Low Key Saturday

Dave and the girls spent the day at home, in Shenzhen.
I spent the day at home, in Shanghai.

Dave gave the girls exactly the weekend they needed right now, relaxing and familiar. They spent the entire day at home, going to the pool (where they inadvertently made friends with the neighbor kids - yay!), playing at home, and only leaving the grounds to eat lunch at McDonald's.

I enjoyed what turned out to be a lovely Saturday alone. We scheduled the movers to arrive at 10am this morning, and so I sat on the couch at 9:50 to await their arrival. The house was sorted, organized, taped and stacked. There was nothing left for me to do but read. So I read until 11:00, when I began to wonder if anyone would be coming to pack the house at all.

As it turns out, no one planned to come. They would arrive tomorrow morning at 9:30, I was later informed. This turned out to be a fantastic blessing, as I could run all of those last-minute errands which fell by the wayside in such a quick move. I hit the diaper street, where packs of Huggies Gold run about half the price of Wal-Mart or Carrefour. I hit the apartment cum bookstore, where overstocked and slightly mishandled English children's books sell for a maximum of $5 per book. I hit the movie store, where they stock every title you can come up with and sell each for less than $2 per disc. I hit the boutique which takes inspiration from French and Chinese fashion, creating lovely pieces for little girls at truly lovely prices. I hit one of my favorite restaurants for lunch, and another for dinner. I arrived home with a very full backpack, a very full stomach, and a quiet house in which to watch a brand new movie.

This may not sound like a relaxing day, but it was. There was no racing through the amazing heat to meet a particular deadline. There were no children crying, arguing, or pulling on my skirt. There was no cleaning up after one but myself.

And at the end of the day, I still get to sleep in my own bed. I am melancholy to realize how much I enjoy this house and this neighborhood. They would not have been the right fit for our family this year, and so I am relieved to be in a new place. But they are comfortable, charming, and definitely home. I am sad to leave.