After nearly five years in Nanjing, the time has come to move on to a bigger and better city and which could be bigger and better than Shanghai. My very few boxes have been packed and the courier company is due tomorrow. I am slightly suspicious because it seems too cheap – I will be surprised if it all ends up at the correct address in Shanghai. Perhaps I should offer them a bonus if they deliver it to the right place at the right time without breaking or losing anything.
Nanjing has been good to me and I have enjoyed my time here and made lots and lots of really good friends – some of whom have moved on themsleves, back home or to other countries. That’s the trouble with ex-pat life – you have to keep saying goodbye to people.
I am hoping to find lots of people to say ‘Hello’ to in Shanghai to fill the empty positions I have for friends – Chinese and foreign.
The French Concession is a great place to be living and the flat is just off Huai Hai Road which is a dream location.
All the neighbours are ancient and Chinese and seem friendly enough.
So on Monday it’s goodbye to Nanjing and Hello to Shanghai but before then there’s a lot of farewells to say and beers to drink and curries to eat. The Nanjing flat is looking sparse now I have taken all my chattels off the shelves and out of the cupboards.
Mind you I am very pleased to have collected only a few boxes. With every move there seems to be more but still very little compared to others which is my target. If I only have a few boxes it means I can move quickly which is ideal.