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When we arrived in Shanghai, China it was a big move for myself and my family. It helped alot to be able to write down our experiences and e-mail them to our friends and family. They all gave us a lot of much needed support during that time. After a few months of "adjustment", it became commonplace for me to write updates. Here is an arichive of e-mails sent before creating this website and updates after the website was created.
Family Photo Album:
E-mail to our Friends and Family 2/1/08
Hello Everyone!
It’s very cold here right now. I’m sure most of you have heard about the snow and all the trouble it’s causing. It’s a wet cold making the temperature feel much colder than what the thermometer indicates. I especially feel terrible for the workers here in China that cannot make it home to see their families over the most important holiday of the year. Many blue collar workers leave their homes in the country and come to Shanghai every year to make money to take home with them at Chinese New Year while the rest of the family stays home. Before Chinese New Year, the workers quit their jobs and go home for a couple weeks then come back for another year working on another job. While they are here, they live at the construction site. This year, when the people quit their jobs to travel home to see their families and bring money the trains were not running due to the snow, and the train stations are packed with people that don’t have a home and want to see their families. That and the fact that we are so close and see so many people live without heat in their homes makes me appreciate our lives more than I ever have. Last Sunday night we had what appeared to be a homeless woman somehow make it up to the 23rd floor to our apartment. How she got past the security guards we do not know. She was very sad and obviously desperate. We of course, could not understand a word she was saying. Soon the security guards arrived and took her away but it was an eye opening experience for us all.
Christmas was very nice. It was especially nice that we had family in town and we all had a blast showing them our life. Sean and Sophie were thrilled and then very upset when everyone left. By the time Christmas day arrived, our tree was dead and half the lights were burnt out. (We bought the high quality “made in China” lights!) We broke tradition with all our meals but other than that it felt like home. I did attempt to make a sausage/egg casserole for Christmas morning (something I do every year). I went to the international store and picked up the package that clearly read “Italian sausage”. I asked Ayi to brown it for me before we went to dinner and she told me that in Chinese the meat said “lamb”. So, Christmas morning everyone enjoyed (at least they said they liked it) ground lamb and egg casserole. Our apartment complex tried to get everyone in the spirit by putting the song “Jingle Bells” in the elevator every day from December 1 to January 25th. It was a long time hearing Jingle Bells and I won’t be disappointed if I never hear that song again. Sean and Sophie were a little freaked out by the Chinese Santa’s all over but then again you have to give them credit for trying.
After Christmas we moved into our new apartment. Once all the furniture was moved in and our realtor left that’s when the fun began. It felt like dejavu all over again with 8 people in my apartment trying to fix everything and no one understanding what I need fixed. Finally, I got so frustrated I grabbed a beer and locked myself in Sophie’s room and unpacked her stuff. The next day, Ayi was here and while I sat at my computer she took care of all the repairmen. Luckily I don’t have control issues?!??!!! Sean and Sophie did well with the move. We arranged it so that all the furniture in our old apartment followed us here. That, with us moving into the same floor plan really helped with the transition. The big difference between the apartments is the vast whiteness and lack of character. So, I went furniture shopping….. This should have been fun but it was a disaster. After taking Chinese lessons for a year I still can’t communicate with these people. My answer to this is to just have everything made. This way all I have to do is take in a picture and bargain for the price. I can do that!! Anyway our address is the same with the exception of our new apartment number which is Apartment 23C (instead of 32C).
Funny story. I went out to lunch with a Chinese friend and she took me to an authentic Chinese restaurant. She ordered for both of us and the next thing I knew the waiter brought over a bag with a live fish in it for her to inspect. She told him it was good and they cooked it for us. When they brought our lunch out the entire fish was cut into three sections mixed in a huge pot with other stuff. My friend insisted on eating the head as it is supposed to improve your eyesight (eating the eyes) and make you smarter (eating the brain). She also ate the tail which tastes the best. I opted for the middle part (good for my stomach???). Anyway, I was telling her how in the U.S. the fish is generally served and cooked with the head and tail removed. She then proceeded to tell me that Americans tend to waste so much food and was a little curious as to how we can tell when the fish is done if we can’t watch his eyes pop out! I guess when the eyes pop out the fish is cooked! So now you know… On the same note, I also enjoyed a wonderful ox tail soup with cow intestines (tripe) and octopus that my Vietnamese friend cooked or me.
Sean and Sophie have 2 more friends leaving this summer for home. It’s very common as most ex-pats are only here for 3-5 years. It’s been a year since we moved here and as time goes by they are adapting quite well to our lives here in Shanghai. I am especially proud to see them befriending kids from all over the world and enjoying the differences in the cultures. Their school does a wonderful job of nurturing all the children and using their cultures as a way to educate. I think the world would be a much better place if all children could learn at an early age and appreciate the differences in our world and see that at the end of the day we are all really the same. I only hope that after our tour of duty they will take everything they’ve learned and apply it to their lives as an adult.
Well, tomorrow we are off to a much needed vacation to Phuket, Thailand. We are all really excited to ride the elephants and just hang out on the beach. I hear the food is really good there too!
Zai Jian!!
Jennifer
PS: How cool would that be to have your mother running for president! Sorry Sophie it ain’t happening