Walking Sticks

I’ve been exploring a bit.  Nothing crazy, but I’ve been walking around the neighborhood and area we live.  I’ll pick a direction and just head out.  I go about 1.5-2km and just walk.  See what I see.  When and if I get hungry, I get lunch, or coffee, or a snack.  Then I head home.  I’ve also been exploring the train.  Again, nothing crazy, but one of the places I grocery shop is just off the train line, so I’ve been making little trips and getting a feel for that.  The train is amazing.  Fast, efficient, clean, safe, on time, and all of the other good adjectives.  Seriously, I loved the BTS in BKK.  This puts it to shame.  Also, my round trip is about 70 cents!  It is beyond cost effective.  Considering a car was running me about $2.25 each way and I thought that was good.  So, I’ve been wandering about.  Seeing the things to see.

The weather helps with that.  If my old chum X from Da Scene ever finds this; firstly, hello.  Second, he and I used to wander.  I love doing that.  Just strolling a neighborhood and finding what I find.  Just me in my headphone, keeping one ear open to hear the world around me.  X and I would chat and walk, but solo, I’m happy to have music and my thoughts.

It’s been interesting.  I’ve not found anything mind blowing or otherworldly, but I have started walking again.  Usually I get out 3-4 days a week.  It kind of depends on the weather.  This week has been good.  Last week, lots of rain.  Next week looks good as well.  It also feels nice to walk.  To move.  To just be…. In the little area of Shanghai that we live.  Not town.  Nothing big or crazy.  Just around.  

Sidewalks help as well.  I’m not half in traffic.  Plus, it’s not 100000000 degrees every damned day.  Nothing against Bangkok, but it was HOT!  No joke hot.  That makes it hard to explore.  To walk.  Exhaustion, dehydration, just the punishment from the sun and heat leaning on you.  Here, yes, it was hot and humid when we first got here.  Brutally so some days.  Now, it’s much better. Currently 21 (71F).  This week it’s forecast to be between 19 (65F)  and 23(74F) most days.  I mean… come on!  That’s some walking weather.

As a family we’ve been exploring as well.  We tried to see a movie last weekend.  The Wild Robot.  Sadly, we only saw half… and that was in Mandarin.  Yeah, we messed it up and Kiddo watched about half until she got squirrelly and bored.  The good news is, I figured out to find English language films, so we can retry one of these days soon.  If we miss The Wild Robot, we can catch it on streaming one of these days, but Kiddo wants to see Moana 2 and she is beyond excited to see Wicked so at least we know how to find that in English and we can go see one (or both) of those.

Kiddo is just being 7.  Losing some teeth and being just as 7 as she can be.  However, she is such a person as well.  She’s got friends and little sayings and slang she’s starting to use.  She’s also developing a style.  Like on picture day for school.  Yeah, she’s that Kid!  I couldn’t love her more for it, though.  Sometimes, it certainly is a challenge and I want to take her to the balcony and fling her off, but 90% of the time, she is just the cutest, funnest, more well behaved and polite kid I know.  Seriously, I don’t know how J and I did it.  We never beat her with Please and Thank you.  We’d slip it in when necessary, but not harp on it.  We do use it around each other, though.  I will thank J at home for helping with dinner prep or setting the table or just doing dishes.  I think Kiddo just picked it up from that and uses it in public well, also.  

The one skill she can’t seem to get is chopsticks.  We’re working on it and her bestie H, is half Korean and (I think) knew how to use chopsticks from the womb.  I’ve also taken to using chopsticks for most meals.  Lunches, certainly, but even at home nights, I’d say I’m probably 60/40 chopsticks to utensils.  Maybe even 70/30.  If my buddy JY is reading, he is also Korean and he’d be impressed.  I can eat rice with chopsticks.  Not sticky rice, mind you, but fried rice and things like that.  You take to the skill pretty quick when you work on it.  Besides, gotta acclimate.  When I’m on my walks, I can’t have lunch and use a fork.  I’m given chopsticks, so I better know how to use them.  BKK was hit or miss with chopsticks, but that is a more utensil using society.  China is very much a chopstick society, so I’m glad I learned and practiced in BKK and I was 90% of the way to good getting here.  The last few months have just solidified that skill.

So, I will keep walking and chopsticking.  Kiddo will keep Kiddoing.  J will be J, teacher, mumma, masters student, and busy as all get out.  We can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  A break is coming for her as well.  So, it will be strange to have J and (some) free time.  What will we even do when she doesn’t need to work 70 hours a day, 15 days a week?  HAHAHA. 

Let’s go, Kiddo… there’s still so much to see and do, but we’re starting to branch out a bit.  You are starting to branch out a bit.  Becoming the you who will be you for the rest of your life.  Mumma and I are excited to see it, to watch the changes and how you deal with the challenges.  To watch you change, but switch back.  Or change and then change again.  We love watching you grow.  You are such the brave little explorer.  So willing to see and do, but also willing to just sit and watch, also.  You are the best sides of both of us and we couldn’t ask for anything more.