The Supermarket Saga

We moved into our new house the day after we flew in, and the first thing we had to do was to go shopping. I had packed a box of dry groceries to bring with us, but we still needed other basics- fruits, vegetables, milk and other sundries. Also, we wanted to scope out the supermarkets - the biggest and most popular, we were told, were Carrefour, Walmart and Auchan.

In Grenoble, I had done all my shopping at Carrefour. So, feeling nostalgic, that's where we started. Of course, the Carrefour here is not at all like the French store I was used to. First of all, Carrefour was in the basement of a mall - so obviously not as big! Inside the store, there seemed to be total chaos....there was no obvious pattern to the product placement. Of course, it doesn't help when none of the labels are in English. After browsing through the aisles with growing frustration, I finally turned to my agent and handed her my list. It went a little quicker after that! I was following her, pushing my cart, watching her pull seemingly random items from the shelves - all the time thinking to myself, how in the world am I going to know what to buy the next time??? Simple solution to that - buy in bulk!!! I breathed a little easier when we came to the produce section - all those lovely, lovely veggies, those very ordinary onions, potatoes, tomatoes all seemed to be the most precious things in the world at that time! And what is that elusive whiff I catch in the air? Following my nose, I came upon the most incredible sight - mangoes, tons and tons of mangoes!!! I could have wept with joy! We returned home, mentally exhausted! Naturally, for every single thing we had bought, I thought of 5 others that we now needed to get. For instance, I had laundry soap, so I could wash clothes - but we don't have a dryer. A drying rack, clothes hangers and an iron go on the list! Dish washing soap? But where am I to put the washed dishes? Dish rack and dish towels needed right away! And so on!!

So, couple of days later, Manasi and I decided to hit Walmart. In American Walmarts, 90% of products bear the label 'Made in China' - so we were really excited about going to a Chinese Walmart! We could only imagine all the amazing things we were going to feast our eyes on!! Were we in for a surprise!!! Walmart was almost exactly like the Carrefour we had been to, maybe a little bigger and less crowded. I did manage to find most things I needed to buy - few groceries, cat food and the other bigger items on the list. Feeling really proud of myself, I headed out. Walmart, too, was in the basement - so we were looking for a moving ramp that would take our cart back to the parking lot, where our driver was waiting. Well, there was no moving ramp, just the escalator we had come down on. Wait a minute, there's bound to be an elevator around here somewhere, right? We found the elevator, but the entrance was partially blocked, so shopping carts couldn't get on. I didn't have a phone then, so there was no way I could contact my driver. Walking around blindly, I felt this black wave of despair and panic wash over me - how was I to get all this stuff out of here? Then Manasi spoke up - "Mamma, why don't you stay here with the cart, I'll go get the driver?" My little chick, who won't even go the bathroom without me, my brave little princess, pulled me back from the edge that day. Looking into her trusting eyes, I knew I had to get it together, show her everything was fine. It is often when you are pretending to be strong for others, that you truly find your own hidden strength. So it was that day. We headed back to the escalator, decided to figure out a way to carry everything ourselves. I had Manasi hold out her arms for the hangers, then stuffed a box of tissues under her arm. I managed to grab hold of the box with the iron, both the drying racks, the cat food and the bag of groceries. Looking at us, awkwardly laden, Manasi started to giggle - and just like that, all my gloom was gone. What could've ended up as a disaster, had become a hilarious story! Two lessons learned that day - first, things are never as bad as they seem to be, and second, never buy more than what you can carry at Walmart!!!

Not satisfied with either Carrefour or Walmart, I headed for Auchan next. My expectations were low- but I was in for a surprise again! Auchan was huge, almost as big as the Super Walmart in Peoria! It was too bright, too loud and too crowded. It is absolutely stocked though, even has an aisle for imported products. First time I was there, I couldn't resist a box of Walkers Shortbread, expensive as it was! Ended up greedily eating half the biscuits when I got home, and felt quite sick later - all that butter!!! Anyway, Auchan is now the place where I go to get all my shopping done. I'm still exploring, and every time I find something new - just the other day, I 'discovered' mayonnaise and Thousand Island salad dressing! Heaven! It is also in Auchan, that I've seen the most incredible thing - I like to call it 'The Egg Smorgasbord'! The display was about the size of a regular dining table, piled high with baskets of eggs. Each basket was helpfully labelled with a picture of the bird the eggs came from. Started off quite innocently with the humble chicken egg, moving on to duck eggs and quail eggs, both of which I have encountered only in novels. Then there was an array of eggs from exotic birds I didn't even know existed. The grand finale - ostrich eggs, peacock eggs, alligator eggs and even snake eggs!!! Omelets, anyone?

As I write this, I find myself thinking of our initial days in France. I'm sure we were on the same roller coaster then. Euphoria - yay, I walked into a boulangerie and bought a baguette, turning to utter despair in a blink - I have no clue how may minutes or money I have left on this phone card! The memory of those days keeps me going here! After all, we ended up being so happy in France, and I know that the same will be true here in China. One step at a time, one day at a time!

The Expat Bubble

Before we moved here, Ajey and I took a 1 day Cross-cultural training. The instructor brought up an interesting concept - the 'Expat Bubble'. Got me thinking - all of us, everywhere, live in our own little bubbles. Be it looking for Marathi speaking people in Chennai or Bangalore, or hanging out exclusively with other Indian students in American universities - all of us, consciously or sub-consciously, crave the familiar.

A move to a foreign country is the ideal time to push these boundaries, to break free of the bubble.  But with all the changes and upheavals, it is no surprise that, now, more than ever, the familiar is desperately sought. So on our house hunting trip to Suzhou, we looked up the Indian restaurants in the area, made sure that there was a supply of Indian groceries available, and took down phone numbers of other Indians living in Suzhou. After all, we can handle anything that life throws at us, as long as we can have a cup of Taj Mahal tea in the morning, and dal-chawal to end the day! So here it is - our Indian bubble!! Be it US, France or now, China - we are safely ensconced in this warm and comfortable bubble!!!

Beyond this is the Expat bubble. We experienced this for the first time on our assignment in Chennai. Our lifestyle there was so removed from the lifestyle of normal Indians - we were living in India, and yet, we were not. Our friends were other expats, Manasi was in an International school. We didn't have to deal with issues like water shortages, power cuts or the rising price of onions. We went on exotic vacations 3 times a year. And while Chennai wilted under the brutal summer sun, our dog had an air-conditioned room all to herself! This, then, is the Expat bubble - to live in a foreign country in a totally rarefied atmosphere, never absorbing the local flavours, never interacting with the local population.

Even before we left Peoria, I knew that breaking free of this Expat bubble was going to be my biggest challenge. We live in a complex which has a mostly expat population, Manasi is once again in an International school, the only Chinese people I interact with regularly are the driver and the maid. It is far too easy to use the crutch of our English speaking agent to communicate with the outer world. On the other hand, I also know that the only way to fully benefit from such an opportunity is to step out of my comfort zone. The key is to keep an open mind. Willingness to learn the local language is a close second. Everything else will follow!

I'd like to end this post with a quote from Confucius - "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." So here's to all the wonderful experiences waiting for us in China! Cheers, everybody!!!

Taking the plunge...

Moving to a new place is always stressful. Moving to a new country even more so. Especially if you don't speak the local language. To move to 4 different countries in 7 years is completely crazy! And yet, that's exactly what we've done!!!
Our latest move has brought us to Suzhou, China. Very ironic, considering that just a couple of years ago I had declared that I would move to any corner of the world, but never to China. Well, never say never, I guess! :-) And what better way to share our experiences than starting a blog? Except that its been ages since I've written anything, and this is turning out to be way harder than I thought! :-)
Its been a little more than a month now, and we're quasi-settled in our new home. Luckily, the house is furnished - so while we wait for our shipment to clear customs at Shanghai, we have a couch to sit on to watch TV, a dining table and beds. Considering the amount of furniture we own, its surprising to find out how little you actually need to be reasonably comfortable! Apparently, the bureaucracy and red tape here is just as bad as in India, and customs could take up to 6-8 weeks.
Most of our major services are set up - we have Internet, and more importantly, we have VPN! Satellite TV, with a couple of Indian channels - of course most of our TV viewing is on Netflix or YouTube. Phones took a little bit longer, but we finally have a land line and a mobile phone for my use. I wanted a cheap little phone which can be used to make calls and send SMS, and that's exactly what I got. Manasi was really disappointed - she wanted me to get an IPhone or any other smart phone - because all her friend's mom's have cool phones! Well, I guess she's stuck with a totally uncool mom for the moment!
Manasi's school started on Thursday. This is the first time that our princess has had to wear an uniform, so she is thrilled. I'm just happy that we're not arguing about what to wear to school every single morning! With the new school come a whole new bunch of apprehensions for my little worrier. It's very easy to get caught up in the grown up issues of the move, and forget how stressful it is for children to start in a new school. Simple things like "Who do I eat lunch with?" or "What if I get lost on the way to the Music room?" lead to tears in the morning. Of course, she's going to settle in and enjoy every moment - but meanwhile, it's really hard to step back and let her find her own place in this new world. Baby steps for now, with a lot of morale booster talks at home!
Ajey on the other hand, has jumped into the deep end of the pool, and is doing swimmingly well! Pardon the pun! Even with the stress and the long hours, he seems to be enjoying his new job. And he's doing a really good job of learning Mandarin. He's putting to good use the hour long commute to learn from his driver.
As for me, I'm still trying to find my rhythm here. My days are pretty full, with the gym, learning Mandarin, and myriad household activities. The online library is working out really good, so I always have something to read.
And now, the blog. Hopefully it will evolve into an interesting window into our life here in China, and also serve as a record for the years that we spend here. Having taken the plunge, I'll make sure I keep going!