Standard of Living

> Porcelain Shop, February 2007. Fuxing Road, Shanghai.

Surviving in New York is not very much like surviving in Shanghai. In New York, one can never make enough money; no matter how much you make, you always want more. In Shanghai, every breath of fresh air is savored, every quiet block coveted.

Yet as an American in China, I can't say that my quality of life has changed much. I still buy Kleenex and I still use Q-tips. But whereas Kleenex and Q-tips are found in any corner mart in Manhattan, these branded items are only found in select stores around Shanghai. What I consider meeting basic needs translates into a relatively high standard of living here.

If a simple person such as myself <clearing of the throat> is considered well-off by local standards, then what do you suppose happens when the Stepford Wives are transplanted into this type of environment? From what I've seen, the American expat wife community in Shanghai is a petri dish of insecurities and prescription drug addictions. Granted, I had very little opportunity to observe this breed of the American psyche in its native habitat. But the pressure to be more than you are must be intensified here, where suddenly everyone you know is married to the CEO of a multinational; How shameful if your husband were merely in human resources! And belonging to the upper echelons of Arkansas/Milwaukee/Rochester society just doesn't compare to having royal ancestry <enter the European expat wives>.

Boastful exaggerations ensue.

note to self
Stay away from plastic surgery. It does not age well.