Shanghai Life

I’ve moved apartment. The first thing that I did soon after I moved was to look for stores where I can buy beer and water. I don’t die if I don’t drink beer but water is very important to survive. I can’t drink tap water here in Shanghai and also can’t use it to cook.



Companies and houses in Shanghai are usually furnished with water devices. They have developed such things very well. The water device is just like a square box. They insert a big plastic bottle of water, that is turned bottom up, into a water device. And the device has two taps that are for water and for hot water. People can get both water and hot water from a device.



They call a company to get these big plastic bottles of water and then the company delivers water. Our office let one of those companies deliver the bottles. The receptionists of those companies are usually very arrogant. My friend, “J”, calls the company and every time she calls, she gets upset. She has enormous talent to upset people. In spite of that the SHE is upset. The receptionist (a female, females are rather tough here in Shanghai.) is really something, I think.



J says, “You absolutely don’t have to call those companies. It just makes you sick!” I also think that even if I call them, I can’t understand Chinese and also I don’t know if I can stay home when they deliver water. (I understand her reason to say that. She doesn’t want to call them instead of me.)



For this reason, I was looking for stores to sell beer and water. Fortunately I could find one soon. My room is nearer to a back gate. However I found that there is a convenience store beside the main gate. Actually I also found a store named　便利屋(this is the Chinese name for convenience stores.) They also sell beer and water and it is across a street at the back gate. I know this one is nearer than the convenience store but its atmosphere is very dark and the shop keepers who are seemingly a wife and a husband are also very dark people. Every time I go there, I feel sick. And one more thing, they don’t sell 青島beer. So I eventually go to only the store near the main gate.



to be continued-----