Our First Guest

Our first guest departed this afternoon.

Our Friend Brad stayed with us from December 27 - January 2.

He was the perfect guest - when we arrived home on the morning of the 1st, we couldn't even tell for certain that he had arrived. He left no mess in his wake, he ate what we placed before him, he helped clean up after meals and he played with the girls for hours.

We all really enjoyed the chance to catch up with a good friend. A friend who has other connections in Shanghai, and has been traveling here twice a year for the past two years. He plans to continue this pattern, and we look forward to hosting him again this summer.

Talking to Our Friend Brad provided me with some comfort. Most of the things which bother me about Shanghai, bothered him immediately as well. Of course, he found them minor annoyances as compared to my deep frustration. Still, that someone else - and someone as laid back as Our Friend Brad - noticed, made me feel less unreasonable.

He played with the girls while I cleaned up after breakfast. He went to lunch with a friend, and returned as I was cleaning up from lunch. He paused for a moment, and then said
Wow, you have to do this after every meal, don't you?

His visit reinforced in me that I crave human interaction. It also reinforced that we would love to host visitors. Our apartment is plenty big and our girls proved wonderful hostesses. You'll have to ask Our Friend Brad about Dave's and my quality, but I get the impression he left with no complaint. Examine your calendars and your bank accounts - we look forward to hosting you soon!

And by way of explanation, we introduced Our Friend Brad to L-- in just those terms:

L--, this is our friend Brad.

She called him Our Friend Brad the whole time.