A trek through the Kingdom of Wonder

When my friend Heather invited me to be her wingman on a ten day excursion to Cambodia, I honestly knew nothing about the country. I had heard from several other expats that they had had great experiences there, and after a few minutes on Google, I decided it was a must! Since I wasn't yet working full time and well.... since I want to travel any and everywhere I can... it was perfect timing! I took hundreds if not thousands of pics, which I narrowed down (a tad) here. I figured the best way to share our adventure was through pictures. The captions tell the story! Enjoy!

And here are the remaining pictures from the magnificent temples in Angkor (taken with my iPad when my Nikon battery died)! 

 
 The unique people we met, the delicious food, the grand sights, and the sometimes shocking culture were mind blowing. My itch to travel and see all of the amazing countries and cultures in this big beautiful world was definitely heightened!  After such a life-changing journey, I can say I learned quite a bit about Cambodia, a little about Vietnam, and a ton about myself. Southeast Asia is a beautiful land and I can't wait to explore even more of it! 

F.A.Q.... Answered!

Since I get a lot of the same questions from friends and family back home, here's a lil F.A.Q. list to cure your China curiosity! 

Q: Are you fluent in Mandarin yet? 
A: Absolutely NOT. I just finished a 4-week intensive Mandarin course that totaled 60 hours of a small group class. I loved my teacher and my classmates and learned a ton, but I still feel like I am lying when I say, "Wo shuo yi dian Zhongwen" (I speak a little Chinese). Aaron has been doing private lessons a couple hours a week when he has time... and well... let's just say.. he has a math/science brain! ;) Mandarin is a tonal language, which means every "syllable" can be said in 5 different tones of your voice to have 5 completely different meanings. Luckily, living here there are tons of opportunities to practice. Often, I am faced with someone who knows no English and am forced to spit out the few words and phrases I know (or play charades and look like an idiot, or use an iPhone app or nearby person to translate)! Then, the local either replies in what seems like warp speed Chinese that I can not decipher, or when lucky, understood me and gives me what I asked for! Sometimes, when I realize my waiter speaks a little English, I will ask them if I can practice my Chinese with them, and usually they happily oblige (and then correct my pronunciation)!  I haven't even begun to tackle the characters, but pin yin, the phonetic spelling of the characters is hard enough! I am taking a little break from my classes to study  what I have already learned on my own and settle in a work routine, and then plan to continue with a few evening Mandarin classes a week. Maybe, just maybe I can conversational in a year. 

Q: What do you eat? 

A: A lot. With never ending delicious restaurants on every block and expensive western groceries, thus far, it has just been easier (and more fun) to eat out! While Aaron has tried everything from cow tongue to jellyfish when out of town on work trips, I tend to avoid the more obscure choices on the menu and stick to tried and true Mexican, Greek, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, American.. the list goes on! When we aren't meeting friends out for a meal or exploring the neighborhood for a hidden local restaurant gem, we order Sherpa's. For those nights when we want to escape the hustle, bustle, and chaos of the city, and sit on the couch with a pirated DVD, we simply click on the restaurant and dish we want, and it is at our door in 45 minutes. Heaven!

Q: What do you DO all the time?
A: Weekdays: Aaron works. Emily does not. Yet. :)While Aaron is busy solving the automotive problems of the world, I am a "Tai Tai"...the Chinese nick name for expat wives who lunch, brunch, and munch (although I personally like to believe I am quite productive!) For the past month, my Mandarin classes were Mon-Fri and kept me busy from 9:00 to 1:00. After class, my classmates and I would usually do lunch, run some errands, haggle over prices for Ray Bans, Long Champ bags, and tennis rackets at the fake market, or (occasionally) study together. Throw in the random Zumba class, dip in the pool, afternoon date with a new friend, walk with Stella, or hunt for the perfect teaching job, and there's a full week! Tough life.. I know.. but I have to soak it up while it lasts! Nights and weekends: We play! From the Thailand-esque Full Moon party to the Lawson's convenient store street party, from pool parties with swim up bars and fake beaches to brunches that turn into Sunday Fundays, the expats in this city know how to throw down, and who are we not to join them?!?! Oh - and Aaron just joined a softball league! They played their first games this past Sunday and while he got a sun burn and swears he sweated out 5 pounds, he met some cool guys and is ready for some action every Sunday for a while! 

Q: Emily - Are you going to work or just be a "tai tai" forever?
A: While I am quickly becoming accustomed to this stress-free, lackadaisical (would have lost the spelling-bee on that one!) lifestyle, I am indeed going to put my "expertise" to use. I began tutoring English with my first client this week (more on that later) and will be subbing at a handful of the international schools once the school year is underway. Once I get a better feel for my options, we'll see where the road leads! (But hopefully it can still involve a tad of the tai tai lifestyle!)

Q: Did you get your stuff yet? 
A: We got our air shipment with the rest of our clothes and shoes last week.  While I was anxious for some more shoe options, I have quickly realized that I really only wear a tiny fraction of my wardrobe and should have sent much more to Goodwill before the move (but don't tell Aaron I said that)!We should receive our sea shipment in about 2 weeks. Although I can't wait to replace the couches and bed that came in our apartment with our own cozy ones, what I really want is our stuff - wall art, picture frames, kitchenware, books - the things that will make unit 2182 feel a little more like home! 

Q: How is lil Miss Stella?!
A: Great! She has made herself right at home and loves the fact that Aaron finally gave in and lets her sleep in the bed with us! The tennis and basketball courts are her new playground and our driver, Wei, is her favorite person alive. She refuses to use the pee-pads, which requires us to take her down 18 floors on the elevator (even when it is typhoon-ing outside), but hopefully our scheme to install a patch of grass on our balcony will solve that problem! 

Q: What are you checking off the travel list next?
A: I leave in 2 days for Cambodia!!!!!!!! My good friend Heather, that I had my Mandarin class with, invited me to join her on her 10-day adventure through the Kingdom of Wonder! Since I haven't committed to a work schedule yet, I figured it was perfect timing! Unfortunately, Aaron will be saving his vacay days, but I am assuring him this is just the maiden voyage so I can be his tour guide next time! The first week of October is Chinese National Holiday, when practically everyone has the week off of work. We have been warned to get in and stay in (to avoid masses of tourists), or get out of China! So, after much debate over where to go, about an hour ago we pulled the trigger and booked our flights to Japan!!  

Q: What do you miss the most about the U.S.?

A: 1.YOU! Our dear, irreplaceable friends and family have been SO committed to staying in touch and letting us know we are missed and loved. You have made this move SO much easier! We love you! 2. Target. I'm pretty sure Aaron would disagree with this one, but there are times when I could really use a mindless stroll through the 1-Spot and every other aisle of that big, beautiful, red store. Hmm.. any takers on a FaceTime date during your next Target trip? 3. The Greenway in Nashville. While the French Concession has endless tree-lined streets, they aren't quite as serene and easy to navigate as my (and Stella's)  favorite running route. The list changes frequently... but that's what's top-of-mind at the moment! (Aaron is already asleep, but I am guessing his #2 would be Music City Brewfest. We were on the Great Wall while it was taking place, but nothing compares to Brewfest!)

Words, :)Plus, and :(Cuss for this post: 

Words to Know: Mei guanxi (may gwan shee) : No problem! 

:) Plus: Friendly expats from around the world. One of the most delightful things about this city is how open everyone is to meeting new people. Whether someone has lived here for 6 years or 6 days, they are in the market for new friends! Through one new friend you meet 10 more.... and then they start to create a tangled web! 23 million people in this city, including 200,000 expats, and somehow we are already having "what a small world" moments! 

:( Cuss: Internet connection. We still don't quite understand how Shanghai doesn't have a 4G network, and one of the 2 main mobile companies doesn't even have 3G. With 3 routers in our apartment, we still can't change rooms while on Skype and certain times of the day it can take minutes to load a webpage. Thus... it takes forever to load pictures on blogger, so only one pic this post! Sorry! 

Thank you all for entertaining my new hobby by reading my blog! We only hope it intrigues you enough to come visit! ;) Until next time... 

Beijing or Bust

Beijing was obviously on our list of places to visit while in China, so when Mark mentioned that he was taking his family while they were in town visiting, we figured it was the perfect time to go! We arranged group tours of the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, and the Great Wall for Sunday and Monday, but Aaron and I went a day early to have some extra time to explore. We took the high-speed train straight from Shanghai to Beijing. It took about 5 hours and we maxed out around 312 kilometers/hour. From the train station, we took a taxi to our hotel. This was  moment when we were rudely reminded of how utterly spoiled we are to have our amazing driver in Shanghai (Shout out to Wei!). Our cab driver couldn't understand the Chinese characters for our hotel, us pointing to the location of the hotel on the map, OR the directions the hotel employee gave him over the phone! After three phone calls and an hour, we finally arrived at the hotel. (That wast the first of many bad taxi experiences of the weekend!) On a happier note, we were warned Beijing has more pollution and even smoggier skies than Shanghai, but were pleased to be blessed with sunny, clear skies upon arrival! 

Once we got checked in our hotel, we suddenly felt under-planned. While we had countless recommendations of places to go and things to see from friends, we hadn't quite narrowed it down and actually made a game plan for our first day. With a dodgy internet connection, we couldn't rely on Google maps and our trusty travel apps, so we headed out to see where the day took us! We soon found ourselves on Wangfujing Street. And what a street it is! Hundreds of merchants selling everything from Jade Buddhas to Terracotta Warriors, collapse-able paper hats to Golden waving Meneki Cats, to BUGS. After browsing and shopping and eating (candied grapes, dumplings, lobster and crab balls, and corn on the cob), the creepy, crawling, crunchy bug stands loomed at every corner. We convinced ourselves it couldn't possibly be as bad as all of the dramatic Fear Factor contestants make it seem, and that when in Beijing, we should do as the Beijing-ese! (Although I didn't see many partaking!) We knew y'all wouldn't believe we actually swallowed, so we took a video to prove it! 

Besides getting a wing stuck between my teeth, it was actually painless. Fried, crunchy, and full of protein! ;) While walking around that afternoon we caught several locals snapping secretive pics of my "jinfa" - golden hair (sounds much fancier than blonde doesn't it?), but a few actually approached and asked to take pictures with me! I felt it was only polite to return the admiration and ask to take a picture with our camera too. ;) 

On our walk back to the hotel, we stopped to watch a few street performers break-dancing. An overly-friendly local approached us through the crowd and acted very interested in our story. Where we were from, what we do, how long we are visiting, and so on. He even got out a little notebook where he had drawn a map of the U.S. and asked us to mark Kentucky and Tennessee on it. After about 10 minutes of trying to politely escape, he practically begged us to come with him to visit his art gallery. Seriously? Who would say yes? I refuse to see the movie Hostel, but a horrifying seen from it flashed in my head. We walked away while he was still talking. Come to find out after sharing the story with others, it is common for scammers to do this is Beijing - they lure tourists to galleries and coffee shops, greatly overcharge them for their coffee (like $1,000) which they were told was free, and leave them with the bill and threaten to call the police if they don't pay it! Glad I wasn't feeling extra friendly that day!

That night we took a friend's recommendation and went to Da Dong, a well-known Peking Duck restaurant. I have had bits and pieces of duck in dishes before and really liked it, but I was a little hesitant to watch Daffy getting carved on a platter. But seriously, am I ever one to turn down delicious food? While the carver meticulously sliced the duck and artfully piled it up, the waitress brought a dish of condiments, very thin crepe-like wraps, and hollow biscuits. She first taught us to dip the crispy skin in the sugar. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Tasted like candy. Then wearing a glove and using chopsticks,she showed us how to "paint" the crepe with the sauce, fill it with duck, garlic, and sliced veggies, and wrap it perfectly. That was the start to one of the best meals I've ever had - Citrus seafood soup in a hollowed orange, sweet ribs with a powered sugar blizzard, coconut glazed shrimp, and the list goes on! With full bellies (and a broken sandal from tripping on the sidewalk!) we called it an early night and rested up for the next 2 days of sightseeing! 

Some locals playing cards in a cozy little hutong.

Sunday we got up early, found a yummy breakfast spot, and strolled through some of the quaint hutongs. Chinese culture is definitely more evident in Beijing. With not much time to spare until the Stewart family arrived to start our sightseeing tour, we realized we were near the Drum Tower and decided to check it out. About 60 steep stairs up, we got a nice view of the city. The top of the tower is literally full of huge drums, but unfortunately our timing was off to catch one of the drum performances. 

Once the Stewarts arrived and we had a quick lunch, we set off with David, our tour guide, in our van to see the sights! We started with Forbidden City. I had no idea how huge it is - layer after layer of walls, buildings, and gates! David was an excellent tour guide, full of interesting facts! Most shocking to us was the fact that past emperors made all of their male servants and workers eunuchs, to prevent any of them from impregnating their empresses. (I didn't know the word either - look it up!) 

Bird's eye view of Forbidden City (from Google - not me!)

When we finally made our way through the maze we were exhausted, but went to Tienanmen Square for another quick history lesson and photo op! Having loved our dinner at Da Dong the night before, Aaron and I were pleased to go back for another delish meal so the Stewarts could experience it too! 

Monday we left the hotel at 6:30 am to head to the Mutinayu part of the Great Wall. It was about a 2 hour long van ride and we were one of the first groups there! With uncharacteristically clear skies and no crowd, even our tour guide, who is there every weekend, was taking pictures! We took a gondola from the base to the 14th tower, climbed down to the 6th tower, and took the toboggan slide the rest of the way down! While parts were steep, it wan't too strenuous overall. We took our time - and LOTS of pictures! We were so lucky to get such great weather!!

Before our train departed, we found a super local chinese restaurant for lunch near the train station. We were the only westerners in the place and by the looks we were getting, the only westerners ever! David helped us order a few noodle dishes, rice dishes, and Qingdaos. Everything was delish and the 6 of us ate and drank for about 100rmb, or $15! 

It was the perfect end to a thrilling trip! We look forward to taking our visitors to Beijing and now knowing a few more ins and outs of the city! 

Tantou Adventure

To say that the past month has flown by is an understatement. We have now surpassed the one month mark and it has officially sunken in that we aren't just on a long vacation, but we actually LIVE IN CHINA! Shanghai has so warmly welcomed us and we love getting to know her more every day! While we have had 34 jam-packed days of awesomeness, I am going to try to just highlight the most awesome moments in my next few posts. One of the most obvious is the trip we took to Tantou Island....

Through one of the friendly gals I met at Zumba, I found out about a group called Dragon Adventures that organizes big group events and trips around China. They just so happened to be planning a weekend trip to a tiny island tucked away on the southeast coast of China called Tantou Island. Unfamiliar to most Chinese, this island is somewhat of a secret spot, and not yet a commercialized tourist trap. While there is a hostel on the island, they also line the beach with tents for rent, which would be our accommodations for the trip!  Although we only knew Lauren, my Zumba friend, we thought it would be a blast and a great way to meet people, and signed up! 

On a Friday night we all met at a local bar to have a few pre-trip brews and load the buses. I assumed it was going to be one bus full, but we were pumped to find out there were 93 20 and 30-somethings going on 3 buses!! We drew for our seats and were proudly appointed to the "Shark" bus with Lauren and some of her other buds. During the 5 hour trek we quickly got to know our bus-mates from all over the world and knew there was a crazy weekend ahead! We stopped in a small town on the coast called Shipuzhen and stayed in a hostel Friday night, and then boarded a ferry to the island early in the morning. Although the water wasn't exactly turquoise blue, the scenery was breathtaking - green mountains, low clouds, small towns, and other boats sailing by. When we arrived on the island we took a short golf cart cruise to the beach. As we walked through the "town" comprised of a few shops and a long open dining shelter, we were greeted by hundreds of Chinese vacationers taking our pictures and waving as our foreigner-herd traipsed by. An adorable little girl who looked to be about 5 ran out and asked to take a picture with me (Throughout the weekend our crew received many "drive-by photo ops" by the local Chinese paparazzi)! :) As we approached the beach we saw the rows upon rows of tents and staked our claim, with our new friends as our tent neighbors. The next 24 hours consisted of: splashing in the waves, meeting new people from all over the world, eating feasts of family-style fresh seafood, bon-fires, high tide almost wiping out our tent, human pyramids, eating more, oh... and drinking a few pijius (beers)! The pictures will probably tell it best.  

We had an EPIC time. We saw a pocket of China that few have and it was beautiful in it's own unique way.While the combination of sand, sweat, mosquitoes, and a tiny 2-person tent was a little trying at times, honestly, we didn't expect to do much resting or relaxing on the trip anyways, so we just cracked open a cold (err.. luke warm) one and partied on! Above all else, it was the perfect way to meet a ton of cool people our age that love to travel, party, and love life! In general, the fellow expats we have gotten to know are inspiring-ly well-traveled, well spoken (bi- and tri- lingual), well-educated, and well... awesome! While we are by all means not most of those things comparatively, we are ready to play catch-up! 

Stay tuned for a post on our weekender to Beijing!