Gotta Love Shanghai Living

It's been just over eight months now since me and the kids joined Jarin on this magic ride through Asia. I remember him (six months into his journey at the time) all excited about us coming and bursting about how much we were going to love it. And then we arrived. And I was so annoyed and disgusted by the customs and differences. It wasn't Iowa! But, we have adjusted so well and have really begun to appreciate much about this culture.

It became clear as my girlfriends and I were at the farket (fake-market) with our three 2-year-olds. A few women flight attendants stopped us and asked if we lived here. "Yep!" we all smiled. They were intrigued and perplexed enough to continue the conversation and ask why. And so our explosion of Shanghai-awesomeness came. We raved about the jobs, the travel, the schools, the shopping, the friends and the food. It was an easy list to rattle off, and there was no second-guessing as to why we were here.

 
Made me start thinking about all the craziness that we endure here in Shanghai, and the many attributes that make this journey so adventurous. I'm sure the day will come when all this begins to annoy me again too. It'll be at that point that I'll know I've been here too long! In the meantime, here goes a few from my list:

You know you live in China when....

Here's the scoop, sis....

Growing up, I loved when you got into trouble. I would listen in as our parents spoke to you. I wanted to be sure they kept you safe, that they taught you right vs. wrong. It was important that they cared for you as much as I did, if not more.

I hated when you wore my clothes or hung with my friends. I didn't like that you dug in my closet, because it was private, and I didn't care whether or not you asked permission. The fact was that I never wanted to be at fault for leading you astray.

I sometimes heard you cry in your room, but didn't always run to soothe you. You were my baby sis, and I never wanted to see you hurt... I wanted you to grow tough.

I didn't care if the truth hurt you. I would say it as it was. Not to disrespect you, but to help you realize how tough life can be. I never tried to be the bad person, but I wanted you to see a different perspective.