We'll call this post Lovely Afternoon.
We found Starbucks, and sat outside with our steamed milk. I may become a coffee drinker in China, because Starbucks definitely feels like home. McDonalds feels like Asia, but Starbucks feels like America. I've been twice this week, possibly matching the number of times I've been in America, ever.
Sheila and two of her daughters met us there, and took us inside the mall. A lot like malls at home, the shops were more affordable and displayed items I would consider buying. The food court came highly recommended, and ordering cafeteria style - no language necessary! From the mall, we moved on to Pudong via the metro. With a 9- and a 13-year-old by my side, it was a bit less intimidating. They were not afraid. But they do each carry cell phones, because it is too easy to become separated. And the 9-year-old was holding someone's hand most of the time.
Once in Pudong, we walked back to the Yanlord Gardens. This gave us an idea of the walk to the metro stop, and the shops outside the complex. We stopped in the local grocery (cheap!) and took some pictures on the grounds. From there, it was a short walk over wide, smooth sidewalks to the promenade. This is a strip of restaurants, coffee shops and ice-cream vendors along the river. Outdoor seating watches the boats go by and faces The Bund. Very comfortable during the day, it must be lovely at night. After lunch, we checked out City Shop and then walked just a bit further to one of the many malls within walking distance of the complex. This one had Toys R Us and a bookstore. The bookstore had good stuff, but very little of it. Toys R Us had anything we would need - we will not be stocking up on gear before we go. But City Shop set my mind at ease. Here they sell big bags of whole wheat floor, boneless skinless chicken breast, oregano, bug spray, and loads of other imports. There are still a few things we'll bring from home or have shipped, but this grocery will make pizza and chili possibilities in our kitchen.
From there we took a taxi to Hongqiao. Did some bargain shopping, took the girls for milk shakes, and caught a taxi home.
Sheila was wonderful and her girls were loads of fun. Having people with us who know the ins and outs of China, and feel totally comfortable made a world of difference. Being directed where to go, and following someone's example about what makes them uncomfortable is dramatic. Knowing people will be key to being happy here. I can't thank Sheila and her girls enough for being our guides and our friends today.
We hope to check out Nanjing Road and The Bund, two of the main tourist areas in Shanghai, from here. We may post one more time tonight, but we leave first thing in the morning. No doubt this has been a productive trip - very much so. I have a good idea of what our home will be like, and what type of food we will have as well as what we will have to do without. I know better what will be more expensive than home, and what will be plenty cheaper. I know that car seats will be a waste. I know that we will be okay.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday, 4:55 pm
We'll call this entry Crummy Morning.
With plans to meet Sheila and her kids for brunch, we decided to skip breakfast this morning and head out for some quick exploring before we rendezvous at Starbucks at 10:00. The weather was cool and the sun was shining, so the morning was lovely. We carried the camera and walked down the tree lined streets, meandering toward the grocery store. (note - if you don't already know this, i'm a bit of a grocery store fanatic) Our standard shopping list in hand, and our pen for notes, we were ready to do some research on our comfort zone and how far it will extend in Shanghai. We reached the store at 8:30. It opens at 9:30. Foiled.
So we decided to try out the metro. We went down into the pits of Shanghai. Talk about concrete jungles, and these underground walkways go on forever. I think one could transverse the entire area of Shanghai without ever seeing the light of day. So we made it into the metro and onto the last car of the train. Don't ever take the last car of the train. They seem to always be packed. This was 9:00 on a Saturday morning, and I had to push just to get onto the train.
We rode our two stops, got off without incident, and ran to the nearest bathroom. (there had been a need in the family for about 10 minutes - and I'll just say that it wasn't me). A quick walk brought us to a public bathroom. We have been warned about public bathrooms, but this was not a time to be choosey. Dave came out a few minutes after he went in, and was in no mood to talk. Let's get out of here, he said. I didn't understand. How bad could a bathroom experience be - had he been accosted?
The Chinese use was seems to be called squat pans. They're glorified holes in the floor. Not like western toilets are glorified holes. They're seriously holes in the floor. Aim is a bit of a challenge, and flushing isn't immediately obvious. Dave didn't want to be around when the next person opened the door!
We walked to the Community Church, what had been described in our book as the protestant chuch for expatriates. On a Saturday morning we weren't expecting much, but we were expecting some English. No one there spoke any English. No signs were in English. Literally, none. So there was no finding out when the service begins, or if there are any English speaking small groups. Foiled again.
We wandered the French Concession a bit, and then decided that there ought to be a grocery store near our Starbucks and that may be a good use of our time. We headed back to the metro. This time was even less pleasant than the first. This time, I began the journey with an eye toward stroller usage. Picturing my beloved red stroller, I walked down a large flight of concrete stairs. No elevator in sight. I pushed onto the train. Literally, pushed onto the train. Those of you who have ridden the metro in St. Louis on the 4th of July or after a Cards game have some idea what this was like. I'm not joking. Simply put, there are too many people for the train. Each stop leaves people behind who could not squish themselves inside. Forget a lovely red stroller. People congregate around the balance bars and other handholds, so the last people on have nothing to hold on to. With the sway of the train, you fall into the door, people lean into you, a man with a sturdy backpack constantly pushed it into my space, I found another man's foot underneath me causing me to lose my balance - I couldn't even stand up straight. Holding a baby? I can't even imagine, and I didn't see any examples.
We reached our stop and were carried off with the wave of people. Following the crowd toward the exit, we see that there are about 10 different directions. We head toward People's Square, taking us up a flight of stairs and eliminating about 5 of them. The stairs lead us into a bright hallway, covered with posters and directional signs. Nothing was in English. Not one Western character. Five different directions to follow, directional signs all over the place, bright lights, tons of people. It made me feel dizzy. Like in the movies, when the music becomes intense and the camera pans in a circle and the whole world feels like its spinning around your character. And Dave says, "This is awesome." That's when I started to cry.
With plans to meet Sheila and her kids for brunch, we decided to skip breakfast this morning and head out for some quick exploring before we rendezvous at Starbucks at 10:00. The weather was cool and the sun was shining, so the morning was lovely. We carried the camera and walked down the tree lined streets, meandering toward the grocery store. (note - if you don't already know this, i'm a bit of a grocery store fanatic) Our standard shopping list in hand, and our pen for notes, we were ready to do some research on our comfort zone and how far it will extend in Shanghai. We reached the store at 8:30. It opens at 9:30. Foiled.
So we decided to try out the metro. We went down into the pits of Shanghai. Talk about concrete jungles, and these underground walkways go on forever. I think one could transverse the entire area of Shanghai without ever seeing the light of day. So we made it into the metro and onto the last car of the train. Don't ever take the last car of the train. They seem to always be packed. This was 9:00 on a Saturday morning, and I had to push just to get onto the train.
We rode our two stops, got off without incident, and ran to the nearest bathroom. (there had been a need in the family for about 10 minutes - and I'll just say that it wasn't me). A quick walk brought us to a public bathroom. We have been warned about public bathrooms, but this was not a time to be choosey. Dave came out a few minutes after he went in, and was in no mood to talk. Let's get out of here, he said. I didn't understand. How bad could a bathroom experience be - had he been accosted?
The Chinese use was seems to be called squat pans. They're glorified holes in the floor. Not like western toilets are glorified holes. They're seriously holes in the floor. Aim is a bit of a challenge, and flushing isn't immediately obvious. Dave didn't want to be around when the next person opened the door!
We walked to the Community Church, what had been described in our book as the protestant chuch for expatriates. On a Saturday morning we weren't expecting much, but we were expecting some English. No one there spoke any English. No signs were in English. Literally, none. So there was no finding out when the service begins, or if there are any English speaking small groups. Foiled again.
We wandered the French Concession a bit, and then decided that there ought to be a grocery store near our Starbucks and that may be a good use of our time. We headed back to the metro. This time was even less pleasant than the first. This time, I began the journey with an eye toward stroller usage. Picturing my beloved red stroller, I walked down a large flight of concrete stairs. No elevator in sight. I pushed onto the train. Literally, pushed onto the train. Those of you who have ridden the metro in St. Louis on the 4th of July or after a Cards game have some idea what this was like. I'm not joking. Simply put, there are too many people for the train. Each stop leaves people behind who could not squish themselves inside. Forget a lovely red stroller. People congregate around the balance bars and other handholds, so the last people on have nothing to hold on to. With the sway of the train, you fall into the door, people lean into you, a man with a sturdy backpack constantly pushed it into my space, I found another man's foot underneath me causing me to lose my balance - I couldn't even stand up straight. Holding a baby? I can't even imagine, and I didn't see any examples.
We reached our stop and were carried off with the wave of people. Following the crowd toward the exit, we see that there are about 10 different directions. We head toward People's Square, taking us up a flight of stairs and eliminating about 5 of them. The stairs lead us into a bright hallway, covered with posters and directional signs. Nothing was in English. Not one Western character. Five different directions to follow, directional signs all over the place, bright lights, tons of people. It made me feel dizzy. Like in the movies, when the music becomes intense and the camera pans in a circle and the whole world feels like its spinning around your character. And Dave says, "This is awesome." That's when I started to cry.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Friday, 9:10 pm - postscript
By the way, we were ditched by The Boss.
We called at the end of our tour to ask him where we should meet. His secretary informed us that he had already left - called out on an emergency. No message from him.
Which was fine, really. This has been an exhausting day, and we were perfectly happy to come back to the hotel, read through some of our materials gathered during the day, and process everything over dinner at a fantastic Thai restaurant down the street from our hotel. Too bad we won't get the opportunity to talk business we were promised, but I had some doubts about that to begin with. Would have been fun to have him show us around the city some more, but there will be plenty of time for that.
We called at the end of our tour to ask him where we should meet. His secretary informed us that he had already left - called out on an emergency. No message from him.
Which was fine, really. This has been an exhausting day, and we were perfectly happy to come back to the hotel, read through some of our materials gathered during the day, and process everything over dinner at a fantastic Thai restaurant down the street from our hotel. Too bad we won't get the opportunity to talk business we were promised, but I had some doubts about that to begin with. Would have been fun to have him show us around the city some more, but there will be plenty of time for that.
Friday, 9:10 pm
A few facts:
- We will be moving to Shanghai.
- We expect to move in September, in time for Dave to begin the fiscal year on October 1.
- We have an estimated range for our housing allowance, yet to be negotiated as final.
We met Sheila this morning, and she is fantastic. She and Jack showed us around town today, and having local people orient us was invaluable. Sheila is from Canada, and has lived in China for 4 years. Jack is Shanghainese. Not only did they show us a number of apartments in our price range, but Sheila also answered my list of a million questions. Here's what we learned today:
1. You can get by with very little Chinese.
Sheila speaks only limited Chinese, although her husband and children are fluent. She frequents places where people speak at least some English - which is plenty of places. Or she uses a translator, frequently her family or her coworkers. Dave's coworkers have offered this as well. If we're ever in a bind, call their cell phone and they will happily translate for us.
2. We will be able to afford a nice place to live.
Sheila was given a budget for us - a smaller number than we were advised the day before. And everything we saw seemed quite livable. We will have no trouble spending as much as they allot us, and we will not live in squallor. In fact, we will certainly live somewhere comfortable.
3. Community may trump commute.
We loved two places. Top of the City is less than a 10 minute walk to Dave's office. It also has a strip of restaurants and shops outside that looked fantastic, and over 60 restaurants deliver. The location is perfect, and the views out the window and off the balcony were delicious. Yanlord Garden is a complex of maybe 30 high-rises with grassy lawns, lakes and fountains appropriate for wading, playgrounds, swimming pools, cafes and restaurants and even a kindegarten covering the space in between. When we were there, the grasses were covered with kids playing ball with their parents, the playgrounds were full, the tables at the libray were swarming with children. There were loads of kids and loads of families. It seemed extremely family friendly and comfortable - as if everything were designed to be climbed over and roughed up. And our children's environment and our family's community are probably the most important factor in this decision. Plus, Sheila's girls are getting on towards babysitting age and live within the complex - perfect!
4. We are advised not to bring more than our clothes with us.
I can't adjust to this. On this trip, I've become convinced that I don't need to bring much. But I have trouble with replacing everything that I own. Some things it'll be fine to buy cheap, throw away items - plates and bowls, kitchen linens, towels. But some things, its wonderful to have nice - bed linens, pots and pans. And we already have the nice, so why buy it again?
5. Medical care is western and top-notch.
We visited a clinic, and they gave us some literature. Plenty of doctors are available (although no speech therapists), and their facility and on-call procedures are thoroughly modern.
6. Not everything can be had in Shanghai, but quite a few Western standards... at a price.
We went through City Supermarket, the import grocery. Again, flour was over $3 a bag. We couldn't figure out if they have whole milk, and I didn't see any chili powder. They do have Similac and organic baby food. As I think about it, the foods I'm most concerned about decrease as the children get older. Hopefully, most of these things won't be a problem for very long. By September, S-- will already be 9 months old. By 1 year, L-- was eating the same food as us, so that's no more than a few months of baby food and formula.
7. You could not pay me enough money to drive in Shanghai.
Oh my gosh.
Just because you have a green walk signal does not mean you should not look both ways before crossing. Man, they just come at you. And its not even a game of chicken - nobody stops at the last minute. Somebody veers into oncoming traffic, and the other car veers into pedestrians on the sidewalk. It's amazing.
8. We need adaptors for any electronics we bring with us.
And I don't expect to bring many electronics. But Sheila's burnt out her cell phone using the wrong voltage. On anything important enough to bring, its important to have an adaptor.
9. Transportation with babies will be a challenge.
Taxis don't even have seat belts. Car seats would be impossible without renting a car and driver for the day. That's about 350RMB per day - $45 or so. So it may be worth renting a car and driver one day a month to run errands and do major shopping. Would we bring or buy car seats for one day a month, or just leave the kids at home that day? And we are strongly advised not to bring children on the metro during rush hour. That's before 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning, and between 4:30 and 7:30 in the evening. Living within walking distance of most of our needs will be crucial, because I think our strategy must be simply not to take the girls in cars any more than is absolutely necessary.
I think that we're going to be okay. Shanghai has been easier than Hong Kong, entirely because we have had people holding our hands the entire way. But its not unrealistic to think that we will have those same people holding our hands when we move here as well. Sheila and Jack have been hired to help with our relocation, and certainly will be helping us out throughout the process. Dave's coworkers will still be his coworkers, and that relationship will only deepen. We will probably choose to live somewhere like Yanlord Gardens, where we could go a week without leaving the grounds if we so chose. We won't. But it'll be nice to be able to keep the scariness at bay, when necessary. On what Sheila calls "bad China days," when everything is difficult, it'll be nice to come home somewhere comfortable.
I'm also becoming more convinced that we'll need to come home twice a year. If it is important to us that our girls know their family, then they need to see them more than once a year. Even if that comes at our own personal expense, I think its something we'll need to do. It'll be interesting to see what our package is - whether this will be included, or whether we feel we'll be able to afford it if its not.
- We will be moving to Shanghai.
- We expect to move in September, in time for Dave to begin the fiscal year on October 1.
- We have an estimated range for our housing allowance, yet to be negotiated as final.
We met Sheila this morning, and she is fantastic. She and Jack showed us around town today, and having local people orient us was invaluable. Sheila is from Canada, and has lived in China for 4 years. Jack is Shanghainese. Not only did they show us a number of apartments in our price range, but Sheila also answered my list of a million questions. Here's what we learned today:
1. You can get by with very little Chinese.
Sheila speaks only limited Chinese, although her husband and children are fluent. She frequents places where people speak at least some English - which is plenty of places. Or she uses a translator, frequently her family or her coworkers. Dave's coworkers have offered this as well. If we're ever in a bind, call their cell phone and they will happily translate for us.
2. We will be able to afford a nice place to live.
Sheila was given a budget for us - a smaller number than we were advised the day before. And everything we saw seemed quite livable. We will have no trouble spending as much as they allot us, and we will not live in squallor. In fact, we will certainly live somewhere comfortable.
3. Community may trump commute.
We loved two places. Top of the City is less than a 10 minute walk to Dave's office. It also has a strip of restaurants and shops outside that looked fantastic, and over 60 restaurants deliver. The location is perfect, and the views out the window and off the balcony were delicious. Yanlord Garden is a complex of maybe 30 high-rises with grassy lawns, lakes and fountains appropriate for wading, playgrounds, swimming pools, cafes and restaurants and even a kindegarten covering the space in between. When we were there, the grasses were covered with kids playing ball with their parents, the playgrounds were full, the tables at the libray were swarming with children. There were loads of kids and loads of families. It seemed extremely family friendly and comfortable - as if everything were designed to be climbed over and roughed up. And our children's environment and our family's community are probably the most important factor in this decision. Plus, Sheila's girls are getting on towards babysitting age and live within the complex - perfect!
4. We are advised not to bring more than our clothes with us.
I can't adjust to this. On this trip, I've become convinced that I don't need to bring much. But I have trouble with replacing everything that I own. Some things it'll be fine to buy cheap, throw away items - plates and bowls, kitchen linens, towels. But some things, its wonderful to have nice - bed linens, pots and pans. And we already have the nice, so why buy it again?
5. Medical care is western and top-notch.
We visited a clinic, and they gave us some literature. Plenty of doctors are available (although no speech therapists), and their facility and on-call procedures are thoroughly modern.
6. Not everything can be had in Shanghai, but quite a few Western standards... at a price.
We went through City Supermarket, the import grocery. Again, flour was over $3 a bag. We couldn't figure out if they have whole milk, and I didn't see any chili powder. They do have Similac and organic baby food. As I think about it, the foods I'm most concerned about decrease as the children get older. Hopefully, most of these things won't be a problem for very long. By September, S-- will already be 9 months old. By 1 year, L-- was eating the same food as us, so that's no more than a few months of baby food and formula.
7. You could not pay me enough money to drive in Shanghai.
Oh my gosh.
Just because you have a green walk signal does not mean you should not look both ways before crossing. Man, they just come at you. And its not even a game of chicken - nobody stops at the last minute. Somebody veers into oncoming traffic, and the other car veers into pedestrians on the sidewalk. It's amazing.
8. We need adaptors for any electronics we bring with us.
And I don't expect to bring many electronics. But Sheila's burnt out her cell phone using the wrong voltage. On anything important enough to bring, its important to have an adaptor.
9. Transportation with babies will be a challenge.
Taxis don't even have seat belts. Car seats would be impossible without renting a car and driver for the day. That's about 350RMB per day - $45 or so. So it may be worth renting a car and driver one day a month to run errands and do major shopping. Would we bring or buy car seats for one day a month, or just leave the kids at home that day? And we are strongly advised not to bring children on the metro during rush hour. That's before 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning, and between 4:30 and 7:30 in the evening. Living within walking distance of most of our needs will be crucial, because I think our strategy must be simply not to take the girls in cars any more than is absolutely necessary.
I think that we're going to be okay. Shanghai has been easier than Hong Kong, entirely because we have had people holding our hands the entire way. But its not unrealistic to think that we will have those same people holding our hands when we move here as well. Sheila and Jack have been hired to help with our relocation, and certainly will be helping us out throughout the process. Dave's coworkers will still be his coworkers, and that relationship will only deepen. We will probably choose to live somewhere like Yanlord Gardens, where we could go a week without leaving the grounds if we so chose. We won't. But it'll be nice to be able to keep the scariness at bay, when necessary. On what Sheila calls "bad China days," when everything is difficult, it'll be nice to come home somewhere comfortable.
I'm also becoming more convinced that we'll need to come home twice a year. If it is important to us that our girls know their family, then they need to see them more than once a year. Even if that comes at our own personal expense, I think its something we'll need to do. It'll be interesting to see what our package is - whether this will be included, or whether we feel we'll be able to afford it if its not.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Friday, 8:35 am
I'm frequently surprised by how old things are - and we've been in the two newest cities in
China. At dinner last night, our host ordered a bottle of rice wine. As a table, we finished the whole bottle and he was not unimpressed. It tasted good - sweet, and mildly of soy sauce. He showed us the bottle and explained that the company was over 500 years old. I was awestruck, until I realized that this is only middle-age in China.
Still, Shanghai is very new. Much feels like America in the 80s. Money is all around, and there seem to be two types. There are the people and places who are entirely modern and stylish - sleek lines, high quality, comfortable and subtle. Things that feel worth their high cost. And then there is ostentation. Our hotel feels more like the latter, as do many of the people walking down the street. Clothes seem to be fashion for its own sake, rather than to look flattering or timely. Hotels are richly decorated with plenty of switches and options, but what is that worth when the bed is hard and the covers are thin? This ostentation is money for its own sake, and lacks value. The flashiness of money in this way is anything but intimidating. It makes me quite comfortable in my own sense of style.
Yesterday had quite a few experiences. We'll see how many I get while Dave is in the shower.
Lunch alone at a Chinese Restaurant:
We could also title this Complete Failure. After wandering alone for a bit yesterday morning, I decided to grab a quick bite of lunch and head back to the hotel for a nap. In no hurry, I took the advice of my guidebook and walked to a small fried dumpling stand not far from the hotel. It claimed to be cheap and very good. And no doubt, from the line outside and the crowd in. But as I studied the scene, I realized I did not know how to order. Above the cashier was a board written in Chinese - the item, then the price. Everyone stood in line to order, and then stepped aside to pick up their food. I could not point at my order, and I did not assume the cashier could speak English. So I walked on. I gained more courage as I passed another shop, much the same. I stood in line (well, I pushed toward the front of a group) and as I got closer to the front, I strategized. Unfortunately, my best plan was to ask if the cashier spoke English. She said she didn't. I left. The end. I ordered a cheese sandwich from room service.
Dinner with our Host at a Traditional Shanghainese Restaurant:
In the morning, we met The Boss. He explained his busy schedule - meetings much of the day. He also explained that in between meetings, he would have hours to spend with Dave, and that after about 3:00 he would be all ours. Around 7:30 pm, we saw him again.
He took us to Xintiandi, a fantastic area that we've read about as being the expat bar strip. There was a mix of cultures, though, and our host explained that this is a place that the Chinese think of Western, and the foreigners think is Chinese. It's a small area of old, traditional Shanghainese buildings which have been refurbished on the insides to be entirely modern. It is really a fun area to walk area, and is filled with bars, restaurants, and rather touristy shops. No McDonalds and no Hard Rock Cafe, so not too Western. We had drinks at a bar known for its glass, and the decor was modern and lovely. Then we moved on to the traditional restaurant.
Brightly lit, noisy and smoky, the setting was explained to be very traditional as well. The Chinese don't eat in quiet, romantic restaurants. Social time is a gathering of friends having a loud and long meal together. The tables were spaced rather far apart, and except for the smoke it was quite comfortable. The food came in dim sum style (kind of like tapas - many small dishes, which you share) and everything was very good. We drank tea and rice wine and the meal lasted quite a while. We discussed work and the company, no specifics about the future position but questions about work culture and expectations and fears. We learned about his family, his experience in the US, and his dislike for the suburbs. Everyone Chinese who has spent time in Lincolnshire has quckly expressed disdain for the community. It feels so complacent and closed, and there is nothing to do. Everything is closed by 8:30. This certainly does not fit into Chinese culture, where things just start to wake up around 8:00 and by 11:00 they're really getting interesting. People don't get into work until around 9:30, which may be quite nice for a family. We'll be able to have breakfast together every morning, even though we may not have dinner together every night. And Dave has been promised that his orientation will include a different restaurant for lunch every day for 3 months. I said that I'm jealous I won't be able to join him! He invited me, of course, and I said that I don't we want to invite the babies. He said what everyone else has said - that we will want to hire a helper. In the US, I felt silly even thinking about hiring a helper. But speaking to everyone here, I feel a bit silly not considering it. We shall see.
We're meeting a real estate agent in an hour. I'm very excited to see what kind of options will be available to us. Everyone has assured us that we will be comfortable with our options, and from the price range provided and our limited internet research, I think we will. As I told The Boss last night, my biggest fear right now is just not knowing what daily life will be like. Hopefully today will assuage some of that fear.
After we finish our tour, we call The Boss and he is taking us out again for dinner and drinks. This is when we will talk business. Then tomorrow we expect to have on our own, and to be able to do any extra research - grocery stores, walking through parks and neighborhoods, whatever other questions we might have. The timing here is working out quite well. A week here would be better, but 3 days will certainly do.
China. At dinner last night, our host ordered a bottle of rice wine. As a table, we finished the whole bottle and he was not unimpressed. It tasted good - sweet, and mildly of soy sauce. He showed us the bottle and explained that the company was over 500 years old. I was awestruck, until I realized that this is only middle-age in China.
Still, Shanghai is very new. Much feels like America in the 80s. Money is all around, and there seem to be two types. There are the people and places who are entirely modern and stylish - sleek lines, high quality, comfortable and subtle. Things that feel worth their high cost. And then there is ostentation. Our hotel feels more like the latter, as do many of the people walking down the street. Clothes seem to be fashion for its own sake, rather than to look flattering or timely. Hotels are richly decorated with plenty of switches and options, but what is that worth when the bed is hard and the covers are thin? This ostentation is money for its own sake, and lacks value. The flashiness of money in this way is anything but intimidating. It makes me quite comfortable in my own sense of style.
Yesterday had quite a few experiences. We'll see how many I get while Dave is in the shower.
Lunch alone at a Chinese Restaurant:
We could also title this Complete Failure. After wandering alone for a bit yesterday morning, I decided to grab a quick bite of lunch and head back to the hotel for a nap. In no hurry, I took the advice of my guidebook and walked to a small fried dumpling stand not far from the hotel. It claimed to be cheap and very good. And no doubt, from the line outside and the crowd in. But as I studied the scene, I realized I did not know how to order. Above the cashier was a board written in Chinese - the item, then the price. Everyone stood in line to order, and then stepped aside to pick up their food. I could not point at my order, and I did not assume the cashier could speak English. So I walked on. I gained more courage as I passed another shop, much the same. I stood in line (well, I pushed toward the front of a group) and as I got closer to the front, I strategized. Unfortunately, my best plan was to ask if the cashier spoke English. She said she didn't. I left. The end. I ordered a cheese sandwich from room service.
Dinner with our Host at a Traditional Shanghainese Restaurant:
In the morning, we met The Boss. He explained his busy schedule - meetings much of the day. He also explained that in between meetings, he would have hours to spend with Dave, and that after about 3:00 he would be all ours. Around 7:30 pm, we saw him again.
He took us to Xintiandi, a fantastic area that we've read about as being the expat bar strip. There was a mix of cultures, though, and our host explained that this is a place that the Chinese think of Western, and the foreigners think is Chinese. It's a small area of old, traditional Shanghainese buildings which have been refurbished on the insides to be entirely modern. It is really a fun area to walk area, and is filled with bars, restaurants, and rather touristy shops. No McDonalds and no Hard Rock Cafe, so not too Western. We had drinks at a bar known for its glass, and the decor was modern and lovely. Then we moved on to the traditional restaurant.
Brightly lit, noisy and smoky, the setting was explained to be very traditional as well. The Chinese don't eat in quiet, romantic restaurants. Social time is a gathering of friends having a loud and long meal together. The tables were spaced rather far apart, and except for the smoke it was quite comfortable. The food came in dim sum style (kind of like tapas - many small dishes, which you share) and everything was very good. We drank tea and rice wine and the meal lasted quite a while. We discussed work and the company, no specifics about the future position but questions about work culture and expectations and fears. We learned about his family, his experience in the US, and his dislike for the suburbs. Everyone Chinese who has spent time in Lincolnshire has quckly expressed disdain for the community. It feels so complacent and closed, and there is nothing to do. Everything is closed by 8:30. This certainly does not fit into Chinese culture, where things just start to wake up around 8:00 and by 11:00 they're really getting interesting. People don't get into work until around 9:30, which may be quite nice for a family. We'll be able to have breakfast together every morning, even though we may not have dinner together every night. And Dave has been promised that his orientation will include a different restaurant for lunch every day for 3 months. I said that I'm jealous I won't be able to join him! He invited me, of course, and I said that I don't we want to invite the babies. He said what everyone else has said - that we will want to hire a helper. In the US, I felt silly even thinking about hiring a helper. But speaking to everyone here, I feel a bit silly not considering it. We shall see.
We're meeting a real estate agent in an hour. I'm very excited to see what kind of options will be available to us. Everyone has assured us that we will be comfortable with our options, and from the price range provided and our limited internet research, I think we will. As I told The Boss last night, my biggest fear right now is just not knowing what daily life will be like. Hopefully today will assuage some of that fear.
After we finish our tour, we call The Boss and he is taking us out again for dinner and drinks. This is when we will talk business. Then tomorrow we expect to have on our own, and to be able to do any extra research - grocery stores, walking through parks and neighborhoods, whatever other questions we might have. The timing here is working out quite well. A week here would be better, but 3 days will certainly do.
Thursday evening, 12:10 am
Today was a much more encouraging day. I want to write more, but I'm so tired that I'm afraid all I can manage is a quick calendar.
The hotel provided breakfast in the rotating restaurant on the 42nd floor. American continental and full English were available on the buffet, but also available was what looked to us like Chinese dinner, including a salad bar and gelatinous vegetables. We stuck to the western breakfast this morning.
Pleasant walk to the office, and reached it around 9:30. The business day was just beginning. Met with the local boss for a while, and were directed to our office for the day. Met with the regional boss for quite a while and had a very good conversation. At that point I took off, and Dave met with his future teammembers and had more conversations with the regional boss. They all went to lunch together and had a good time.
I explored a bit on foot. Walked through a lovely park to the Shanghai Museum and People's Square. Seems like a neat museum, but I was only up for the museum shop this afternoon. Walked down a lower commercial road back to the hotel, and tried to stop for Chinese lunch but totally failed. Details later, but it wasn't encouraging for future life. I made it to the hotel, where I ordered room service and watched the Discovery channel. It's that or CNN or ESPN, in English. Or HBO, but all the movies on HBO seem to be really old. Is that true in the US, too?
I took a good nap, which turned out to a wonderful use of my time this afternoon. I met Dave back at the office around 6:00, and we waited for the boss to meet us until about 7:30. In fitting with Chinese custom, we spent the evening drinking and eating with the boss, building relationships and talking only rarely about work and the business at hand. He's an interesting man, very smart and pretty good English. We stand to learn a lot from him. His daughter is 4 and attends a Montessori International School, which led to some very interesting conversations as well. Dinner was at a traditional Shanghainese restaurant, and fantastic. We've yet to eat anything remotely resembling American-style Chinese food. And we've really loved everything so far. Back to the hotel around midnight, and I should be asleep soon.
I'll try to write more reflections on today, tomorrow. But suffice it to say that Shanghai is much less intimidating than Hong Kong. I'm really looking forward to our tour tomorrow. We expect to spend our time on Saturday doing the rest of the fact finding, exploring grocery stores and public transportation and such.
Thanks for your comments and kind words, everyone. It means the world to us!
The hotel provided breakfast in the rotating restaurant on the 42nd floor. American continental and full English were available on the buffet, but also available was what looked to us like Chinese dinner, including a salad bar and gelatinous vegetables. We stuck to the western breakfast this morning.
Pleasant walk to the office, and reached it around 9:30. The business day was just beginning. Met with the local boss for a while, and were directed to our office for the day. Met with the regional boss for quite a while and had a very good conversation. At that point I took off, and Dave met with his future teammembers and had more conversations with the regional boss. They all went to lunch together and had a good time.
I explored a bit on foot. Walked through a lovely park to the Shanghai Museum and People's Square. Seems like a neat museum, but I was only up for the museum shop this afternoon. Walked down a lower commercial road back to the hotel, and tried to stop for Chinese lunch but totally failed. Details later, but it wasn't encouraging for future life. I made it to the hotel, where I ordered room service and watched the Discovery channel. It's that or CNN or ESPN, in English. Or HBO, but all the movies on HBO seem to be really old. Is that true in the US, too?
I took a good nap, which turned out to a wonderful use of my time this afternoon. I met Dave back at the office around 6:00, and we waited for the boss to meet us until about 7:30. In fitting with Chinese custom, we spent the evening drinking and eating with the boss, building relationships and talking only rarely about work and the business at hand. He's an interesting man, very smart and pretty good English. We stand to learn a lot from him. His daughter is 4 and attends a Montessori International School, which led to some very interesting conversations as well. Dinner was at a traditional Shanghainese restaurant, and fantastic. We've yet to eat anything remotely resembling American-style Chinese food. And we've really loved everything so far. Back to the hotel around midnight, and I should be asleep soon.
I'll try to write more reflections on today, tomorrow. But suffice it to say that Shanghai is much less intimidating than Hong Kong. I'm really looking forward to our tour tomorrow. We expect to spend our time on Saturday doing the rest of the fact finding, exploring grocery stores and public transportation and such.
Thanks for your comments and kind words, everyone. It means the world to us!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Thursday, 7:30 am
When I was a kid, we didn't travel much. The odd stay with family and some camping trips made up most of our weekends out. But every few years, we enjoyed the much fabled Family Vacation. We'd dive somewhere far away, eat at restaurants for every meal, and - the most exciting part - stay in a hotel.
I always thought hotels were amazing. They had their own smell to them. They had swimming pools which were just the right size for little kids. We were never lucky enough to eat at the hotel restaurant - their prices made them too swank for our family. And the beds may have been hard, but I would never have known. As the girl with 2 brothers, I was always the nominee to sleep in my sleeping bag on the floor. I was an adult before I ever slept in a hotel bed.
Walking down the halls as they brought us to our room last night, I was struck at how much hotels have changed over the past 20 years. Even the budget hotels, where we spend most of our hotel dollars, have good service upon arrival and a clean, although sterile, feeling throughout the building. This one doesn't feel sterile, but it also doesn't feel like the carpets have been cleaned since they were installed in 1988. The tv meets our home standards - small, and looks secondhand. The bed is hard and the covers are thin - too bad I didn't pack my sleeping bag! And that smell I remember from childhood. Dave says its the smell of a hotel where people smoke in their rooms. Remember that?
It lists itself as a 5 star hotel, and Frommer's names it as being one of the more expensive hotels in town. Certainly when it was built, as the modern hotel serving international clientelle, it was a very nice hotel. And the flyer shows modern rooms, which look nothing like ours.
But the view is nice. We're on the 20th floor, and if it weren't for the haze of pollution we would be able to see forever. As it is, the sun's shining through the smog and in this flat city, we can see quite a ways. A few notables distinctions from Hong Kong (note: we arrived after midnight last night, so all impressions are from the desk in this room).
- Even not comparing to verticle Hong Kong, Shanghai is entirely horizontal. There are people on bicycles and you can see for miles.
- There is grass. And trees. Hong Kong real estate was way too valuable to waste any of it on lawns, and trees would neve see the sun anyway. But from my window I see green. In fact, there's a lovely little corner park just a block away.
- There seems to be more character to the architecture. That may be unfair - I'm probably judging by the neighborhoods my hotels were in, primarily. But Hong Kong felt a lot like Manhattan - tall, older skyscrapers and very dirty sidewalks. I can't quantify it, but Shanghai doesn't feel so Random City. To be fair, Hong Kong had distinct characters in some of the areas we found in our touring yesterday - the mid-levels were awesome. Somehow it feels less intimidating. Although I know that the population is more than double that of Hong Kong, it still feels like a smaller city. It must just be the lower density that's appealing to me. As Karoline described NYC, Hong Kong has no visible horizon. From the 20th floor, Shanghai seems to.
We explored the mid-levels and the peak yesterday in Hong Kong. More touristy and Westernized areas. They were neat areas, and although further away from the office, much nicer places to live. However, we couldn't figure out how people do it with young children. The mid-levels, as well as the beach communities on the south of the island, are built on the cliff and every street is a few stories higher than the last. Climbing stairs is a necessity, seemingly rendering strollers obsolete. How would I get out of the house with two babies? The beach park in Repulse Bay, on the south side of the island, was a wonderful place for kids to run and play. Loads of sand and trees, and plenty of playgrounds, it would work nicely for a neighborhood park. But we could find no route there that didn't include 50 or more stairs. We also tried to walk to a grocery store or restaurant, and after climbing for 20 minutes still didn't come across one. Much of Hong Kong seems like an exciting place to live without a family, but we couldn't find a place that seemed family friendly - especially very young families. It left us feeling discouraged.
Today we go to the office in Shanghai, and tomorow they've arranged for us to meet with a real estate agent. That they arranged that is encouraging, and should give us a good idea of what will be reasonable. And I think our approach will be different. I don't plan to do any Lifestyle Research until after our tour tomorrow. Time I have today will either be spent at tourist sights, getting excited about the city as a destination, with Dave's co-workers, or in the hotel. They ave massages and a swimming pool on the 6th floor. Both sound lovely. Of course, the rest of the hotel sounded lovely as well. We shall see.
I always thought hotels were amazing. They had their own smell to them. They had swimming pools which were just the right size for little kids. We were never lucky enough to eat at the hotel restaurant - their prices made them too swank for our family. And the beds may have been hard, but I would never have known. As the girl with 2 brothers, I was always the nominee to sleep in my sleeping bag on the floor. I was an adult before I ever slept in a hotel bed.
Walking down the halls as they brought us to our room last night, I was struck at how much hotels have changed over the past 20 years. Even the budget hotels, where we spend most of our hotel dollars, have good service upon arrival and a clean, although sterile, feeling throughout the building. This one doesn't feel sterile, but it also doesn't feel like the carpets have been cleaned since they were installed in 1988. The tv meets our home standards - small, and looks secondhand. The bed is hard and the covers are thin - too bad I didn't pack my sleeping bag! And that smell I remember from childhood. Dave says its the smell of a hotel where people smoke in their rooms. Remember that?
It lists itself as a 5 star hotel, and Frommer's names it as being one of the more expensive hotels in town. Certainly when it was built, as the modern hotel serving international clientelle, it was a very nice hotel. And the flyer shows modern rooms, which look nothing like ours.
But the view is nice. We're on the 20th floor, and if it weren't for the haze of pollution we would be able to see forever. As it is, the sun's shining through the smog and in this flat city, we can see quite a ways. A few notables distinctions from Hong Kong (note: we arrived after midnight last night, so all impressions are from the desk in this room).
- Even not comparing to verticle Hong Kong, Shanghai is entirely horizontal. There are people on bicycles and you can see for miles.
- There is grass. And trees. Hong Kong real estate was way too valuable to waste any of it on lawns, and trees would neve see the sun anyway. But from my window I see green. In fact, there's a lovely little corner park just a block away.
- There seems to be more character to the architecture. That may be unfair - I'm probably judging by the neighborhoods my hotels were in, primarily. But Hong Kong felt a lot like Manhattan - tall, older skyscrapers and very dirty sidewalks. I can't quantify it, but Shanghai doesn't feel so Random City. To be fair, Hong Kong had distinct characters in some of the areas we found in our touring yesterday - the mid-levels were awesome. Somehow it feels less intimidating. Although I know that the population is more than double that of Hong Kong, it still feels like a smaller city. It must just be the lower density that's appealing to me. As Karoline described NYC, Hong Kong has no visible horizon. From the 20th floor, Shanghai seems to.
We explored the mid-levels and the peak yesterday in Hong Kong. More touristy and Westernized areas. They were neat areas, and although further away from the office, much nicer places to live. However, we couldn't figure out how people do it with young children. The mid-levels, as well as the beach communities on the south of the island, are built on the cliff and every street is a few stories higher than the last. Climbing stairs is a necessity, seemingly rendering strollers obsolete. How would I get out of the house with two babies? The beach park in Repulse Bay, on the south side of the island, was a wonderful place for kids to run and play. Loads of sand and trees, and plenty of playgrounds, it would work nicely for a neighborhood park. But we could find no route there that didn't include 50 or more stairs. We also tried to walk to a grocery store or restaurant, and after climbing for 20 minutes still didn't come across one. Much of Hong Kong seems like an exciting place to live without a family, but we couldn't find a place that seemed family friendly - especially very young families. It left us feeling discouraged.
Today we go to the office in Shanghai, and tomorow they've arranged for us to meet with a real estate agent. That they arranged that is encouraging, and should give us a good idea of what will be reasonable. And I think our approach will be different. I don't plan to do any Lifestyle Research until after our tour tomorrow. Time I have today will either be spent at tourist sights, getting excited about the city as a destination, with Dave's co-workers, or in the hotel. They ave massages and a swimming pool on the 6th floor. Both sound lovely. Of course, the rest of the hotel sounded lovely as well. We shall see.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Wednesday, 8:20 am
I woke up this morning at 6:00 - exactly 8 hours after I fell asleep last night. Perfectly timed, we should have no more trouble with jet lag this week. Dave was still sleeping, so I creeped down to the fitness center and jumped on an elliptical for about 30 minutes. With my ipod running, I worked up a sweat watching through the floor to ceiling windows as the city sleepily began to move. Hong Kong is definitely a night-time town. At 8:00 last night, it looked like a big city. At 6:00 this morning, it looked like a small town with hardly anyone moving about. The sun was not exactly rising - its really hilly and both cloudy and polluted - but beginning to brighten the view and burn off the haze. And I was glad to feel excited about the view in front of me. What an interesting city, and cities are such interesting places.
I began focusing on the question that stumps me right now. My words of comfort are that I'll be able to find people who are like me, and things that I recognize. But if I surround myself with a recreated version of home, then why am I moving to China in the first place? I didn't come up with a good answer, but I did realize that I don't have to become an entirely different person just because we're moving, and that is okay to ease into such a change.
Our approach today is different from yesterday. Rather than doing new-life-research, we're going to be tourists today. The sun is peeking through the clouds, which is already better than the constant drizzle we faced yesterday. I'm excited about seeing the city today, and I think that'll make the prospect of living here much more palatable. I plan to take this approach with us to Shanghai as well, and get excited about the city before digging in and getting intimidated. A good idea I hope, because we're being constantly told that Shanghai will be much more difficult for foreigners.
No word from Dave, I know. My quick update for him - he's really excited about the work prospects so far, and I'm sure that'll only increase. He really liked everyone in the office. But not having any idea what our living situation will be makes this more scary than productive - we're looking at a lot of places thinking - are we going to have to live someplace like that? He's also worried about the pollution, and we're beginning to think that close-to-the-office might be something we sacrifice for not-so-dirty.
I began focusing on the question that stumps me right now. My words of comfort are that I'll be able to find people who are like me, and things that I recognize. But if I surround myself with a recreated version of home, then why am I moving to China in the first place? I didn't come up with a good answer, but I did realize that I don't have to become an entirely different person just because we're moving, and that is okay to ease into such a change.
Our approach today is different from yesterday. Rather than doing new-life-research, we're going to be tourists today. The sun is peeking through the clouds, which is already better than the constant drizzle we faced yesterday. I'm excited about seeing the city today, and I think that'll make the prospect of living here much more palatable. I plan to take this approach with us to Shanghai as well, and get excited about the city before digging in and getting intimidated. A good idea I hope, because we're being constantly told that Shanghai will be much more difficult for foreigners.
No word from Dave, I know. My quick update for him - he's really excited about the work prospects so far, and I'm sure that'll only increase. He really liked everyone in the office. But not having any idea what our living situation will be makes this more scary than productive - we're looking at a lot of places thinking - are we going to have to live someplace like that? He's also worried about the pollution, and we're beginning to think that close-to-the-office might be something we sacrifice for not-so-dirty.
Tuesday, 9:30 pm
This is pretty intimidating and overwhelming.
Well, first lunch. Went to dim sum with the Office Manager. She ordered, everything was wonderful, and we had a fantastic conversation with her. A very thoughtful, interesting woman.
Then we took the afternoon to checkout grocery stores and the neighborhood we had become most interested in. That's where things became overwhelming. There were limited organic fruits and vegetables available, and organic baby food was not much higher a price than is available in the states. But bread and dairy products are much harder, and much pricier.
And we must have picked the wrong walking tour, because our walk from the hotel to the office, and the office into Happy Valley was anything but beautiful. The buildings were old and nothing looked like a desirable home. The windows would be dark and look into one another. They'd have water stains down the walls and less-than-square windows. It just got worse as we went futher into the community. There was no green space to be found. Where would a little girl run around and play? For that matter, where would her feet even touch the ground?
As I started to fall apart, we reached a park. It had green space over terraces. There was a nice playground, and there were people playing with their dogs. We sat on benches and watched as the sky began to darken. As lights went on, the city became more interesting. And as the night set in, the city began to come alive. This was comforting. Even more comforting was the grocery store we found in the neighborhood, chock full of organic produce and whole grain bread flour. Their magazine even had Everyday with Rachel Ray - my current favorite! Another comfort.
But then we got lost on the way home, and couldn't find anything to eat that hit our wants. We ended up with pastries - we would not have guessed that sweet bbq chicken would taste good inside a donut, but it does! And the people who grew into throngs became much more intimidating as we became more lost. As did the language barrier. As did my total want for recognizable food.
We ate our dinner on the couch in our lovely hotel room. And I've been swinging wildly between interested and intimidated. Hopefully some sleep will help. But I'm not sure that's the problem.
Well, first lunch. Went to dim sum with the Office Manager. She ordered, everything was wonderful, and we had a fantastic conversation with her. A very thoughtful, interesting woman.
Then we took the afternoon to checkout grocery stores and the neighborhood we had become most interested in. That's where things became overwhelming. There were limited organic fruits and vegetables available, and organic baby food was not much higher a price than is available in the states. But bread and dairy products are much harder, and much pricier.
And we must have picked the wrong walking tour, because our walk from the hotel to the office, and the office into Happy Valley was anything but beautiful. The buildings were old and nothing looked like a desirable home. The windows would be dark and look into one another. They'd have water stains down the walls and less-than-square windows. It just got worse as we went futher into the community. There was no green space to be found. Where would a little girl run around and play? For that matter, where would her feet even touch the ground?
As I started to fall apart, we reached a park. It had green space over terraces. There was a nice playground, and there were people playing with their dogs. We sat on benches and watched as the sky began to darken. As lights went on, the city became more interesting. And as the night set in, the city began to come alive. This was comforting. Even more comforting was the grocery store we found in the neighborhood, chock full of organic produce and whole grain bread flour. Their magazine even had Everyday with Rachel Ray - my current favorite! Another comfort.
But then we got lost on the way home, and couldn't find anything to eat that hit our wants. We ended up with pastries - we would not have guessed that sweet bbq chicken would taste good inside a donut, but it does! And the people who grew into throngs became much more intimidating as we became more lost. As did the language barrier. As did my total want for recognizable food.
We ate our dinner on the couch in our lovely hotel room. And I've been swinging wildly between interested and intimidated. Hopefully some sleep will help. But I'm not sure that's the problem.
Tuesday, 12:50 pm
Dave and his co-workers seem to have disappeared, so I'll keep writing.
After our meeting this morning, but before I left to explore the shopping downstairs, we were introduced to a few of the people in the Hong Kong office. Everyone was very friendly and gathered around us to talk. A man originally from Montreal shared a few interesting insights.
He's been in China for quite a while. He was in Shanghai for 5 years, and has been in Hong Kong for maybe another 6. He is married with two kids. The eldest is 6. He said he enjoyed Shanghai, but can't imagine raising kids there. The pollution is way too much. He also expressed that Hong Kong is an easy place to live if you speak English. In my small experience this morning, that is certainly true. But went on to say that Shanghai is not. Not many people speak English there, and simply tasks can be very difficult. He said we would definitely hire a maid, as did the Office Manager earlier.
His words are a bit disappointing, upon hearing that we will more likely be in Shanghai. But with such short time here, its probably best that we don't feel the pressure to explore our future home in the rest of our time. We did hear back from one real estate agent, who was going to charge us $800 USD to show us around tomorrow - can you imagine? An agent is giving us a tour of Shanghai on Friday for no fee at all. We'll probably explore the residential communities near the office on foot this afternoon, as well as looking at grocery stores, drug stores and public transportation. But I think that tomorrow we should be able to do some sight seeing. And better tomorrow, ecause today is miserably dreary. It feels like the northwest, where its always raining but never quite enough to make your umbrella worthwhile. Like that, except dirty. I mean like NYC dirty. Maybe worse.
Alright, I'm now the only person in the office. I'm going to trust that Dave hasn't forgotten about me. I should have brought a book!
After our meeting this morning, but before I left to explore the shopping downstairs, we were introduced to a few of the people in the Hong Kong office. Everyone was very friendly and gathered around us to talk. A man originally from Montreal shared a few interesting insights.
He's been in China for quite a while. He was in Shanghai for 5 years, and has been in Hong Kong for maybe another 6. He is married with two kids. The eldest is 6. He said he enjoyed Shanghai, but can't imagine raising kids there. The pollution is way too much. He also expressed that Hong Kong is an easy place to live if you speak English. In my small experience this morning, that is certainly true. But went on to say that Shanghai is not. Not many people speak English there, and simply tasks can be very difficult. He said we would definitely hire a maid, as did the Office Manager earlier.
His words are a bit disappointing, upon hearing that we will more likely be in Shanghai. But with such short time here, its probably best that we don't feel the pressure to explore our future home in the rest of our time. We did hear back from one real estate agent, who was going to charge us $800 USD to show us around tomorrow - can you imagine? An agent is giving us a tour of Shanghai on Friday for no fee at all. We'll probably explore the residential communities near the office on foot this afternoon, as well as looking at grocery stores, drug stores and public transportation. But I think that tomorrow we should be able to do some sight seeing. And better tomorrow, ecause today is miserably dreary. It feels like the northwest, where its always raining but never quite enough to make your umbrella worthwhile. Like that, except dirty. I mean like NYC dirty. Maybe worse.
Alright, I'm now the only person in the office. I'm going to trust that Dave hasn't forgotten about me. I should have brought a book!
Tuesday, 12:35 pm
We arrived in Hong Kong this morning. After a nice clean-up and breakfast at our (really very nice) hotel, we headed to the office. Dave met with the Office Manager, and I got to sit in on the meeting. I like her. The biggest news I heard in that meeting is her opinion that Dave ought to work in Shanghai. Afterward, Dave worked for a while and I went downstairs.
The office is in Times Square, the high-rise version of Michigan Avenue. The prices intimidated me a bit, until I reminded myself that I don't shop on Michigan Avenue at home, so why would I be shopping in Times Square here?
Did pop into The Body Shop. My moisturizer I use costs nearly twice as much here, and on Body Shop prices, that's a significant difference. There may be some necessary changes made in my brands and lifestyle.
There's a grocery in the basement called City 'Super. I have no explanation for the apostrophe. Speaking as a grocery store enjoyer, it was a really cool grocery. And my quick and dirty analysis is that for the things I buy that are expensive at home (e.g. organic baby food), the prices are fairly comparable. The trouble is on the things that come cheap at home. If I did my math correctly, a small bag of flour was over $3 American. And a small loaf of white bread was closer to $10. I'll update this later, as my math is pretty fuzzy on the 3 hours of sleep I caught on the plane. So much for sleeping pills!
We're about to go to lunch with the Office Manager. Dim sum, I believe.
The office is in Times Square, the high-rise version of Michigan Avenue. The prices intimidated me a bit, until I reminded myself that I don't shop on Michigan Avenue at home, so why would I be shopping in Times Square here?
Did pop into The Body Shop. My moisturizer I use costs nearly twice as much here, and on Body Shop prices, that's a significant difference. There may be some necessary changes made in my brands and lifestyle.
There's a grocery in the basement called City 'Super. I have no explanation for the apostrophe. Speaking as a grocery store enjoyer, it was a really cool grocery. And my quick and dirty analysis is that for the things I buy that are expensive at home (e.g. organic baby food), the prices are fairly comparable. The trouble is on the things that come cheap at home. If I did my math correctly, a small bag of flour was over $3 American. And a small loaf of white bread was closer to $10. I'll update this later, as my math is pretty fuzzy on the 3 hours of sleep I caught on the plane. So much for sleeping pills!
We're about to go to lunch with the Office Manager. Dim sum, I believe.
Friday, April 06, 2007
The Visa Has Landed
Our passports just flew about 1,000 miles with spanking new visas tucked neatly inside. They landed at Dave's office this morning. So the trip is on!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Waiting for Guffman
If you've been faithfully checking to read the updates in our ongoing moving-to-China fiasco, then I imagine you've been disappointed at the lack of information we've shared. This may have been an effective tool to share with you how we are feeling. Although I do have a greater sense of peace, as I referred to in the last posting, we still have a daily routine of the following dialogue:
Telephone ringing
Dave: This is Dave.
Lynne: (upbeat tone) Hey!
Dave: (sounding downtrodden) Hey.
Lynne: So, any news?
Dave: No.
Lynne: Nothing from the passport people?
Dave: Nothing.
Lynne: Nothing from the China people?
Dave: Nothing.
Lynne: (sounding less upbeat) Oh.
We have managed to figure a few things out. After waiting to have a trip scheduled, Dave suggested some dates that everyone agreed to. Then, after waiting to have flight information sent, Dave put together our flight. Then, after waiting to have our visa applications completed, Dave worked with a passport and visa operator. So we have learned that if we want something done, we ought not wait for someone else to do it.
This is where we stand.
We have tickets to fly from St. Louis to Hong Kong on Sunday night (4-8). We'll arrive Tuesday morning, and leave Wednesday evening. This is a very short visit.
We'll arrive Wednesday night in Shanghai and stay until Sunday morning, when we fly back home. This is longer because two of Dave's future managers will be in Shanghai at the time.
Arriving back home on Sunday evening, we'll need to be in Chicago on Tuesday around noon. It's a tight itinerary, and Uncle H-- did not cough up for business class, so it'll be exhausting.
Another time might be better. Which is good, because we still don't have our visas. Dave's passport needs more pages, and this process currently takes a very long time. We're still waiting to hear back on whether or not we will have visas by Sunday.
If so, the show will go on. If not, we wait.
Telephone ringing
Dave: This is Dave.
Lynne: (upbeat tone) Hey!
Dave: (sounding downtrodden) Hey.
Lynne: So, any news?
Dave: No.
Lynne: Nothing from the passport people?
Dave: Nothing.
Lynne: Nothing from the China people?
Dave: Nothing.
Lynne: (sounding less upbeat) Oh.
We have managed to figure a few things out. After waiting to have a trip scheduled, Dave suggested some dates that everyone agreed to. Then, after waiting to have flight information sent, Dave put together our flight. Then, after waiting to have our visa applications completed, Dave worked with a passport and visa operator. So we have learned that if we want something done, we ought not wait for someone else to do it.
This is where we stand.
We have tickets to fly from St. Louis to Hong Kong on Sunday night (4-8). We'll arrive Tuesday morning, and leave Wednesday evening. This is a very short visit.
We'll arrive Wednesday night in Shanghai and stay until Sunday morning, when we fly back home. This is longer because two of Dave's future managers will be in Shanghai at the time.
Arriving back home on Sunday evening, we'll need to be in Chicago on Tuesday around noon. It's a tight itinerary, and Uncle H-- did not cough up for business class, so it'll be exhausting.
Another time might be better. Which is good, because we still don't have our visas. Dave's passport needs more pages, and this process currently takes a very long time. We're still waiting to hear back on whether or not we will have visas by Sunday.
If so, the show will go on. If not, we wait.
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