42 minutes. That’s the exact length of my work commute (that is, if don’t count stopping at the milk coffee-tea stall along the way). Of those forty-two minutes, less than ten are spent underground, passing two subway stops on Line 11 of the Shanghai Metro –…
Bags of Beer and Skewers of Squid
Last weekend, for the first time in nearly four months, I saw a sky teeming with stars. Shivering and wrapping myself tighter in my plaid scarf – the one that so closely resembles an afghan – rapidly losing feeling my fingers (and for…
Bags of Beer and Skewers of Squid
Last weekend, for the first time in nearly four months, I saw a sky teeming with stars. Shivering and wrapping myself tighter in my plaid scarf – the one that so closely resembles an afghan – rapidly losing feeling my fingers (and for…
Why we become expats
Encounters with strangers in Shanghai always come with difficult questions. For one, ‘why did you come to China?’ is one that has been asked each time I have met someone new and over time, it’s become more and more of…
4 reasons it hurts to sit down and other ways to get fit in Shanghai
Picture this: you’re in a dimly-lit room and German techno is thumping through the speakers. There is a woman in spandex in front of you and she’s illuminated by a lone floodlight (eerie and unnecessarily dramatic). Her shadow is almost…
The problem with living in China aka "Thoughts on Housekeeping Part II"
One of the problems with living abroad is, that after a while, life in a new city can begin to lose its initial thrill or its sense of excitement. You become immune to the shock of only buying fruits at…
Blocks of butter and blocks of code
My neighborhood grocery must think that I’m insane. Over the past week, I’ve bought: A fifth of Jose Cuervo A 500 gram bag of instant yeast A block of cheddar A bag of kettle corn One red onion A dark chocolate bar…
"I'm a morning person who hates mornings" aka my daily routine in Shanghai
This week, I turned my daily routine on its head. As a result, I’ve worked four nearly 16-hour days. I’m groggy, disoriented, and exhausted. I officially and unexpectedly started my new job, caught completely off-guard when told we’d be switching offices last…
Good Omens
I’ve been told that the way we spend the first few days of a new year is the way we’re meant to spend the rest of that year. I don’t believe it one bit. My first few hours of 2014 were spent…
Gutter oil, no soy sauce, and other things about Shanghainese street food
It starts at midnight. A ladleflul of oil and the cracked egg are followed immediately by two (heaping) teaspoons of white MSG powder. The street vendor asks me if I want to add chili to my noodles (they come next,…
Counting time
When I think back to 2014, what do I remember? I remember the New England air blowing past me, over every single bike ride I took on the Farmington Canal trail this March and April, ten miles up each way,…
The end of the (subway) line
This weekend I did something I’ve wanted to do ever since I got to Shanghai this past July.