A Rainy Finish

We woke the girls too early this morning, although they were both incredibly smiley for 6:30 in the morning. Bangkok traffic was minimal and we rode watching the early morning sun turn the river a reddish shade of gold, and the city slowly wake up. We snacked at the airport, burned off steam, and entered the last stretch of our journey. The 5 hour plane ride. Since the flight wasn't full, they allowed us a seat for S-- and having a pack of 4 seats made the flight much more pleasant. Both girls made friends with everyone around them, enjoyed their lunches and their tours of the cabin. L-- stretched out and fell asleep for nearly an hour, and S-- fell apart completely. She spent most of the last hour screaming and thrashing in our arms. Overtired, she wanted to either stretch out and sleep or crawl on the floor and climb on strangers. We made neither option available to her, and she had enough of us. Upon arrival, we carried too many bags and stood in too many lines for any of our tastes. We walked out the doors past customs, and China barraged us. Throngs of people pushed to watch as everyone came out the doors. Other passengers pushed each other, once knocking someone over. We pushed our way to the street, only to find the wait for a taxi looked to be over an hour, in the rain.

By the grace of God, an attendant of some sort pushed us to the front of the line and piled us into a handicapped taxi. With piles of luggage and two sleepy children, it felt entirely appropriate to be considered disabled and we accepted quite willingly. The girls took turns screaming until they both fell asleep the last 20 minutes of the rainy ride home. Dinner was delivered, baths were taken, little bodies wrapped in warm jammies, and Dave and I sat down to catch our breath.

The girls clearly feel at home here. They both kept themselves happily amused rediscovering their toys and reading their books throughout the evening. They fell right to sleep in their own beds. Dave and I spoke at length this past week about feeling trapped and unhappy where we live, so seeing the girls feel so at home provided comfort and warmth.

It was 9:30 and raining, we had no groceries, and the store closed at 10:00. I threw back on my shoes, jogged to the store, and was ushered out at the strike of the hour. I had all I needed, and was happy to let them finish their work and prepare to go home.

I walked home in the rain. Warm from my run, the cool air and cold drops felt good. Overwhelmed from my travels and my life, just being alone on a cool evening cleared my head. I watched the cars go by, and marveled that I had never seen so few people on the streets of Shanghai. I walked past the Jin Mao Tower and the World Financial Center, and felt as though I were walking through a suspense movie as the fog encircled the tops of both buildings. I thought about making the most of things. I waited patiently for the pedestrian light, and stepped out as it flashed green. A taxi swerved to avoid me, and the bus and a string behind didn't even notice. My light was green. So was theirs. What is wrong with this city?