The Bad Mothers

I have a case of the "bad mothers" creeping on. I'm going out for the first time without my daughter. She's almost five years old but I hardly go anywhere without her when I'm not working. I'm a total freak of nature and should probably be put out of my misery but I can't help it. I feel like I'm doing something wrong just by having five minutes to myself. I'm going to a reception at the American Club. I've never set foot in the place and I haven't a clue as to what to expect. I feel like I've lived in Taipei for years, but I live on another version of it. There are three different Taipeis for foreigners in my opinion. There's the Taipei for the young backpacking set. They can hang out at the nightclubs, roll up to work pissy drunk, and sing happy songs to a room full of three year olds. Then there's the Taipei for the "expat". Exclusive clubs, TAS tuition paid for by the company, cars with drivers, and posh apartments up in Tien Mu. Next there's the Taipei for people such as myself. We're not exactly the backpacking foreigners, but more like the people who just came and stayed. Our homes are furnished by IKEA, our cars are third or fourth hand, and life is rather the same as it would be anywhere else except for the fact that everyone speaks Chinese around us. We're not rolling in cash and our kids have never had a nanny change their diaper or carry them down the street while we walked in front of them. Oh, do I sound bitter. I'm not. I just find it very interesting how there is such a huge divide among people. When I first got here, I used to smile at every foreigner that walked down the street. I was like a puppy, sticking out my tongue and wagging my tail. Most of the time they would just walk past, but sometimes I'd elicit a smile. Now, I'm the head forward, ignore my fellow citizens that I used to hate. Oh, how times they are a changin. Well, I'd better fly out of here. Me must go and mingle with the moneyed set.