A Break in Bangkok

Fortunately, our trip to Bangkok came at just the right time, although it certainly didn't feel like it last week. The apartment we were supposed to be moving into on Wednesday night or Thursday morning was apparently rented to someone else. I woke up to an email from our realtor on Thursday morning telling me he was unable to get the landlord to break that lease and rent to us, which was the first we'd heard of a pre-existing deal. This happened after I'd packed everything and moved just the basics to Peter and Nickle's house in preparation for my flight to Bangkok. 

While the realtor wanted me to agree to take the other apartment he'd shown me as our only other choice, I didn't really like it, so Chris sent him an email saying we'd move to a hotel upon our return from Bangkok and asking him to find additional apartments to show us. Then, with that dealt with, I headed to the airport.

Even though it was Thursday, and the Golden Week holiday didn't officially begin until the following Tuesday, it took me almost 2 hours to get checked-in, go through Customs and security, and get to my gate. It was interesting to stand in the long lines at check-in and customs and see very few other Caucasian faces and here no English being spoken. From what I could tell, there didn't seem to be many Americans among the Caucasians - you can usually tell by the shoes. Very stylish Americans can have outfits similar to Europeans or Australians, but the shoes are rarely similar. 

The flight to Bangkok from Shanghai is only 4 hours and was fairly uneventful, other than the fact they had nothing to serve for lunch to someone allergic to nuts and seeds. My sesame allergy is very challenging in Asia. I ended up eating about 1/2 cup of watermelon slices and about 1 cup worth of white bread and butter.  Yum.  

Chris had told me where to get my taxi and given me a card for the hotel, so the trip was easy, although not quick. Traffic in Bangkok is apparently always a nightmare. It's a very busy city of more than 10 million that used to be a canal city, similar to Venice, but they have built up, out, and over those old canals.  There were times that felt a little like the Jetsons, although dirtier, when we were riding in a taxi on an elevated highway, looking down at several layers of street and highway below and up at the sky train that whizzes by overhead. 

But then, there are the Tuk Tuks - definitely not something I ever saw on the Jetsons. 

I arrived on Thursday afternoon and Chris worked late on Thursday, all day Friday and Saturday, and much of Monday. I took myself to the spa on Friday and Saturday for a foot massage that went all the way up my legs and included my shoulders, head, neck, back, and arms. I never knew I had such big feet. I read a lot of books this weekend and even caught up on some American TV, since our internet speed here is so much faster than in China. We went out to dinner at an Argentinian steak place on Friday and a great little Italian place on Saturday.   It was so good, we went back on Monday night as well. 

When Chris finished work at 5:30 on Saturday, we headed out to the Chatuchak Weekend Market.  It

is the largest market in Thailand and the world's largest weekend market, covering 35 acres and containing 15,000 stalls.

I will admit to being somewhat overwhelmed by the crowds and smells, especially at dusk. We stayed for a little while, bought a few gifts and looked at some of the local delicacies, but the stalls started to shut down and we decided it was time for dinner. 

On Sunday, we had arranged for a private tour guide to show us the highlights of Bangkok - in extreme heat and humidity. You'll notice in our pictures that I have quite a rosy glow and Chris's clothes seem to vary in color - yes, it was just that hot!  I guess the point of this is to make me appreciate the weather in Shanghai. 

The tour was fantastic, even if we were dying of heat and humidity. The guide had wonderful English and gave us a short but interesting history lesson on Thailand and cultural appreciation for Buddhism.  He also took us to a local neighborhood restaurant for a delicious Thai lunch. Once again, my Select Wisely allergy wallet cards were complimented and very useful in making sure lunch was safe for me to eat. 

I will discuss the tour in more detail in my next post, as there were so many details, and I took so many pictures, there just isn't enough space here. After all the walking, taxi and tuk tuk rides and profuse sweating, at least on Chris's part, we collapsed in our hotel room for showers, naps in the air conditioning, dinner in the hotel, and a quiet night of U.S. TV viewing. A long but very enjoyable day. 

Given that Monday was another work day for Chris, with a break for lunch in a little French-Thai place near the hotel, our next touring day was Tuesday.  We went to the Jim Thompson museum (more about that in the next post), took the sky train, had lunch at Cabbages and Condoms (ditto), went back to the hotel, took a swim in the pool and had a quiet evening in. We flew smoothly back to Shanghai and are checked into the Marriott for a week while we search for a new apartment. Here's hoping we find a new place and can get in sometime before November 15, when I fly to Vienna for more than 2 weeks, then return to the U.S. for nearly 2 months. I'd like to be settled in our Shanghai home before I return to our Elmhurst one. 

Moving Day?

The good news this week is that our property management company/realtor toured the apartment on Monday and agreed that the mold situation is beyond belief and that we should not continue to live in this apartment while we wait for the landlord to fix it.  The repairs will obviously take months, so our management company is working on getting us out of the lease and moving us to a new apartment in this complex.

Yesterday, I saw the 3 available 3-bedroom apartments in this complex that are listed through our realtor and picked the nicest one to move into - also the one that our realtor said has the "nicest landlord."  (I hope so.)  The apartment has the same basic lay-out as our current apartment, but the kitchen is much bigger, with a built-in oven and dishwasher.  Once we actually move-in, I'll post some pictures.

However, the bad news is that Chris has been in Bangkok on business since Sunday.  So, I had to meet with the management company on Monday without him and without Peter, who has been on a school trip with Kennedy since Monday morning.  So, fortunately one of Peter's friends agreed to be here when I met with the management company, sort of as a witness and partially for moral support.  Thankfully, the meeting went very well.

Given that Chris is gone, I also had to pick out our new apartment by myself - here's hoping he likes it.  But, even more unfortunate was when the realtor informed me that we needed to get out of this apartment before October 1 in order not to have to pay another month's rent on this mold-filled disaster.  I'm flying to Bangkok to join Chris for 5 days of vacation tomorrow morning - we'll both come home on Wednesday, October 2.  So, that means, I had to pack everything we have in the apartment and get it ready to be moved, by myself. 

True, we didn't bring a shipment, either air or land, to this assignment.  But, we did bring about 14 suitcases with us and we've bought things, including a king-sized mattress and mattress topper, a printer, a fan, and other items since we've been here - never mind food, dishes, pots & pans, etc.  I have no boxes, no bubble wrap, no newspapers and about 36 hours to pack everything - by myself.  Chris is truly going to owe me one for this.  

As it turns out, we aren't going to be able to move things into the new apartment before I leave for Bangkok tomorrow morning.  My plan is to take our most irreplaceable items, our laptops, medications, jewelry, etc., to Peter & Nickle's house this afternoon and then sleep there tonight as I told the realtor I'm not sleeping in this apartment any more.  So, our realtor has told me to pack everything, leave it in the living room, and tomorrow, he'll have movers come move all of our belongings to the new apartment. He says they'll move it tomorrow, although it's hard to know when things will really take place in China.  Although the people are hard workers, the concept of not losing face can prevent them from telling you the truth, in case they think it's something you don't want to hear.

The wrench in this plan was our discussion at my Chinese class today, when several of my classmates confessed that they didn't want to mention it when I'd told them we live in Dawn Garden, but that they had heard from friends that had lived here that Dawn Garden is know for having mold problems and rats.  Now I'm a bit freaked out and wish we were just moving, not moving to another Dawn Garden apartment.  I don't want to over-react, but I also don't want to spend the next year living in a mold-infested building in a mold-infested complex, with the resulting headaches, post-nasal drip, sinus congestion, and wheezing.  And I really wish Chris was here to help deal with all of this.

We have been told that expats living in Shanghai experience Shang-Highs and Shang-Lows - some days will be better than others.  This week has definitely been one of the lows, so I am very much looking forward to joining Chris in Bangkok and putting this behind us, at least temporarily.  I don't know what we'll come home to next week, but fortunately, we have a safety net - we can stay at Peter & Nickle's if we can't get into our own apartment.  Thank goodness for family.  

Ups and Downs

Although Chris was away on business for 3 days again this week, the remaining two days were holidays in honor of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.  This is a lunar holiday that changes dates annually depending on the full moon, but is similar to Thanksgiving, in that we are basically giving thanks for the harvest and the end of the growing season.  Part of the celebration is to give and eat Moon Cakes.  I'm not exactly sure what they taste like, nor what's in them, so I didn't try any because no one is able to tell me if they have nuts or seeds in them.  There are many different flavors including apricot, caramel, chocolate, red bean, and green tea. 

We started our celebration by attending a party at the Clubhouse of Peter & Nickle's subdivision on Wednesday evening.

Then, on Thursday, we celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with a day of playing at the health club with Peter, Nickle and the kids.  We all belong to Mega-Fit, a nearby health club, so Peter reserved a badminton court for us.  We played many variations on teams and everyone got a chance to try their hand at badminton, although our games didn't look anything like the serious, and seriously fast, games of the Chinese people around us.

The badminton courts are right next to the room that the ping pong tables are in.  Fortunately, Peter bought ping pong paddles and balls, so we all played some ping pong as well.  The health club also has tennis courts, where we saw some serious tennis lessons going on, outside, in mid-80 degree temperatures with easily 250% humidity. In addition to a room filled with weight-lifting machines and a free-weight area, the club also has a pool, hot tub, kiddie pool, spin class room, aerobics class room, karate class room, and a kids' play area.  All in all, it's a pretty good facility, unless you want to get a drink of cold water.  If you want water, you can get hot or lukewarm, no problem.  But if you want cold water, you have to go to the front desk and buy a bottle from the cooler, which I'm sure they keep only for Western expats.  The Chinese don't drink cold water, even in the continuing heat and incredible humidity here.  I was told that they believe that it takes energy away from the other functions in your body to make cold water come up to your regular body temperature, so it's healthier, and more refreshing, to drink hot or, at least, lukewarm water.  I don't know about the energy used in my body, but I want a cold drink, really almost all the time, but definitely when it's hot.  And so far, it's always hot and very humid here, so I drink a lot of water.

While the day spent with Peter, Nickle & the kids on Thursday was fun, as was talking to my daughters and my best friend Jane on the newly-installed Vonage phone, the other side of the emotional roller coaster that is expat life is also knocking soundly on my mental door.  It is hard to adjust to everything that changes when you pick up and move 7,000+ miles away.  Mostly, I've been feeling pretty good about how I approach these changes.  I like my Chinese (Mandarin) language class and am making some progress on a language that is mind-bogglingly difficult.  I am finding my way around, at least in the JinQiao area where we live, and have found most of the items on my "to-buy" list.  I have a couple of classes and tours scheduled in the next few weeks with women I've met, so that should be fun.  But, I find that I am feeling desperate and down about the status of our apartment.  

When Chris and Nickle saw it in July, they mentioned the obvious water damage and mold problem and were told it would be repaired before we moved in.  It wasn't.

When we toured the apartment on August 30th, we saw that the wallpaper in many areas was coming up and/or stained with mold and specifically asked about the mold problem and were told it would be fixed immediately.  It hasn't been.

We have written and spoken to the management company repeatedly over the past 3 weeks.  Now, we're into our 4th week in the apartment and I have a headache all day every day and the mold is still here.  The problem is even bigger than we originally realized, as Chris found standing water under the floor tiles, and the amount of work that would need to be done to fix it is incredible.  I've been here long enough at this point to believe that this apartment cannot be repaired in such a way that I will not continue to have mold allergy issues.

Today, Chris wrote to the management staff of our property management company informing them that they either have to move us to a hotel, and store all of our belongings and the apartment furniture, while repairs are done (which will likely take most of the rest of the time I'm in Shanghai during this visit), or they have to find us another, acceptable apartment in this complex that we can move into instead of this one.  Given that the Chinese had Thursday off for the holiday, most will be working tomorrow (Sunday), so we may have a visit from them tomorrow, Monday or Tuesday.  But, Chris is off to Thailand in the morning and won't be here for any of this.  I am overwhelmed at the idea of dealing with this on my own, as an expat housewife does not get the respect in China that her husband would get and, so far, whenever we ask for someone to come who speaks English, we get someone here with whom I cannot really communicate.  I fly to Bangkok on Thursday to join Chris there for 5 days, the start of the next Chinese holiday, Golden Week.  While that sounds like it would give time for work to be done while we're gone, Golden Week is the 2nd biggest holiday, after Chinese New Year, so the mold-removing repairmen, whomever they might be, definitely won't be working that week either.

I am leaving Shanghai on November 15 to visit Samantha in Vienna for a couple of weeks before returning to Elmhurst on December 2 for a couple of months.  I won't be back here until the end of January.  I just can't wrap my mind around the idea of either moving to a hotel for an extended period of time, or moving to a new apartment, after just having gotten settled here.  Not that I want to stay here breathing in mold and dealing with a non-stop allergy-related headache, sinus pressure, and sore throat, but I just am exhausted at the idea of dealing with all of this, here, mostly alone, and partially in Chinese.  In the U.S., I'd know my rights and have no problem flexing my Attorney Barbara Deane muscles.  In China, I can't adequately communicate and don't understand the culture or the effect the concept of "saving face" has on the truth in this setting.   I'm not good with uncertainty, even though I guess I'm flexible enough to have accepted our 2nd expat assignment. It may go smoothly, but I'm skeptical.  Time will tell.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm into my 3rd week in China and today is my birthday, so happy birthday to me.  Apparently, in Mandarin, it's 生日快樂. 

Anyway, Chris left for Ningbo early this morning, so although he was able to say Happy Birthday, we celebrated last night with dinner at Peter & Nickle's house.  Nickle even baked a cake, which is no easy feat in a Chinese oven.  I got presents from Chris last night, including some coupons for travel and dinners out, which will be a great way to get to know Shanghai and the area.  Peter picked me up this morning for some shopping, bringing some beautiful flowers when he stopped in.  I bought myself a rice cooker (not that we make that much rice, but with only 2 burners on the stove top, there's no room to cook rice when I want to without the separate rice cooker), an iron, a hair dryer, and some fun DVDs, including the Newsroom (because my best friend Jane recommended it) and Warehouse 13 (because my daughter Beth recommended it).  Tonight, Peter, Nickle & the kids will meet me for dinner across the street at Cantina Agave, a Taqueria & Tequileria recommended to me by a woman I met through the American Women's Club of Shanghai as a place that is easily adaptable for people with food allergies.  

I'll admit that I am nervous eating out in China with food allergies.  While I don't think tree nuts will be that big of a problem, my allergy to sesame seeds and sesame oil is definitely proving difficult.  I have been to a couple of restaurants already that have very limited options for me because of my sesame allergy.  On the bright side, however, the waiters, managers, and chefs are very conscientious about my allergy and when I had the laminated wallet card I had made by Select Wisely that describes my allergy in English and Mandarin, they take it very seriously.  

Chris and I attended a workshop on Saturday that is run by the Community Center of Shanghai entitled Shanghai 1-2-3.  It is a free information session, including free breakfast and lunch, aimed at getting recent expats acquainted with some of the issues of living, and thriving, in Shanghai.  It was a long session, running from 9 a.m. to almost 2 p.m., but it was very informative and helpful.  The session on the emotional ups and downs of being an expat was not new information, although it's helpful to be reminded that there will be some bad days along the way, but generally things will get easier.  I'm happy that we met several other recent expats, including a few from the Chicago suburbs.  The easiest way for me to combat the bad days in Germany was by spending time with the other expats I met there - friends are the best medicine for the blues, no matter where I am living.

The medical portion of Saturday's program was somewhat startling.  While I knew that I wouldn't want to be taken to a local hospital in case of emergency, I was mostly thinking of the language barrier and the quality of care.  I didn't realize that we would be waiting in line for hours, often all day, because there are no appointments to see a doctor on a regular basis and the local hospitals only take cash.  And while I am planning to make appointments to visit and tour the local VIP clinics and expat hospitals, which will accept our insurance and often direct bill, they are rarely open 24 hours a day.  So, should an emergency happen after hours, we might end up at a local hospital after all and better have about 10,000 - 20,000 rmb, aka $1,500-3,000 USD, on hand to take with us to the hospital - they won't treat you until you pay.  And, we also learned not to call an ambulance, as they take longer than a taxi and have no medical professionals on board.

While I knew we would need to get air filters for our apartment as China has real air pollution issues, I didn't realize the effect the water would have on my hair and skin.  The chlorine levels are so high, and the water itself is so hard, that my hair is starting to get pretty brittle already, never mind the dry skin.  So, we have a vendor coming over tomorrow to test the water and the air, so we can know what type of water filters and air filters to get.  We don't drink the tap water, but apparently the 5 gallon bottles of water that are delivered to our apartment aren't necessarily safe drinking water either, unless they come from a couple of reputable dealers.  Yikes!

So, this week's to-do list includes the meeting with the air and water filter vendor, an in-home visit from the Shanghai Geeks to help set up my Vonage router, allowing us to finally receive calls from our U.S. friends and family, and to hook my laptop to the TV as I can't find an HDMI cable to buy anywhere, setting up interviews for a driver, and researching sights to see in Bangkok for our upcoming trip over the October Golden Week holidays.  All-in-all, not a bad way to spend my birthday and the time while Chris is away.

Two Weeks in Pudong

We arrived in Shanghai 2 weeks ago today and I think I am finally adjusted to the time zone.  I feel more alert, which is a huge plus, especially since I started Mandarin class this week.  The first day of class, which meets for 2 hours, twice a week, was more than overwhelming.  In Mandarin, there are 24 vowels, in addition to 23 consonants, whereas our alphabet is only 26 letters, total.  Plus, each of the 47 letters can make 5 different sounds depending on which of the 4 tones it has, or if there is no tone at all.  The only good news is that they don't conjugate their verbs, but in the grand scheme of things, that's little enough of a bonus.  I'm going to have a tough time learning to say anything.

I think learning to use the tones correctly will be very difficult.  It's a little like singing in class, starting low, going high, etc.  The 4th tone, in particular, is intimidating because it's what makes the Chinese speakers sound so angry all of the time.  You start high and drop low quickly, like you're shouting.  I'm very self-conscious making those sounds - I guess there will be days that comes easier than others.  

I did learn that bei is north, dong is east, nan is south, and xi is west.  This is why the area we live in is called Pudong and the other side of the Huangpu River is called Puxi, because we are east of the river and they are west of it.  It's not much, but it feels like an accomplishment.

This was also a big week because I got my new Chinese iPhone today - a 4S again.  I'm glad to be able to use data in China, for looking up places, translating words, etc., as well as checking my email when I'm away from home and uploading pictures to Facebook.  Also, Peter and other people I meet in Shanghai couldn't call the refillable cell phone Chris had given me, because it was a Ningbo phone number, not a Shanghai one.  

Peter and I went to China Unicom to get my phone because Chris had spoken with his colleague about a great plan they have in which we pay for the phone up front and then get a credit every month of the service contract toward the cost of coverage that equals the cost of the phone over the life of the service contract.  That way, at the end of the service contract, we'll own the phone and basically have gotten it for free, as the cost was credited to my usage fees.  We first went to the China Unicom store closest to us in "Green City," (where a lot of Western expats live) and the clerk didn't speak any English.  I called Chris's secretary, who is Chinese but has spectacular English, who talked at length with the clerk and reported that there were no 4S phones available and even if the clerk could find one, there were no service plans available for it.  She wanted me to buy the iPhone 5, which was much more expensive.  Peter and I decided to try a different China Unicom store and when we said thank you and goodbye, the clerk got out her own phone and used a translation app to ask if we wanted to buy today.  When we said that we wanted the 4S and she didn't have any, she asked if I wanted white or black.  When we got to the other China Unicom store, they had the 4S phones and plans on display, got a customer service rep on the phone for me who spoke perfect English and I bought my phone.  I'm happy to have it and can start giving out my number to people I meet through classes, tours, and the American Women's Club - plus, Peter can call me now!

We continue to have maintenance issues that boggle the mind, but appear to be SOP for China.  The washer flooded the back porch again the day after the maintenance guy "fixed" it, so he came back yesterday with another "interpreter" who really doesn't speak English.  He stuck the washer hose into the hole in the floor and caulked it in place, which is supposed to fix the problem, although I can't use the washer for 24 hours.  I strongly suspect that next time I do, the blockage or whatever has caused it to back up and flood the floor will cause the caulk to come up and flood again.  We'll see.  He also "fixed" the caulk around one of the sinks in the master bath by covering up the broken and moldy caulk with new caulk - we wouldn't want to remove the old stuff now, would we?  They are quite surprised that I am insisting the moldy portions of the walls be replaced altogether, instead of just taking off the wallpaper and putting up new on top of the mold.  He did measure the walls that need replacing, so that work is supposed to be starting "soon."  Again, we'll have to wait and see.

Peter had a visit from one of his best friends from Watkins Glen.  For those who aren't familiar with it, our hometown is a very small village in Upstate New York.  There are approximately 1,800 people living in Watkins Glen, which is the county seat, in the heart of the beautiful Finger Lakes area, which is about 5-6 hours northwest of  New York City.  The part I find amazing is not only did Peter and I both end up living in Shanghai at the same time, but now Peter's friend is going to be moving to Shanghai soon.  And, Peter heard from another guy from Watkins Glen who is moving here very soon - in fact, they are looking at houses here next week.  What are the odds that 4 people who were raised in Watkins Glen would be living in Shanghai at the same time?  It seems incredible to me - the world just keeps getting smaller and smaller.

Well, I'm off to my second Mandarin lesson - hopefully I won't walk out even more confused than I was after the first class!  

Maintenance Work

When Chris negotiated the lease on our apartment, he included in it that we be provided with an oven, a recliner (large enough for Chris), and a full-sized dryer.  In addition, it was obvious that there had previously been a leak in the apartment and there was damage to wallpaper from the water and mold on the walls of about 1/3 of the rooms.  The realtor promised that this would be fixed before we moved in but, of course, it wasn't.  We're still waiting for most of this.  Everyone tells me that maintenance work here is sloppy and generally a quick fix, so not to expect anything to be too carefully done.  So far, I'm finding that to be true.

Generally, Chinese kitchens don't come with ovens, although many of the housing developments catering to expats have been built with ovens to accommodate westerners.  Ours was not, so Chris specifically requested one.  Given that the expat-sized refrigerator is in the dining room, because it wouldn't fit in the kitchen, I was anticipating a stand-alone range next to the refrigerator in the dining room.  No such luck.  When we moved in, our new oven was here, resting on the counter of the kitchen, as you can see in the picture.  The smaller appliance on the right is the microwave and the slightly larger one on the left is the "oven."  I brought a 13x9 inch pan with me, because I really enjoy baking, but had to give it to Peter, because my pan wouldn't fit into our new oven.  I bought a 11x7 inch pan at one of the local stores catering to expats and baked in the oven today and it wasn't bad.  Unfortunately, the toast function doesn't really toast my English muffins, so we may have to buy a toaster as well.

The dryer was delivered yesterday.  We have a small porch off of the dining room where the washing machine is located, so I asked that the dryer be stored out there as well.  There was only one electrical outlet on the wall where the washer and dryer were located, so the maintenance man told me to buy a power strip, so I could plug them both in.  But when I motioned to the dryer vent hose, where the hot air was to exhaust, he plugged his nose and shook his head, whatever that meant.  I called the management company today, however, because the washer has flooded our back porch several times, including when the Ayi (housekeeper) used it today, so I asked that they fix it.  I also mentioned that the dryer exhaust didn't go outside, so it was filling up our back porch with hot air every time we tried to use it.  So, today they came to fix it.  The maintenance guy and his interpreter moved the dryer to be in front of the windows and told me to stick the end of the hose out the window when I use it. Since there is no electrical outlet on the wall of windows, the interpreter told me to get a long extension cord to be able to plug in the dryer.  I guess that's problem solved in China.

The recliner chair is still not here and no one seems to be able to give us any indication of when it will arrive.  Fortunately, the couch is comfortable and we haven't had many guests as of yet.  More importantly, I complain about the mold every day because I have a headache every day, probably from my mold allergy.  Every time I mention it to the realtor, I remind him that replacing the wallpaper is not enough, that the moldy walls will have to be cut out and replaced as well, but I mostly just hear "okay, okay."  Peter was told by someone during one of the orientation events he attended that the Chinese want to be able to help expats and will say "okay, okay" even when they don't have a clue what we're saying, so we should remember that "okay" means that they can see our lips moving and want to make us happy, but it doesn't mean any comprehension is involved in the conversation.

The good news is that we finally have a bed soft enough that I shouldn't have to sleep on the couch anymore.  We went to IKEA on Sunday and picked up some necessities as well as ordering a new mattress and mattress topper.  The IKEA delivery guys delivered the bed and bed topper this afternoon.  They couldn't believe me that I wanted our new mattress on top of the other one - they were laughing and shaking their heads, and they didn't even see me put the bed topper on top of the two mattresses. I was wishing Chris was here so they could see a 6'3" man standing next to the high bed and maybe it would make more send to them.  Either way, I'm hoping for a good night's sleep in my new bed.
 
Part of our lease is also that we have a housekeeper "Ayi" come clean twice a week.  She came yesterday and cleaned for a short time, but told me she doesn't want to work on Mondays, so she returned today.  We specifically asked for bedding in our lease and she was supposed to change the linens.  However, the management company only gave us one set of sheets for each bed, so she washed our master bedroom sheets today, but then laid them all over the apartment to dry, which is certainly less than ideal.  I think she laid them out flat so they wouldn't wrinkle.  I need an iron and ironing board, so she dries the sheets in the dryer and then irons them.  My big concern, though, is neither she nor the realtor seems to be able to tell me how long she is supposed to work on the two days she's here.  In order to wash, dry, and iron the sheets, she'll need at least 4 hours, and I don't know that she's planning to stay that long.  The rest of the cleaning isn't going to take that long, so I don't know what the plan is.

I know that moving into a new apartment anywhere has an adjustment period, but the language barrier is making this more frustrating.  Everyone I speak to here says that those of us who are more type-A in real life will just need to let go and accept that things are done differently here.  I don't consider myself a type-A personality, generally - I've got to be somewhat flexible to have moved our family to Germany for 2 years and then moved to China in the first place.  But, I do find it difficult not knowing what to expect or when things will be fixed and finished, never mind that I can't sufficiently communicate my concerns to everyone.  I'm trying to be patient, but I have bedding hanging all over my apartment and am constantly fighting the smell of mold, so some days, patience is a bit of a challenge.

Our Busy Weekend

Chris took part of Friday off to go with Peter, Samantha and me to the Shanghai Expat Expo.  Picture a long and winding path through many rooms full of booths - doctors, dentists, language schools, private schools for kids, food vendors, travel destination, and other services of interest to expats.  We came home with several bags full of free pens, a few post-it notes, and lots a promotional materials.  I was happy that we had the chance to speak to representatives of the doctors and hospital that we are most interested in checking out and I joined the Shanghai Expatriate Association, another social club, similar to the American Women's Club of Shanghai, that has a lot of great day trips. Chris was very interested to learn about an English-language website that facilitates for expats the use of Taobao, a very large online shopping site offering much reduced prices on all types of goods.

After the expo, we went to Yuyuan Gardens, shopping for pearls and scarves, wondering around seeing the sights, and giving Samantha a little taste of Shanghai.  We returned to Pudong for lunch and then picked up Kennedy and Cameron after school for dinner at Aunt Barbi & Uncle Chris's apartment.  Cooking dinner for 5, even something as simple as spaghetti, was very challenging on a 2-burner stove.  I cooked the asparagus in the microwave and, although it tasted good, it was no where nearly cooked enough.  :)

On Saturday, I basically collapsed and spent the whole day on the couch, napping and catching up on my jet lag.  Hopefully, the worst is over.  Chris & Samantha went to see downtown Shanghai, visiting a Buddist temple and the Bund area.  Samantha apparently caught the eye, and the camera lens, of many of the Chinese along the Bund, where many strangers were taking her picture.  Of course, since she was the only blond to be found among the thousands of people they saw, that may have been why.  :)  Chris and Samantha had a good, authentic Chinese lunch downtown before returning to the apartment to watch some of "The Big Bang Theory" with me on DVD.

On Saturday night, we went to dinner with Peter, Nickle and the kids at a fun pub-type of restaurant before heading to a great acrobatic show.  While we all enjoyed the group contortionists, the two men of strength, the hat jugglers, and the motorcycles racing inside a big metal ball, but my favorite was the plate spinners, especially when one woman climbed onto another woman, each spinning plates, and did a head stand, one head on top of another head, each still spinning four plates in each hand.  It was crazy and believable because at least once, during a different part of the act, some of the plates feel to the floor.  We really enjoyed the show and Samantha and I agreed it was like watching a whole season of "America's Got Talent" in one night.  :)


On Sunday morning, I was very excited to be able to log into my Comcast account and watch last week's episode of America's Got Talent without delay.  The later it got in the day, the worst the reception was, so I think we'll have to download or watch shows early in the morning, if at all.  After Samantha got here, we headed over to IKEA to do some household shopping.  We ordered a mattress and bed topper for our master bedroom.  The mattress we have is so hard, I've been sleeping on the couch every night.  The new mattress is being delivered on Tuesday and I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again.  We bought a lot of kitchen supplies as well, including more silverware, plates, and cups.  Next time we have the kids over for dinner, we'll each be able to have a fork. :)  It's surprising how excited you can get over things like bathmats and a napkin holder.  We bought a new duvet cover and some pillow cases to go with our new mattress, as everything we had in the apartment was just white, so we added some color.  When we got home, Chris took his turn catching a quick nap while Samantha and I went to Ole, another big expat grocery store.  We can certainly get enough items from the U.S. and Europe to get the feel of home. 

Our visit from Samantha is ending tomorrow, as she heads off to Vienna, Austria for her semester abroad.  I hope she had a fun in Shanghai, although we did less sight-seeing and more hanging with the family and settling into the apartment.  That's what she said she wanted to do while she was here, so I hope she enjoyed it.  I'm very excited for her and her upcoming European adventure.  I'm so much less stressed about her being in Austria on her own knowing her command of German, as well as her knowledge of Italian, Spanish and even quite a bit of French.  She's going to have a great semester and will hopefully do some wonderful traveling.  I will miss her, but am looking forward to visiting her in Vienna in November. 

Day 5

I'm happy to say that I actually slept through the night last night.  I'm hoping that means progress, although I'm still so hungry most of the time, I have to wonder what the deal is.  I thought all the walking and "light" foods we eat here would encourage weight loss, and maybe it will eventually, but right now, I'm starving!

Today, Samantha joined me at a Meet & Greet for the American Women's Club in Shanghai.  I belonged to the American Women's Club of the Taunus when we were living in Frankfurt, Germany and loved it.  In addition to the great events and activities, I really enjoyed meeting a lot of wonderful women and taking fascinating trips.  I hope to get a similarly rewarding experience out of the Shanghai group.

The Meet & Greet was at Le Royal Méridien Shanghai hotel in downtown Puxi, which is on the other side of the Huangpu River, which runs through the heart of Shanghai.  Expats seem to divide themselves between those who live in Puxi and those, like us, who live in Pudong, east of the river.  I joined the club, signed up for some small activity groups such as Couples Euchre and the Cooking Club, although I'm still looking for information on the book club.  But, the main part of the Meet & Greet was a vendor fair filled with tables of services of interest to expats, such as grocery deliveries, medical and dental facilities, air purifiers, travel and tour companies, and schools.  I met a few women but mostly Samantha and I had fun talking to all of the vendors.

Le Royal Méridien Shanghai is located in the Nanjing Road pedestrian area.  After almost 2 hours, we left the hotel and walked around the pedestrian mall a little bit, people watching but also admiring Shanghai's varied and striking architecture.

We then took a taxi back to Pudong and had an American-style lunch at Johnny Moo's, a burger joint just up HongFeng Lu from our apartment building.  Samantha decided to pair her french toast with a cookies and cream milkshake.  Although not like something she'd get at home, it was a nice break from traditional Chinese cooking.  Tomorrow, however, Samantha and I will join Peter and one of his "Guy Tai" friends for a tour conducted by the Community Center of Shanghai:  A Taste of China with April Li-Eat, Learn and Practice Chinese.  We will learn about the food we're eating and also practice our Mandarin.  Tai Tai is the local term for expat at-home, non-working mothers and wives.  Given that so many trailing spouses these days are husbands, the slang for stay-at-home dads is "Guy Tai."  :)

After a quick trip to the international grocery store, Samantha and I headed back to the apartment.  I have posted pictures inside our apartment, but not of the outside of our building and complex here at Dawn Garden.  It is a huge complex with at least 10-12 buildings.  Ours has only about 10 stories but some definitely are taller.  The pool is lovely looking, although we've been told we aren't technically allowed to swim there, as we did not join the clubhouse.  Apparently, in these types of complexes, it is common to have a separate management company run the recreational facilities.  Chris and I negotiated into our lease to get memberships in a local health club, which is much more expensive, apparently, than the cost to belong to the clubhouse here at Dawn Garden.  We are going to the health club tonight to get our membership cards and see what those facilities are like.

The thing we like most about this complex, other than the size of our individual unit (3 bedroom, 2 bath, and more than 1,800 sq. ft.), is the green space and interior courtyard.  The grounds are really quiet and it doesn't feel like you're in the middle of a city of nearly 24 million people.  Quite a difference from Elmhurst, IL, where we are currently living part-time (population of 45,000) and especially from my small town home in Watkins Glen, NY (population 1,800).  It will be an interesting experience of city living in addition to Asian city living.

On the ground in Shanghai

We've been in Shanghai for 3 days now and, although I'm still a little fuzzy (jet lag/time zone issues), I'm starting to feel a little more like myself.

We arrived on Friday afternoon, more than an hour late, and were met by Chris's FHP driver and Peter's driver - we needed both vans because we had 14 suitcases between the 3 of us, plus a couple more that the FHP driver brought from Chris's office in Ningbo and we never would have fit all of us in one van.  We drove to Peter & Nickle's house in the Green Villas, arriving before Peter and the kids were even home from school, and were greeted by Annie, Peter & Nickle's Ayi (housekeeper/nanny).  We unloaded all of the luggage into the garage and pretty soon, Peter & the kids came home, walking and riding scooters.  Their home is large and lovely and part of a very Americanized subdivision of large expat family homes.  The neighborhood is going to especially great for the kids, as they can ride scooters in the cul-de-sac, walk to the playground with friends, and even go to their friends' homes, mostly by themselves, well, except for 5-year-old Cameron.

The kids seemed very excited to see us and show us their new home.  Although their furniture had finally arrived, along with curtains and drapes, their air shipment has not yet arrived, so they don't have much in the way of toys, clothes, books, dishes, or pots and pans.  They're doing well with the things they picked up at the local grocery store and IKEA, but are looking forward to the arrival of their shipment.

We had a great night at their house, including dinner out at a local spot called Big Bamboo.  Obviously, this is one of the official Friday night dinner spots for families in their neighborhood as we saw and/or met at least 3 or 4 other Concordia families - Concordia being the international school the kids attend.  By the time we got back to their house after dinner, we were fading fast, not having slept much on the flight over.

Saturday morning, we met with representatives of our management company to take possession of our apartment.  There were a lot of maintenance issues and items missing that were supposed to be here, but it was nonetheless good to get our luggage transferred into our new apartment and start unpacking. 

The living room/dining room area is large and open and has a lot of light, with glassed-in decks at each end.  The big leather couch is very comfortable, thank heavens, as I've been sleeping on it the past 2 nights.  Our bed is as hard as concrete and will require a trip to IKEA soon for a new mattress. 

The kitchen is very small and so the American-sized refrigerator is in the dining room.  We specifically requested an oven be added before we moved in, so I was envisioning a stand-alone range in the dining room, next to the refrigerator.  Instead, we got a counter-top "oven," which is really not much bigger than a toaster oven, although we haven't been able to get it to toast anything yet.  Peter & Nickle were the lucky recipients of the 13x9 cake pan I brought in my luggage, as it's too big for our oven.  Good thing, too, as they've been making us dinner every night and the cut of beef we picked up for our Saturday night dinner would have been too big to cook any other way. 

You'll notice there's no dishwasher in our kitchen either - I can't remember the last time I didn't have a dishwasher.  I have to buy a dish drainer this week and hopefully Chris will get good at washing the dishes, since he's not going to do much of the cooking.

Chris had engaged the FHP driver not only to pick us up at the airport on Friday but also for all day Saturday.  He kindly moved all of our luggage into our building while we were doing the move-in check with the management company and then took us to Metro for a big shopping trip.  He is very kind and was a lot of help with our packages.

Chris and I slept in the apartment on Saturday night, but Samantha opted to stay at Peter & Nickle's house, given that she'd finally gotten a good night's sleep there Friday night and she has really been looking forward to cousin time while she's here in Shanghai.  So, on Sunday morning, she and Cameron walked over to visit our apartment and then Cameron treated us to slushees at a little shop right next to our complex.

After we went back to Peter's and met up with their former Ayi, who had taken care of Kennedy 8-9 years ago, when Peter & Nickle first lived in Shanghai, we took off to do some shopping.  We went to Carrefour, a huge store similar in type to Wal-Mart, with food, electronics, household goods, etc.  It's in a very large shopping complex, complete with a food court and many, many American fast food outlets, including Subway and KFC.  As Samantha was hungry, we first stopped at a little Hong Kong restaurant and tried a few local dishes, including cold, cut cucumbers, a pork fried rice, and some cooked cabbage.  Samantha ordered a chicken baked rice that was terrible, although we weren't sure if it was just burned or if it was supposed to taste like that.  :)

We returned to Peter & Nickle's Sunday evening for dinner with some friends of theirs from Concordia.  They had received their shipment of goods from the U.S., so had spent the whole weekend unpacking and trying to get organized.  Peter made a great stir-fry, but couldn't use his new rice cooker because the directions are all in Chinese.  Fortunately, his Ayi can teach him to use it today - we may have to invite her over to teach us how to use our appliances, too.  :)

All-in-all, we are adjusting.  I'm still quite fuzzy-brained most of the time, but I'm sure it will take me a while longer to adjust to the time zone.  My body is not particularly flexible with my eating and sleeping schedules.  Peter is coming over soon with his driver so we can explore some of Shanghai and deliver Samantha to Nickle so she can spend the afternoon at the office with Nickle.  This should be great exposure for Samantha, who is taking some international HR classes in Vienna this semester.

Peter & I are going to the Community Center of Shanghai to sign up for some tours and classes.  I already registered for their Shanghai 1-2-3 seminar next weekend, after Samantha leaves, so Chris & I can learn more about the expat community, vendors, and local businesses.  Fortunately, Peter is a couple of weeks ahead of me in learning about the area, so he's teaching me a lot, and he has great contacts through the school.  The adjustment would be much more difficult if he and Nickle weren't here - we're going to so enjoy being a few blocks away from them for the next couple of years.

While we definitely miss our family and friends, I was able to FaceTime with both Elizabeth and Miranda today and briefly with two of my sisters.  Today, we got the computers hooked up and hope to hook up the Vonage router, so our U.S. phone number will be operational again.  I still have to buy a Chinese iPhone - while I have a small Chinese cell phone now, I have decided I need a smart phone with a translator app, GoogleMaps, and all of the resources that are available to me through my U.S. iPhone when I'm home.  But, in the meantime, both Peter & Chris have Chinese iPhones, so as long as I'm with one of them, I'm covered.