Category: Relationships
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How can you carpe diem?
When I was young, one of my favorite movies was “Dead Poets Society,” the classic coming-of-age story released in 1989 starring Robin Williams. One scene always stuck with me. Robin Williams, the English teacher at an all-boys private high school, told his students to seize each and every opportunity that came their way, especially when…
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Forever friends
In 2016 we moved to Shanghai, my first experience living overseas. I had no idea what to expect – especially when it came to the people we were going to meet. Over our three years in China, we made friends in our apartment building, in our son’s school, in the expat association I joined, but…
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Making friends, saying goodbye
This post originally appeared on Shanghai Mamas. Spring. The dreaded time of year in Shanghai when we tally up all the friends who have just told us they are leaving as soon as school lets out. And every year it seems like a bigger number than the year before. Friendships here are often much more…
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Saving “mianzi”
When I first moved to Shanghai, I was so excited to be connected with a woman around my age and in my neighborhood who could introduce me to Shanghai. We’ll call her Alexa. Alexa was bubbly, always ready to offer tips on places to buy food, take the kids to play, and where to go…
An Ocean Away 