Life in Shanghai is of the kind that’s perfect for Instagram. Between the late-night bars of Yongkang, the dazzling views of Pudong and the Oriental Pearl Tower, and the four-story elevated highways that sweep through the center of the city,…
Letting Go
My jade bracelet has shattered. It’s funny, the bracelet had been on my mind for weeks and I had just spent over a month trying (quite unsuccessfully) to get it back (back from where? well, that’s a more complicated story)….
China's biggest (in)conveniences.
I really need to stop feeling guilty about taking cabs. I realize I’m acting stupid, muttering curses under my breath in Russian as I climb up six flights of stairs through a darkened alleyway (complete with clap on! clap off! lights). Over the past…
Accepting Changes
It’s funny just how drastically and rapidly your taste for something can change. If, just a year ago, someone had told me that I would be sitting on an ivory-painted bench in front of the Shanghai Centre, spooning ricotta cheese into my mouth…
Puking in Phuket and other nautical adventures through Thailand
48 hours. Just 48 hours was all it took to turn the tropical paradise that is the island of Phuket into a head-first vomit trip towards the toilet bowl, violently throwing up everything I had consumed since morning (yogurt with granola, one small…
Escape from Shanghai
I don’t often write impromptu entires like this one. I’ve had another entry in the making for the past week, one that I’ve been carefully crafting — about China’s conveniences, my wheat allergy, taking taxis, and living on my own — but…
How I became trapped on the 27th floor, and other major life decisions
This week, I experienced free-fall. On my way to Baker & Spice for morning yogurt with apricot granola, the elevator in my building collapsed, jolted, and I became entrapped between the 27th and 29th floors of my apartment complex. A thump, a crash,…
Living Fearlessly
The air finally smells of Autumn. Somewhere between the pouring rain (does 72º count as an Autumn chill?), crossing Nanjing West Road and its shimmering boulevards in that dim light that is so reminiscent of October, breaking out my skyblue windbreaker, and steaming hot…
Thoughts on Housekeeping
Writing on the internet is weird, isn’t it? On a purely fundamental level, these posts that I write are for myself – to de-stress, to preserve memories of my life in Shanghai for that time when I finally come home, and…
"Where is the Kombucha?" and other silly questions
A few days ago, I was asked the one question I haven’t been asked much since coming to Shanghai. Why did I come to China? Why am I 9,000 miles away from home, the people I love? (and most importantly from…
The baguette cult of personality
Four years ago, I spent a magical summer in Paris, capturing memories in a long-forgotten blog. Every Thursday, I’ll post my favorite entries from that blog. This is reprinted from 7-20-10.` Baguettes are a ubiquitous phenomena in Paris. They…
Moving on
This weekend, I had quite a difficult conversation while Skyping with my mom. It was difficult in a few ways: the call kept dropping. yes, mom, I’m eating enough, stop making silly jokes about Chinese food. (Is this where I get my awful…