Farewell to Chongqing...

Hello Family and Friends,

It’s been a long time since we’ve blogged…we said good bye to Chongqing on Thursday July 26th and departed for Beijing. We enjoyed our stay in Chongqing but we are SO looking forward to our upgrade to “five star accommodations” The concept of “roughing it” is highly over-rated in my book - - I know…I know…I’m a spoiled brat…but I think I’ve learned some valuable lessons through this experience. The biggest lesson is that I am really appreciative of the modern and decadent conveniences of living in America.

Remember the movie “Private Benjamin” starring Goldie Hawn? Goldie Hawn plays Judy Benjamin…a spoiled, ultra-high maintenance, upper-east side Manhattanite who inadvertently gets herself enlisted in the U.S. Army. During basic training she gets herself in trouble and ends up having to march in a circle, in full battle gear, in torrential rain. She has reached rock bottom in her emotional and mental state and starts reminiscing about all of the luxurious things that she misses about her privileged life she has left behind.

During my last days in Chongqing I had my “Private Benjamin” moment as I was sitting with the US team at breakfast one early morning trying to enjoy my 19th day of plain rice breakfast porridge:

“I miss a real American breakfast with greasy bacon, eggs over easy and crispy hash browns and fresh brewed coffee”

Some of the other kids began to chime in…

“I miss cereal with milk”

“I miss toast with jam and butter”

“I miss cheese”

And so on and so on…and it made me think of all of the other things that I was missing...which made me compile this list of things to be homesick about:

1) Coffee

I miss my daily dose of java.
I usually have 2 cups a day…at a minimum.

Imagine me only having 2 cups in 21 days!! The horror!!

As I mentioned in an earlier entry…there are no Starbucks located in the Dadukou District of Chongqing where we have been staying. There is NO coffee anywhere.
Not a drop.
The nearest cup of coffee can be purchased at Starbucks in downtown Chongqing which is a thirty minute train-ride from the training facility.

Luckily I found another Mom who was jonesin’ for some caffeine and we snuck off and took the train into town one morning to get a fix. Best $18 dollar (RMB) cup of coffee I’ve ever had!!

2) My Washer and Dryer

Contrary to popular belief, there’s no such thing as a “Chinese Laundry” in China.

“Ancient Chinese Secret” my ass!!

The world mocks me. A cruel irony for a traveler like me who is used to the availability of concierge and laundry service in a hotel.

Thirty-one days of travel and a 10 day supply of underwear and clothing. Do the math. Not good.

With help from one of the parents I did find a local dry cleaner who was willing to machine-wash our laundry (as a general rule they do not wash underwear and socks) but they were not able to machine-dry our clothes…they dry garments by hanging them on an outdoor clothesline to dry in the humid, polluted, smoggy air. No thanks! So what’s a girl to do…she marches over to the nearest store, buys detergent, rubber gloves and a portable clothesline and gets to scrubbing!! You should have seen the inside of our hotel room!! A very Chinatown-ghetto vibe. We had wet laundry hanging on every available space to air dry. I actually got pretty good at it…and I must say my son’s skivvies did smell fresh as a daisy!!

Still…I miss my modern machinery…when I get home I’m going to hug my washer and dryer.

3) Real Chocolate

The funny thing about chocolate or any other type of sweets or desserts in China…everything looks really yummy and exquisite and delicious and yet when you bite into it - - it actually has little or no flavor…kinda like an “air sandwich.” I especially miss chocolate…I bought a Dove Milk Chocolate candy bar but it just didn’t taste right…it was very waxy and took forever to melt in my mouth and it didn’t taste like real chocolate to me…makes you wonder about the stuff you buy here…”let the buyer beware” - - they say everything in China is fake…from designer clothes and handbags to electronics, DVDs and I guess, even chocolate.

4) Matanzas Creek 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

I miss my favorite adult beverage. I think when I get home my first meal will be a bottle of my favorite wine, some bread and cheese from the PW Deli and a real Dove Milk Chocolate bar for dessert.

5) Steak (preferably a rib eye, grilled, medium rare)

Where’s the beef?

Unfortunately not here in China…on occasion we’ve had some type of “mystery meat” stir-fried with some vegetables but they usually coat it with so much cornstarch it ends up tasting pasty and gummy. The Chinese diet is big on pork though…and the price of pork is actually a huge issue for people here because it is such a staple in the Chinese diet and yet has become so expensive that the average family is struggling with high prices and availability.

Recently in the local CQ news it was reported that a man on a motorcycle was stopped by a roadside thief. The man thought his brand new shiny motorcycle was about to be hijacked - - instead the robber demanded the 3000 kg cut of pork that was strapped to the back of his bike!!

6) Clothes Shopping in San Francisco

I just can’t get into the fashion here in China.
I think it’s one of the few places in the world where it is perfectly normal and acceptable for a grown woman to be outfitted from head to toe in “Hello Kitty” garb. Maybe I’m just not ready for couture from the “House of Sanrio”.

And the sizes are positively Lilliputian. Every time I try on a “long sleeve” blouse or sweater it comes to my elbows…and the pants…HA! They don’t even have slacks in “men’s sizes” that would be long enough for me.

It’s just as well…clothing manufacturers here use an obscene amount of polyester in their fabrics and the styles are just too frilly and sparkly for me. Lots of “Jessica McClintock” lace and satin and “Las Vegas” style beads, sequins and gold and silver metallic fabric…

Except all mixed together…
All on one blouse or dress…

I lived through 80’s fashion once in my life and have no interest in a replay. My “Gunne Sax” outlet shopping days are long gone!!

7) Fresh Air

The air quality is so poor here. Everyday, when you look out on the horizon you can see a layer of brownish-yellowish haze just hanging over the city. It will be nice to come home and take a nice deep breath without having to hack and spew a piece of our lungs on the pavement.

8) There’s No Place Like Home…

It's official...we're homesick.

Even though we’ve had a great time so far and we’ve made many new friends in China, nothing compares to the comforts of our home and our hearts that can only come from the love of family and friends that surround us back home.

We miss you all very much and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Stay tuned for our final entry with highlights from our visits to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai!!

DDubbs