Little things

One reason I love Shanghai is because of the little things that make me happy. While I have access to a lot of "western" items, the options are still limited. While it can be annoying to not have a Trader Joe's or huge super market, it makes getting certain items really exciting. Earlier this week a mom in my class told me that she was going to HongQiao (an area in Shanghai) to the City Shop (a western market chain). Well, there are City Shops even closer, but she was going to this one because they have Flavored Coffee Mate creamer. Now you may be thinking, "so what?" but, this is the first time I have heard of it being in China as I have not seen it in any of the shops I go to. To make things even better, she said that she would pick me up some. So, on Friday, her son brought me a bottle of Vanilla Coffee Mate. I was so excited to be able to make coffee at break that day and use (and share) the creamer. Mmmmm, it was so good, ah, the little things. Then, yesterday (Saturday)I went to the Post Office to pick up a Christmas package from a friend. Getting packages is so fun and I was happy to get Christmas jelly beans among other Christmas goodies. If I were home these things would not excite me as much, but I am realizing more and more that it is the little things that make me happy.

When I was home (in San Diego) little things that made me happy were:

• Watching the sun set over the ocean (always a good thing)
• Being able to get in my car and drive. Did not have to be anywhere special, but just being able to drive.
• Being able to run and not be bombarded by tons of people, pollution, and crazy drivers
• Going to the grocery store knowing that they would have what I wanted
• Mexican food... nothing beats carne asada
• Good beer on tap
  
• Of course, friends and family, but seeing people is not a "little thing" in my eyes since I have to travel across the world, but nothing beats being able to call someone, make plans, and actually get to hang with them. I do miss being able to just go out for coffee to catch up and talk and catch up. That is something I do miss. While it is nice to have a phone and my blog to catch up, doing it face-to-face is always best.