Victims of Poor Planning

Once again, it seems we are the victims of poor planning. We were informed this evening that the hotel where we live accidentally promised our room to someone else.

We need to move.

We have already told our children, under quite a bit of stress from the move and the new school, that this is their new home. That we won't be changing house from here until we leave Shenzhen.

We have already sold or given away anything we don't need in a serviced apartment - bowls, silverware, an ironing board, an iron, the list goes on and on.

Our belongings will arrive tomorrow, in boxes.

That's right - tomorrow morning. That means we have no time to inform the moving company that we will change addresses and can not accept the shipment tomorrow. That means that we will have all of our belongings piled in every corner of this hotel apartment until the time comes to move into our new place. That means we will now have to pay to move our things again.

I have not blogged within the past few days because I just can't get adjusted here. It feels silly, because life is so easy here. Everything is within walking distance, most things seem to work, the traffic is not so bad, and the people are wildly friendly. Lilly seems well adjusted, although Sophia still needs some time. It seems as if I should be quite happy, but I'm not. Of its own accord, moving is hard.

So to be hit by this whammy tonight just put me over the edge. I could hardly parent my children, and I certainly couldn't fix dinner. They ate canned pasta and went to bed early. Then Dave and I sat down to a late dinner of fajitas and homemade pico de gallo with chips on the side. We opened a bottle of wine. And Dave turned on the soft musings of the conference call he was scheduled to participate in. Soon he left the room, leaving me to pick at chips and wine alone.

When we first moved to Shanghai, a friend told me to share the good as well as the bad, or to find a counselor because I must be severely depressed. I am trying to avoid that impression this time, and to be more honest about the upsides of this life. There are plenty, and there will be plenty of upsides behind moving. Should we choose to stay in the hotel but change units, they will lower our rent and do our laundry for free. Should we choose to leave this complex, we will live in a real home with rented furniture but also with our own pictures on the walls and our own sheets on the beds. Its not so bad, really.

I tell myself this, and its true. This is far from the end of the world. Still, I'll be honest with you. I don't know how to deal with such a blow.