Pregnant in Shanghai

Ha-ha! Bet you all opened this one up thinking I would have some big announcement. Nope, we are not pregnant, trying, or even thinking about another one so put your mind at ease. But, a lot of my friends here are pregnant (both Chinese and Western) and it has really brought to light some interesting cultural differences I'd like to share.

Let's start with what you can eat in drink while pregnant. In the US, we know to stay away from certain cheeses and seafood. Well, in China they say to stay away from watermelon (but nobody could tell me why) and do not drink anything cold.

I know the ladies out there may be wondering about maternity fashion in China. It's ugly, I gotta tell you. Picture 1970's tent tops and really unflattering overalls. The Chinese think it's bad for the baby if you wear tight clothes around your belly. But the best part is that most of the maternity tops here contain a special shield that supposedly protects the mom to be from radiation. Radiation caused by cell phones, computers, and fax machines. In fact, my Chinese friends were in shock that I sat in front of a computer for the entire 9 months of both of my pregnancies without protecting myself from the radiation! "And nothing is wrong with your kids?" they ask? "It's debatable but in general, no- they are fine" I respond. I find it funny that they are so concerned with protecting themselves against radiation yet they are breathing in poisonous air and showering in chlorine saturated water everyday.


Want to find out what you are having? Unless you hold a foreign passport, too bad for you. They will not tell the mother the sex of her unborn child here. Since they can only have one kid, too many ladies opt out if it's a girl- know what I mean? Nice.


Ok, so you make it through your 9 months, give birth, and now what? In the US, you are in and out of the hospital in 2 days and back on your feet asap. Here, you are in the hospital for a week with a routine birth and even longer with a c-section. Next, the new mom is not supposed to get out of bed for 30 days after giving birth! But wait- there's more. The Chinese also believe that a woman should not shower for 30 days after birth- eww! They think the water is dirty so you can get infected (probably true, now that I think about it).


That's what I've learned so far but as my friends get closer to their due dates, I am sure I will have more to share.

Carrefour sucks.

A lot of people wonder what I do all day since I am not officially working at the moment. As you may imagine, managing daily life here takes up a lot of time and one of the biggest challenges of my week is grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the choices are limited to: 1) local Chinese grocery store- um, no. Can't read any of the labels and have no idea what 90% of the stuff in the store is. 2) High end western style grocery store- ok, if you want to pay over $10 for a box of cheerios, $8 for a box of frozen waffles, etc (and I am not even exaggerating a little bit on these prices). 3) Carrefour- a place that sells reasonably priced western items as well as chinese items with translations on the shelf labels. Sounds like a winner- right? WRONG. This place makes Wal-mart look good.

So, let me give you a play by play of a typical trip to Carrefour (or crapfour as Sev refers to it).


First off, I wander in and grab myself a cart all the while trying not to think about how many kids in split pants sat in the cart before I got it. Now I am ready to thread my way through the aisles. I stop for a second to grab something off the shelf when "wham" someone slams into my cart and shoves it half way down the aisle. They don't bother to apologize or even look up because this is totally normal behaviour. It's kind of like playing bumper cars except with a shopping cart (after several months in China, I now do the same). Ok, now I need to figure out where the bread crumbs are at. I ask an employee in chinese where I can find them. She grunts back an answer I don't understand and gestures toward another aisle. I peruse the area to which she directed me for at least 5 minutes but no bread crumbs- or maybe there were bread crumbs but I couldn't read the label- this happens to me a lot. I give up on the bread crumbs.





I am now ready to proceed to the dreaded meat section. There are always crowds around the meat counter and the normal pushing and shoving is happening. I take a deep breath and plunge in. I come out with a couple packages of pork chops. I also note that there are open bins of frozen animal parts everywhere and people are digging through them with their bare hands. Then putting their hands back on their carts- mental note to sanitize myself as soon as I leave. Quick pass through the seafood area- not even sure what most of the stuff is but they have turtle on special today.
Open bin of pig's feet- yummy.

Turtle- it's still alive in the bag.




Almost ready to check out- walk past several merchandisers with microphones who accost every customer by tying to get them to sample their product. They never bother with me since I am a foreigner- thank goodness for that. Cringe as I approach the check lanes- every single lane is at least 5 people deep. See one with four people and literally run to get in line. Just barely beat out a local who had the same idea- ha. Stand in line for no less than 20 minutes as the cashiers here are in no hurry whatsoever. Get bumped in the butt by the person's cart behind me- twice. Give them the stink eye. Finally unload my stuff onto the conveyor. Now, I have to decide if I want to pay with cash or card. Both are problematic. If I pay with cash, the cashier will spend five minutes checking my money for fake bills. If I pay with card, she will have to leave her station and take my card to some other lane to run it. I don't know why but this happens all the time so I've given trying to figure out which lane actually has the credit card machine.





Finally finished! Realize I've already been in the store for well over an hour. Head to the parking lot and call my driver. Load up the car and then sit and wait another 10 minutes to get out of the parking lot since some yahoo has decided it's a good idea to drive the wrong way through the parking garage. Listen to all the other drivers honking incessantly as though any of us could go anywhere. Curse Carrefour and call Sev to bitch about how much I hate this store. And I have to do this twice a week. Argh!

Satellites, St. Patty's Day, and other random stuff

I feel like I've slacked off a little on the blog so this entry will be some random updates from the last couple weeks here.

First off, we have some Irish friends who informed us about Irish week here in Shanghai. Apparently the mayor of Shanghai used to be the Chinese ambassador to Ireland (or something along those lines) so there is a lot of goodwill toward the Irish in this city. We were very excited to go see the St. Patty's day parade last week which turned out to be the shortest parade I've ever seen but it was still fun. The weirdest part was seeing a bunch of Chinese people dressed in green with Irish flags painted on their faces- but hey, everyone is Irish on St. Patricks day right?

Some Irish College Alums from China enjoying the parade.


Audrey and Sev checking out the St. Patty's day dragon- just after I took this photo we were mobbed by photographers shooting pics of Audrey- ARGH!

Probably the most interesting part of my week was dealing with the "satellite issue". It is a well known fact that satellite dishes are illegal in China but this law is commonly ignored. So, as usual, when the notices started to appear in our building that we had to take down our satellite, we ignored it (as did everyone else in our complex). The next notice said if we didn't remove them by mid-March, they (the government) would take them down for us. At this point we decided we could live without TV for a couple days so we took ours down the day before the deadline. Good thing too. The next morning I watched two men literally rappel down the side of each 30 story building and rip out everyone's dish. One of our friends had chosen not to heed the warning and was among the causalities. She promptly dragged her 4 kids to the management office and tried to explain that she only wanted the dish for the cartoons. And here is where it really gets good- the apartment management told her that they video tapped the removal of the satellites so that they could show the government that they had been taken down; however, she was welcome to come back in two days and get her dish back and reinstall it at her leisure. Fine. A week goes by and she keeps asking for it back- they continue to tell her to just another day. Finally, they give her an address and tell her she can go pick it up. Turns out the address is the police station and when you try to pick up your dish, you pay a hefty fine. And this my friends is what it's like to live in China.


Workers taking everyone's satellite. They use the same technique (and lack of safety equipment) to clean the windows here too!

Finally, just wanted to leave you with a little snapshot of Harry Connick Jr in Shanghai. Sev and I recently celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary (I know, I can't believe it either) by going to his concert. It was fantastic- and the funniest thing was that 90% of the audience was caucasian.

Comforting thoughts

I wouldn't exactly say that living in China is fraught with danger but I would say that in general it's a lot more scary than living in the USA. I've mentioned in previous posts the challenges of crossing the streets, the awful air & water pollution, and in general the complete lack of safety awareness here. So imagine my chagrin when I checked my emails and saw the following warning from the US Consulate to all expats living in China (I have inserted my own thoughts and comments in bold):

Health professionals are concerned that the continued spread of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus among animals (mainly poultry) in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe (I am not sure why they think North & South America are immune to this...) has the potential to significantly threaten human health. If highly pathogenic avian influenza, such as the H5N1 subtype, mutates and spreads easily from one person to another, influenza could break out globally, and lead to a pandemic. Of course, Shanghai would be the epicenter since there are so many frigging people here, they sell and kill live poultry on the street corners and have no hygiene standards whatsoever.

Private American citizens should be aware that it may not be possible to travel during an outbreak. Governments may close borders suddenly and without advance warning; commercial air, land and sea carriers could curtail or cancel service; and restricting travel may be the best way to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus. Like hell- we'd make live the Von Trapp family and get outta dodge anyway possible. These developments could impede a return to the United States or travel to another country or region. Therefore, Americans who are overseas during a pandemic may need to remain where they are until conditions improve, a situation which could last several months. Lord help me if I was ever stuck here indefinitely.
Private American Citizens Living and/or Working Overseas: Consider local conditions (hmm, not good considering everyone spits and spreads their germs everywhere), and evaluate your ability to maintain adequate supplies of food, water, and medication (damn, this means I need a stock up trip to Carrefour- a place so nasty that it makes Wal-mart look good) should a pandemic result in borders closing or disruptions in international travel. Decide on your optimal location in a pandemic and plan accordingly (I'd have to say my optimal location would be anywhere but here). Ask your doctor in advance about obtaining appropriate medication for treatment if you become ill, keeping in mind it could take many months to develop and produce sufficient quantities of a vaccine during a pandemic (So basically, we are screwed). Remember that U.S. embassies, consulates and military facilities lack the legal authority, capability, and resources to dispense medications, vaccines or medical care to private American citizens overseas (Of course- somebody might try to sue them so they figure they will just let their citizens fend for themselves- nice). If you are a private American citizen (e.g. living, working, touring, studying overseas) you will need to rely on local health care providers (uh-oh)and locally-available medications since U.S. government facilities will not be able to provide medications or treat you (in other words, we will just evacuate our embassy personnel and let you rot where you are).
Plan to Remain in Country: If the WHO declares a pandemic, Americans who are overseas should be prepared to remain in country for an extended period (no, no no- say it isn't true!). You should avoid non-essential travel beyond your home and workplace (are you kidding me? As if we would even bother going to work) and you should limit activities that could expose you to others who may be ill (in other words, become a total shut-in). Based on varying conditions abroad, Americans should prepare contingency plans and emergency supplies (non-perishable food, potable water or water-purification supplies, medication, etc.) for the possibility of remaining in country for at least two and up to twelve weeks (I highly doubt if there were a pandemic that they would have it under control in a matter or weeks- they just didn't want to freak anyone out more than necessary). Visit www.pandemicflu.gov to see examples of comprehensive planning checklists (I've already book marked this as a "favorite" website).
What About During a Pandemic? During a pandemic, people should practice social distancing measures such as teleworking, limiting face-to-face meetings, avoiding crowds, and maintaining a distance of six (6) feet or more from other people (absolutely impossible in this city- the average space distance among people here is 1 foot- this is scientific fact, not just my opinion).

So after getting the above email, I had a 5 minute panic attack, considered phoning Sev's company and asking to come home, googled avian flu for 30 minutes, and promptly started making my survival supply list. But here is my survival secret- if I worried about everything here, I'd already have had a nervous breakdown and be checked into the loony bin. So in the end, like I do with everything I worry about here, I just blew it off and decided it would be a funny blog post to share with my faithful readers. Enjoy.

Lost in translation

I'm working on ideas for future blog posts but in the meantime, thought everyone would enjoy some funny photos we took around town.


I took this one while sitting in traffic- talk about a translation problem!







If you need a bamboo chair, this street vendor has you covered. I see him all over town hauling his wares on the back of this rickshaw.











We often visit Buddhist temples to see the beautiful statues and architecture (plus we think Grace was a Buddhist in a past life as she is obsessed with going to temples). Anyway, Sev caught this worshipper dialing straight to Buddah on her cell phone. Nice, eh?


A worker taking up the last inch of space in the back of this truck- hopefully he isn't going far or I imagine he'll have quite the leg cramp when he gets out.


The latest in Shanghainese hair fashion. Sev is thinking of updating to this look for his summer cut.

The land down under

Xin Nian Hao! That's Happy New Year in Mandarin. I'll spare everyone the drama of the actual flight to Australia- let's just say that after a 3 day delay due to snow in Shanghai we finally made it to Sydney. While it wasn't the sunny beach vacation we had hoped for (it rained nearly everyday) it was still a great trip.

Day 1: Arrive in Sydney; check into hotel; go for a walk to Darling Harbor. 5 minutes into the walk get stopped by a gaggle of Chinese tourists who ask to take pictures of Audrey. Sigh. We just can't seem to escape. Darling Harbor is a tourist trap with expensive seafood restaraunts, the Aquarium, and a lovely park/playground area and the kids loved it.

Day 2: Take train to main ferry wharf. Catch our first glimpse of the Opera House & Sydney harbor bridge as we take the ferry for a short ride to the Taronga zoo. Spend the day at the zoo dodging the rain. Cringe as we watch two Chinese tourists jump the low barrier and actually walk through the kangaroo enclosure. We are not surprised. Marvel at the views these lucky animals have as the zoo is built into a hill which overlooks Sydney.

View of opera house from the ferry

Grace thinking she is being really naughty by running outside and sticking her butt out in the rain.

Audrey snoozing under her lovely poncho.

Day 3: Finding Nemo. Hit the Sydney aquarium. It's pretty nice but the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is better.

Day 4: More rain. Go to Olympic Park and spend the day splashing around the indoor leisure pool where the actual 2000 Olympics were held. That night, watch the Chinese New Year block party from our window. Laugh about the fact that we are probably getting more Chinese culture this week in Sydney than we would have back in Shanghai!

Day 5: Opera house & Botanical gardens. I make a scene on the stairs of the opera house by shouting at two Chinese tourists who insist on touching Audrey and taking pictures with her without asking (those of you who know me well won't have trouble picturing this scenario). I truely don't understand their obsession with taking pictures of caucasion kids. Watch the giant bats roosting in the trees of the gardens. Eat dinner at a Tony Soprano place with only 6 things on the menu, cash only, and byo drinks (it was excellent).

Giant bats sleeping in the trees of the botanical gardens.

Audrey out for a stroll in the gardens (yes, she is finally walking).

Day 6 & 7: Head into the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. Hike, take a ride on historic railroad, eat a lot of anything that isn't Chinese food.

A view of the "3 Sisters" in the Blue Mountains

Day 8: Back to Sydney. More rain but go to see one of the beaches anyway. Surf is really rough but it's still fun to play in the sand.

Grace literally climbing the walls...

Day 9: Hit the Australia Museum & another zoo right in the middle of the city. Head to airport for the red eye flight back. Good thing because Sydney is right up there with New York and London in terms of cost of living and we are pretty much out of money!

Cuddly Koala at Sydney Wildlife World.

All in all, we had a great trip although I can't really say that I feel like I've seen Australia since we mostly stuck to the city. Kind of like tourists who only go to New York City and then claim to have been to the USA. But a week of fresh air and tap water you can drink should be good enough to hold us over until we get back to the US this summer.

Snow in Shanghai

Imagine it snowed in Miami and you can pretty much get the picture of what this week has been like in Shanghai. It's the most snow they have had in the past 17 years. The good part about it is that most of the people here don't seem to mind as snow is a novelty for them. Snowmen have suddenly sprouted up all around the city and snowball fights abound. Everyone is whipping out their cell phones to snap pictures of the winter wonderland. Sev took Grace outside to play and while she making snow angels, several of the workers gathered around to watch- they had never seen a snow angel before! The bad part is that there are no snow plows here and shovels are apparently hard to come by. Most people are using their straw brooms to clear the snow. In our apartment complex they sent out an army of workers to clear the streets (I literally saw a group of 20 people sweeping the snow away). And most people don't have boots so they simply tie old plastic bags around their feet. Also, everyone uses their umbrellas to keep themselves dry which gives all of us Minnesotans here chuckle. Many schools were cancelled although (thankfully) Grace's was not. Now based on my above description you may think that we got over a foot or more. No, we got about an inch. Unfortunately for the good people of Shanghai, it's been enough to shut down highways and as Chinese New Year is next week, half the town is trying to travel to their home provinces. The lines at the train station ticket offices have been stretching around the block for over a week now.


Speaking of Chinese New Year, we have elected to get out of Dodge (as we have been told that the fireworks go off morning, noon, and night for a week straight) so this will be my last post for the next two weeks. We are headed off to sunny Sydney, Australia on Saturday. So best wishes to everyone in the Year of the Rat!




A street cleaner in the traditional blue worker uniform clears the street with a broom.


Twenty workers and guards clear the streets in our apartment complex while a resident looks on (you know he is thinking- "ha, suckers- glad I don't have to do that!")


Smiling faces as the ladies shovel and throw down some salt.