Where We’ve Been

USA: Indiana (3 days)

Thailand: Phuket (5 days)

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur (4 days)

China: Shenzhen (Drew: 19 days, Julie: 17 days), Shanghai (Julie: 2 days)

Highlights

Bespoke: Did you hear that Drew doesn’t wear off-the-rack clothes anymore? Kidding, of course, but one of the great joys of living in China is the access to inexpensive and well-made custom clothes. Shenzhen in particular is a haven for this kind of stuff – where Hong Kong-ers cross the border to have suits made and where Crazy Rich Asians spend long weekends in back rooms scouring perfect fakes and beautiful knock-offs (seriously, it’s in the book). Basically, Shenzhen is a shopper’s paradise and this month Drew had several custom shirts (under $20/ea) and a suit made, for our trip to the US. When we were picking up the suit, I bought a cashmere coat for under $200. Bespoke, my friends. It’s the best.

Elephants and Monkeys: We finally left town for a couple weekends and it was magical. For two weekends straight, we were gallivanting around SE Asia, and some of the highlights were visiting Phuket Elephant Sanctuary and Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur. Seeing elephants eating their way through a massive jungle and watching monkeys rip off tourists are spectacles to behold, each in their own way.

Friends in High Places: A benefit of living around the world is, inevitably, having friends around the world. We loved hanging out with friends in their adopted hometown of Kuala Lumpur, which we visited once before back in 2011. The first time we visited, we met a woman who was an American expat in KL (she helped us find our hotel) and that was the first time I realized that people actually live and work in random world metropolises like this. The seed of expat living was first planted on that trip to SE Asia, and here we were, 7 years later, expats ourselves visiting our expat friends, marveling in the kismet of the world.

Lowlights

Right Now on the Plane: I’m typing this during our 14+ hour flight to the US for my sister’s wedding. We are so excited to get home and get the celebrations started. In the meantime, there is a crying baby behind me and despite taking three melatonin, I have yet to fall asleep. So there’s that. Only 9 hours and 52 minutes left.

Visa Stuff: You may have heard our big news – we’re moving to Shanghai! While part of this move is super fun and exciting, we also are facing down another massive visa procurement process. China is so huge that many things are handled on a city-by-city basis. So our residency and work permits need to be formally revoked in Shenzhen and then applied for in Shanghai. I got the email yesterday with the full list of documents that we need to provide for both. Most of the documents we have, thank god. But other things, like our authenticated marriage license, won’t work because we had it authenticated more than 6 months ago. Stay tuned for more about our relocation process as we wade through it.

What We’re Loving Lately

HBO Go: We don’t always have access to premium US cable, but for the moment, we’re able to access the service and we’ve been soaking it in. Sharp Objects? Check. Succession? Check. Insecure? Check. Gotta love unfiltered, uncensored American TV. True story: we took a break from all the intense TV shows last week to watch a lighthearted movie. During the movie I asked Drew if the film was a satire, and he was like, no this is just a regular old comedy. You’re so deeply immersed in dark everything that you can’t even just take a joke at face value. I harrumphed, and went back to watching a documentary about eating disorder interventions online.

Smart Shanghai: For anyone who has a passing interest in Shanghai, this is the website that we know to answer any questions you may have. From apartment listings to articles about the best breakfast sandwiches in town, this is a one-stop-shop for Shanghai living. I so wish that Shenzhen had a similar resource, and no, we’re not gonna make it ourselves. While you’re at it, we’d also love a comprehensive restaurant review blog for Shenzhen. Thanks!

Coming Up in September

We’re back on the road this month. First up is the US, where we’re celebrating with family and doing a little swing through the Midwest (Indiana, Ohio, Illinois). Drew’s adding on a short visit to Florida, and we’ll reconvene in Shenzhen. Then, after a week there, we’re off to the UK and Ireland, where we have some work stuff and we will spend China’s National Day holiday, driving around Ireland. It’s a trip we’ve been meaning to do for years, so why not now? While we’re in London and Dublin, we’ll see more expat friends and rekindle our love affair with the British pub.

Onwards.