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We’re Back From China, And I’m… Overwhelmed

Sunrise over the Farm

Where is my phone? I need to charge it. I receive one phone call a month on average (and it’s usually telemarketing) but I need my phone.

Why is my phone hidden at the bottom of the diaper stack?

Should I shave my legs or be patient and let it grow out to wax as usual?

That is so shallow. Why am I even considering body grooming at this stage? It’s hardly a priority… or is it?

How many loads of laundry can I do in a row before my head start spinning like a machine?

I need to cut my nails.

I need bubble tea. Scratch that—no bubble tea here. Okay, coffee, then.

Eh, if I buy tapioca balls, could I make my own bubble tea?

Oh cool, I got a cheque from a client! Need to go to the bank. What’s my PIN code already? Wait, where is my business bank card?

Why am I awake? On the first day, we went to bed at 3 a.m. and woke up at 7 a.m. Today, I slept at 1:30 a.m. and we were up at 4:30 a.m.

I am blaming Mark. He had an extra thirty minutes of sleep. Apparently, it makes all the difference—he wants to play football. I just want to lie in bed and from the look of them, so do Feng and my mother-in-law.

Mark can throw it up against a wall.

No, Mark! NOT the window!

I’m in pain. Note to self—there is no comfortable sitting position in a plane.

Eh, Windows is complaining that it hasn’t been updated in 30 days! Sorry Windows, you’re not a priority. Shut up.

So, ahem… what are my priorities?

Anything stronger than coffee for sale legally around here?

Probably not. I want whatever Mark had, he is full of energy. And he slept for two hours top during the 13-hour-long flight.

The sunrise this morning was beautiful. I guess I see one sunrise a year (usually when I’m jetlagged) so they are special to me.

Still, would have slept longer.

Okay, I realize I’m getting little sympathy here. Poor girl, been travelling and complaining about going home…!

It’s just that… there is so much to do.

I don’t even know where to start.

Okay, let’s make a list.

Oh, I already have one. Crap. I made it before we left. “To do in October.” What was I thinking? Being organized sucks. It’s like me laughing at myself—ah, ah, you will be jet-lagged; here are your chores!

The laundry is more or less under control, at least for Mark and me. Basic grocery shopping is done. I finally mailed the two little souvenirs to the winners of the “guess where we are going!” contest (I didn’t trust the Chinese mail service). I caught up with my emails and paid off my credit card.

And now, what?

Back to work, I guess. As a freelancer, it means reconnecting with my clients. It hasn’t been that long, yet five weeks is a long time in business.

Meanwhile, I have to keep Mark busy and it’s not fun. It’s cold and damp outside, I can’t really take him to the playground and it’s too chilly for a long walk.

I don’t have a plan.

It sucks.

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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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