Two days until two days and then it'll be Tuesday

It’s almost time.

We near the top of the hill.

The rollercoaster is about to drop.

Shanghai is coming.  We have today and tomorrow, although tomorrow will be a day of tasking.  Laundry and packing and closing down our time and life here.  Then, Saturday at noon, we get rolling and don’t stop for two days.

We do cross the International Date Line, so there’s that, but I’m not including that.  We are approx 19.25 hours in the air, but with that, we have to check out of the AirBnB and get to the airport and check in and all that (3ish hours) and then we will have approx 12.5 hours in layovers.  That’s about 32 hours of total travel time.  On top of that, we will need to break away in LA (and clear US customs at LAX) to collect our luggage from the storage locker that we stored everything but what we have with us (2 of 8) and then get back to the airport, check that baggage, clear security and all again, plus (hopefully) find a meal (In N Out is my hope) instead of living on airport food for a day and a half.  So, that will be busy and a lot of moving.

Once we arrive at Shanghai, we will have much to do.  Burnt out, sleep deprived, and jet lagged, we will need to meet up with a school rep to get us from the airport in Shanghai to our living quarters.  We will also need to do the lease and sign in agreement, water options for drinking, other admin and housekeeping chores including needed Apps in China (WeChat, Alipay, etc), and then (finally) settling in and any unpacking that is top priority and finally trying to get ourselves onto the Shanghai clock.  Plus, internet, sim cards, any cash exchanges that we will need to do for our own piece of mind (although China is largely cashless and most things are do with AliPay or WeChat) so we will have some cash in hand as needed.

As much as I would like to blog or bang out thoughts on the process, I will instead focus on trying to get sleep where and when I can so I can be fresh for all that needs to be done and so that I seem (somewhat) human as we get to interact and make a first impression on our new place, people, and home…. Including co-workers, neighbors, et al.  

The rollercoaster will drop and we are just there for the ride and I can only imagine what a ride it will be as there are a lot of little things to do and a lot of pieces that will be moving as we are moving.

On the now end of things… We have to still eat and live for the next two days.  We are still without Data or SIM cards and rolling with the Spanglish we know and can manage.  Since we are trying to eat and live like the locals, that means the markets and places like that.  Those are not in the touristy places, so there is no English speaker to assist and the staff and owners don’t speak English.  That means we make it work as best we can.  And we have.  I am very proud of us for that.  J especially.  I need to call her out for her understanding and ability to pick up on the language, use context clues, and piece together what she knows with what she can use based off what she knows.  Kiddo hasn’t picked up much, but she’s also not been trying or put in a place to really need to pick up much.  Also, it’s not like we are living here, so we haven’t pushed her much.  As for me, I hear a lot of it, but with my Broca’s, it’s hard for me.  I’m slow on it.  I hear it and a minute later I understand it.  Real time translating and responding is near impossible for me these days.  Part of that is that I have been lazy in my therapy and working on bridging that gap, but another part of it is age.  Let’s not forget the stress of doing it in real time on the fly with a major life change coming.  

Zihua has been great.  It’s nice that it’s the off season here and we aren’t inundated with other tourists and English speakers.  It’s nice that we can move at our own pace and find the markets, the local places, the little things.  We found a little cafe that I mentioned before and that I am writing this from now.  We’ve had some treats.  Seen a cool little beachside basketball court that doubled as a little concert venue.  Gotten Kiddo’s ears re-pierced since they closed up on us as we took the earrings out and then packed them instead of bring them with us (D’oh) and seen some really cool little shops and places.  We’ve eaten tortas.  We even popped in and saw a little local church.  We really just lived like the locals.  The grocery we use is tucked away in a little neighborhood away from the tourist area, as is the fruit and produce market.  We’ve made the best of it, had a blast doing it, and laughed at ourselves when we needed, accepted praise when given, and just got back to living like we live.

That is what we plan to do in Shanghai.  We don’t need to see the city in our first week.  We’ve got two years.  Slow down, live like we what and like, and find the things we want…. Libraries, cafes, little local owned places with a half dozen tables.  We will find the places where we can speak English and have a staff that speaks some English.  The rooftop bars.  The “cool” places.  We don’t want or need to cool places everyday.  We want what we had in Shanghai and here in Zihua…. The local places, the market, the little Hot Pot place (or Shanghai equivalent) that is just up the street where we get weird looks as the only foreigners there.  

That’s kind of the rest of our lives.  Going places and being uncomfortable until we aren’t and then making the best of it while eating, drinking, caffeinating, or what have you in a place where we are the only non-locals.  Kiddo may want different as she grows, she might want to settle in a place where she can speak the language (whatever language that might be for her) and just be.  J and I are up for the adventure and being lost in the sauce.  Some of you might be jealous of our lives and some of you might think it sounds absolutely horrendous, but for us it works.  Even Kiddo now, it works.  I can’t speak to when she is 13, 16, or 20 and what mentality she will have, but for the nonce, she is happy and loves the adventure with us.  Twice now, her and I have gone out to “get lost” in the city.  We will do the same thing in Shanghai.  Not that we were lost, mind you, but we were exploring and getting off our beaten paths to see whaat we can.  Thankfully, I’m good with navigation and direction, so we’ve never been more than a few blocks from where I know.  For Kiddo though, we are deeply lost.  In that, I admire her faith in me (and J) and her sense of having an adventure and getting turned around and mixed up.  Most 7 year olds aren’t like that.  And yes, sometimes she will voice a worry or complaint (usually that she is hot or hungry), but she is down to adventure and see what there is to see.  To explore with us.  To take it as it comes to her.  

Let’s go, Kiddo… It’s almost time to get lost in a new city again.  To see what we can.  To find new things that are cool and exciting for us.  I want you to remember that, though.  What we seek isn’t for everyone, it’s for us.  You, me, and Mumma.  If others join us, even briefly, that’s really cool, but for the most part, it’s Kiddo, Mumma, and Dada having an adventure and exploring.  There will be new people.  New foods.  New things to try.  New school and friends.  A new Nanny.  A new language and culture.  A lot of new.  But a lot of the old also.  Poley will be there.  Porkchop Piggy.  The fluffs.  Mumma.  Dada.  And our love and admiration for you.  I’ve told you before you are one of my heroes.  You are.  And you continue to be that.  Not for what you have done, but for what you do everyday.  You are beyond brave and a true explorer.  I love you more than anything else in life… Save Mumma.  You are both equally loved.  You, however, Kiddo, are my champion and the amount of WOW I have for you can’t be put into words; much as I try here.  I love you!