Tag Archives: expat

Wednesday night, 9 pm, two men come and knock on the door.  They are here to change the locks.  What? You haven’t paid the rent for the last two months.  What? Sure we did, here are the receipts. To make … Continue reading →

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Kitty Vindaloo | 3 Comments

I don’t speak any Chinese. My vocabulary consists of 5 spoken words (hello, thank you, small, big and tea) and 4 written characters (person, big, middle and small). I get along fine. I gesture a lot, point to what I … Continue reading →

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Kitty Vindaloo | Leave a comment

Unlike many new comers to Shanghai, we did not have a problem back in July finding an apartment (money helps). What we have had is a problem holding onto the said apartment (money doesn’t help). We got “evicted” a couple … Continue reading →

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Kitty Vindaloo | Leave a comment

It’s a teapot, not a real cat. An ugly teapot. The kitschiest, nastiest thing on earth. It’s filthy, still has the tea ring inside proving it was once used as intended, and has a perpetual frown due to being hand … Continue reading →

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Kitty Vindaloo | 2 Comments

No, my husband did not get shot.  He got a shot.  By a doctor.  A Chinese doctor.  In China.  Because apparently we have a thing for visiting medical facilities in emerging countries.  Not as visitors, but as patients.  That’s what … Continue reading →

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Kitty Vindaloo | Leave a comment

It’s awful, simply awful.  I am talking about pollution in Beijing.  Of course I had read about it and we were prepared for it, having bought a full artillery of protective masks.  We have the daily masks, the heavy masks, … Continue reading →

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Kitty Vindaloo | 4 Comments

Never mind The Cultural Revolution.  Never mind human rights abuses and dictatorship.  When you stumble upon the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, while looking for scorpions on a stick to munch on during your evening walk, you are awed.  You are in … Continue reading →

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Kitty Vindaloo | Leave a comment

Welcome to Beijing

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Kitty Vindaloo

3:47 am.  I am wide awake.  Jet lag.  Welcome to Beijing! I landed last night, after the longest flight I have ever taken.  Thirteen hours and forty minutes, beating my previous 12-hour flight.  I made it in one piece, after … Continue reading →

Posted in Adapting | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Before moving to India, I studied like a grad student. From the time we decided on the job change, I read everything about India, or anything written by Indians. Literature, political commentary, movies, you name it, if I could get … Continue reading →

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Kitty Vindaloo | 3 Comments

Our friend got a brand new car a few weeks ago. Yipee for our friend! It’s a big gold Toyota Innova, also known as an expat car. Most expats ride in big SUVs, we liked Sathya’s little white car, the … Continue reading →

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Kitty Vindaloo | Leave a comment