The Last Night

This is it. My last post as a resident of Shanghai… at least for the time being.

Tomorrow at 10 AM, our landlord comes around the apartment to take care of the minutiae of final checkout. Then, with our suitcases and Xi Shi in her cage, we take a cab to the airport. I’ve left Shanghai through Pudong Airport so many times now, it’s gonna feel awfully weird to know I’m now leaving and not returning for a while.

As with every departure, I’ve been through rounds of spending time with dear friends drinking, chatting, and otherwise signifying to each other how we will stay in touch and see each other in the future for sure. I don’t know if I’ll see everyone again; I sincerely hope so, because I’ve met some incredible people while living here.

With so many people at Ubisoft Shanghai having moved on to greater things now that Splinter Cell Double Agent has shipped, spending time here almost feels like I’m visiting the Ghost of Shanghai Past; it’s an empty place, almost, already filled with memories. I miss some of my friends already, but am comforted by the fact I will see my friends in Montreal again.

And here we are now, all done, Helene and I, save for some last-minute packing (you know, such as dirty underwear and last-minute presents), and a bottle of white wine to empty before we sleep. In approximately 12 hours, we will be ex-Shanghainese.

We came to Shanghai with barely a suitcase each, and no friend on an entire continent. I now leave with so much, it barely fits in my head and my heart.