The Old Stomping Grounds

Well we did our usual Monday routine of going grocery shopping at Carrefour. We made sure to get out today as Shanghai is suppose to be hit by the Typhoon later today and tomorrow. No need to try to do grocery shopping in a terrential down pour and massive flooding. (the streets flood here like mad even with a regular rain). All the normal things of shopping in China came back to me. Having it be impossible to find things like a paper napkin--a whole asile stretching the entire length of the store is devoted to kleenex/facial tissue in every type of size and packaging, but no napkins. Go figure. Then of course we hit the meat area. This is the free for all section where they are all combing over the meat with their bare hands and pushing each other out of the way to get their selection. I calmly go to the prepackaged area where I am virtually by myself. The stench of the meat in this area makes me grateful I am not able to find much and will have to go to the import store to get the rest. I can only guess the condition of the meat in this store and based on the smell, I am ready to run.

The most embarassing part of our shopping trip was when I picked up my coffee I had brought with and it got stuck in the cart and spilled all over the floor. There was a lady right there thankfully with a mop, but I can only imagine what she was saying in Chinese...thankfully Tom our driver who was with me did not bother to try and translate it. That is the first time I felt like a stupid foreignor in China, and I hope to keep it my last.

We settled back at our home and I confirmed that Danny starts school on Monday. I am so happy he is starting because he will really enjoy it and he is ready. I just look at him and am amazed to see the young boy that is looking back at me. Yet, the Mom part of me that is less logical and more emotional, is screaming and crying and partly in shock that my baby, who seems like yesterday just came into this world and fought his way through the NICU to come home is now taking his first steps out of that home. Dustin just does not get this, but I know every mom out there is in complete understanding of what I am saying. I'll have to see if some of the women I have met will be willing to go to Starbucks or something afterwards, as I know I do not need to just go home and cry. (Many of them had there children in the school last year, so have already gone through this first separation).

Anyway, today has gone better than I thought it would this morning at 3 when the boys woke up (hence the Starbucks at the grocery store--that got me into trouble). I am going to go lay down for a little bit before the boys wake up. We are without Fong today as her mother fell and she had to leave to be with her. I am praying all is well, as it is unlike in the US where you can move about the country freely. I believe it will be really hard for Fong to bring her mother to live here with her and I can only imagine how hard it would be to have her mom far away and in need of help (she lives eight hours away). Another reason I am grateful for all we have in the US.