Ups & Downs

Courtney told me that in my early Shanghai living experience, I would go through a series of ups and downs as I adjusted to living here, as everyone does… she was dead on. Sometimes I have moments that make me go crazy and I think “What the heck am I doing here?” On the other hand, I have moments when I look around in amazement and think, “Oh my goodness, I live here!”

The good days are really great. I love when we go out and about on the town and find new places and see new things and meet new people. I really enjoy when we get out of Qibao and head more into downtown Shanghai. There is just so much to do, and we never go to the same place twice because the city is so huge!

 We call bad days “I hate China days”. Those are the days when not only one thing goes bad, but everything goes wrong and those are the days when I really miss home and I count the days until I come home. That is the kind of week I have been having. I feel like I have reached my frustration level and suddenly, the fascinating and exhilarating has become the annoying and exasperating. For starters, my frustration at my job increases just a little bit each day – usually caused by the smallest, but nonetheless obnoxious, comment from Morgan. Then outside of work, the little things that people take for granted in the US are the things that I miss the most, like people holding doors open for each other, people waiting in lines, and people speaking the same language.

When I freaked out last week, I was frustrated with work and the situation going on with my class and Morgan, it was rainy (which automatically dampers me mood), a taxi driver yelled at us as we tried to go home, I was given a counterfeit 50¥, and I tried to order a pizza but no one could understand me (just to name a few). After the pizza thing, I threw my phone and screamed – ok, ok, a little bit melodramatic, but I had had enough! Sometimes it is a gift that no one can understand me – I mean, I can say just about anything I want anywhere. But sometimes I get just so aggravated and I wish that someone could understand just one word of what I am saying!

A little bit of my faith in China was restored when a Chinese guy actually stepped aside to let Courtney and I walked through a door first. We looked at each other in shock and concluded that he either went to an international school or spent time in America (honestly, that kind of polite behavior is just not the norm). Then in class today, I was reading a story aloud and talking about rhyming words. One of my four-year-old girls raised her hand and said, “Miss Melissa, I know two words that rhyme – duck and fuck!” All that I could say to her was, “You are correct, those two words do sound the same” but really, I was dying inside and I wanted to give her a huge and thank her for reminding me why I am in China – for the kids!

On a side note: I am teaching my children a new song for our Spring Concert at the end of April. Even though Morgan said the song would be too hard for my children, I am teaching my children “Somewhere Out There” from the Disney movie, “An American Tale.” How appropriate, right? I have only been singing it with my kids for like 2 days and they already know half of the words. I would absolutely agree that drilling kids with lyrics and choreography for a Concert with the expectation that they can sing word for word independently is inappropriate, but that is the cultural expectation. I am trying to make the best of it. One of my Japanese boys, whom doesn’t speak a word of English, can sing every word, and loudly! I have also been teaching then “You are my Sunshine”. I love singing with them, and I love hearing them sing “Somewhere Out There.”