What I'm Not Missing

There’s an online forum here called Shanghai Mamas, which is an awesome resource for foreign parents in Shanghai.  Much of the chat activity centers around people wondering where to find things: the best preschools, familiar cereals, craft supplies, a cleaning lady, imported medicine, organic vegetables, western-style furniture, clothes/shoes that fit women over five feet tall.  Many of the chats also lament the myriad frustrations of living here.

Yesterday, one member started a different type of thread, called What I’m Not Missing, with a post about how her friends back home were complaining about ticks, a problem she had happily forgotten about.  Soon comments were pouring in from other members, reminding us all that our home countries aren’t idyllic either and in many ways Shanghai (and China more broadly) can actually boast of having the advantage. 

So, with inspiration from my fellow Shanghai Mamas, here’s my own personal list of what I’m not missing:

·      television commercials

·      the barrage of ads, solicitors, and news stories related to the upcoming election

·      doom-and-gloom news media, and a consequently pessimistic public

·      expensive taxi rides

·      dirty, smelly, dingy subways

·      driving everywhere, and maintaining a car (gas, oil changes, insurance)*

·      the temptation of fast food

·      getting sucked into bad TV, especially the multitude of mind-numbing reality shows

·      scrubbing my bathroom

·      my binding cell phone contract and outrageous cell phone bills

·      taxes added to my bill at a store

·      tips added to my bill at a restaurant

·      parking lots

·      conformity

·      only being able to fantasize about affordable tropical vacations, interesting cultural excursions, and exotic travel destinations

·      celebrity gossip

·      paying exorbitant rent for a teeny tiny apartment

·      my job, or even having to work outside of our home

·      everyone with headphones in and eyes averted

·      the wail of sirens

·      obesity as a national crisis, concern, or even conversation topic

·      the question “what do you do for a living?”

·      paying more than $10 for a haircut or a DVD box set

·      commuting to my workout

·      the expectation of tips from anyone who does anything for me

·      predictability

Of course there are a few things from home that I’ll always miss.  First and foremost, our family and friends.  The fresh, crisp mountain air.  And Target, I’ll always miss Target.

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* this was near the top of the list for all of the American moms who went from suburbia to 

city living here, and it makes me grateful that I’ve never owned a car in my “adult” life!