Time to pack for Shanghai. Nightmare travelers – that would be the Lyon family. We take the maximum amount of luggage is one given. As a family of four, we are allowed 2 bags each for a total of 8. We pack 4 suitcases and 4 U-haul boxes (less weight). It takes 2 SUVs to drive us to the airport. The boxes are full of food. Healthy food is a challenge in Shanghai. I bring a six month supply of Pirate Booty, Z-bars, organic fruit twists, health cereal, hot dogs, vitamins, parmesan cheese, etc. Some of the stuff, you would never find in Shanghai. Some of it just cost too much to buy. A box of Fiber One costs $12. Therefore, I increase the stock value of Whole Foods during our trips home. Elle is my hard one to pack a lunch. She is too small to use the school microwave, she is a nut free campus and she doesn’t like sandwiches. Not liking sandwich is not a problem as lunchmeat is expensive. I buy two pounds of hot dogs at Whole Foods. They are frozen when we leave California and still frozen when arrive.

A side note to my packing is Elle’s eating. She was born in Hong Kong and has spent her 4 ½ years living in Asia. She takes in her little thermos either hot dogs to school (American) or shrimp (Asian). She eats shrimp (hipone as she calls it the Philippine name) Philippine style. She puts a little rice in her hand, tops it off with hipone and dips in lemon/soy sauce. She only likes shrimp served freshly boiled and if it is not served with the head and tails still attached, she will ask, “what is that”. The popcorn shrimp and other varieties served in America seem all wrong to her. When she was 2, she would go to the wet market with Imelda. At the market, she would play with all the live shrimp. While Imelda was cleaning them, Elle would play with them until the point they went into the pot…still alive. At Christmas, we served Elle some good old fashion mashed potatoes. She asked with her nose turned up, “what is that?’ “ I don’t like that”. I guess children are a product of their environment.

In the end, Jim, the master-packer, gets in all in as he does every time. We had a wonderful time with our families in California.