Here are the cities I have lived in the longest:
1. Saint Paul - 18+ years
2. Swarthmore - parts of 2 years
3. Shanghai - 14 days and counting
4. Santiago - 10 days
I guess I no longer have to wonder if I'll ever live in New York, or Beijing, or Chicago, or Minneapolis. I should, however, be keeping my eye on the housing markets of Sacramento, San Salvador, and Santa Fe.
Went to work this morning and felt like every horn was honking at me. Which is fairly unlikely, because I hear more horns in 30 seconds here than I do in a year at home...but the point is, big crazy cities are difficult in the morning. Bought myself some delicious yogurt of some unidentifiable flavor and sat down to work. Making slow but sure progress...wrote a fancy email today to a university we are hoping to get involved in the camps, and looked at the itinerary from last year's camps. I think I'm doing everything I can to keep busy and know what's going on, and my eagerness is being well-received. There's just a bit of patience required anyway, which really isn't a problem - there are plenty of things I can do with a wired computer, most of which have some educational or social value.
Have you ever tried to explain why you don't call a mixed race person a "hybrid"? Or the difference between "toast" and "roast"? Helping people with English is hard.
Today I missed my stop coming home on the bus. After frantically explaining to the ticket attendant what happened (there are always two staff people on the bus, one driving and one selling tickets), I realized the next stop was just as close to home. Whew. (If this ever does go wrong, though, all I'll have to do is hop in a taxi.)
Came home and went to eat; the restaurant was of a minority group, very similar to Arabs. Good food. Came home and struggled with various iTunes difficulties, just like home. :)
I was thinking about all the things I want to do and nearby places I want to go, and realized I only have 6 more totally free weekends in Shanghai. Two days from now my time in China will be 1/5 over. And I bet it was the slow-moving 1/5.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Well, Ali, you've blown my theory that everyone in China wears a coolie hat and rides a bicycle! Otherwise where would all the horn honking come from!
Quite amusing that you've always lived in S-cities!
Guess I don't really need to be in the e-mail group. I enjoy pulling up your blog every day - when I need a break from work!
I think Singapore is a city-state and thus, qualifies.
It’s great that work is going well, that you are well-received and finding ways to help the foundation. Did you write your fancy email in English or Chinese?
Your comments on “hybrid” and “toast” vs. “roast” are very thought-provoking and fun.
I’ll bet, too, that the 1/5 gone will prove to be the slowest. All too soon, it will be time to board your plane, and you’ll be clinging to China by your fingernails, yelling, “I’m not ready to go!”
BTW, if there is a limit to the number of names for your Google group, don’t worry about me. I’ll probably check your site every day anyway. Typical mother behavior.
When do we get to see a photo of Damin (or did I miss it)?
Glad things are going well.
10 days totally doesnt count as living in. (live in Salt Lake City!)
Are you actually doing things to make people honk at you, or is there just a lot of honking that you assume is directed at you?
hybrid is actually kinda a cool term... it sounds more environmentally friendly, anyway
Post a Comment