Shanghai'd

Vote.

Pop quiz for all of you (American) readers out there on "Super Tuesday". Simple show of hands ...

- How many of you voted in your primary election? Good.
- Now, how many of you were able to tou piao in your pajamas over breakfast?

Besides all my unemployed wonkette friends, I'm guessing very few. Sometimes living abroad in a communist country has its perks when it comes to the democratic process. Actually, this may be the only time.

In fact, for the first time ever, Americans expats can vote in the Democrats Abroad overseas primary. And as if avoiding the dreaded geographical disenfranchisement wasn't enough, those crazy Dems even allow you to - get this - vote online! So while my fellow citizens were trudging through snow storms and waiting in lines (yeah, right, lines for a primary!), Laurel and I were casting our ballot electronically from the relative warmth and comfort of our living room.

Combine this with a recent Obama rally in our neighborhood, and I'm feeling downright civic in Shanghai.

Chinese-ize.

While cooking the other day, I found myself stirring this pot on my stove. I laughed out loud as I made the comparison between this scene and the earlier post, and was quite pleased at how the past 2 years have really affected me - 我 zhonghuale.

(Lots of posts, I am just getting pics off my camera!)

Booty. Loot. Spoils.

After my last trip to the US, I came home and unloaded the 80 lbs of zang onto the bed so we could fenzang (divide the spoils). What, you might wonder, would I deem so important that I would personally import it from the US? As a general rule, if I can buy it here, I don't bother carrying it over, even if I need to pay an arm and a leg for it. Here's what I snuck in this time, you bet this one was opened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:

From top:
Women's size 10 shoes, Men's size 12 shoes, Almonds, Pecans, Clif Bars, Craisins, Trio Bars, Mobile Hard Drive with image for work (a LOT faster than downloading it), AMD Processor Validation Mug, Thermal Grease, Sensitive Skin Lotion, Pepper Grinder (available here, but unworldly expensive, and not good quality), Walnuts (also available here , but for some reason taste like meat), Trader Joe's Natural Peanut Butter, Michigan U.P. Real Maple Syrup, Cold Eeze, Tofu Tacos, Wheat Germ (used to be available, but I haven't seen it in a while), Quinoa, Fireman's 4 Gingerman Logo Pint, Contact Lens Solution (available, but don't trust it), Saline Solution, Clif Shots, Large Soft Head Toothbrush, Deoderant, Herbal Tea (I know, importing tea to China??), Burt's Bees Facial Wash and Echinacea.

Transportation.

If you have watched CNN or seen any of the international news coverage, you might be aware that China is in the middle of the biggest snowstorm of the past 50 years. It is also the week of Chinese New Year, the time when every displaced Chinese person travels to their hometown to see family.

Chinese New Year + Giant Snowstorm = Jiaotong Nightmare

Millions of people are stranded at bus and train stations, major highways are closed to all vehicles (except cargo trucks carrying precious exports) and flights are canceled to and from everywhere. "Millions" of people is actually roughly 170 million, about 1/6 of China's total population.

We will not be traveling within China for the holiday and just pray our Feb 6 flight to New Zealand is not affected. We have, however, suffered some minor inconveniences during this time, most of which have been our difficulty to find a cab in the sleet and snow. We are totally dependent on cabs, difficulty in hailing one (which is basically on Monday, Friday, rush hour, the witching hour at 1030 pm when Chinese are trying to go home, when its hot, when its cold, when there is a holiday, when it is raining, when we are in a hurry...) is a big part of our life in China. So this week, while the rest of China finds ways around their jiaotong crisis, we have to make due. Here is our contingency plan for those times when there is not a line of drivers waiting to take our fare:

1. Get a personal driver. Not a full time personal driver, that is not really an option, but we do have regular taxi from our house to work. We call him personal driver. This is a great situation. He just won't pick us up to go home. So then we can...
2. Take the subway. Great for getting everywhere except work and home. And it runs until 1030 at night. Ultra-convenient for most people. Not really for us.
3. Take the bus. We have learned some of the buses in Shanghai. One from our house to the subway, which runs super frequently except when it is sleeting and snowing after 10pm.
4. Ride bikes. Most of the time even better than a cab, faster, safer... But not in this weather.
5. Befriend a Chinese with a car. But not in this weather. It's scary enough when
6. Walk. Not a bad option.
7. Run. It's 2 miles from the subway to our house. As coach Servais would say - Long walk/Short Run, with the added bonus that we get all warmed up before getting in bed in our 45 degrees F bedroom. We have resorted to this several times this week.

What a life. Sometimes I love it. Now we are waiting for spring.