I shouldn’t use the Thanksgiving holiday as my only time to reflect on what I am thankful for. It should be an ongoing task, recognizing all that I have been given and all that I have to look forward to in the future. However, that is not going to stop me from posting another list of “10 things.” So one this particular day, at this particular moment, at this particular point, I would like to share 10 things I am thankful for.
1. My life - it’s a beautiful adventure.
2. My family - they are my blood and I love them and miss them so much.
3. My comforts - I don’t have to worry about where I’ll be sleeping tonight or where my next meal will come from. Unfortunately, many people in the world are still not able to have these comforts to be thankful for.
4. My Shanghai “family” - these people are what help keep me going in this crazy, insane city. They’ve got my back and I’ve got theirs.
5. My ability to understand Mandarin - it’s not perfect but I know enough to be able to survive. It has definitely made my move to China a lot smoother.
6. My health - yes, I have weird joint pains like the muscle/ligament/something in my right knee that will painfully pop out of place sometimes, but I’m surviving.
7. My U.S. passport - it lets me travel around (most of) the world easily. Chinese people (the locals) remind me how lucky that I have an U.S. passport so that I am not restricted in moving around. I am also reminded of the freedoms that we Americans have when compared to Chinese citizens. There are a lot that we take for granted to have that the Chinese take for granted to NOT have.
8. My internet connection - Even with the Great Firewall of China blocking my internet access to certain websites (facebook, blogspot, just about anything to do with Taiwan) it still allows me to maintain contact with many people. The way that technology has evolved I can turn on my computer and video chat with people on different continents across numerous time zones. I can send an email or attach a document that will arrive in a few seconds to its intended reader. I can send text messages to American cell phones with instant messenger. We’ve come a long way from messenger pigeons.
9. My patience - most people say that I am pretty mellow and easy going. I don’t think many people have ever seen me angry before. I don’t know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. But I do know that if I had let every little frustration get to me and be blown out of proportion, I would probably have turned into a huge mess by now.
10. Chocolate - seriously, chocolate tastes good. How could you not be thankful for something so delicious?
Of course I have more to be thankful for, but it’s called a “10 things” list for a reason.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Cat Allergies
After living with Karol's (my roommate in Shanghai) cat for a few months now, it turns out that I might not be that allergic to animal furs after all. I either grew out of a childhood allergy or my parents just lied to me so that I would never ask for a furry pet.
I'm going to give my parents the benefit of the doubt though, since they said that my baby skin would turn red and get rashes when we went to homes that had pets.
I'm going to give my parents the benefit of the doubt though, since they said that my baby skin would turn red and get rashes when we went to homes that had pets.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Small World
My past year of living abroad and moving from country to country has shown me that as large as the world is, and with all its people, we are all still connected to each other in some form or another. The contacts we make with people, even if just briefly, are somehow maintained and preserved for time. It is when you least expect it that you find yourself drawn back to each other in the most unlikely places and in the most unlikely situations. But when you think about it, it all makes sense. Read on if it will entertain you to do so ...
On more than one occasion I would bump into friends from my cohort around Shanghai. It’s one thing to run into someone you know if you live close to each other. I would bump into Karol and Darleen because they lived in the apartment building across from us. But when you are living on the opposite side of the river? More than once I would be on the metro on my way somewhere and would randomly bump into my friend Daniella.
During February 2009 when we were all traveling around the world (mostly Asia) a few of us ended up in Singapore on the first leg of our trip through Southeast Asia. We all knew that we would be in the same country and had made plans to meet up a few times. One day, Lisa and I are doing our own thing (Hippo Tour!) and had made a stop to walk through Singapore’s Chinatown. As we’re walking down a street we hear a familiar voice ask someone to take a photo for them. We look up and who do we see? We see Daniella, Nicolle and Brandy. This happened a few times during our time in Singapore. Another time, Lisa and I were late catching a bus to get somewhere and so we went to the food court to grab some lunch. Who do we see walk through the doors as we’re eating? Daniella and Brandy. Granted Singapore is a small country, but really? We kept bumping into our friends throughout the trip. Eventually we just traveled the rest of the way more or less together.
Another incident during February 2009, but this time when we’re in Thailand. Lisa and I are walking back to our hostel from the beach when we notice a familiar looking guy walking towards us. Turns out it was John, Karol’s boyfriend. Karol is my current roommate. He and his friends happened to be staying at the same beach as well. Did not expect that.
Just recently, I was in my kindergarten’s cafeteria when one of the school nurses turned to Rosa (my TA) and asked her to ask me whether I remembered her. I looked at her but had no idea where I would know her from. And she said that she was a nurse at another kindergarten previously and she remembered me from that school. I told her the name of my past kindergarten I worked at and she nodded her head. So apparently I was teaching English at her old kindergarten and then we both somehow ended up at our current kindergarten. No way.
I would also consider the times when friends of mine would be making a trip to China or were in Asia and we would make the time to meet up. With the exception of Michi’s upcoming December trip, none of my friends made the trip with the sole intention of visiting me. But because they happened to be in China or Asia for other reasons, we’d take the opportunity to touch bases. Such as when I was in Taiwan and met up with Gladys, who was studying for a year at 台大. Or when Tiff and Song were in China with family. Winston is currently in HK/Macau and Irene is in Taiwan. I’m going to try to see what kind of arrangements I can make with this!
It is easy to always picture a certain person in a certain setting. Maybe you knew them from when you were attending school in Los Angeles. So forever that will be how you “see” that person ... with a LA backdrop. Or maybe you’ve always pictured someone with a Shanghai background. It is when you remove that person’s familiar background that you start to see a person in a different way. I noticed that these were the same people I’ve always known but now there was something special. It was like discovering something new about a good friend.
So what can we take from this? As humans and in this grand thing we call “life” we are all connected. People will cross paths when they don’t expect to. While the world is physically big, our own little worlds are smaller. Remember that you are being remembered by someone or that you are doing something that will effect someone. You may not think it is of importance at the moment, but somewhere down the road you’ll bump into someone and realize something pulled you together again. And to end this with a total cliche: It’s a small world after all.
On more than one occasion I would bump into friends from my cohort around Shanghai. It’s one thing to run into someone you know if you live close to each other. I would bump into Karol and Darleen because they lived in the apartment building across from us. But when you are living on the opposite side of the river? More than once I would be on the metro on my way somewhere and would randomly bump into my friend Daniella.
During February 2009 when we were all traveling around the world (mostly Asia) a few of us ended up in Singapore on the first leg of our trip through Southeast Asia. We all knew that we would be in the same country and had made plans to meet up a few times. One day, Lisa and I are doing our own thing (Hippo Tour!) and had made a stop to walk through Singapore’s Chinatown. As we’re walking down a street we hear a familiar voice ask someone to take a photo for them. We look up and who do we see? We see Daniella, Nicolle and Brandy. This happened a few times during our time in Singapore. Another time, Lisa and I were late catching a bus to get somewhere and so we went to the food court to grab some lunch. Who do we see walk through the doors as we’re eating? Daniella and Brandy. Granted Singapore is a small country, but really? We kept bumping into our friends throughout the trip. Eventually we just traveled the rest of the way more or less together.
Another incident during February 2009, but this time when we’re in Thailand. Lisa and I are walking back to our hostel from the beach when we notice a familiar looking guy walking towards us. Turns out it was John, Karol’s boyfriend. Karol is my current roommate. He and his friends happened to be staying at the same beach as well. Did not expect that.
Just recently, I was in my kindergarten’s cafeteria when one of the school nurses turned to Rosa (my TA) and asked her to ask me whether I remembered her. I looked at her but had no idea where I would know her from. And she said that she was a nurse at another kindergarten previously and she remembered me from that school. I told her the name of my past kindergarten I worked at and she nodded her head. So apparently I was teaching English at her old kindergarten and then we both somehow ended up at our current kindergarten. No way.
I would also consider the times when friends of mine would be making a trip to China or were in Asia and we would make the time to meet up. With the exception of Michi’s upcoming December trip, none of my friends made the trip with the sole intention of visiting me. But because they happened to be in China or Asia for other reasons, we’d take the opportunity to touch bases. Such as when I was in Taiwan and met up with Gladys, who was studying for a year at 台大. Or when Tiff and Song were in China with family. Winston is currently in HK/Macau and Irene is in Taiwan. I’m going to try to see what kind of arrangements I can make with this!
It is easy to always picture a certain person in a certain setting. Maybe you knew them from when you were attending school in Los Angeles. So forever that will be how you “see” that person ... with a LA backdrop. Or maybe you’ve always pictured someone with a Shanghai background. It is when you remove that person’s familiar background that you start to see a person in a different way. I noticed that these were the same people I’ve always known but now there was something special. It was like discovering something new about a good friend.
So what can we take from this? As humans and in this grand thing we call “life” we are all connected. People will cross paths when they don’t expect to. While the world is physically big, our own little worlds are smaller. Remember that you are being remembered by someone or that you are doing something that will effect someone. You may not think it is of importance at the moment, but somewhere down the road you’ll bump into someone and realize something pulled you together again. And to end this with a total cliche: It’s a small world after all.
Monday, November 2, 2009
First Chill
Remember when a few posts ago I was raving about the nice weather we’ve been having in Shanghai? Up until today (Monday) we’ve had glorious fall weather; just cool enough for a light jacket over a t-shirt. This all came to an abrupt end overnight. We woke up to see cold winds blowing through the trees. The sun was shining still, but as we took our first steps out the doors we knew that this was the first signs of winter. I pulled out a thick jacket and scarf. Time to also bring out the sweaters and turtlenecks and extra blankets and extra layers of everything.
It dropped to the mid 40s today and averaged 57F. And for Shanghai winters, this is considered warm! During the dead of winter it is not unusual for it to drop a few degrees below freezing for a few days at a time. Yes, call me a weather weakling. But hey, that first shock of cold is always surprising and a little unwanted.
It’s still hard to remember back to last winter in Shanghai. I remember it being cold, but it’s been so long of it not being cold that it will be like experiencing it all anew again. For now in the first few days of winter, even though it’s cold, as long as I layer up I can become warm. Later when it gets really cold, no matter how I layer up my clothes I will never feel warm. Even if I take a shower with the water turned to the hottest setting I will never feel warm.
Oh, and here’s the kicker. Most China buildings/houses aren’t insulated. The walls are just pure cement. My apartment included, and it’s considered a newer building.
It dropped to the mid 40s today and averaged 57F. And for Shanghai winters, this is considered warm! During the dead of winter it is not unusual for it to drop a few degrees below freezing for a few days at a time. Yes, call me a weather weakling. But hey, that first shock of cold is always surprising and a little unwanted.
It’s still hard to remember back to last winter in Shanghai. I remember it being cold, but it’s been so long of it not being cold that it will be like experiencing it all anew again. For now in the first few days of winter, even though it’s cold, as long as I layer up I can become warm. Later when it gets really cold, no matter how I layer up my clothes I will never feel warm. Even if I take a shower with the water turned to the hottest setting I will never feel warm.
Oh, and here’s the kicker. Most China buildings/houses aren’t insulated. The walls are just pure cement. My apartment included, and it’s considered a newer building.
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