One Month Anniversary

I arrived in Shanghai a month ago today. I wish that I could say that the month flew by. It didn't. It crawled. On bruised knees, wheezing and coughing from the pollution and the ubiquitous cigarette smoke. That's not to say that I regret being here, or that I didn't have fun/interesting/amusing moments. It's just been a challenging adjustment period.

On a day to day basis, it really doesn't even phase me. I'm too busy trying to get to where I need to go, communicating with people or scurrying from one meeting to another. I'm on the phone alot with people who do not speak English well or speak with such thick accents that it's a struggle to understand them. It's my problem, not theirs. I'm in China, so it's incumbent on me to speak Chinese, not for them to speak English. I still haven't found a tutor yet. It's next on my to do list, now that I've gotten the car and driver. But every Friday, after I put Sydney down for the night and finish the dishes, I pour myself a glass of red wine (and pray that it doesn't taste like vinegar), a wave of exhaustion washes over me. Part of it is just living in a big city, which I've never done before. Part of it is the language barrier. And part of it is that Shanghai is a dynamic city. I'm told that my tolerance/endurance will improve with time.

Today is my first day in the far office (which I refer to with derision as the F-ing Office) since I rented the car and hired the driver. It still took 1:15 minutes even though we didn't get lost. But the car was air conditioned and did not smell of cigarette smoke. I put on my earphones, turned on my Ipod and enjoyed the ride. I was in the downtown office (which I refer to lovingly as My Favorite Office) yesterday and it was unusally warm there. I have to admit that I've been working there alot. If the administrator there thinks that turning off the AC will discourage me from working there, then she underestimates my aversion to the F-ing Office. Although I now have a printer/scanner/fax machine at my desk. It was delivered today. I no longer have to print and then go fast to get paper. I can let the paper linger on the printer. I may let it sit there all day. However, I will need to find another form of exercise.

The most often given advice that I received from expats here on how to survive Shanghai has been to take a break from Shanghai every couple of months. As someone who always does what she is told:)), I am taking Sydney to Phuket, Thailand next Thurs (July 26-30). I typically stay at quaint boutique hotels when I travel, but this time, we are staying at the JW Marriott. I wanted to be in a Western hotel where everyone speaks English, and I know that everything will work as it should (I hope). It is located right on the beach, which is where we will be planted for the long weekend. Hopefully, it will be a quiet and uneventful weekend.