Today was a much better day for Abi. Her school is having sprit week and today was skittle day. Everyone was to dress in bright colors (like skittles) and Abi was dressed in bright pink (imagine that) from head to toe. She got out of school at 11:30 today and was very happy. She wanted to go to the “underground” shopping area and look for a new handbag and watch. The “underground” is a little weird and funny at the same time. As soon as you approach the subway area several people come to you and want to show you the “market”. So….you follow them to the “market” which is a bunch of small shops in a shopping mall. These shops are unique because they all have secret doors that lead to another room that is twice the size of the store front. Today we discovered that there is yet another layer to these stores. In one of the shops they actually dismantled a display, removed part of the shelving, slide the wall back and revealed the “back back” room. We had to duck under part of the shelving to get into this room. If you can get over the creepy factor it is really very funny.
Many people on the Concordia staff are from the Pacific Northwest and we visited with one of them today that has a home in Depot Bay, Oregon. She was very helpful and told us many things about transitioning to a new culture. She said most people experience a “sensory overload” and their brains just shut down for a little while. By “shut down” I mean it moves slower and you just can’t process things as fast. The good news is that this is temporary. I thought this was very interesting and it gives me a great excuse to have a “slow brain” for a while.
Tonight we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant. The food was very good and the service was really fun. We had 5 girls waiting on our table and they were so cute and funny. They hovered around our table the entire time we were in the restaurant. During dinner we were trying to get Abi’s new cell phone to turn on. So…our waitresses all wanted to help us figure out how to turn on Abi’s phone. They were so cute all huddled around the phone, all talking to us at the same time both in Chinese and a little bit of English. They were laughing and talking and laughing and talking. Finally Abi figured out how to turn on the phone and they all cheered. We were all laughing so hard other people were starting to stare. We took a picture of two of the girls with Abi and her phone and they made the Asian sign with their fingers as we took the pictures. That made us start laughing all over again.
Tim has to go to work tomorrow…so I am going to be on my own for coffee. My big job for tomorrow is to sit at our new apartment while the “IT” guys connect our wireless internet and wait for some plants to be delivered. I purchase two five foot topiaries from a man that sells plants out of a basket on the back of his bicycle. The topiaries are potted in very nice black clay pots and cost 300RMB for both plants. That is about $36. You just have to love shopping in China!!!!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tim and I went to Starbucks again today after we dropped Abi at school. When we ordered our drinks they gave us a red silk stuffed pig. Chinese New Year (also called Spring Festival) is in about two weeks and we learned that the year 2007 is the year of the pig. Everywhere we go we see pigs. Most of the pigs are gold or red. The strange thing about these pigs is that they are headless. ???
Outside of Starbucks this morning a group of about 15 people were doing Tai Chi. The women wore beautiful velvet coats in deep purple, green and red. They were very graceful and it was really fun to watch. At one point they picked up swords and used them in their routine.
Our big accomplishment for the day was purchasing two sim cards and one new cell phone. I could write a whole book on this experience. Our friend Mr Wu helped translate for us and we finally worked through the long process.
Tim hung out at the apartment most of the afternoon while several deliveries were made and our satellite was installed. The sun was shining today and the sky was very clear. The view was spectacular.
I spent the afternoon with Abi. She had a tough day at school today. We expected to have a few of these days and we are happy to have this one over. Tomorrow she only has a half day of school and it I'm sure it will be a better day.
Outside of Starbucks this morning a group of about 15 people were doing Tai Chi. The women wore beautiful velvet coats in deep purple, green and red. They were very graceful and it was really fun to watch. At one point they picked up swords and used them in their routine.
Our big accomplishment for the day was purchasing two sim cards and one new cell phone. I could write a whole book on this experience. Our friend Mr Wu helped translate for us and we finally worked through the long process.
Tim hung out at the apartment most of the afternoon while several deliveries were made and our satellite was installed. The sun was shining today and the sky was very clear. The view was spectacular.
I spent the afternoon with Abi. She had a tough day at school today. We expected to have a few of these days and we are happy to have this one over. Tomorrow she only has a half day of school and it I'm sure it will be a better day.
Monday, January 29, 2007
First Day of School
Today was Abi's first day of school. She was excited and nervous as we drove to her school this morning. When we arrived we were greeted by the wonderful admissions director. She took Abi's picture and had her fill out some forms. Abi got her schedule and then we went upstairs to meet with the Geometry teacher. He was running late so we went back downstairs to meet the IT guy. He gave Abi her new computer and a very quick tutorial about the Concordia computer system. Then we went to buy uniform tops and put money on the computer system for lunches. Poor Abi had six people helping her with uniform shirts all giving their opinions on colors and sizes. By this time she was feeling a little overwhelmed and a little teary. Of course that was all I needed to start my tears rolling. After getting a slight grip on our emotions we went back upstairs to get a revised schedule and a locker assignment. The scheduling at this school is a little challenging because they have 7 different days in a cycle and each day has a different set of classes. We left Abi with a very nice lady from the high school office. She was going to introduce Abi to a student that would walk her to all of her classes. Abi was very brave and I cried all the way back to the car. You would have thought it was her first day of kindergarten.
Tim and I found a Starbucks, ordered coffee and I had a good (long over due) cry. I am sure I looked like an idiot but who cares I don't know anyone here yet!!!!!! While we were having coffee a couple asked where we were from and started a conversation with us. I think I may have made my first friend today. :)
Before we left the States I read about a Community Center in Pudong that offers support to expats in Shanghai. They also offer a variety of classes and they have a coffee group!!!! The couple in Starbucks told us where it was located and we went to find it. We have passed it several times on our way to Abi's school and did not even know.....Go figure!!! We found many very nice people all willing to help us with many things. I have already emailed with two of them and we are planning to take a class at the center for newcomers to China.
Our big "business" accomplishment for the day was to finish our paperwork at the Entry-Exit Authority and to meet with our China tax consultant. Our tax consultant was very nice and went to school in PA in the US. Wow!!! Income tax is very high in China.
Tonight we had an adventurous dinner. Chinese food (surprise!) at a resturant in the neighborhood. Abi is experimenting with new foods and I am very impressed with her new found willingness to try things. I have eaten many things in the last few days that I can not identify. Some times ignorance is bliss.
Abi and Tim are practicing mandarin as I am writing this and it is really hilarious!!! Our driver was tutoring us in Chinese on the way home from school today. He also thought we were hilarious.
I loaded my new quilt design program on my computer yesterday and I am really enjoying working through the tutorial.
We tried two times yesterday to buy cell phones without success. Shall we say communication break down!!! Mr. Wu is going with us tomorrow so we can get phones for Abi and I. It is really weird how much I miss my phone.
Today was Abi's first day of school. She was excited and nervous as we drove to her school this morning. When we arrived we were greeted by the wonderful admissions director. She took Abi's picture and had her fill out some forms. Abi got her schedule and then we went upstairs to meet with the Geometry teacher. He was running late so we went back downstairs to meet the IT guy. He gave Abi her new computer and a very quick tutorial about the Concordia computer system. Then we went to buy uniform tops and put money on the computer system for lunches. Poor Abi had six people helping her with uniform shirts all giving their opinions on colors and sizes. By this time she was feeling a little overwhelmed and a little teary. Of course that was all I needed to start my tears rolling. After getting a slight grip on our emotions we went back upstairs to get a revised schedule and a locker assignment. The scheduling at this school is a little challenging because they have 7 different days in a cycle and each day has a different set of classes. We left Abi with a very nice lady from the high school office. She was going to introduce Abi to a student that would walk her to all of her classes. Abi was very brave and I cried all the way back to the car. You would have thought it was her first day of kindergarten.
Tim and I found a Starbucks, ordered coffee and I had a good (long over due) cry. I am sure I looked like an idiot but who cares I don't know anyone here yet!!!!!! While we were having coffee a couple asked where we were from and started a conversation with us. I think I may have made my first friend today. :)
Before we left the States I read about a Community Center in Pudong that offers support to expats in Shanghai. They also offer a variety of classes and they have a coffee group!!!! The couple in Starbucks told us where it was located and we went to find it. We have passed it several times on our way to Abi's school and did not even know.....Go figure!!! We found many very nice people all willing to help us with many things. I have already emailed with two of them and we are planning to take a class at the center for newcomers to China.
Our big "business" accomplishment for the day was to finish our paperwork at the Entry-Exit Authority and to meet with our China tax consultant. Our tax consultant was very nice and went to school in PA in the US. Wow!!! Income tax is very high in China.
Tonight we had an adventurous dinner. Chinese food (surprise!) at a resturant in the neighborhood. Abi is experimenting with new foods and I am very impressed with her new found willingness to try things. I have eaten many things in the last few days that I can not identify. Some times ignorance is bliss.
Abi and Tim are practicing mandarin as I am writing this and it is really hilarious!!! Our driver was tutoring us in Chinese on the way home from school today. He also thought we were hilarious.
I loaded my new quilt design program on my computer yesterday and I am really enjoying working through the tutorial.
We tried two times yesterday to buy cell phones without success. Shall we say communication break down!!! Mr. Wu is going with us tomorrow so we can get phones for Abi and I. It is really weird how much I miss my phone.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Today was a day of great entertainment and mild frustration. We started our day at a the Super Brand Mall. In the basement of many of the malls in Shanghai are grocery markets. We had a short list of items that we wanted to purchase and we planned to go to two different markets so we could price shop and compare the "environment" of each store. On our list was diet Pepsi, a curling iron, hair straitener, blow dryer, (our small electric appliances do not work here because of the power differences) and a few snack items and school supplies.
The other items on our agenda were to take Abi to see her school and to have lunch at a little restaurant in the neighborhood where her school is located. Our driver picked us up at 10:00 and we were off. The first market was very fun to explore and Abi and I were entertained by the food items that we saw. So entertained in fact that we found it necessary to take pictures. We already stand out a little bit in the crowd and taking pictures in the grocery store just added to our "oddness" which of course made us laugh. The store was so crowded that we could hardly get a cart through the isles. Tim was very patiecent while we looked for all the girl stuff we needed. The market must have had 25 different styles of hair dryers but only one curling iron and one straightener. And...no diet Pepsi. Can you imagine? The store was very large and it took us much longer to explore than we thought so by the time we left we were starving.
Our lunch was very good, Tim ordered shrimp wonton soup, I had pan fried dumplings, and Abi had noodles with beef. The restaurant is in a large expat area and we saw many Caucasians for the first time in days. It was sort of weird....
Then to Abi's school..... by this time we were directing our driver because we got the feeling that he did not really know where he was going. Our driver speaks a little bit of English and that has been helpful. We directed him to the other market and again spent longer than we thought we would. The store was very very crowded and it was a zoo. And...they did not have a single straightener or curling iron. AAAHHHH.....I thought this would be so easy. Tim was happy though because we found diet Pepsi.
We decided to stop at one more market on the way back to our hotel. We had passed it on the way to the restaurant and we assumed that our driver would go back the way we came and we would have no problem finding it. The distance from Abi's school to our hotel is 15 - 20 minutes. About 90 minutes later we were no where near the market and we had to direct the driver again so he could find our hotel. By this time we are wondering if having a driver that speaks English is better than having a driver that knows how to get places..... The jury is still out on this one.
In the end we went back to the store we first visited and purchased the straightner and curling iron. We were all very ready to be out of the car and away from the crowds.
The other items on our agenda were to take Abi to see her school and to have lunch at a little restaurant in the neighborhood where her school is located. Our driver picked us up at 10:00 and we were off. The first market was very fun to explore and Abi and I were entertained by the food items that we saw. So entertained in fact that we found it necessary to take pictures. We already stand out a little bit in the crowd and taking pictures in the grocery store just added to our "oddness" which of course made us laugh. The store was so crowded that we could hardly get a cart through the isles. Tim was very patiecent while we looked for all the girl stuff we needed. The market must have had 25 different styles of hair dryers but only one curling iron and one straightener. And...no diet Pepsi. Can you imagine? The store was very large and it took us much longer to explore than we thought so by the time we left we were starving.
Our lunch was very good, Tim ordered shrimp wonton soup, I had pan fried dumplings, and Abi had noodles with beef. The restaurant is in a large expat area and we saw many Caucasians for the first time in days. It was sort of weird....
Then to Abi's school..... by this time we were directing our driver because we got the feeling that he did not really know where he was going. Our driver speaks a little bit of English and that has been helpful. We directed him to the other market and again spent longer than we thought we would. The store was very very crowded and it was a zoo. And...they did not have a single straightener or curling iron. AAAHHHH.....I thought this would be so easy. Tim was happy though because we found diet Pepsi.
We decided to stop at one more market on the way back to our hotel. We had passed it on the way to the restaurant and we assumed that our driver would go back the way we came and we would have no problem finding it. The distance from Abi's school to our hotel is 15 - 20 minutes. About 90 minutes later we were no where near the market and we had to direct the driver again so he could find our hotel. By this time we are wondering if having a driver that speaks English is better than having a driver that knows how to get places..... The jury is still out on this one.
In the end we went back to the store we first visited and purchased the straightner and curling iron. We were all very ready to be out of the car and away from the crowds.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Abi and Tim trying out a chaise at the Furniture Market
Our first day in China in was filled with shopping and decisions. We spent some time early this morning at our apartment. The work that was going to be done over the past month just began today. Oh well....we are not in any hurry I guess. To our surprise all the workmen were smoking in our apartment as they worked. Yuk!! This was a little shocking having just come from Washington where there are strict "no smoking" laws. This is going to be a hard adjustment for us.
There were several pieces for furniture that we needed to choose today in order to have them delivered before Chinese New Year. The next two weeks are very busy in China as everyone prepares for the holiday. We went to a furniture market that was five stories and at least 100 stores per floor. It was a little overwhelming but fun to see the style of home decor that is popular in Asia. Most of the designs are very contemporary. We took a break for lunch and then went back to the market to make our final decisions. We choose living room furniture...sofa and two large chairs, a bed for Abi, and two chaise lounges to sit in the window for reading and viewing the river. We then went back to the apartment to choose fabrics for drapes and several upholstered pieces. It is actually cheaper to reupholster furniture here than to purchase new. I like this very much. As you know I love bringing all the pieces together to make a cohesive environment. All in all it was a fun and productive day.
Jet lag caught up with Abi and I at about 4:oo this afternoon. We were also freezing so we came back to the hotel for a few minutes before walking to dinner. After dinner we all had a massage. It was heaven and painful all at the same time. The massages here are very ...... how do I say this..... I can't think of a word to describe it......so I will just say that the people giving the massage are very strong.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Random thoughts about my first visit to China:
- Excitement about visiting Asia for the first time
- Hard to sleep on the airplane
- Long lines at the airport when we arrived in Shanghai
- Man greeting us with a sign that said "Tim Spofford"
- Man with sign is our driver and does not speak English
- I do not speak mandarin
- Feel a strong desire to learn this language so I can communicate
- Traffic is crazy
- Laundry hanging everywhere
- Hotel is beautiful and very tall ... We are on the 73rd floor
- It is nice to have time with Tim even though we are busy
- Abi's school is very nice
- Tim's office is also nice and just 5 minutes from Abi's school God is good
- We could live in an expat compound
- Furniture style is very contemporary
- While living in China we should experience the culture
- Frustration with language and communication
- Great food- lunch with Wu
- Good luck/bad luck
- Church might be closed on Sunday???
- Bad luck numbers ending in 4
- Medical exam at the DMV
- Old medical equipment
- Lots of people
- Starbucks
- Fabric market- can't wait to have a coat made
- Ribbon, buttons, beads for miles
- Tea at the Garden
- Flower expanding in hot water to make tea
- Fog fog fog
- Meeting new people that Tim will be working with
- Fun dinner with other HP expats- all from Boise - go figure
- cereal and syrup are hard to find/expensive in China
- High rise apartment with room for Tucker and guests
- Need for American food
- Trip to Carrafor - meat department no good
- Found an import store close to our apartment- make note to self about location
- helicopters - Christmas presents - only found in Asia
- River walk
- Steamed dumplings
- Bikes and scooters everywhere
- How much stuff can you carry on one bike?
- Ready to go home
- Tim migraine on the plane from Shanghai to San Fran
- Glad to be home
- Happy to see kids
- Get ready for Christmas
- Put move aside for a while
Tomorrow is our last day in our house for a while. We have a great house and Buddy (our basset hound) sitter that will be living in and taking care of our home and dog. This is a great blessing because we did not have to pack up everything and put it in storage. This will also allow Tucker to come home from University during long weekends.
This week has been a lot of "lasts". Our last worship service at FUMC, our last visit with my parents, Abi's last day at school, last FYI (a Wednesday evening program at church), last bible study with our small group, last staff meetings, and tomorrow will be my last coffee with the "Java Jewels". The Java Jewels have been meeting for over 5 years now. We started our coffee group shortly after I moved to Vancouver from Richmond, Virginia. I had just met our neighbor Julie and we decided that our social needs and girl time would not be met in our immediate neighborhood. Julie had also just moved to Vancouver so we were desperate to make new friends. Through a mutual friend of mine we found another "new to Vancouver" family and we decided to meet for coffee. That coffee date turned into a weekly coffee meeting and has grown in numbers. We have had to say good bye to several friends that have move away and some that have been sucked into the black hole called full time employment. I am going to miss this group of wonderful friends. We have laughed, cried, and prayed together, solved many world problems, trained and power walked the Portland Marathon, and supported one of our own through the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Most of us are also in the trenches of parenting teenagers and it is so good to laugh and escape the "mom" title for a few minutes each week. I am so blessed to have these smart, funny, talented, wise women in my life.
This week has been a lot of "lasts". Our last worship service at FUMC, our last visit with my parents, Abi's last day at school, last FYI (a Wednesday evening program at church), last bible study with our small group, last staff meetings, and tomorrow will be my last coffee with the "Java Jewels". The Java Jewels have been meeting for over 5 years now. We started our coffee group shortly after I moved to Vancouver from Richmond, Virginia. I had just met our neighbor Julie and we decided that our social needs and girl time would not be met in our immediate neighborhood. Julie had also just moved to Vancouver so we were desperate to make new friends. Through a mutual friend of mine we found another "new to Vancouver" family and we decided to meet for coffee. That coffee date turned into a weekly coffee meeting and has grown in numbers. We have had to say good bye to several friends that have move away and some that have been sucked into the black hole called full time employment. I am going to miss this group of wonderful friends. We have laughed, cried, and prayed together, solved many world problems, trained and power walked the Portland Marathon, and supported one of our own through the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Most of us are also in the trenches of parenting teenagers and it is so good to laugh and escape the "mom" title for a few minutes each week. I am so blessed to have these smart, funny, talented, wise women in my life.
Abi's school
While Tim and I were in Shanghai we visited the school that Abi will be attending. It is an international school with students from 40 different countries. The facilities are amazing and they are in the process of building a new performing arts center and a new elementary school. Abi will have to wear a uniform for the first time in her life. She and I spent many hours last Saturday looking for khaki pants. They seem to be out of season right now and a bit difficult to find. We did manage to find several pairs of shoes while we were looking for pants. :)
While Tim and I were in Shanghai we visited the school that Abi will be attending. It is an international school with students from 40 different countries. The facilities are amazing and they are in the process of building a new performing arts center and a new elementary school. Abi will have to wear a uniform for the first time in her life. She and I spent many hours last Saturday looking for khaki pants. They seem to be out of season right now and a bit difficult to find. We did manage to find several pairs of shoes while we were looking for pants. :)
Tim and I have been to China and are now back in the states getting ready for the big move. After many weeks of planning, cleaning out closets, and deciding what we should take with us, we are about to embark on a new adventure. The movers came today and packed our "stuff". We are taking very few items from our house. Our apartment is furnished and we will purchase a few household items when we get there.
We had many housing options in Shanghai and spent several days looking at houses, villas, townhouses, and apartments. In the end we decided to choose something very different from anything we have ever experienced. We will be living on the 36th floor of a 56 story high rise building. When we go out of our apartment we are right in the Shanghai culture and I am looking forward to exploring our neighborhood. Our living room looks over the Haungpu (I need to check the spelling on this) river. The view is breath taking even through the fog and smog. There are many ships moving up and down the river and it is fascinating to watch the activity. Tucker, Abi and I gave Tim a telescope for Christmas and it will have a place of honor in our front window. We are all looking forward to watching the ships.
We had many housing options in Shanghai and spent several days looking at houses, villas, townhouses, and apartments. In the end we decided to choose something very different from anything we have ever experienced. We will be living on the 36th floor of a 56 story high rise building. When we go out of our apartment we are right in the Shanghai culture and I am looking forward to exploring our neighborhood. Our living room looks over the Haungpu (I need to check the spelling on this) river. The view is breath taking even through the fog and smog. There are many ships moving up and down the river and it is fascinating to watch the activity. Tucker, Abi and I gave Tim a telescope for Christmas and it will have a place of honor in our front window. We are all looking forward to watching the ships.
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