Goodbye, Shanghai!

Tonight is our last night in the city and I'm feeling sentimental. So, so long, Shanghai, I'll miss you. I spent more than two years in China, including my first year and a half of married life. I made a lot of great friends, had a lot of harrowing adventures, learned a lot of new things, and most importantly, became a little more good-natured, patient, and fearless.

Some things I'll miss about Shanghai:

1. Massages.
Plentiful and cheap, massages are perfect whenever I want to think calmly and deeply about work. They're responsible for many of my very best ideas.
2. Taxis.
Wherever, whenever, $3 will get you anywhere worth going. And no need for designated drivers.
3. Traveling.
It may not be logical, but somehow when you already live in a foreign country, the idea of going to other foreign countries just seems so much easier (even when it isn't!)
4. Street vendors selling yams in the winter.
There is no better way to spend a winter day than walking down the street with a warm yam wrapped up in your coat pocket.
5. Not having a car.
See #3. No parking, no tickets, no fill-ups or oil changes, no fender benders.

And, so I don't feel too sad, some things I won't miss about Shanghai:

1. No books.
Soon I'll be back in a place where anything - Bede, Baudrillard, or Bulgakov - is available immediately for the price of a cheap lunch. Shanghai is only the place to read if you're exclusively interested in 19th-century novels, business books, and travel guides. For $30 or more each.
2. The heat, the humidity, the pollution.
You know it's bad when you are eagerly awaiting living in Los Angeles because the air is so cool and clean.
3. Mexican food.
I can't repeat that enough. I've gone too long without a lot of foods, from In n' Out and donuts to fresh artichokes and decent strawberries, but two years without tamales is torture.
4. Missing everything.
People at home are getting married, graduating, having babies, buying houses, and I don't want to miss the fun.
5. Having a car.
Urban parking and driving might be a nightmare, but nothing beats a road trip. An open highway with the company of the radio and a cup of gas station coffee is all I need to be happy.

So goodbye, Shanghai, and hello Los Angeles!