We received our first piece of mail from America yesterday afternoon!!! The postal service really works.

The weather today was wonderful. We woke up to fog but it quickly cleared and the sun came out!!! I went on a walking tour in downtown Shanghai with a group from the Community Center. The highlight of the tour was a street market, the "sighting" of two new lunch restaurants, and visiting a friend's apartment. She has lived here for three years and their home is filled with fun artifacts and art work from many counties that they have visited while living in Shanghai. I was totally inspired by this and I am looking forward to our next holiday.....I think we will go to Thailand.

Yesterday I had another interesting experience. Go Figure!! I went to an antique market in downtown Puxi to browse and explore. The market is a group of streets (maybe more like alleys) that cross over each other. There are many small shops on both sides of the street and the shops extend out into the street displaying their merchandise on tables and in some cases on the ground. When I went "browsing" I was not aware that yesterday was a very important day for shop owners. It was the first shopping day after the Chinese New Year. I arrived at the market just as most of the shops were opening. The first shop owner said I was his first customer of the day and he would make me a good deal because I would bring him good luck. What? I did not understand what I had to do with his luck but...whatever!!! I told him I was just looking and went to the next shop. This time I went into the shop to "browse". The owner spoke English and again said I was his first customer and he would "make me a good deal" because I would bring him good luck. What??? I thought....wow...they all have the same "line". This shop owner tried very hard to sell me a set of small vases......saying that they were very rare and would sell other places for a very high price but he did not care about his profit today because I would bring him good luck. He was very very insistent....standing at the door so I could not leave...saying "I give you a very good deal today", "I want you to be happy". He also told me that he spent much money on fireworks during the Holiday so he would have good luck and all his luck for the year was dependant upon me!!! Yikes!!! That is a lot of pressure on a person who just wants to browse. After a long discussion about "browsing" and "yes the vases are very nice" and "I do not want to buy them today" (I had no clue if they were from the Ming Dynasty or if they were "Made in China" yesterday) I was finally able to leave his shop and lets just say he was not happy with me. I really did not want him to have bad luck for the year but I was JUST BROWSING!!! After I left his store I called our relocations friend and asked him...."What is up with the shop owners today?" He said they believe the first customer of the new year can bring them luck for the rest of the year ....so.... they really want to make a sale to that customer.....even if it is not profitable to them. He said...."don't buy anything if you don't want it BUT it is a great day to get a good deal". So.....I probably passed up a set of vases that could have been our retirement fund but ...... Who knew?? I left the market immediately and walked to Starbucks for refuge. I just did not want to feel responsible for how lucky or unlucky the year midht be!!! Too much pressure.

Today was a big success. I am learning to celebrate each little step as we continue our transition to a new culture and living in a big city. I hired a local university student for the next couple of months to help me with "stuff". She will be coming three days a week and I have lists of things that I need her help with. Her English name is Jane and she started today. She is a very lovely girl and very smart. She speaks Chinese, English, and German.....boy....do I feel like a slacker!!! She grew up in Shanghai and is in her last term of university. Her schedule is flexible because she will spend this term writing her exit paper. So....today the first thing we did was translate all the buttons on our TV and DVD remote controls, telephones, washer and dryer, and rice cooker. Oh my gosh!!! I am so happy. You can not believe how frustrating it is to try and run the washing machine, or change the DVD settings when all the instructions are in a different language. I am technically challenged in the first place and then when you add another language into the mix it is just impossible. AND now.....even though I am still technically challenged...at least I know where all of the buttons that I don't know how to use are located.

Two other big accomplishments for the day......I know how to mail a letter and a package through the China postal system AND I have new "local knowledge" about the fabric market and how it works. .......Small successes......big feeling of accomplishment!

The last part of my day was spent with our driver and Ayi scoping out yet another Supermarket. This market is called Metro and is a German owned store. You have to have a membership (sort of like Costco I guess) but in order to get a membership you have to show your passport (I never have it when I need it) and a letter from your "company". I am still not sure what the letter should say but they said it was required. Lucky for us.... they let me have a "visitor" pass because our driver had his membership card. So.....here we were....The driver that speaks Chinese and broken English, The Ayi that speaks English with a Filipino accent, and the Lady with the "visitors pass" that has no clue where to find anything. It could have been a scene from the three stooges. Delia wanted canned pineapple...King thought she said apples and could not figure out why she was looking in the canned food isle...and I was looking for corn chips and tortillas which are not common items in a Chinese market and therefore do not translate from English to Chinese. Then.....I was trying to explain to King how you eat corn chips and what you do with tortillas. It was all very comical. The good news.....we bought a lot of food so we will not have to go back any time soon. Maybe by then I can find out what the "letter" has to say so I can be an official "member".

Today we visited a church in Puxi. The English services are at 2 and 4 in the afternoon. I must admit I really like sleeping in on Sunday morning and then going to church in the afternoon. The service lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes (but who was counting?) and it was a combination of praise music and testimonies. I loved the praise music and was able to connect to a couple of the testimonies. We will visit the Church in Pudong again next week as Abi has not been to that church before.

I read an article on the Fox News web site today that said Chinese officials had arrested three people just after Christmas this year in outer Mongolia for "gathering without a permit". According to the article they were gathered together for bible study. I am very thankful that we have the opportunity to worship in Shanghai. There are so many things that I took for granted in the US.

Here are some pictures of our trip to West Lake

Sunset at West Lake

Abi in the gardens

View of the lake and mountains

Abi in her Chinese Princess clothes

Pagoda tour boat

Tim and Deb at the Tea House

View of the lake and the city

Abi and Tim with the Six Harmonies Pagoda in the back ground.

We have returned from our first "outside Shanghai" traveling adventure. It was not exactly what we expected and we are glad that we went.

Our trip started out a little frustrating as we arrived at the lake and had a hard time finding our hotel. The description said it was "over looking the lake". When we finally found the hotel our driver said "not exactly on the lake"....... I wanted to say "NO KIDDING!!!!" It was "over looking the lake" after you looked over and through about five city blocks of high rise buildings. Now let me explain....we thought we were going off to a quiet lake with mountains and beautiful gardens and walking and hiking paths. None of the pictures or descriptions mentioned that the lake is on the edge (literally on the edge) of a city of 6 million people. I am not joking!!!! So.....we left the "big city" 17 million people to go to the quiet "little city" of only 6 million people. Let me set the stage for you......people everywhere, traffic, more traffic, disappointment about our hotel, and a few glimpses of a lake as we drove through all the traffic.

We were able to change our reservation to a different hotel and on the way to the new hotel Tim asked me if I brought my passport. Nope! He did not either and was pretty sure we could not check into our hotel without a passport. A PASSPORT....why would we need a passport?.....this is a domestic trip not an international trip. Well....guess what? We needed our passports. They really don't care that we have ID in the form of drivers licence from the United States. The hotel staff were very nice but...no passport...no room. They said they would get in trouble with the authorities if they checked us in without our passport. I am guessing that you really want to stay on the good side of the authorities in China. Note to self: always carry your passport when traveling even if it is only 2 hours away. So........here we are just a little on the frazzled side of the emotional spectrum. After much discussion we learned that they did have to have the actual passport if we could give them our passport and visa numbers. Lucky for us Delia was at our apartment and could look up the numbers for us. We got a room!!!!!

The rest of the trip was relaxing and the lake is very beautiful. We took a boat ride on the lake and walked through the gardens. The lake has a long history that has been passed from one Dynasty to another and I would tell you more about it but I could not understand a word that the boat guide said. We are all ready for language lessons.

It is hard to describe what it feels like to be out in the community here. We are a curiousity to most people. We are watched, pointed at, staired at, and today Abi and I were followed into a store by several teen girls. We were shopping in a "womens garment district" with Tim (poor guy!!) and we found a small clothing store that Abi wanted to look in. So.....we went in. Tim sat on the step outside the store while Abi tried on a jumper. Shortly after we went into the store three girls came in. They wanted to see what we were shopping for.....that was it....curiosity. While everyone is very nice it is a little unnerving at times to be watched by so many people.

We can still hear an ocasional firecracker in the distance but I think the fireworks have slowed considerably.

We thought we had seen the best of the fireworks on the Eve of the New Year. Well...... tonight was just as spectacular as the first night. I woke up at about 11:15pm to a bunch of firecrackers and flashing lights. I thought it would stop in a few minutes and I could go back to sleep......no chance of that. The rumble just got louder and louder until I gave up and got up. From our window I could see fireworks all other the city and as far in the distance (way past the third bridge) as we can see. It is a very clear night so the visibility is amazing. By this time no one was sleeping so Tim and Abi joined me in the living room. The fireworks continued to increase in numbers and volume right up to midnight. Unbelievable is the only word that I can come up with to describe the night sky.

The fireworks have died down now but continue to be very noisy. They really like firecrackers in Shanghai. I am going back to bed now and I hope to get a little bit of sleep. We are off on another adventure tomorrow (or should I say today) and we are leaving at 8:00am. We are going to Hangzhou (pronounced Hong Joe) which is a small city about 2.5 hours from Shanghai. It is best known for the lake that is just outside the city and is supposed to be very beautiful. It will be nice to get out of the city. More on that tomorrow........ Good night

We have never lived in a big city and therefore we have never lived in a high rise building. This morning I was wondering about our neighbors. Who are our neighbors? The people that live on the floor above and below us? Or...the people in the building next to ours that live on the same floor as we do? Hmmmm.

Our apartment building (and the identical one next to us) is full of very large windows. The windows are wonderful for the views and every room in our house has a floor to ceiling window including two of the bathrooms. The window in one of the bathrooms is in the shower. By "in the shower" I mean that the back of the shower is a window. When we moved in we (very cleverly) purchased a shower curtain to hang in that window. Great....we have waterproof privacy and it looks good too!

At night time it is really easy to forget that there are people living right next to us. It is dark outside and we like to leave the curtains open so we can see the view. Well....so do our neighbors. Okay....I have to admit that I have been curious about the neighbors furnishings, what kind of plants they have and Abi and I saw a very cute little boy playing with his toys one day. The truth is.....we live in a fish bowl. Not only can I see what our neighbors are watching on TV but they can also see what we are having for dinner. So.........we spend a lot of time in our living room with the lights off. The other night Tim said to me....."Is that guy taking a shower?" Oh my gosh.....he sure was....... and we could see more of him then we wanted to see. The terrifying discovery was that he also had a nice looking waterproof shower curtain hanging in his window. Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! We went out that very next day and purchased a new very dark shower curtain to hang in our window. Note to self....just because you can't see them does not mean they can't see you. That's life in the big city.

PS.......the fireworks continue......

Today was very relaxing. Tim was up early this morning to play golf while Abi and I got a little "beauty" rest. Abi worked on her Chemistry homework and then we had a morning marathon of movies and worked on our jig saw puzzle. We have discovered that the "local" rate for DVDs is 5RMB as opposed to 10RMB that we have been paying. 5 RMB is equal to about 62 cents. We are feeling a little smug now that we are in on the "secret". We found a DVD store in our neighborhood and will probably become regular customers. Many of the television shows that we would like to watch are not available here. I really miss HGTV.

We have been looking for an electric scooter for Abi so we did a little looking today. All of us (including our driver) took a test ride and found them to be very fun. We are still in the "investigating" stage and will look again tomorrow. Our driver was very helpful today as he interpreted for us with the scooter store owner.

Delia fixed us a very nice dinner this evening and Abi and I are both learning many new recipes. We have also been introduced to some interesting fruits and vegetables. One of the fruits is a gigantic grapefruit. That is not the "official" name but that is what it looks and tastes like. They are about the size of a small watermelon and look like an orange. Abi is becoming more adventurous with the fruits but she is still avoiding the veggies.

After dinner we all went for a walk in the "hood" and stopped to have a massage. We each had a 60 minute Chinese Acupressure body massage. It was heaven!!!! They charge 60RMB for this massage and that is about $7.50. I think I may have a massage every day we live here!!!

Tomorrow we are off on another adventure. There is a market about 1 hour drive from our apartment that several people have told us about. It is a street market with a variety of items for sale including furniture, rugs, and pottery. Another day......another adventure!!!!

PS....the fireworks continue.....

This afternoon we went downtown to see the Lion Dance that is a traditional part of the Chinese New Year Celebration. We were all very excited about this adventure because we actually told the taxi driver where we wanted to go and he understood us!!!! We celebrate all of our small successes.

This morning we walked around our neighborhood so we could start becoming familiar with our new surroundings. I took Tim and Abi to the market that I found the other day and we spent some time looking around at all the different foods. I am fascinated by the "deli" section of this store. There are many different "meats" that I do not recognize and many "parts" of meat that I do. I will tell you that nothing goes to waste here. Everything gets eaten....and I mean everything!!!!

Last night was an amazing experience. We watched the Chinese New Year begin from the 50th floor of our apartment building. One of my new Mahjong buddies invited several families to their home to welcome in the New Year. The fireworks were unbelievable!!!!! I can not even find the words to describe the scene. The fireworks started around 6:00pm and continued through out the night with the biggest display at midnight.

Tonight we are again seeing many many fireworks all around the city. The night is clear and we can see three bridges and beyond. I took theses photos this evening when we returned from the YuYuan Garden.

Today we took the Ferry across the river to Puxi. We walked a short distance to the shopping area around Yu Yuan Gardens. In the center of the Gardens is a temple where people were going to pray to the many Gods of Buddha. We wondered around the streets (with about 17 million other people) and shopped at the gardens. Our big purchase of the day.......slippers. We found beautiful embroidered silky slippers for 10 yuan a pair. That is about $1.25. We shamelessly eat lunch at McDonald's (they had ice in their soda!!!) and looked very American. We also walked down some of the "back streets" and experienced Chinese culture very up close and personal. Abi described our day as "interesting, exciting, new, and a little scary. I asked her what was scary about it and she said.....the crowds...."there were lots of people bumping into us and we sort of stand out in the crowd". We are experiencing being the minority for the first time in our lives. It is a real growth opportunity for all of us. All in all it was a great day!!!!!

Yesterday afternoon I was invited to play more Mahjong with the ladies in our apartment building. It was so much fun. I actually played two games and had a great time. But of course the best part was the company!!!!

Tim and I spent today in Puxi (the other side of the river) with our escort from the Community Center. We found some wonderful shopping places and actually purchased our first piece of furniture. We went to many little home decor shop, a rug market, and a large flower market. All of these would have taken me years to find on my own. I can't wait to go back to them and spend hours just browsing.

All is well again at the Spoffords. Tim and Abi are off work and school for the next week. Tomorrow is Chinese New Year Eve. We are looking forward to the fireworks that will start at midnight and continue for three days.

I gathered all my strength this morning and decided to go to the Community Center to learn to play Mahjong. The truth was I really needed to be with people that are experiencing some of the same things we are AND there was a very good chance they would all speak English.

It was a good decision.....I met some more "expats" and saw some others that I met at the Coffee Connection. Some of them even live in our building. The game was really secondary to visiting with people. These ladies are a wealth of knowledge and a I felt my courage coming back.

I found out it really does not mater which "type" of water I order.....there seems to be a consensus that all of it actually comes out of a hose in the back of a little garage somewhere in Shanghai. Some thought it was filtered through a coffee filter others thought it was probably filtered through an old nylon sock or a condom. I am telling you these ladies are funny!!!!!

While I was at the Center I was greeted by Ana (director of the Newcomers Program) with a hug and a cute heart shaped box of candies. She is such a nice person and very energetic. I was renewed by her energy and enjoyed visiting with her.

About a week ago Tim and I decided to sign up for the Community Centers Newcomer Program instead of going with the company that HP suggested. Part of this program includes a "get to know your neighborhood" day. This day is customized to each client so it includes their specific interests. So.....Tim is off work tomorrow because of the Chinese New Year holiday and we are going to go shopping in some of the local "artsy" markets with an escort from the Center. She will teach us how to negotiate and help us find things that I have not been able to find. I can't wait!!!!!

Another part of the Newcomer Program is a computer questionnaire that both Tim and I have to fill out. It is sort of a personality profile. A counselor that specializes in "people in transition" will look at our answers and then help us understand how we can best cope with all the changes that we are experiencing. I find this very fascinating.

Other sessions of the program deal with "working effectively with your Ayi and Driver", "What does the trailing spouse do now", "How to help your children transition", Understanding the Chinese culture", "Doing business in China", and several other interesting topics. Abi will also have classes that deal with "teenager stuff".

Today I am just feeling mellow. I am curled up on our chaise watching the ships moving up and down the river. Today is a three bridge day and we really have an amazing view.

I may go to the Community Center today and learn how to play Mahjong. The lady that gave me the lead on an Ayi teaches people how to play every Thursday morning and then they go to lunch. It sounds like fun but I am not sure I have the energy to "be nice" today. The counselor at Abi's school said that "some days you will just need to take a break from Shanghai and that’s okay and healthy". Today might be a good day for that.

Viewer desecration is suggested for the following blog entry. It may contain language not suitable for young children and Pasters.

I promised to share the good and the bad....so here it is. Yesterday was a day from Hell. This is an insert from an email that I sent to my good friend Julie. I think it describes my day pretty well.

Today was a day from hell and I have nothing nice to say. Tomorrow I am going to stay in our house and hide from the world. I am so damned tired of trying to communicate with people.

I lost our ayi at the supermarket today and the store was packed wall to wall with people...that is not a joke. I did not even have a cart and I could not get through the crowds. Our driver is so hell bent on helping me that he is making me crazy, I went to a hair salon today that told me yesterday my stylist would speak English. I knew more Mandarin then she knew English and that is about 2 words. My hair sucks (I hate that word but today I am going to type it anyway) and I will never be able to buy clothes here because I am not 5 foot tall and weight 90 pounds. I could not even buy a water cooler today with out getting 4 people involved in the "translation" and when I got home I called to order water to put in the cooler and I could not communicate which "type" of water I wanted. JUST GIVE ME THE _____ WATER ALL READY!!!!!!

Okay...so I am going to look for the positive in the day.....

I will not have to have another hair cut while we live here because it will take two years to grow back

I found the Ayi

I don't have to take the bus because we have a "never stop talking" driver.

I went for a walk

We get to open our Valentine cards tonight from our wonderful Sunday School class.

Well it sounds like Tim and Abi are home so I need to run...

Love ya,
Deb

Well there it is..... The communication frustrations were more than I could cope with yesterday. I came home, hid in our bathroom and cried for about an hour. I hid because I did not want our Ayi to think she was working for a "crazy women".

After I stopped "bubbling" (Abi's term) I pulled myself together and went for a walk around our neighborhood. I found a new market, and a little flower shop, and enjoyed the fresh smoggy air.

When Tim and Abi got home they brought me roses for Valentines day and we had a nice dinner in our apartment. They sympathetic about my day and the tears that accompanied the recall of activities and frustrations. Then Abi said "Mom you just have to "Suck it up". We all laughed about that comment and it lighten the mood.

I looked at my last entry and I could not believe it has been so many days since I have written.

Let me fill you in on the happenings in China. We interviewed several ladies and hired an Ayi (means Auntie in Chinese) and a University student to help us while we are in Shanghai. The Ayi is new to Shanghai also....she came to Shanghai about the same day we arrived. Her name is Delia and she is from the Phillapines by way of Singapore and is very experienced and compitant. She has our house whipped into shape and is cooking dinner for us each night. She unpacked Abi's suitcases and organized all her "stuff". Abi no longer has to do her own laundry so obviosly Delia is a big hit with Abi.

The University student will start after Chiniese New Year. She is a local girl and was a tour guide during her summer break. She is in her last term of school and has a flexible schedule while she writes her exit paper. I think she will be a great resource for shopping, barganing, translating, and showing us some of the "local" places of interest.

I went to a class on Persian rugs that was very informative and interesting. The class was held at the Community Center and a local rug vendor brought many rugs to show us examples. I am excited to do a little shopping with all my new found knowledge. :)

The Community Center of Shanghai hosted a coffee this morning and invited a very interesting women to share the traditions of Chinese New Year. The actual date of the New Year changes from year to year because it follows a lunar cycle instead of the traditional calendar. This year it will begin on the evening of the 17th (New Years Eve) and continue for three days. Three days is the official holiday but most companies give their employees the entire week off work. Employees are expected to make up the extra two days by working two Saturdays.

It is tradition for everyone to return to their parents home no mater how far that may be. On New Years Eve it is customary to have a large family dinner. Chicken must be part of the dinner and will be served whole...this includes the head. (Side Note: In a business setting, old tradition was to have chicken at an employee dinner and if the head of the chicken was facing you it meant that you were being fired. YIKES!!) The New Year begins at midnight so it is important to stay up all night to welcome a fresh beginning. Fireworks begin at midnight and continue through the following two days.

Red banners are hung on the outside entry of your home. One on the left side of the door, one on the right side of the door and one over the top of the door. The banners have Chinese characters written on them that mean Good Health, Much Happiness, Peace, Good Fortune and Safety. Some homes will also hang a gold and red fish which signifies "abundance" or "more than enough".

Red is considered a very lucky color so many of the decorations of the Holiday are red. On New Years Day (18th) new clothing is worn to symbolize a fresh start and much of the clothing will be red. It is good to avoid wearing black or white during this season.

Small red envelops are given to children and to unmarried adults by their parents and close family members. It is good for the money to be new bills and the cash must be in even numbers and must not have the number 4 associated with it. For example you would give someone bad luck if you gave them 40 RMB or 33 RMB. Having good luck in this culture is very very important.

Another tradition when hosting friends and family at your home during the holiday is to pass the "tray of Togetherness". This tray has 8 compartments each compartment will hold a food item (usually candied) that is symbolic. Dried coconut means unity of family, Lotus Root = continuous luck or happiness, Lotus seed = will bring many sons, Candied Melon = keeps you healthy and strong, Tangerine = luck, Peanuts = long life, Watermelon seed = wealth, Candies that look like gold nuggets = continuous prosperity. If you go to someones house it is good to take a gift. One such gift is pineapple cake which says...may you have lots of happiness.

2007 is the year of the Pig and the year of opportunity. This is "Tim's year" because he was born under the sign of the boar/pig. The pig is wealthy, lucky and fun. He/she is blessed with patience and understanding, is fair, loyal and loving.

We have been reading about the characteristics of each of the the animals under the lunar calendar. It is truly amazing how much they fit each of our family members.

We received our shipment from the US yesterday and it only took the movers 1 1/2 hours to deliver, unpack, and take away the empty boxes. It is so nice to have a few familiar things from home. Tim took today off from work and spent the day with me at the apartment. All day we had workers in and out of the apartment to fix, clean, repair, and deliver things. Our dryer was installed above the washing machine. It is very "cute" and will hold about 3 pairs of socks at one time. Hopefully this one will work better than the one in our temporary apartment.

We discovered yesterday that we do not have a dishwasher. Somehow we missed this detail when we were looking for a residence. Most of the other homes we looked at had dishwashers so I guess it never occurred to us to look for this appliance. Oh....well....I told Abi that is why we had her. She was not amused. :)

Before we left the US we purchased three memory foam mattress pads. The beds that we have experienced in Shanghai are very hard so we thought this would be a great idea. The movers offered to open these and put them on the beds for us. This was the hardest job they had all day. The mattress pads are compressed to fit in a small box. When you open the box you are supposed to unfold them and let them expand over a 24 hour period. Unfolding them was the real challenge. It took two workers and myself to unfold them; each of us pulling as hard as we could to peel the folds apart. None of us could understand a word the other was say but we just kept talking and pulling and talking and eventually got the job done.

Today was a zero bridge day. We could hardly see the ground through the fog. Tim put his telescope together this afternoon and it was very exciting to see the fog close-up. He was not amused. Do you think it was something I said???

My email has not been working correctly since we arrived in Shanghai. Apparently many messages that I sent were not received and messages that were sent to me were not received. So.....if you sent me a message and I did not respond....it was because I did not get the message. I was on the phone this afternoon (this is the second time I had to call them) with my "server" and I believe they have fixed the problem. It was something about my messages being forwarded through another address and some messages could get through and others could not. After they fixed this problem I received several messages that had not downloaded before. I set up a temporary address at debbiespofford@gmail.com but I believe that my old address deb@deborahspofford.com is working now. I will check both so you can send messages to either one.

The past two days I spent shopping for basic household items. I was hoping to find a store like Target or Fred Meyer for the basic things but these do not exist in Shanghai. The supermarkets have a small variety of basic items but I describe them as sub-Super Wal-Mart style. Several expats suggested IKEA. At least I am familiar with this store and the general layout. I had to get help finding the dishes but fortunately a nice young man in the kitchen cabinet area spoke perfect English. I am finding that the young people want to practice their English and are excited to be able to help. (Side note: A nice gentleman asked me how to pronounce three words today. He wanted to know how to pronounce the name of the hotel in the Jinmao Tower and the definition of the word deluxe. I was so happy to speak English and have someone need my help instead of the other way around!!!!) Back to shopping.....after one trip to IKEA and several trips to Carrafour and Lotus I think we can live in our new apartment for a few days.

Observation: Sheet sets are sold with two pillow cases that look like shams, one flat sheet, and one duvet cover. I think this is a European thing.

Good news for today!!!! Our household goods arrived in China and will be delivered to our apartment tomorrow morning. This is several days earlier than we expected. We hope to be completely be moved in by Friday or Saturday. It will be nice to be in one place and get settled.

Our drivers English has improved 10 fold since we arrived. (I wish I could say the same thing about my Mandarin) He helped translate today for me at China Mobil. For some reason my new cell phone had a very interesting and funny sound. Instead of ringing or playing music for the caller, it had someone talking in Chinese and then a pig oinking sound. I think it might have been saying "Happy New Year" because this is the Year of the Pig. But for all I know it could have been saying "you have just called a pig, please wait until she answers" . It was really very funny but I decided that I did not want this greeting long term. So....I tried to explain to the nice cell phone people that I wanted to change the pig noise. Can you imagine why they did not understand this? Thankfully, I went and got our driver and he explained what I wanted. After much laughter....the man took my cell phone number, punched it into a computer and changed the pig noise to a very boring buzzing sound. Hmmmm maybe I should have kept the pig.

One of the interesting things about Shanghai is the laundry. Everywhere you go in the city you will see laundry hanging out the windows of apartments. We have seen some very creative clothes lines. You will even see laundry hanging over iron fences and in the trees in the middle of downtown. We think we have discovered why this is such a common thing. Tim put a load of laundry in the dryer this morning before he left for work. This evening when I came back to the apartment the clothes were still very wet. Apparently the dryers here are really just “tumblers”. A lady told me today that she finally gave up trying to use their dryer and joined the rest of Shanghai in their environmentally friendly drying methods. So.....tonight the Spofford laundry is also hanging on the balcony of our apartment.

We spent the majority of the day at our new apartment. The view today was the best ever!!! We devised a rating system to describe the view. Today was a 3 bridge + day. On really foggy days we can not see any bridges and on very clear days we can see 3 bridges. Today we could see all three bridges and beyond. The river was traffic free most of the morning and then at about 1:00 in the afternoon "rush hour" started. We could not believe how many ships suddenly appeared. All of them full of gravel and other cargo. Most of them going up stream and it looked like a ship parade. We are easily entertained these days and spent many hours watching the river.

Decorations are appearing all over the city in honor of Chinese New Year. On Tuesday I will learn more about the significance of these decorations. The Community Center is offering a class to explain the traditions of the New Year.

Tonight we found a restaurant that offered American style food.....AND....it actually tasted like American food. I have never enjoyed a cup of vegetable soup more in my life. Food is a weird thing.....it seems like such an insignificant thing......and yet it defines our culture. When this changes and you are introduced to new textures and spices you recognize just how unique our tastes really are. I used to think of American food as a hodge podge mixture of many cultures but we definitely have our own "flavor".

The hotel that we are staying at offers an international breakfast every morning. It is so interesting to watch what people have for breakfast. Many people here eat Congee. This is a hot cereal that looks like soupy goopy rice. They do not put brown sugar or raisins in this like we would in oatmeal. Instead they add small pieces of bread, peanuts, relish, and many other condiments that I do not recognize. I have to say that there is no way I could eat that for breakfast. Give me pancakes with syrup and I am happy!!! :)

I updated my blog account today and now all the text on the home page is Chinese.....I'm sure I will figure out how to change this later, but it is frustrating at the moment.

We were told that our household goods shipped yesterday so our boxes will be delivered next Friday or Saturday. Yippee!!! Then we can move into our permanent residence and get settled.

I took a city tour on Friday and I was the only person on the tour. So the good news is .....I got a private tour......the bad news is.....I did not meet anyone on the tour and I had to eat lunch by myself while the guide and bus driver eat lunch in a different room (this was a cultural thing that I don't understand yet).

The silk factory was very interesting and I climbed to the top of the LuPu bridge. This is one of the bridges that we can see from our window. It has 363 steps to the top...not that I was counting :) The guide shared this little fact with me about mid way up the arch.

Here are some more random thoughts about our first week in China... My brain has gone into hibernation and I can not write a comprehensive sentence

• I would really enjoy an icy diet Pepsi and a good pizza
• Having a driver while in the middle of a traffic jam is a good thing....
• You can play spider solitare on your computer while in the middle of a traffic jam
• I miss my Independence
• I am very happy we found the Community Center
• Our friend, Steve Sheild was right....this transition is going to be harder than I thought
• People we meet are friendly and curious about us
• We are a minority for the first time in our lives
• Cultural differences are very interesting and at times hard to understand
• I wish I could magically learn Chinese so I could communicate.....I have so many questions I would like to ask people I meet
• Living in a big city is exciting
• I miss Target
• Basic things take great effort and energy
• This is a very good opportunity for growth personal development

This is a test...

Yesterday was Abi's 16th birthday and we woke her up with singing (not a very pleasant sound as Tim and I would be one of those "you have got to be kidding" talents on American Idol) and a dozen pink roses.

Two girls at her school decorated her locker with balloons and wrapping paper and Abi ordered pizza that she shared with the other students.

We ended the day with a dinner of noodles and dessert at the top of the Grand Hyatt. Eating long noodles on your birthday is a Chinese tradition to symbolize a long and lucky life. The Hyatt is one of the main attractions in Shanghai. It has the largest atrium in the world. The atrium is 30 stories tall and starts on the 56th floor. It is the 4th tallest building in the world but will soon be passed in height by the building next to it that is under construction. That is a little useless factoid for the day.