Think about this: if you were living in Qingdao, China, and had one opportunity per year to get the things you need from the U.S., what would you get? There are some limitations: Everything you get must fit in a regular old stuicase: not a huge one, not a small one. In addition, nothing can be too breakable, too heavy, or too valuable.
My one chance per year is coming, and I have to start shopping now or I might miss out. Bruce is going to Oregon for a series of meetings in early December. Since Vivi and I won't be coming home until {some other time}, and not in the immediate future, Bruce is going to do his duty as the traveling father figure and bring us home a suitcase full of goodies to get us through the next {vague interval of time}. Here's what's on my list:
- Starbuck's Via instant coffee. For desperate moments when we consider ourselves lucky to get Asian instant 3-in-1 but don't actually want to drink it.
- A new waffle iron. Vivian eats waffles almost every day for breakfast and the one we have was given to us second hand from another expat family who has long since gone home. Ours is broken, has exposed wiring, and has lost its non-stick. If we didn't use this nearly every day, I wouldn't bother getting a new one. I would like this one by All-Clad or this Hello Kitty version, but will have to settle for the el-cheapo.
- Nyquil and Tylenol for kids and adults. Advil.
- Sesame tahini (can't make hummus without it) and kalamata olives (packed in vaccuum packed bags, not glass).
- Seagate portable hard drive for my MacBook Pro
- Santa Cruz Lime Juice since limes are still unavailable in Qingdao (though readily available in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. Go figure.) I wouldn't need this if I didn't drink so much.
- Children's hair detangler. Vivian has these curls on the back of her head that make a nasty snarl every morning, and detangler makes our mornings easier. I would love to get this organic version but its pretty shockingly pricey so I will have to settle for Suave.
- Deep Sleep herbal sleep aid. One capsule helps me get a good night sleep when I can't do it on my own. Two capsules kills jet lag.
- 110ND photographic filter for making amazing daytime long exposures like this one and all of these.
- Card reader for my Canon's CF memory card. I have bought two cheap card readers in China. The first one never worked at all, and the second one died while we were on holiday in Yangshuo. The timing really stunk.
- Books for me: Get me out: a history of childbirth, Little Girl Blue, and At Home: A Short History of Private Life.
- Books for Vivian: Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Tomie dePaola's Book of Bible Stories, and maybe even Pippi In the South Seas or Dr. Doolittle. She's onto chapter books now, you see, and can hardly be bothered with picture books. Though illustrations do help keep her interest.
- A candy thermometer. Just in case.
Things I would like to order but are either a) too bulky b) too frivolous/indulgent c) too expensive, or most likely, d) all of the above.
- Tadashi Shoji evening gown and Spanx
- Fujifilm Finepix 100. Because I don't always want to carry a DSLR and I can't go back to a pocket point-and-shoot. Besides, its elegant and makes my heart beat a little faster. That's worth something, itsn't it? But its not available yet. Price info not out, either.
What would be (or is) on your shopping list if you were coming to (or are living in) Qingdao and had to get just those things that you can't live without for the next {undetermined interval of time?}
Don't forget to visit the View from Here this week. The theme is Milestones and we've all had some of those!
