they return to New York over the summer.

Baijiu aka Moonshine

Tony is trying to recover from food poisoning. Antibiotics with percocet does NOT mix with moonshine. He had his farewell dinner tonight with his Chinese colleagues. I asked him to let them know that he was just in the emergency room for food poisoning and CANNOT drink. He did not. He walked in tonight and is now paying the consequences for consuming "baijiu". For those who don't know, baijiu is a Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage. The name baijiu literally means "white liquor," "white alcohol" or "white spirits". Baijiu is often mistakenly translated as "wine" or "white wine", but it is actually a distilled liquor, generally about 80 to 120 proof. The stuff is like diesel fuel. I haven't met anyone who actually likes the taste of this stuff. Most people consume it and will wrench their faces and scream out as it goes down. So, you can probably feel Tony's pain right about now.

The Chinese drink this stuff specifically to get spectacularly plastered. It's often done with the chanting of "ganbei" which means "dry glass" to show machismo, friendship and camaraderie. This stuff goes straight to your head, faces turn red and the eyes water. It's not uncommon to find people carried out of buildings completely unconscious from consuming this stuff. So, I am now witnessing first hand what baijiu can do to you and I have to thank Tony's colleagues at ATC for their farewell gift to me.

Repatriation Etiquette Class

We've been in China a little over two years and Tony's received emails from Berlitz requesting that we attend a "repatriation etiquette class" for our return to the US. You've got to be kidding. I can tell you with most CERTAINTY that we have not adopted any of the horrible habits that is common with the locals. Such habits include but are not limited to spitting, nose picking, public urination, pushing and shoving, jumping the line, invading personal space, speaking loudly, littering, laying on park benches full length, parading around in pajamas or just skivvies, chewing and talking with our mouths wide open and last but not least, we have not adopted the repulsive habit of chain smoking while eating.

We declined to attend this class since it wasn't necessary for us to go. I have often said that if I started to behave like the locals, I would have to kill myself. I wonder how many expats have adopted these habits while living here. I think that Berlitz should offer the etiquette classes to the locals. The classes should be free and mandatory. China is becoming an economic power and there are plenty of nouveau riche. They may have the money to purchase very expensive cars, wear designer outfits, travel around the world and dine in fine restaurants but deep down inside, they really do not know how to behave.

A survey published about two years ago revealed how foreigners perceived Chinese travelers in their country. It was reported that in some Western countries, signs in Chinese have been put up in toilets, restaurants and museums requesting people from the "country with the time-honored civilization" to observe basic social rules such as flushing the toilet after use, eating silently, appreciating classic masterpieces and not spitting. It was reported that a travel guide said a hotel in France once canceled reservations by his company just before his clients were to arrive at the hotel. "It complained about the last group of Chinese tourists, who had shouted in the lobby and messed up the rooms. The hotel would rather pay the default penalty than put up with it again," said the guide. I even read about the behavior of a Chinese mother who had her child wipe his mouth on the sleeve of a garment at a department store. I often tell Matthew, "How you behave is a reflection on me". A mantra that he has heard over and over again.

As a result of this survey, the Chinese government launched a campaign to promote civil behavior among Chinese travelers. This campaign is supposed to last until the Olympic Games. So let me get this straight- after the Olympics is over, it's OK to revert back to the disgusting habits? Here's hoping the Chinese government can clean up the perception of the locals in this country. I think it's going to take a VERY long time.

Recuperating - Take II

Well, believe it or not, it happened again. Tony has contracted food poisoning. This time it isn't as bad as it was when he landed in the hospital for a week. We know the source of where it came from and we're not happy. We had lunch at a popular expat restaurant and several hours later, he was complaining about stomach cramps and a low grade fever. I kept telling him that he needed to go to the hospital. Nope. He won't go because he's stubborn. One day later, he was still running a fever and is doubled over in pain and he still refused to go.

That was until I used my reasoning with him. I told him if he got ill again and had to spend another week in the hospital, it would greatly inhibit my ability to leave this country. If I can't leave this country, I was going to kill him. The choices were either I kill him or the food poisoning would. I won. It has been confirmed that he has food poisoning and will take several days to recover. Antibiotics together with a chalky tasting powder to help with the dehydration and oh yeah, percocet for the pain. He'll recover just in time for us to wave farewell to Shanghai.

Mayhem

The movers arrived this morning in the pouring rain to start the packing process. Hot, muggy and very damp. All I have to say, it is absolutely unbelievable how much stuff you can actually accumulate in a two year period. The workers arrived and spread out like locusts and were busy in every room of the house. They were like little drones. They packed everything up. If it wasn't nailed down, it went into the box. If it was nailed down, they went to find the tool to pry it out and then stick it into the box. I left specific instructions on what not to touch. They went and touched it. Thank goodness I was able to stop them from packing up my documents. I wasn't so lucky in the kitchen. I went to look for a frying pan to make chicken tonight and every single pot I own has been packed up for sea shipment. That means, I won't see my kitchen for about 3 months. That's going to cause a major problem when I get back. In the meantime, I had to go over to Anne's house to borrow some pans to tie us over. Ridiculous.

I was counting up the boxes packed already and made a comment about how much junk we have. Kevin, the supervisor in charge, was quite diplomatic with his response "You are a family of three. That is quite normal to have the amount of things you have." OK- that was quite nice but the truth is, we're going to have to send half this stuff to Goodwill and do a massive yard sale when we return to the States.

So, we have another two days worth of packing to do and then we're on a plane out of here and will be heading back. Just think, I get to do this all over again in about three weeks when our storage items come out. So, I'm going to start recruiting volunteers who like to unwrap and put things into a pile. Anyone interested, just find the driveway with the moving truck and boxes tossed to the side. If we can get our barbeque up and running, I can promise you a wonderful meal with no utensils!