Farewell to More Friends

A New Yorker buddy of mind who stayed with me for the summer left this morning. I've mentioned that Shanghai is a transient place, and it is tough when someone leaves. He was a great guest, and I enjoyed the company. On Tuesday, a mutual friend of ours head back to Europe. I've known her most of my stay here, and she will be missed.

Good friends are constantly coming and going. For a couple of months there is continuity and then a mass of defections. Because you rarely know how long someone will be around, you tend to form bonds quickly. There is an intensity to friendships that is often lacking in the US. For many expats, me included, you never feel entirely settled. Your home is some place else, even if there is nothing left for you to return to. I think that makes people closer. Your home is just your home for a few years, so you grab on to friends and hold tightly.

Thanks to a US boss and a coworker here, work was extremely unpleasant this week. I am generally blessed with an understanding US management team; however, our Asia Pacific director periodically suffers from a consistency deficit. This manifested itself in one of my best and brightest, young, perspective-lacking colleagues threatening to tender her resignation. Work in China is complicated enough without internal crisises. That combined with another perpetual pain in my side left me considering a self-imposed work abstinence program. Take 3 to 6 months off, visit some people, figure out what to do post China. Sounds pretty good at times.

For the past week, I've wanted nothing so much as my obese, oddly-shapen lab lying like a flour sack on my lap. There is almost nothing more comforting than a large lumbering lab to reduce stress (provided the lab is at least 6 years old and too fat to cause great trouble). In lieu of that, I have been blessed with a cat with fleas and ear mites. If anyone one in the states is interested, don't let distance deter you. I will gladly throw it in a box and ship it. It may take a little over a month to reach you, but China post is generally 75% reliable which is good enough for me.