Solo Shopping

Taking a quick trip to the store is but a memory. When I want to go shopping for anything I either have to arrange my day around Larry's, get a taxi or hitch a ride with another expat. Oh, I could ride my bike, but after experiencing a few of the sudden thunderstorms that seem to pop up at random times, biking is my last resort. Going with friends is fun as the conversations are lively, but I never feel like I can linger or stroll. Women on a shopping excursion is serious business. Family shopping trips are similar, with more "I want this!" and "Are we done yet?" Last Friday, I had the rare treat of going to Shanghai by myself. I didn't have to worry about being back in time to meet the girls at the bus stop as Larry said he would be home. An entire day in Shanghai...where to start?
Our trip back home seriously depleted my purse supply. I'd also been eyeing some furniture for Katie's room and our bathroom. Everyone knows how I love my nicnacs, but I haven't been able to display them here...no shelves or bookcases. Mr. Liu made it downtown in record time. I only feared for my life a half dozen times. The World Expo has brought traffic levels to a new level of horror. First stop was the Nanjing Road market. This was my first time going solo, but my confidence at bargaining has increased. We have our favorite vendors and they know us, but seeing me by myself made them a bit bolder. Our electronics vendor told me the police had been there and she didn't have any movies or games, but could get some in a day. My girls' Nintendo DS charger got fried when they plugged it in here, so I managed to get a couple of those. My purse lady had also been raided and was very skiddish about showing me anything with a designer label. I managed to find the Coach bag I'd seen back in the States and a snazzy black Louis Vitton just because. On my way out, a horde of uniformed men came barreling by me into one of the stalls. They flashed their badges and began ransacking the shop. They bagged up all of the hidden DVDs and games. It was quietly terrifying. It reminded me of one of those nature shows where piranhas devour everything off their prey. The shop was stripped to the walls with the vendor left standing there with a piece of paper in his hand. I'm guessing either a hefty fine to pay or the location of where his inventory was being taken.
The next stop was Ikea. The girls and I went there one day, but I couldn't stop and look too long at any one thing as their attention span was ultra short. The place was mobbed with couples, families with rambunctious children and a few expat women going solo. I spent a couple of hours scanning the place and found a couple of pieces. Things got interesting at check out when an older chinese man cut in front of me and I looked at him and called him rude. He just said "Duibuqi", which is "I'm sorry". An older chinese women who was behind me asked if he was with me and I shook my head. She let this guy have it with all the fury she could muster. He stood there dumbfounded as she basically ripped him a new one, but in the end he left ahead of us and probably didn't give us another thought.
Last stop was the Hong Qiao market. This market isn't my favorite, but I was on a mission to find some DVDs and some new earrings. I get lost everytime I go in there, but managed to stumble upon my stores completely by accident. I found two of the three movies and two pairs of earrings. Many of the expat women have these lovely silk bags. I've been gawking at them for a year now, bargaining and then backing out. This little old man finally wore me down. He brought out his entire stock, letting me look at all of them. When he put one on his shoulder and walked around the store, I told him that did it.
We rode right into a whopper of a storm on the way home. Cars were stopped on the highway...stopped on the highway because it was raining so hard. I tried to capture some of the lightening shots, but wasn't quick enough. I also wasn't quick enough to capture the truckload of huge pigs, goats and a doubledecker sleeping bus.
I did manage to get home three minutes before the girls' bus and surprised them as they thought I would still be shopping. I told them it just wasn't as much fun without them clamouring for everything, which was partly true.

Rain...Lots of Rain

Suzhou is in the midst of its rainy season. This fact escaped me last year, either because we didn't get a lot of rain or I was too overwhelmed with everything else going on to notice. Showers will sprout up in a matter of minutes, last about that long and then the sun dries things in even less time. Now, I've seen plenty of gully washers, but yesterday I thought we were going to get washed into the canals.

After the girls returned from Mandarin camp, we all went to Auchen so they could get their hair cut. I must add that for less than it costs for one of them to get their hair cut in the US, all three got some styling 'dos'. Wash, head massage, cut, dry and style for fifteen RMB (roughly, $2.10).

When we were finished we treated ourselves to Dairy Queen. As we sat and people-watched we noticed folks coming in absolutely drenched. I'm not talking wet hair, I'm talking dripping wet from head to toe. Soon we saw everyone standing at the various entrances. The rain was coming down so hard it looked foggy. When my eyes finally were able to focus, I could see the torrents. Gutters were inundated, water overflowing like Victoria Falls...ok, maybe not that much.

For the next forty five minutes, while we went grocery shopping, it continued to rain. We came out of the parking garage into a newly formed lake. The streets were flooded and cars were stalled everywhere. What a mess. By the time we got home, however, the roads were already drying and the workers were out sweeping up the debris.

One of the things I haven't yet learned is to take in my drying laundry before I leave the house for the day. Chances are it's going to rain and something is going to get blown off the racks. I forget just about everytime and everytime I end up washing a few things over again. This particular storm put down so much rain that the clothes that did fall weren't lying on the ground, they were floating in about six inches of standing water. I waded out to gather the filthy mess and then had a slight panic attack as the water was only about an inch from coming over the door jam into the house and thunder was rumbling in the distance. You're probably thinking there must be a drain or something. Well, there is, but in an effort to fix the leaking second floor bathroom ceiling I think the repairmen just sealed off the third floor balcony drain. Absolutely no water was going down that thing.

So with thunder and lightening closing in, I called on my girls. With plastic cups as our scoops we threw water over the railing in our attempt at makeshift drainage. A couple of cups got tossed in the haste and we were all disgustingly sweaty and wet at the same time. Hopefully, this storm won't put down as much rain as yesterday's storm. Though, I did remember to bring in the laundry.

Time Change

It's hard to believe we've already been to the US for our summer visit and are back in China to start our second year. We all battled a stomach virus soon after our arrival last year and it appears as if the same is holding true for this year. It's hit Katie and I the hardest. Coupled with the stifling heat, about which I'm not complaining, merely mentioning, we've had a rough few days.

The flight back to China, which I was dreading due to the fact Larry wasn't with us, was long but tolerable. The girls are travelling troopers and can basically have fun anywhere with anything. Those screens on the back of the seats are life-savers or at least sanity-savers. We watched movies, television shows, listened to music and played games. I pitied the poor souls whose systems didn't work. They were offered "credits" or SkyMiles, but honestly, anything less than a free flight or upgrade to first class would not cover the loss.

Larry was waiting with an arrival sign "The Sunny Girls" in hand. We were so happy to be together again, but beyond tired. Unfortunately, we all got our second wind when we got to the house and it felt like we were never going to fall asleep. I unpacked two of the eight suitcases before the high wore off. I don't even consciously remember lying down, but I woke up around 3 a.m. That whole day was a blur. We went to get Rosie, who'd turned into a cat in a month, but she was healthy and still friendly so I was pleased with the care (considering the cost, she should have received VIP spa treatments). By 3 p.m. the Whitfield women, including the cat, were down for the count. And so the routine continued for the week.

Larry left for Dalien, but he really didn't miss much with us. I welcomed the morning sun each day and pittered out by dusk. We ventured out one late afternoon in an attempt to stay awake. It wasn't pretty. Sarah fell asleep on the way there and almost passed out into her dinner plate. Bribery by ice cream helped, but we only prolonged our day by a couple of hours.

The heat, about which I'm still not complaining, makes everyday tasks a bit more sticky. I mean that literally. The humidity is ruthless. Cleaning house takes place first thing in the morning. Laundry is actually not bad, things dry outside in about fifteen minutes. Thankfully, we got some good news that our neighborhood pool opened. It's an indoor pool that right now is quite refreshing. We've been a half dozen times as an afternoon 'pick-me-up'. The girls are quite adept at swimming and many of the other residents stand there watching them, which they of course relish.

It took about ten days to get my internal clock situated, just in time to get hit with a stomach bug. Katie came down with it first and missed a day of Mandarin camp at Dulwich. I thought she was faking, but when it hit me I profusely apologized before running to the bathroom. We took turns for the next forty-eight hours. She's feeling better so I guess there's light at the end of the tunnel for me. Larry's lucky he's in Korea this week, but we did manage to squeeze in a birthday celebration for him before he left.

The girls start school in a week and tomorrow I have to go buy their new uniforms. The twins are going to have to learn how to tie a tie, which means I guess I'll finally have to learn how to tie a tie. Linda and I have resumed our Chinese/English lessons. Rehearsals for Snow White start in a couple of weeks. It's still difficult to comprehend sometimes that we're actually here getting into a routine of sorts, but we are.

And so begins our second year...