All is well here in Shanghai. This past Saturday was a public holiday, the Dragon Boat Festival. Stories abound as to what this holiday is really about, but, truthfully, nobody seems to know. What it meant for us was dragon boat race watching on Suzhou River and a paid day off work! The crowds around the dragon boat races made it a bit tricky to see what was going on, but we managed. Afterwards, we wandered down to Cloud 9 Shopping mall and had a nice latte while we discussed where we are at emotionally. Living in such a different place certainly provides its ups and downs, and it really gives us appreciation for the things we took for granted in the West, such as jobs that pay rather well, quiet (of which there is none in Shanghai), and rules of the road that are followed and enforced. We are considering all kinds of options for next year, we might teach more, we might return to therapy and save bunches to travel on a few big trips, we might do something else... who knows? but it is very good to have the time to sit and talk about it, especially time that we are being paid for!
We are now getting ready for our next big trip: Chengdu, Guilin, and the Dragon's Backbone rice terraces. This trip will include pandas, a river cruise, and, hopefully, some well earned relaxation; our jobs are increasing the workload, so it will be nice to take a break for a week. We will certainly take many photos, and you can look forward to those in a few weeks.
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Oh how I love that you lament the western world as you get to explore the far east! New locations offer us the chance to see dreams from a new perspective. Dreams of home can be cherished again from a distance as well. I miss you both, and look forward to a time to share bruschetta & wine once again. You are missed here!
ReplyDeleteWe look forward to that bruschetta and wine too!
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