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!
