Meeting Shanghai

My first blog post was written from my cramped but cozy seat 41B on my first flight to Shanghai, so I figured it was only fitting for my second blog post to be written on my first flight home from Shanghai. The past whirlwind of a week in Shanghai has taught me so much, answered many of my questions, calmed many of my fears, and piqued my excitement to live in this thrilling city. I got a glimpse of so many interesting aspects of Chinese culture and the character and quirks of Shanghai, and can't wait to experience it even more and share it with you! Since everyday we will be learning new Chinese words,  and discovering the pros and cons of life in Shanghai, I thought it might be fun to share one or two of each of these with you guys in each post. 


Words to know:
1. Expat: short for expatriate -  a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex ("out of") and patria ("country, fatherland"). While this word is not Chinese, it is definitely a term I have already heard a ton and will use a lot, since thats what we are! It is already obvious that there is a very strong community among the expats in Shanghai! 
2. Xie Xie: pronounced "shee-uh shee-uh" = Thank you! 


:) Smile: The FOOD! I was amazed at the eclectic variety of restaurants in the city. I think we could eat our 3 meals a day the whole time we live there, never repeat a restaurant, and still not try them all. Every single thing we ate was delicious too! This could be dangerous... 


:( Trial: The HUMIDITY! Although the temperatures are similar to Nashville, and we thought Nashville was humid, Shanghai takes humidity to a whole new level! Some days were very pleasant, but we have been warned that the summers are BRUTAL! 


So, here's the play-by-play of our "Orientation trip", a 7 day race to find an apartment and "orient" ourselves with Shanghai. I apologize in advance for the length of this post - it was an amazing week and I don't  want to forget a thing... And with a 14 hour flight , I've got some time to kill! 


Tuesday, June 5 - Running on adrenaline
Waiting for me outside the airport was a 30-something Chinese man holding a sign with my name on it. A rush of relief came  over me - My pessimistic side was sure I would be stranded at the airport with no ride. Jackie, Aaron's boss's driver, would be my driver to the hotel and.... he spoke English! He pleasantly welcomed me and played tour guide on the hour long drive to the hotel in the heart of the city. The pictures definitely did not do Shanghai justice. I gaped out the window at the massive buildings, crowded streets, and never-ending skyline. "Welcome home!", I thought  to myself. 

By the time I got to the hotel, it was almost 3pm, and with a few hours until Aaron arrived, all I wanted to do was shower and nap. After fighting with the shower dial for 10 minutes, trying to get the dang thing to turn on, I was finally able to wash the grime of travel away and jump into the comfy....er... bed. Quirk #1: Chinese people like flat, hard beds. The Beavers do not. Note to self: Fit our big, comfy, king bed in the sea shipment.  

By the time Aaron got in and we were both ready, it was almost 10pm, so we asked the concierge for somewhere close we could walk for a bite this late. We walked just 2 blocks to a swanky little Italian joint called Casanova. Who would have thought...my first meal in China...Italian...and delicious! At dinner we thought back to our first night in Nashville almost 6 years ago, when we ate at Sushiyobi on Demonbreun and anticipated the next day's apartment hunt, feeling many of the same emotions as now, but perhaps on a smaller scale. And now here we are. The next chapter! After dinner we went to an expat-friendly bar called Big Bamboo to have a couple drinks with Mark, Aaron's boss, and another exec that was in town. Being a very well-traveled man, when he told us that we were extremely lucky because of all the places he had been, Shanghai was the best expat placement in the world, I believed him! Although I'm not so sure about the luck part... BLESSED is what we are.

Wednesday, June 6- The hunt begins! 
We met Dana, our realtor and relocation agent, in the hotel lobby at 9 am. Dana seemed to be around my age and spoke great English. Little did I know she would be our life saver over the next few days. 


Unfortunately, we started the day with our international medical  exams. I could write for days on that experience alone, but let me sum it up Iike so: wearing nothing but a thin white robe and lovely blue shower caps over our shoes, Aaron and I, and dozens of other men and women, were herded  down a long white hallway and in and out of small exam rooms 
with open doors (in some cases a sheer pink curtain to shield nudity) to be poked and prodded and stuck with needles. The best part: whoever was next in line had to sit in a chair in the exam room while you were being examined! Efficient- yes. Confidential - no! Comfortable - NO!!  Thank goodness that is over... And we passed! 


After that torturous inspection, we got to start playing House Hunters International!! :) Over the course of a day, we looked at about 8 different properties, and narrowed it down to 1 pretty easily. Some places we literally walked in and immediately turned around and walked out. I wish I had taken pictures of some of these places. No. Thank. You. We realized quickly that the privately owned units that were furnished by a landlord seemed to be lacking in the interior design department, and that the buildings run by a developer would be better managed and nicer. Our favorite of the day stood out like a pearl in a pile of pebbles. Breathtaking view, spacious, clean, decent furnishings, and a kitchen that more than one person can fit in! Oh, and an outdoor pool! Although I was curious to see what else was out there, we both had a great feeling about this place. 

Between hunts, we also found some time to eat, drink, and pretend to be Chinese! We ate lunch at the Shanghai Brewery - a great patio, delicious burgers, pizza, and beer. ( We will survive!) For dinner, Aaron's co-worker, Kevin Lou, took us to a cute  little strip called Soho 3911 with Japanese, Greek, Thai, tex-mex, and Indian restaurants all in a row! Yes please! We chose Japanese this time. Best. Sushi. Ever.


Thursday, June 7 - Royal Pavilion it is!
On day 2 of House Hunters International, we saw a few other units, and found one more we liked okay in the Xintiandi (shin-tee-on-dee)  area. This one was nice and had some character, but was privately owned, not fully furnished, and lacked a great view and outdoor pool. Still feeling drawn to our favorite from Wednesday, we went back to option # 1 and explored the neighborhood, the French Concession. Dana took us on a walking tour of the area, including a near by park, coffee shop, expat-friendly market, bakery, and finally to a great little italian restaurant, Bella Napoli, hidden down an alley just a few blocks from the apartment. The tree-lined streets, quaint restaurants and shops, and friendly mixture of locals and expats make this area ideal. That fact, and the size, view, location, and outdoor pool at Royal Pavilion made it an easy choice for the winner! Take a look... :) We will be sending our bed, couch, kitchen table, and some other decorative things over in a sea shipment, so once that arrives I think the place will really become "home"!

A living room with a view!

The biggest kitchen we saw by far... and with a dish washer!

TWO sinks... a MUST!

I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time on our balcony! 

With the apartment hunt over, it was time to celebrate! Another one of Aaron's co-workers, Chris, took us to another cool spot for dinner. Taikang Lu is a tight maze of alleyways strung with white lights and full of shops, restaurants, and bars.  
Tucked away inne corner of the maze is Lapis Thai, yet another delicious restaurant with unique grub. After dinner, we met the TRW work crew out and traipsed through a series of bars and clubs until FOUR AM. That's right people. This almost 29- year old can still hang. On. Barely. I'll blame it on the jet lag, but never in my life have I been out-partied by a group of 40-something men. Until then. I appreciate their efforts to take us out and show us a crazy night on the town, but if this becomes a habit I won't last a month! But Seriously, we had a blast , and we have pics with the shark tank to prove it!
  

Friday, June 8 - Amazing Race!
On our last day with Dana, we ran her ragged all around town. Back to the apartment to take measurements, to the local "Walmart" called Carrefour to check out which of our must-have items are available, to buy sim cards for our new cell phones, to Ikea ( yes... IKEA!!) to make sure they have mattress pads to fit the less-than-soft beds in our apartment, to the metro to get pass cards and learn how to ride it like a local, to the local bank to set up accounts, to CityShoppe to check dog food brands, and the list goes on! She translated, explained, answered, and comforted all along the way! Like I said... Life saver! The highlight of Friday was lunch. Dana took us to a very authentic Chinese restaurant. We each chose a different dish and decided to share them all. I chose something with chicken and vegetables, thinking that was a safe bet. Errrr.... no. As I dug into the chunks of chicken with my chopsticks, I pulled out a chicken FOOT! Claws and all! Then a neck! I had seen the snake, frog, and other "delicacies" on menus throughout the week, but never in my dish! From now on I guess I'll ask more questions before ordering chicken! 

After an exhaustingly productive day, we headed back to the hotel to nap around 5pm, and woke up at 8 am. Oops.! :) Jet lag got the best of us! 


Saturday, June 9
After three days of checking off to-do lists (and lots of fun mixed in there too), we were excited to have a day to explore on our own. We started the day by going back to Taikang Lu, where we had dinner Thursday night. It was just as charming during the day. We wove through the maze of alleys and stopped in lots of shops and bought some gifts for family and friends. Then we headed to the fake market. That's right ladies... Tori Burch, Longchamp, Louis, Coach... you name it, they have it! I will be taking orders for Christmas! ;) We had another delicious lunch at Lost Heaven before heading back to the hotel to rest. 

Lamb Simosas and a yummy beef dish!

The Huangpu River runs North/South though Shanghai and divides it into two sides - Puxi (where we will live) and Pudong. The street that runs along the river in Puxi is called The Bund, and is lined with bars and restaurants and has great views of the skyline of Pudong. We decided to head there Saturday night and check it out. We ate at New Heights and went to Bar Rouge for a couple drinks. The view was amazing, but unfortunately my little dinky camera did it NO justice. A fancy camera is already on my Christmas list! 

The view of Pudong from Bar Rouge

Sunday, June 10 - A Small World - and Sunday Funday! 
It just so happens that my sweet friend Meagan's co-worker, Lane, has a friend who lives in Shanghai, Andrea. Meagan gave me her contact info and we had emailed a few times before our trip. Turns out she and her husband, Adam, are from Franklin and have lived there 3 years! Small world, huh?! They graciously agreed to meet up with us while we were in town. They live in the same area that we will and met us at Sunflour Bakery for brunch. Having already experienced what we are about to, they gave us tons of tips and suggestions! It was so comforting to know we have some Nashvillian contacts in Shanghai (not to mention they are super cool)! After brunch they showed us some key places in the neighborhood and then we posted up outside Fei Dan, a little market where you can sit outside and eat and drink what you just bought! A couple that Andrea and Adam are friends with joined us with their sweet baby and before we knew it 5 hours has passed! Brunch turned into dinner...and that's what we call a Sunday Funday! I am so relieved to have fun friends in Shanghai already! 

Me, RC, and Andrea enjoying some wine at Fei Dan! 

Monday, June 11 - Winding down
Trw, intl schools, pet zoo, Pete's tex mex, flights, dinner with Andrea and Ben at dumpling place -cheap!  Walk around jingan temple, Haagen daz Bali laguna
On our last full day, we decided we better be productive. We went to Aaron's office to handle some paper work, delivered my resume to some local international schools, booked our one-way flights, and... ate some more yummy food! ;) We met Andrea and Adam for dinner at a very local dumpling spot. We realized that there are two ways to eat in Shanghai - the expat friendly way, which might break the bank, and the local way, which is so cheap! The four of us had a great dinner and drinks for about $20 US dollars! We are going to have to learn Chinese fast so we can eat at more local joints! 


Tuesday, June 12 - Zai Jian Shanghai, Kàn dào nín de dàolái!
                                   (Goodbye Shanghai! See you soon!) 

Bali Laguna

Before heading to the airport, Aaron and I took a stroll near our hotel around JingAn temple and the quaint little park near there. In the middle of the park is a beautiful restaurant on a pond called Bali Laguna. It is on our list, along with many others, of places to go in our new city! While we are anxious to get home to pack and spend precious time with our friends and family, we are so excited to get back and settled in our new home away from home. 

Losing sight of the shore

What seems likes ages ago, I walked in the house on a Friday evening after a long week of teaching to find Aaron, my husband, sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop and a menacing grin on his face. I immediately  sensed that something was up, which he had completely masked during our phone conversation on my  drive home. When he asked me to sit down, I quickly said "where are we moving?" Aaron and I had had several conversations about moving internationally when past opportunities arose, and we had previously decided, if the location was right and we didn't have kids yet, we would go for it. I knew by his anxious and abnormal appearance, he had news. With a huge smile on his face he said "Shanghai". I honestly don't remember the first words out of my mouth, but if I had to guess I'd say it was probably along the lines of "SHUT UP!!!!" (In the excited kind of way)! After several minutes of shock, excitement, and general freaking out, I realized there wasn't one doubt in my mind that my answer was yes. How could we possibly pass up such a unique, thrilling, life-changing opportunity? We quickly googled "Shanghai" and began gawking at the flood of maps, images, and facts we found. 

And that was how it all it all started. At that point it was just a possibility, so Aaron challenged me with the quest of not telling anyone until it became more official. Ha. I can keep anyone's secret but my own. Gradually over the next couple months, we "accidentally " told our closest friends (usually with the help of a few cocktails to loosen our lips!) At this point though, I felt  like I was lying as I shared the news, because it just hadn't become reality yet. Gradually, over the past few months it has become more official as we have gotten more details, made contacts in our future  home, started learning the language, and set dates. Aaron had his first trip over for 2 weeks in April, and that really sealed the deal. He loved Shanghai and convinced me I would too. Keeping the news from my colleagues at work was the hardest part, but finally, on April 30th, the news was out and it finally sank in... We are moving to Shanghai!!

To say my emotions have been a roller coaster is an understatement. The majority of the time I have felt like my hands are in the air and I'm soaring down hill screaming in complete elation. I feel utterly blessed to have this amazing opportunity and know that God specifically carved this journey in our paths long ago. I can't explain the sense of confidence and faith that I have had that this is 100% what God is calling us to do. I just know in my heart that there is something more there for us than a job and I can't wait to find out what it is. On the other hand, I have experienced the slow, fear-inducing chug up that first big hill, when all you can think about is the loops and turns that lurk ahead. I am a people person to say the least, and to be honest, my biggest fear is being lonely. The hardest part is, we LOVE our life now. We love Nashville, we love our friends, we love being close to our families, we love our jobs. I have said repeatedly, "It would be so much easier to leave if we we unhappy, or missing something... unfulfilled." But whoever said change was easy? I recently found a quote that I keep reminding myself of... "You can't discover new oceans if you don't have the courage to lose sight of the shore." 

So here we go.... The shore is at my back, and I'm ready to dive into the ocean ahead. After these months of exciting, agonizing, and inpatient anticipation, my first encounter with the infamous Shanghai is around the corner. I am aboard the flight as I  write this and with 7 hours still to go, my anxious and wandering mind hasn't let me  sleep a wink.  It is hard for me to believe that it has been 6 months since this journey became a possibility. Aaron came back to China last week for work, but I decided to stay back to take advantage of every last minute I could spend with friends in Cincinnati and Louisville. So, nervously, I agreed to fly solo and meet Aaron in Shanghai today...which in Shanghai is actually tomorrow! This is just an orientation short trip to find an apartment, then we will be back home for about 3 weeks to pack up before the final departure  (with our sweet pooch, Stella, of course)! 

I was one of the first to board the plane in Chicago and as I situated my books, earphones, iPad, and snacks around me it hit me that I would be sitting next to someone for 14 hours that was also going to Shanghai. Would they be American? Chinese? My age? Soon, a beautiful teenage Chinese girl and her very trendy looking mother approached. Haven been assigned to the dreaded middle seat, when they asked if I minded taking the window so they could sit beside each other I happily obliged (and was relieved that they spoke decent English!) We instantly started chatting  and sharing the reasons for our trips. I learned that Change Liu and her mom, Hua, have lived in Jacksonville for a year and are coming back to China for the summer to visit family. When I told them about our upcoming move, they excitedly shared that they will be in Shanghai in mid-July and would love to show me around and the best places to shop! I looked around at all of the gray-haired men and sleeping travelers with earphones on, and thanked God for seating me in 41B. He is so good. Over the past couple hours Change Liu and Hua have helped me learn some new Chinese words, shared their Ferraro Roche chocolates with me, and most importantly have figuratively wrapped their arms around me and said, "It's going to be alright." It's amazing what an impact such a seemingly minute experience can make. 

So my nerves are calm, my legs are cramped, and I can't wait for the next 4 hours and 14 minutes to pass so I can meet Shanghai... and if this flight has been any kind of foreshadowing, all of the lovely people there. 

To be continued...