The Shanghai shuffle.

A great many things have been attributed to this city. I've realized that you could point out any anomaly or even a commonplace thing that occurs in daily life, and easily--somewhat justifiably--say "that's Shanghai".

I had a conversation the other day with a lady I met at an adoption agency. She was telling me how you were only allowed to walk dogs before 7 am and after 7 pm. That's Shanghai. (the agency actually just told her that to avoid getting the animal taken away by police because she was fostering the pet and therefore unlicensed)

You tell the taxi driver to take you to a new place and ask them to look for a certain building when you get to the street. The driver says "I drive, you look". That's Shanghai.

The drinks that you order a restaurant rival the meal in price. That's Shanghai.

And the job that you thought you had down before is replaced by a job that's totally opposite in almost every way within a 10 day period... yep, that's Shanghai.

I called my mom yesterday to chat with her about some things. My brother had been telling me that she's been really upset at my dad lately, and one of the first things she asks me is "are you still working at that place?" Considering it was only about a week since I left the company and three days after I received my offer at Monitor, I found this a bit unnerving. Had she been waiting for me to leave the company for a while now, or does she just have some kind of freaky motherly sixth sense thing when her sons feel uneasy about their current employment.

I was expecting her to make a big deal out of it. What is this company about? What's in it for your future? How is the work permit going to be handled... blah blah blah. But she didn't really ask much except for what industry it was in. I think I may have worn her down when it comes to nagging me for my decisions, and I also think that maybe she's begun to accept that I may not return to Los Angeles to settle down for a long while. Because the thing that I most expected her to ask me was, "So when are you going to come home then?"

For those of you who don't know, Monitor Group is an international consulting company. I... will not be doing consulting as I do not trust my business sense enough to ask a client to pay for it, but instead I'll be doing the design for Shanghai office. The location is great. The people seem relaxed. The money is livable. Again, the exact opposite of my last job.

I've been a bit overwhelmed by the amount of change that has occurred over the past 10 days. For a 23 year old recently out of college, in a foreign country, with an ever-so-slowly improving language ability... a dramatic career change can be a bit disorienting, albeit... also welcome.

One of the things that draws me to this city is the amount of change that occurs in such a short amount of time. People come and go. Buildings fall and rise. New restaurants pop-up every month. While not perfect in any sense and imperfect in a very many, Shanghai seems to serve as a drug dealer for those addicted to change. It's one of the few interesting cities in the world that has a "future" whether it be good or bad.

But stability in forms is also welcome: I'm getting a puppy soon. I've decided it's time for me to make the investment. The cashflow is good. I'll be able to afford to import an animal back into the United States should I need to, and well... it'll be good to have something in my life that grounds me... that I can take with me to other places... if that makes any sense at all. I mentioned earlier that I went to an animal adoption agency. I'll be taking care of two kitties for a couple weeks until they find a permanent home and hopefully within a month I'll be providing the permanent home for a small black puppy.

I really can't remember the last time I was this excited about something. Having another being that will become a part of my life and go with me wherever I go makes me feel like... I'm growing up. Like, I'm finally capable of taking care of something other than myself--financially, emotionally and otherwise.

I wonder what it'll feel like to have a baby.