I am who I thinks I am (I think?)

This morning I had to go to Shanghai to the U.S. Consulate to prove that I am who my birth certificate and my marriage license says I am. As I was driving with Jin (the company driver) this morning, I was reminded how the social classes here are so divided. Along the highway you see from the road the older people working in the fields. Then you see a BMW or Land Rover passing you by. The poverty here humbles me. We are by no means rich but sometimes it is very hard to remember. I see the kids and wonder what they think when they see this. I hope that this adventure will not spoil them, I suppose it is our responsiblity to keep them grounded. Back to the story..... The homes along the road are mere shacks (understatement), then as you get closer to Shanghai they become skyscrapers. It's pretty amazing that the social class is either very rich or extremely poor. We hear so often of the two classes in America, if one could only see how it is here, you would not complain once of how tough life is.

The reason I am going here today is to sign an affidavit saying I am who my birth certificate and mariage license says I am, I know weird. Most expat wives need to do this since most women change their names upon marriage. So I'm being driven to the US Consolate. Lucky me. The process, I'm told, should only take about 15 to 20 minutes. I arrive at the building where the Consulate is, and Jin drops me off at the elevators and tells me to go to the 8th floor. Well, he didn't really tell me, I guessed at what he was saying since he does not speak English. I go up to the 8th floor and find the USC office and go in but not before proving I am a legal resident of the US by showing my passport to the front officer. He lets me in and proceeds to ask if I have a phone or camera, yes and yes. He takes both and locks them up and gives me the key, "do not lose this key" ~ he has my IPhone and my camera, I will not lose this key! I go into the next room and take a number to be called to a window. The nice lady (who speaks great English) calls my number and I proceed to go to her and tell her my business. Along with me having to prove who I am, I was also asked to add pages to Erik and Trish's passport. I am able to do all of this within 15 minutes of arriving and head back downstairs to meet up with Jin who is still parked in the same spot, thank goodness. As we were driving back to get on the highway we pass store fronts with Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Armani, Espirit, and many more and I again realize how the social classes are so extreme. We get back on the highway and go through a huge backlog of traffic (I will never ever complain of US traffic again!). It took us about 1 3/4 hours to get back to Suzhou.

I was very proud of my boys as they did not take this short trip with me. They stayed at the apartment for the morning even though Aunt Cissy (Cecelia) was just upstairs. They met up with her about 11 and played Phase 10 until I got back to the building. I am proud of them, because this is their first real time that they have both been "unsupervised" without Scott or I. We have been "those" kinds of parents, however we know that they are old enough to be left for a short time ~ have to cut that umbilical cord sometime, right?