The Bike

I moved back to Shanghai at the end of August with big plans for this blog.  It has taken me over 2 months to find the motivation necessary to write a meaningful entry!  To be completely honest, the first 2 months here were a flop.  The time was not wasted and I was not miserable by any means, but I was in a funk.  Of course it was great to be back in Shanghai - living here for two years after college was a great way to jump start my teaching career and it will always hold a special place in my heart.  Something was up this time though and I couldn't put a finger on it.

There are a number of things that have happened lately to pull me out of my funk.  First off, my job is getting busy and I always work better with deadlines and pressure.  I've started to research career options beyond teaching for when I move back to the States - that has really helped.  I've recognized my interests and while it will be a shame to leave teaching , I believe my passion is elsewhere.  While this is all very deep and important, I believe it's time to move on to the fun stuff...I HAVE A BIKE!!!

Yes it's true, I am a real Shanghai local now!  I rode my new bike home from work last night and back to work this morning.  Rather than standing on a crowded train for an hour, I biked with the (not so fresh) wind on my face!  The commute is cut in half as I can get to and from work in 35 minutes.  For whatever reason, I have a new sense of confidence and independence - almost like the first time I moved here!  I guess when I first arrived in 2007 it was scary and new - a challenge.  Moving here this time was so easy that it almost seemed dull and silly to leave my friends and family!  That has now been somewhat fixed with this wonderful bike :) 

Last night as I was riding home, a man on a scooter pulled up beside me.  It's rare to see foreigners on bikes so he was staring, and to my surprise he said, "ni hao.  Ni hao ma?"  He greeted me and asked me how I was doing in Chinese! This man did something that no Chinese has done to me before...he assumed that I spoke Chinese!  Was it because I was on the bike?  Maybe!  Did I appear confident in this big, foreign city?  I hope so!  I answered him by saying that I was very well and then asked how he was - he was also very well.  After that I was the dorky foreign girl on a bike, smiling the whole way home.  Is it possible that I even feel a bit more confident with my Mandarin now?  Could it be?

Rob and Sarah arrive on Sunday to spend the Thanksgiving week with me.  I am more than excited and this week can't go by fast enough.  I cannot wait for them to walk into my apartment and see my new bike.