Shanghai'd

Returned.

After 2.5 weeks in Austin (1.5 for Tim, tack on a week of Spicy Sichuan which I am sure he will update soon) we are back to the grind in Shanghai. Its always interesting how things appear upon return. Some things I forgot I loved and some that were forgotten for other reasons all together.

Love...
The couch. The shower. Our balcony. I LOVE our apartment!
The 菜场 (vegetable market) early Wednesday. More artfully arranged than Whole Foods, with a super low sticker price.
Imported Greek yogurt. It may be $12, but its thick like ice cream and worth every penny.
Its no Barton Springs, but the 3rd floor indoor pool with 20 ft windows in our rec center, also only about $1 to use.
Clothes washed, ironed and put away within 24 hours. That would never happen at home. It only happened here with the help of our ayi.
Today dawned crisp, clear, with fluffy white clouds. There is an enhanced sense of appreciation for those days. We rode bikes to work today.
My co-workers. They are great.
Speaking Chinese. It always shocks me when I can understand what people are saying in another language!

Better forgotten?
How LONG that flight is.
Traffic, and taxi drivers that always go the wrong way.
Jinbei trucks and buses that missed the "environmental controls" section during design.
Better not to fill up the Nalgene from the tap (good thing I caught myself soon after I made that mistake!). Actually maybe I better not forget that one...
How much I miss my friends and family :(

In all, its good to be back! Especially after a week without Tim. :) And mom and dad come tomorrow!