Shanghai Diary: A New Year Begins

Well, a western new year begins. We will get a proper holiday in about 3 weeks, with the Lunar New Year break. One of the major reasons I will NOT continue with this school after my contract is up.

This new school is not a good fit, which is a shame. I had wanted to find somewhere to stay for a while. I really like living in Shanghai, even though I don’t feel like I’m living in Shanghai because I’m so far out in the ‘burbs. I like the seasons, I like the cold! I like being dry most of the time! (It’s far less humid here in the winter than I was expecting, so I’m having to adjust some things, but basically, when I dry my hair in the morning, it stays dry during the day, which it did NOT do when I lived in Taiwan.)

But I really miss living in Taiwan. I miss my friends, of course. I do NOT miss Clown School. I was lucky enough to go visit them on the 3 days off that foreign staff got for Christmas. I think Taipei might be my favorite city in the world. Unfortunately, the international school situation in Taipei is very small and very competitive, and living in other cities is tough because the pay is a lot lower, so it’s hard to save, which I definitely need to do as I creep out of middle age. (Yes, I’m barely IN middle age, but the years start coming and they don’t stop coming, y’know?)

Well, I hope after my contract is up here, I’ll find a school where I can be for a while. Till then, I’ll make do here. It’s not great, but it’s also not Clown School, so I’ll take it.

Now that I’m over pneumonia, I’m back on my weekend explorations. The weekend before I went to Taiwan, I went to check out Xujiahui Cathedral (right by my LEAST favorite metro station in Shanghai, lol), Longhua Temple and Pagoda, the Wukang Building, Jing’an Temple, and Xintiandi Walking Street (a shopping district that is too fancy for my tastes, but has cool vibes).

I have some plans for this weekend, and then the following weekend, I’m gonna have a little staycation so I can check out the Lantern Festival displays without having to worry about getting a ride back to my district late in the evening. And then I get to go home to see my family!

I hope 2025 treats you all kindly. I hope you have a very calm year.