Christmas in China...

Well... It has been a ridiculous two weeks of my life. I have not had the time to sit down and write a darn thing since I came home from Vietnam. It has been crazy at work and also with getting my crap together before I leave for my mini vacation :) I'll write about that below. Anyhow, this is the FIRST Christmas that I have had to work!!! We had Christmas Eve off, which is quite stupid because you really can't party and go to work the next day! I spent Christmas with my entire family as my sister was able to fly in from Hong Kong. My parents had about 20 people over, mostly relatives from my dad's side of the family. We ate and ate and ate... and of course, no turkey which is fine by me. The night before, I had a few of my friends from all over the world come over and use my kitchen to cook. Cole and I have NEVER used our large kitchen before so it was a delight to have someone use it for once. I am fortunate enough to have an oven so all of my friends were so excited to come over and bake. We had so much food! I will have to post some photos from that night. We played drunk Taboo which was fantastic. You all should try it sometime. I sucked at it...I apologized to my team :)

Off to Thailand now in three days... soooo looking forward to some time off and on the beach! I hope to get as dark of a tan as possible and scare all of the Chinese people when I come home. I'm sure you have all heard of how the girls love to be as white as possible here while I'm outside sunning myself to death... I guess I'll just be a prune when everyone else will have beautiful milky white skin. HA! Will be partying in Bangkok for New Years (those of you who know me well, know that I love to celebrate New Years in somewhere different each year... this year, I hope it will top all the others, but I doubt it... I loved Australia and Argentina so we'll see if Bangkok matches up...I heard it does!) Will update on Thailand when I get back (probably around March since I'm so damn slow with this thing!)

Merry Christmas/Happy Kwanzaa/Happy New Year! XOXOX... Until then...

NAM... the place to be

So I have been a very very big slacker on writing in my blog, but I really have not had the time. I do have to tell you about this very special place called Vietnam... a place I was able to visit this past week. Our company provides a company paid trip per year and I was fortunate enough to have started at my place of employment early enough to enjoy this benefit. This past week, I went to Ho Chi Minh with my 27 of my colleagues and had a blast! Let's just start with how warm it was in Ho Chi Minh compared to Shanghai... about 80 degrees everyday. The sun was shining, no clouds in the sky, and just absolutely perfect. Shanghai right now is dreary, foggy, cold, rainy, etc...I was just excited to see some sun! We arrived around midnight and I was excited to get my butt to some of the bars. However, everything in the city shuts down at MIDNIGHT! Coming from NYC and from Shanghai, this is something I am so not used to! I was disappointed to find that even the small eating mom and pop places were closed. I was craving for a large bowl of pho!! I reluctantly went to bed but the minute my head hit the pillow I was out. I guess I was more tired than I thought.
The next morning, bright and early, we woke up and went to visit a bunch of the toursity places... President's Palace, some other square that I don't remember the name of (bad memory these days!), and then the best part was when we went to the Mekong River! We had a fantastic time walking around Thai Son Island where we had to take a boat to get to. I was scared that I would be eaten by mosquitoes but I was actually fine. We were also given a nice 15 minute paddle boat ride and then fed fresh coconut drinks. There were no bugs, no crazy critters, and no humidity. Now that's the type of vacation that I'm talking about! We were able to taste some very delicious and exotic fruits, buy some freshly made coconut candies, and then best part of this trip was when I was able to purchase a bottle of liquor that contained a real snake and scorpion, a Vietnamese delicacy. Our guide told me that I might not be able to bring it in to Shanghai, but he OBVIOUSLY doesn't know me! I get to sneak in all kinds of good ol' stuff. Plus, it's not like the snake is alive anymore and I won't be drinking it. I just collect a bottle of something liquor from every country I visit so I can start putting together a nice display of my accomplishments from my travels. Good idea, eh? Right now, I think I am up to about 40ish bottles... and still counting. I will attempt to put a photo of this bottle up here...
That night, I was able to take my colleagues to a night of pho! Most people here have never had it, but they were willing to try. I told them that pho is the best thing created by the Vietnamese and we had to try it. Our guide told us that the best pho place is located in this city, appropriately named Pho 2000. This pho joint has been around for 2000 years! As you can see in one of these photos that I have attached, even President Clinton has eaten there. I swear, this pho was damn good. One of my colleagues had FOUR bowls! I think I could have had four bowls myself...I wanted to bring some back with me but I think that I really would have been stopped at customs. After pho, I had to check out the nightlife. The night markets are just fab. Vietnam is known for its coffee so I of course went hunting for the best coffee I could buy (I don't even drink coffee, but I am hoping to bring some back to the States). I ended up of course buying some knock off Lonely Planet guides (I live off of these) for about $5USD and they are fantastic...better than the ones in China! I would have bought more if I didn't have to lug these around with me all night. We then went to this street where all the "white folks" hang out. I was amazed at the sheer number of people on the streets tat night! We had no idea why people were shouting and raising hell on the streets and finally we asked someone and they said that Vietnam beat Cambodia in soccer that night! How funny! The streets were packed with motorcycles and scooters speeding up and down the streets, waiving the Vietnam flag. We found cool bar called Allezboo to sit outside and have a few Saigon beers. It was just an amazing night to be out and about. However, another group of our colleagues who did not join us in the beginning met up with us at the bar and told us that she had just been robbed! Vietnam is known for robbing and pick pocketing, but we never thought that it would REALLY happen. Well, it did. She wasn't too smart though either. We were told by our tour guide to not bring purses and to stuff money in our pockets. Well, she decided to stuff ALL of her money in one pocket and had to pull out the wad of cash at one time. When she went to pull it out, someone came by and snatched it. Oh well, we all win some and lose some right? It still is a very safe place to be (but of course, nothing compares to how safe Shanghai is)...
Ho Chi Minh is just gorgeous....French architecture mixed in with the newer Vietnam. We went to the old post office which was built about 100 years ago by the French (see photo above) and I purchased some old stamps for my dad (he collects) and also attempted to mail some postcards out, but realized that I don't have anyone's address... I just bought a few to collect. Since the weather was soooo nice out, I was able to sit and people watch a bit. Tons and tons of people were getting married on that Sunday. Jealous as I was, I sat and took lots of photos of these happy couples.
So the next day, we drove about 2.5 hours to a beach town. I reallllly wanted to get a tan but of course the darn Chinese were so against the idea of sunning ourselves to crisp. They all looked at me like I am on crack because I wanted to sunbathe. I hate being ghostly white, but the Chinese love that! I seriously was the only beach whale on the beach that day...I didn't mind... I really was not in the mood to be laying around in my bathing suit in front of my colleagues! HA! OK, I have to tell this scary story really fast...I was with one of my colleagues and I decided to bury him in the sand. Guess he doesn't know how annoying and gross it is to be buried in sand, but he agreed. I was busy piling on sand but reached down in the sand too quickly and realized that I had cut myself on something. Instantly, I start freaking out and thinking "oh my god...did I just cut myself on a piece of broken glass or worse on some used needle!?!?!?" I asked my other colleague to see what is down there and after searching, he too cut himself! We both looked at each other like we were about to faint, but finally, we realized that it was just a seashell. Ok, so that was my scary story...haha.
Anyhow, not too much more to tell about this trip. I can of course go on and on, but I'm sure you guys are already bored to death. I had a great time and I'm looking forward to my next vacation. Leaving for Thailand in less than two weeks!!! Soooooo excited. Until then...xoxo

The image from the moon...

I had the opportunity to go to Beijing this past week for work and decided to take advantage of this and see the Great Wall again after 17 years! The last time I was there, it was summer, bloody hot, and disgusting, but this time, it was FREEEEZING. As you can see from the photos, I had my Nordic hat on! The winds up in these parts of Beijing were blowing like crazy and I was only able to climb a part of the wall. However, 17 years ago, this part of the wall was actually closed because it was so deteriorated that we couldn't get there. So this was a completely new sight for me to see...it was amazing regardless of the freeezing cold. My parents came along for the day and it was nice to share that with them. They were the ones that dragged me there 17 years ago so I was able to drag them back last week. They protested for a bit because it was realllly cold, but they know how important it was for me to go see it again. Parents are getting old so they were not able to climb the steep parts of the wall so I went by myself. I tell ya, I'm soooo out of shape because by the time I got to the second part of the wall, I was completely out of breath! I think the hardest part was coming down. My knees were shaking the entire way down. I couldn't look down either because it was soooo steep. These Chinese guys were jogging the entire way down and I was just waiting for one of them to miss a step and start rolling the entire way down. I know, that's mean. :) Afterwards, we went out to have Peking duck, something that I don't eat, but I wanted to treat my parents for a nice authentic meal. Have you guys noticed that I have not mentioned a thing about work? Tee hee...
I was also able to go to the Tennis Master's to see Nadal play Ferrer in the semis. It was fantastic! The new dome is wayyy out in nowhere land in Shanghai, so the taxi ride cost us about $100RMB (which is like $10USD... of course it's still nothing...) My colleagues had VIP tickets and we were able to scramble to get them. I took my friend Jamie (it was her birthday gift) and we had a fab time. You all know how much I love tennis so it was fantastic to have VIP treatment and we were able to go to the "tennis family" tent and drink and eat for free. Fantastic night. Nadal looked so damn hot. He had to change his shirt several times and each time, I had to scream and holla at him :) I even said my Spanish one-liner (come home with me!!) It was a great time.
Anyhow, not much more to report on. Going to be leaving for Vietnam in a few weeks. I'm also planning on going to some other spots during the weekend. Going to take advantage of this time to travel on the weekends and see very remote parts of China. Will post photos when I have them. I can't wait to come back in February! Miss you all lots... Until next time...xoxo

Such a funny email forward that I received...

I know it is not right to laugh at other people's short coming, but this is really funny and I apologize for any disrespect to anyone in advance, it is only meant to give a good laugh.


Subject: Announcement on board a China Airline

Hi, enjoy reading the following....
[Pre-takeoff Announcement on a China Southern Airlines Flight]
This is a true account of what was heard on a recent flight from Shenzhen to Qingtao by China Southern Airlines:

> "Good afternoon, Ladies and the German. This is your cheap purser Wang
> Lui speaking. On behalf of China Sudden Airlines, I would like to
> welcome you on board our Bowling 737 from Shenzhen to Qingtao. Members
> of my crew speak Chinese and other languages that you do not know. It is
> a great pressure serving you to-die. Should you need any resistance
> during the fright, peace do pest the call button. I and my gals are
> available to make you feel comfortable. Meanwhile, the airkwaft is
> going to fry. Peace sit upright and keep you belt tightly fastened until
> dinner is served at five dirty p.m.Hope you would enjoy your fright
> with us. Funk kill."

Go Terps!

So I guess there is some good news to share...I was accepted to the University of Maryland's MBA program! How exciting. I have been applying to schools for a while now and haven't really told anyone. I just wanted to keep it to myself (in case I didn't get in of course! haha). So the deal was that I have been thinking about taking advantage of going to school (again...) and doing it here while overseas. There are many great programs such as USC, Washington University, Maryland, Northwestern, etc. and I wanted to stay in Shanghai since I am here for work. I had to write a million essays and had to really buckle down to do these since I am new to the city and love to party a bit too much. The interview process was pretty tough and I had to deal with some really tough questions (and some really annoying interviewers who asked questions and didn't give me a chance to answer them!) However, I got through it and now I'm IN!! woo hoo. I just have to decide if I really can go and if I have the time to go. Right now, the class will start in January and if that were the case, then I might not be able to come home in February! That would stink! I am so looking forward to coming home!
Outside of this news, I don't have too much to report on. I have been going out a lot (no change there), working a lot (no change there), and not sleeping enough (no change there either!). However, I have been going to get more massages, more facials, and really enjoying the cheap labor here...did I really just say that?? I'm kidding. Seriously though, I do get to take advantage of this so might as well since I'm here! It has been amazing to go and get a 2 HOUR massage for about $15!!! That's just ridiculous. They're really good too. I thought for that money, it must be crap, but I have gone back time and time again. Work is still the same...I feel like a total saleswoman at times. I have to do these pitches to the big pharma companies and most of the time I just want to get up and say "listen up b*tches...just let me tell you what you need to do and this will be easy as pie." I think I would get fired.
So, I have other news to tell, but I really can't write it down right now. Of course, it has to do with a boy, but I don't know if it is appropriate to tell it on a freaking blog. He's a nice fella, but again, I am so emotionally-detached that I don't have a clue what it means to like a person anymore! Seriously, I think I have major issues... I know I have issues. Hopefully I will have something better to tell in my next posting. Until then... xoxox

I am a lazy bum...

Actually, I have not been lazy, more of a bum, but not lazy. I have been working long hours at work and just haven't had the time to sit down and write a blog. However, a friend just convinced me that I had to get my butt in gear and start writing things down. Age is catching up to me so I am going to attempt to remember what has happened to me within the past few weeks.
OK...so working backwards, I just spent my first halloween here in Shanghai! It was quite an experience. I basically had no costume until two days before halloween and decided to get with it and try finding a costume. I was lucky to have a friend who has lived here for the past six years and she said "girlfriend, you can find anything online" so she helped me get a costume. I ended up buying a sailor suit for $15! That was insane. I would post some photos here, but let's just say the outfit didn't cover too much! These women here are just so damn skinny that I didn't even think that I might not fit my big booty in these tiny clothes. Anyhow, it worked out fine in the end...It was a hit :)
We partied a bit too hard for halloween. I had a party to go to pretty much every night. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but man, it was hard at work the day after...I barely could focus on anything for those three days. I went into work and sat starring at the computer screen and prayed that I would make it to 6pm and back in my bed asleep. I literally slept for 10 hours one night! I am just getting toooooo old... Then again people here say that I party like a rockstar...tee hee
Working backwards...I have been going out quite a bit with friends. Made some cool friends so far, mostly from the States. That's not a shocker, I'm sure. It is still tough for me to hang out with any locals. I have had some weird experiences with some locals here. Whenever I go to a bar, they come up to me with three questions: 1. If I am Chinese, 2. If I am SURE that I am Chinese, and 3. If I am Japanese. I swear these are the three questions I get all the time. I tell the they need better pick up lines! HA. So I posted a photo of a few friends of mine going to an American place for once, City Diner. I really had no idea what the place was going to be like, but it was really identical to the diners back home. I had to get a grilled cheeze!! Fantastic. Wish the cheeze was a bit thicker, but I will take what I can get. And it is open until the wee hours as well. After a drunken night, it is awesome to end up there. The best part of it is that we were able to jump in a cab right after and make it home for under $2 cab ride. Yippie!
OK, next story...well, in one pic you can see that I am at this bridge with my friend Julie. We went to this place called "I Love Shanghai" and this bar was literally in no mans land. However, it is supposed to very popular. It was $2 absinthe night. Now who can pass that up? Well, let me tell you I would have if I had know that the absinthe was disgusting the way they make it. You really could not get just a good ol' absinthe. They have to put the most disgusting stuff in it. I drank like two sips and wanted to puke. Ladies drink for free allll the time here so it was good that we don't spend too much money out. I guess it's good for guys too because they really don't have to buy drinks for the girls. So you single men, you know where to move to now. We also went to this bar called Mint and it was ladies night. I swear to you this is the funniest story. So my girls and I show up at the bar and we walk in and see this sign at the door that says "no men allowed between 10-12"...we thought sweet it is going to be a good night of drinking. I assumed that it was just to give ladies a head start. Nope...after ten minutes, I realized that the ladies in the room didn't look like us, out to cruise the men. They were there to cruise each other. We sat at the bar for a bit, drank what we had to and got out of there. I guess we have to carefully read the signs next time.
The weather is changing...getting realllly cold out there. So not looking forward to the winter time here ... it is way worse than back east. I am definitely looking forward to coming back to NYC during the month of Feb. That sounds hideous but trust me NYC in feb is way better than being here in Shanghai. So for those of you that actually read this blog, know that I'm coming back to the States for the entire month of feb so watch out! I'll be in DC and NYC partying it up. I'll have to show some of you guys how it is to party like you're in Shanghai. Until then...Miss you all very very much. xoxo

My connection to the US of A...

How funny is it that only in China will I be able to get close enough to an NBA star? I went to a function the other night sponsored by Adidas (a client of ours at work) and met a bunch of the Orlando Magic players. It was hilarious to see a bunch of tall dudes walking around Shanghai. They're playing here in Shanghai for the NBA China games. The good thing about working at my job is that I get to go to these events and never have to stand in line to get in. Kinda cool... so anyhow, the night was fun. I was able to get on stage and chat with the players and then took a photo with Keyon. He was a very nice guy and I actually gave him my number...yes I'm bold I know, but he told me to give him my number so I'd get tickets to go to the game.
Afterwards, the entire crew went to dinner and I had a blast. I really am starting to love the people I work with, even though I really do feel like a grandma there. Most of the kids are younger. Actually I think all of them are younger! :) Oh well, no worries...can teach them a few things ... tee hee.
Anyhow, here is my photo of me at the game. I'm starting to get a hang of Shanghai...Until then.

My golden holiday...

Sounds funny huh? Well China has this vacation thing called "Golden Week" where we get a week off for vacation. It's awesome... but the bad thing is that the weekend before you go on this holiday, you have to work. Therefore, I worked a total of 7 days straight and that is so beyond tiring. However, I knew that there was going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I was off to spend a week in Taiwan and Hong Kong. First was Taiwan to see my grandma. She's 90 this year and has Alzheimer's and that sucks. I love my grandma dearly so whenever I have time to go, I go. It is tough to see her this way, but it's better to see her than to not. So, my parents and I headed off to Taiwan for a mini vacation. I was only there for two days and three nights but was able to see my cousins and my grandma. Then off to Hong Kong. My sister has moved there so I thought I'd go and visit her and my friends as well. Found out a month ago that a friend of mine from GW is living in Hong Kong so it was a great to see him (Ryan) as well. I'm sure those of you from GW will laugh when you see these photos. I was also able to see Gavin (who I normally see when I'm in HK) and we partied like rock stars :) I love HK. It's just so different than Shanghai, but it is wayyyy more expensive. I was able to go to a new restaurant called Aqua with Ry and we had a great time. We of course also went to the infamous Lan Kwei Fang. Drinking....what else can we do? I went hiking for a day on Lamma Island and got my legs bitten by a million mosquitos. It was a gorgeous hike, with the exception of these damn critters. I will have to find some photos to post of that as well.
Anyhow, back to work tomorrow...so not excited for that :) Until my next post...miss you guys. xoxo

The best presenter goes to...

ME! So the story is that this past Friday and Saturday, our office had a "PR bootcamp" where we all had to spend the night at a hotel (I'm not complaining because it was a gorgeous hotel and because I'm a Director, I didn't have to share a room!) and do a case competition. We were in training allll day long and then at the end of the night, we were given a case to work in groups of 6 to come up with a fantastic presentation the next morning for a panel of judges. We had a case about this new Japanese firm that wanted to expand their presence in China but had no idea how to do it. My group came up with the coolest project, but we ended up not winning. The winning team won $2000RMB (which is like $300USD) and tickets to some concert here. I didn't really care cuz I had no idea who the rock star was but it would have been nice to split that cash. However I didn't know that we also had a category for best presenter and I WON! I was so tired that I didn't even know that they announced my name! :) I got to take home $1000RMB all for myself. But being the good daughter that I am, I gave the winnings to my mom who is here now in Shanghai with my dad. She was excited and I'm sure she'll spend the money wisely :)
That's just the short story...not too exciting, but I just found it hilarious that I won! Until next time...

THE worst nightmare travel...

Boy oh boy... do I have a great story to tell. Well, I had to fly to Beijing for work and of course, whenever I travel, it never fails to be a great story. On Sunday, I left Shanghai for Beijing so I can be there for a meeting on Monday. I arrive about 2 hours late, which is so not a big deal considering that flights here are always delayed. I am LUCKY that my flight was ONLY 2 hours late. Upon arriving at the airport, it was a complete mob scene outside for taxis. I thought to myself, I have to stand in line so just put on your ipod and be patient. Well, that lasted all of five minutes when I was shoved from behind by this damn guy with a pushcart full of suitcases. The line was so crowded that it spilled outside of the roped area. So after a few more shoves, I turned to the guy and said "if you touch me one more time with that thing, I am going to hurt you, as*hole." He didn't understand English of course, so I had to improvise my Chinese and attempt to say a*shole in many different ways. I think he got the hint. BUT, when I get to the front of the taxi line, this dude decides to cut in front of me. I lost it then and went off on him. It was not pretty and I'm sure a few Americans who were in line were offended too. HA! It's just so hard to accept this type of behavior, especially when they all LOOK LIKE ME!
After arriving at the hotel, I had a freaking conference call at around midnight so of course I didn't get to bed until around 1am. I had to wake up at 6:45 the next morning for another meeting and if you know me well, I am SO not the morning person. So the day goes with meetings and then a late dinner with clients. I knew that Tuesday was not going to be any better, so I thought I'd get to bed early. I was COMPLETELY right on the money when I said Tuesday was not going to be any better. I get to the office to prepare for our presentation at 2:00pm. We go through the presentation and finish about 3:45pm and I had my bags all packed and ready to go because I was catching the 4:50pm flight back to Shanghai. Unbeknownst to me, THERE WAS A TYPHOON in Shanghai!!! I was rushing my butt to the airport and to tell you the truth, it was because I had amazing seats to the US Women's World Cup soccer match, so I had to make the flight. Well, I get to the airport and miss my flight. Luckily, there is a flight to Shanghai every hour so I get the LAST seat on the next flight, which would put me in around 7:30ish and I can still get to the stadium on time. I was so excited but of course, I spoke too soon. I am sitting at the gate and wondering why the hell were we not boarding the flight. There were not flight attendants around to answer any questions and of course, this is when I start getting angry (as usual). I went to the information counter (which of course really isn't an information counter cuz these people are clueless) to ask for some help and all they said was "we have no information right now." I said, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN!??! Again, they ignored me so I finally slapped the desk very hard with my hand and said, ANSWER ME. So they did. How is it that I have to act completely insane to get an answer you ask? I don't have a freaking clue...So after an hour of waiting, they start boarding for my flight. The plane was parked like ten miles away so we had to take this stupid shuttle to the plane. I was so happy to sit down that I didn't even care that I was stuck in literally the middle seat. I forgot to say that the waiting area in the airport had NO seats! That's what made me even more angry than anything. How can you have an airport with not enough seats to accommodate people? I wish the Chinese government can answer some of these easy questions. Anyhow, the flight attendants start the emergency exit stuff demonstration and we're all set to go. We wait for about 35 minutes and no movement. After an hour, the other Chinese people on the plane start complaining. The only thing I was complaining about was the smell of the guy's FEET behind me. I rang my call button and told the flight attendant to tell the guy behind me to put on his shoes. Needless to say, that was awkward! HA! After an hour, the PA systems reports that the flight is canceled. I was going to cry by then. So we had to get off the plane, get on the damn bus again, and be shuttled back to the airport terminal. In the bus, this dirty German dude starts chatting it up with me cuz he overheard me calling my travel agent to tell her to get me on the next plane out. He asks me what we should do (and the first thing I said to myself was "WE?") and I said I will help him if he needs it. So we walk together to the ticket counter when we got back to the terminal and he said "want to get a drink?" I was about to tell him he's on crack, but thought I'd try to be nice. I said, I need to get out of here and get to a hotel room and sleep. He kept trying to convince me but I politely declined. As politely as I can possibly be at that time...Now, here is the biggest issue. So I go to get my ticket changed for tomorrow but the guy in front of me was offered the LAST seat on a flight going to HongQiao airport, which is about an hour from the Pudong Airport where I'm supposed to land. HOW the hell was that going to work considering that the airport was closed? It's like Dulles airport and National airport distance. I was FURIOUS and again started yelling at the desk clerks. I said, how is it that their flight can take off AFTER mine is canceled due to weather. They of course could not respond. I asked for compensation, but they declined due to bad weather. I said forget it, I'm not going to waste my time on these fools so I walked outside to find a taxi. I then realized that I didn't book a hotel room and don't know my way around Beijing! I called my hotel from the night before and just my luck ALL rooms were sold out. Yippie! I had to call my colleague who was able to call around and set me up in this local hotel but was given the suite. SO... basically, I am stuck in a hotel in Beijing until the damn storm passes. I know I should not complain considering that people are stuck OUTSIDE of their homes and in the water but man, I just want to go home!!! I know you all know that feeling...a hotel just isn't your own home. So freaking tired...
Today, I FINALLY received my personal items from NYC. Funny thing is that I'm not even there to get it. My parents had to go to my place to collect my goods from the shipping company. AND NOW, I can't even go home to enjoy my stuff because I'm stuck here in this damn hotel because of this damn storm. What is wrong with the world these days? Better question, what is wrong with a country that is sooo developed and yet soooo underdeveloped?
Let's all pray for me tonight and think happy thoughts about me getting home to Shanghai tomorrow in one piece. I can tell you that the next time someone asks me to go on a business trip, I will strongly oppose. It's just not right to subject me to this kind of crap! :)
Until then...

Work consumes me...

It's been a long time since I have had the chance to write. Apologies to those 3 people that actually read this :) haha...Anyhow, work has been consuming my life and I am seriously in dire need of a vacation. Speaking of vacation, China's holiday is coming up. In China, we get one week off in Oct and one week off in May so I'm soooo looking forward to my upcoming vacation! I've just bought tickets to go visit family in Taiwan and then to see my sister in Hong Kong. Just learned that a long lost friend of mine from GW has been living in Hong Kong for the past year and I will be seeing him on this trip as well. That should be exciting considering that I have not seen him since 1998!
OK so back to the story at hand...how work is killing me. I have been trying to seriously figure out how to work with the Chinese people here. I know that sounds funny considering that I too am Chinese (although at times I tell people I am anything but Chinese) but it seriously is extremely tough to work with the people here. Let me just give you the short version of why I don't think I can ever do business here. So basically my job is to go and meet people in the healthcare/pharma world. China is so backwards with the way they conduct business. We are given the opportunity to go and hear an agency briefing to see what new drugs the pharma companies are coming out with. They ask us to go and help them get the word out pretty much. They also want all of these "insider information" on how to work with the government. I basically don't know diddly squat about the government and really don't care to. But I have to do what I have to do...
So I have to talk about some nightlife...I have been having a pretty damn good time here in Shanghai. When people ask me what there is to do in Shanghai, I always say eat, sleep, party, and start all over again. The other night, my roommate and I went to a housewarming party where three girls from England and Australia live in this gorgeous huge place near Plaza 66 (a very well known building in Shanghai). It felt so good to be away from a bar and just hanging out at a person's house. A crap load of people showed up and most of them are from overseas. There was only one local person there and of course, she was with this white dude. Everyone was looking at her and whispering to each other how she was after his US passport. Ha! I know that's mean, but it's so damn true. I met these really cool guys from Atlanta and Mexico so we decided to ditch the party and go out to see the city. These guys have been in Shanghai for a long time now and are well known around the city so we didn't have to wait in line for anything. We went to this bar on top of the roof of a building called Bar Rouge and the entire bar is lit on fire! It was a show. Plus the weather is getting so nice here so being outside was fantastic. The bad thing was that I did not intend to stay until 4am because the next morning I had meetings with some business school folks at 8am! Let's just say the next morning was not a pretty sight. :-) Anyhow, the party was great and we stayed forever.
So until next time...

Night out...

Last night, my roommie moved in and we decided to go out to celebrate. Well, we surely did do it up. We went to three different bars and didn't get home until around 4am. What a nice night! The weather was gorgeous, the people were fun, and I actually didn't get in one fight with anyone. Well, that's not entirely true. I was about to beat this girl up at the bar because she didn't have a clue what courtesy meant when walking up the stairs. She just pushed an pushed and finally, I just turned to her and said "WAIT." That didn't go over too well. She just pushed again and I decided to push right on back. I think she got the hint. :-)
So we started the night at this place called Hello Two. No idea what that means, but it had Johnny Walker drinks for cheap...cheaper than other places. It's weird how expensive liquor is here, but our mission was to go out to drink. Most drinks cost around $8, which is equivalent to what I would pay in the States. You'd think it would be a lot cheaper. Anyhow, Cole (my roommate) had some friends meeting us out. They're all from the States, one from Houston, one from Boise IDAHO, and another from Chicago. We sat outside for the longest time just drinking and chit chatting. It was a grand ol' time. We watched tons of Chinese drunk men walk around tripping over themselves and yelling at all of the cab drivers who were trying to hit them while they attempted to cross the street. Next, we went to this bar called Zapatas which is famous for expats. There were no locals in sight so it was interesting. It was a dance place and had decent music for all of two minutes. Then they started playing the crappy Euro crap. People in there were dancing on the bars and I had to attach these two photos. One of these photos shows my Indian boyfriend who was dancing the entire night on the bar with a pair of sunglasses on. I was DYING of laughter and of course, being me, I had to walk up to him and tell him what an amazing dancer he was. My friends would not hold their laughter back. I know, I know, I'm a bi*ch, but it was just so hilarious. We were amazed at all the guys who were up at the bar dancing. Never see that in the States. Quite entertaining...
After a while, we decided to leave and walk down the street to this bar called Mao. It was actually a lot of fun. The place was really nice and I think I want to go back there. It was a hip bar with hukkah (sp?) stations. My friends decided to get a hukkah and smoke it together and cost about $15USD. I have no idea if that is a reasonable price, but I went and danced and drank instead. It was a lovely bar. I have to go back...didn't send up taking any photos cuz by then I was a bit inebriated.
So all in all, a good time. Glad to know that I have a roommie now. He's easy to get along with so we'll see how long this lasts (or how long I last with a roommate!) Until next time...

My first experience with...

FOOD POISONING sickness in Shanghai. I know...it was my fault completely because I decided to go to one of those street vendors and get myself a nice bowl of freshly made noodles. I didn't think that I would get THAT sick. So three nights ago, around 1:30am, I was in the bathroom rolling around on the floor with the worst stomach pain ever. I remember the last time I felt like that and it was in Bali, where I did the exact same thing...ate at a street vendor. One would think that I learned my lesson, but nope...I had to go through it one more time just to make sure. The worst thing is, I was also just sick. I started to get a fever and sore throat! I have been coming home from work around 4pm everyday because I just can't stand being in the office. Everyone at the office is sick right now. It's because it's so hot outside and the minute you step foot in the office building, you feel like you're in the artic. I always leave a sweater at my desk, but it's that moment when you walk in dripping with sweat that you are likely to catch a cold. So, the virus just keeps going around and around. Now, I'm just sitting on my couch feeling like crap and hoping this goes away. To add on to this, my cable TV is not working because they're updating the system so I am forced to watch Chinese television, which I understand like 10% of it. So I've been popping one movie in after another.
My roommie is coming over today to move some stuff in and to go buy some stuff for his room. I still can't believe that I'm going to have a roommate! That's crazy! I trust that he'll be easy to live with. He seems like it...then again, what do I know about roommates. I have only lived with ex's and see how poorly that turned out! :) Even though I have absolutely no energy today, I am still going to go shopping! Woo hoo! I like going in the department stores and feeling like I can actually buy stuff! However, some items seriously has gone up in price! When I do the whole conversion thing, sometimes, things are actually cheaper in the States. For example, shoes! So my girlfriends who are coming to visit me, make sure you go looking for shoes (6 1/2 size) that are cheap and cute cuz I am not finding any of that here. Everything else is quite cheap and easy to find. They love the store Zara here (which I totally hate back in the States) and it's expensive! I don't know how people afford that stuff here. Then again, hardly anyone has to pay for rent here. So every penny that they earn, they spend on clothing and food. That's why I would love to open a restaurant or something that will earn me some mucho dinero! It's so easy here...just think of something "new" and "western" and people will come flocking to the place. Everything around here has some "manhattan" thing to it...kinda weird.
So, here is a funny story...I realized that my passport has no more pages for stamps so I looked online to see where the US Consulate is located and how do I add additional pages to my passport. It looked like it was very close to my office which it was, only a $11RMB (about $1.50 USD) cab ride so I went. The minute I got there, I looked inside and said to myself "hell no..." There were a million people inside. When I went through security, I just stood there in the middle of the room and had no idea what the hell to do. It was a complete mob scene. Finally, this security guard, who probably realized that I looked like a freak standing there, felt sorry for me and came over to ask me if I needed help. I told him my situation and he said, "oh, you American citizen, you go here" and pointed me in the direction of this secret door. I was SO happy when I entered because there were only THREE people in there. I was helped immediately and I got my passport back in 10 minutes with 10 additional pages to my passport. What a relief! I'm just imaging what other foreigners must feel like when they enter that room. Everything was written in Chinese so it was hard for me to figure things out. Even though I can speak, I had no idea who to even speak to! So, I just want to let people know that US citizens are treated quite nicely here...especially if you have lost a passport. There was this one poor guy who was in there applying for a new passport cuz he lost his and he looked like he was about to cry. I would die if I had to go and apply for a new one. Knock on wood.
Until next time...miss you all lots xoxo

I got a...

ROOMMATE!! I can't believe that I'm going to be living with someone! I have not lived with another person since I vowed to never have a roommate after college. Those of you who went to GW know for a fact that after living through those four horrendous years of crazy roommates, we all want to live alone. However, I feel completely weird to have a three bedroom, two bath place by myself so I decided to get a roommie! I started interviewing last week after I put a posting on craigslist (weird how there is a Shanghai craigslist!) About 15 people responded right away so I had to interview each one. They all came to see the place and loved it instantaneously so I had to make some hard choices. I posted my requirements stating that I need someone who speaks fluent English and is from either the States or from Australia :) I know, that sounds horrible, but I think I would enjoy living with someone that makes me feel like I'm "home" sometimes...
After some crazy interviews with some weirdos, I decided on a guy who lived in New York City for a year and is from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. I was a bit skeptical because I have never lived with a boy before (except ex boyfriends...which were not so pleasant!) but I found him to be really cool. He's on the young side, but very mature. So keep your fingers crossed for me. He will move in on September 1st. We talked for over two hours during his interview and I wanted to find someone who wants to go explore Shanghai with me (which includes all the bars too! ha) and also enjoys going to some sporting matches. We are going to go see the tennis master's this year and he may join me in my women's world cup soccer in September. The best thing is that we don't have to share a bath at all. Plus, I always explain to my friends that I have a east wing and a west wing to my apartment. My bedroom is totally on the left side of the room and his would be on the right. We might even miss each other sometimes. I just want to hang out with someone who I think will be fun! I need to replace my Columbia gals with someone right?:-)
Work is going well...working a lot of hours. People here tend to get to work around 10am and I am for some odd reason, always getting there around 9am. I try to sleep but I always wake up around the same time each day! It's kind of frustrating, but I decided that I'm going to take this opportunity to go and work out at the gym. I paid a crap load of money to join a gym here because it is just so hard to find. I found one that has an indoor lap pool so I'm going to force myself to do it. It's right below my office building so I have absolutely no excuse not to go. I have gone to a few pharma companies to hear agency briefings and it has been tough. People tend to give briefings in Chinese and although I can understand Chinese, business Chinese is another language. I also found myself having trouble switching from speaking all Chinese to speaking all English. So basically, my colleagues must think I'm an idiot. So, lot's to work on...
Until then...

The place to be...

I am beginning to party a bit more in the city...although it can't compare to NYC life just yet. I have been told that it will get better from my (few, but good) friends here if I just give it a bit more time (since I have really just started living here about a week ago!) The past weekend, I went to out quite a bit. I was introduced to a friend living here in Shanghai/Beijing from NYC. I just flew back into town that night from Beijing (had to go there for work) and really was excited to go out. BUT, when I arrived at Hongqiao airport (the domestic airport), I could not find a damn taxi! The one thing you guys have to know is the taxi situation... it is terrible! Shanghai has a zillion taxis but when it comes to Fridays, rain, or extreme heat, there are no taxis around whatsoever! I was literally running after cabs that were dropping off people. I almost got in one fight (this may be my 10th fight since I've arrived in China!) with these two men because they would keep walking in front of me to try to flag down the next cab. I actually thought that I was smart by taking a bus from the airport first into the city and then attempting to hail a cab. The line at the airport was ridiculous so I thought this was a smart move... it turned out quite dumb. Anyhow, I finally get a cab and by the time I got home, I was drenched in sweat. I quickly took a shower and met up with this friend at a restaurant very close to my house. I must reemphasize AGAIN that my place is AWESOME cuz of location and size. I jumped in a taxi (this time, someone was being dropped off at my condo complex so I was quite lucky) and went to a restaurant/bar called Naked Cow. It supposedly serves awesome steak. Since I was late, everyone finished dinner so we just sat and drank. We left that place shortly and went to one of the most "famous" places in Shanghai called Park 97. This bar/nightclub is well known around Shanghai and when I walked in, I thought I was at SOCIAL! I know you guys from Columbia are laughing! It was so weird. It's not the decor of the place, but just the vibe. Can't describe it. The most amazing thing about this place is the cover band. I have to admit, I was quite shocked because the singers were amazing. The music was great, the people were interesting (somewhat), and I was in good company.
So here comes the real story...at the bar, I felt a bit out of place. Ok, I felt A LOT of out place. The weird thing is that at this bar, I finally realized how ostracized I was for being Chinese American. Let me explain why. I was walking around the bar checking people out and each table I walked by, I saw a white guy with a Chinese girl. Now, it never hits me when this happens in NYC, but for some reason, while walking around the room (with my Caucasian friends -- most of them men!), I felt like a complete hooker! I know that sounds horrible, but you can TELL when someone is totally not meant to be with that other someone. I told my friends this and they laughed but totally understood my position. The good thing is that when I start speaking, people know that I'm from the States and then they don't give me that "look" anymore. I realized that I was giving the Chinese girls in the room that same "look" (meaning, I was telling them, get a life and stop leeching on these white dudes who you think might give you a visa). Funny thing is that there was this one guy that was part of our group, he had a Chinese girl come out that night to meet us there. He said that she told him that she already has a boyfriend and that he said it was OK for her to date him too!!! I was so disgusted and didn't even acknowledge her when she came over to say hi. I know... I'm a bi*ch, but I stand by my opinion that cheaters are a bunch of sh*theads, no room to maneuver in there whatsoever. So, to make a long story short, I think it's going to take me a wee bit longer to really feel like I am 1. not a hooker, 2. able to talk to locals here without having them look at me like I'm an alien, and 3. always going to pick a fight. You all have to pray for me!
Work is going well...I have a huge project already and I will need to fly again soon to go to another office...I HATE FLYING! I will have to cut down on some of that crap. On other news, I might be back in NYC in November to do some work so those of you who read this thing, make sure to keep your entire November open! HA! I will provide ample notice.
Until then...xoxo

Can't wait for the Olympics...

So, I have completed my days here in Beijing and now in Shanghai again. It is weird to be in another city, especially for my first business trip. I'm so used to traveling around the States (and those of you who know me well know that I was barely in NYC because I traveled so much), but it is still very foreign that I am traveling IN China. Anyhow, Beijing is a weird city. I guess it is because I'm getting so used to Shanghai. Shanghai definitely is more of a party town. It has a way better nightlife and just seems more alive. People here say that Shanghai is the NYC and Beijing is the Washington DC. Don't get me wrong, I loved living in DC, but once you have lived in NYC, you know for a fact that it's really the nightlife city. So just imagine, Shanghai is pretty much the NYC of Asia.
I had a great time in Beijing though. People here are less "harsh" than the Shanghainese. You still see the people spitting and all, but they seem a bit less "loud." Shanghainese people tend to just scream when they talk so that's something I have to get used to. I know that will take some adjusting, but I know I can conquer it right? Also, the taxi drivers are a bit of an ass. They try to take you for a ride all the time. They think that I can't speak Chinese so I always spring it on them at the last minute when I am about to get out of the cab. See, when I step in a cab, I start speaking English because then the cabbie won't talk to you. I hate it when cabbies talk to me. I get annoyed because I just want to relax! So they think I'm a foreigner (which I am of course) and can take me around the city for a little spin. See, in Shanghai, taxi drivers may try to do that, but if you feel that you've been taken for a ride, all you have to do is ask for a receipt (which is automatically printed out from the meter and it has all the info on it, drivers name, date, etc) and have the driver sign it. You an call this number at the bottom of your receipt to file a complaint and the driver will not only be fined a huge amount of money, but they will return what you spent and three times that amount. Most of the time, when you ask the driver for a receipt, they will try to bargain with you if they know they took you for a ride. They will say "ok, ok, just pay me $20 less." However, to my stupidity, I thought this rule applied to ALL of China...I found out it does not apply to Beijing. So I learned another lesson... Each day I learn something new...that's what I tell myself...
Beijing was crazy while I was there because on August 8th, they were out in the streets celebrating the Olympics. One year till the Olympics officially starts here. I'm soooo excited for it. I'm already looking for tickets. I have just secured tickets to the Women's World Cup Soccer here in Shanghai. Will be watching and cheering the US women on when they play Nigeria. I'm attempting to secure tickets to the Venetian tennis match between Federer and Sampras (who is coming out to do this exhibition match) in Macau so I'm going to fly to Hong Kong to see it. I gotta go! It's so great when you can actually afford tickets to go see things unlike NYC.
Not much else to report. Oh, I am looking into taking TaiChi lessons so will let you know (and I'll be sure to send photos too!). Until then...

Work...the universal language of pain

So, I finished my first week of work. It wasn't actually one whole week because I started on August 1st and it was already a Wednesday. However, I still call it the first week as it was a very very busy few days. I was so nervous for my first day that I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking that I was late for work. I know you all get that weird feeling where you think that the alarm already went off and you missed it! Finally at 6am, I just decided to get up and start getting ready. It has been two months since I put on makeup so I didn't want to look like a freak and put on too much makeup. It had to be just right...
I realized that by the time I was ready for work, it was already 8:15 and I had to walk to the office. I hadn't really prepared too well because I didn't try walking the route prior to the first day. That was stupid, considering that I can't read the street signs. I ran out of the apartment and luckily, I found my way to the office in no time. It's quite easy actually. It takes about 15 minutes door to door. It was extremely hot outside so when I was close enough to the office, I had to duck in to a convenient store to cool off or else I'd look like a sweaty hog. The office is extremely nice with awesome decorations. When I get a chance, I'll have to take some photos of the place. We are on the 27th floor and it overlooks pretty much the entire city. The only thing I miss is an office. This office is all about cubbies. We are an "open environment" which I'm so not used to. It's kind of annoying at times because we all have cell phones and when someone's cell phone rings, pretty much everyone can hear it. Augh...so that's going to take some getting used to. I was immediately put on a project the second day I was in the office. I had to go offsite to go listen to an agency briefing for a birth control pill that is ready to launch in China. I learned that some birth control pills are actually OTC (over the counter) here! That's insane. I wonder if people actually read the instructions...probably not so that's why the population here is insane. So my presentation will be in two weeks so I have to get cracking. I am off to Beijing in a few days to meet up with my colleagues and team.
Everyday, I get to walk to work which is amazing. It is a very nice walk and I actually get to pass a very beautiful street (Donghu Lu) with lots of trees (and shading from the oppressive sun). Downstairs of my apartment, there are all of these little eateries and I have been brave enough to go and try all kinds of stuff. My parents are always yelling at me to tell me to be careful of what I eat, but you gotta try stuff that's out there. And, it's soooo cheap. I usually spend about $1 for a dinner. How awesome is that! For breakfast, I always go downstairs and buy my fresh soymilk and a bun and walk to work with it in hand. It's awesome...At work, we have this cafe in our suite that serves awesome lunches for about $4. It's great...can't beat the food here.
As for going out, I haven't done much of that yet. I have been to a couple of bars, but I'm still getting to know people. Kind of hard to meet people here. My colleagues said that it will take at least 3 months to adjust and know who you want to hang out with and where. So I'll give it that time and we'll see... keep your fingers crossed...
As I type this right now, I am on the plane going from Shanghai to Beijing for a meeting with our Asia headquarters office. Those who know me know that I am terrified of flying so flying in China is so not fun for me...I'm going to Beijing for just a few days to see the office and to start on this huge project/pitch that we are working on for the end of the month. I was so proud of myself because I was able to understand an entire presentation in Chinese, but when I got back to the office, I realized that the ppt was all in Chinese. How annoying. I have to find someone to translate the entire written piece for me now. Learning a bit more Chinese characters each day. It's been quite hard being an illiterate walking around a huge city. People do speak English, but it's still quite limited.
I received a notice from the post office today (which I had to ask my maid to read--yes I have a maid now who comes to clean my place twice a week...it's sooo nice) stating that I received a care package from the State. How annoying that they don't deliver care packages and that I have to go to the office directly to claim the package. AND I can't even ask my maid to do it because you have to bring ID. AND for each day that I don't pick it up, they charge me!!! What kind of system is this?!?! So, I thank the person who sent it (I think I know who it is..TJK) and to say that should any of you guys want to send me any future packages, send it to my work where they do have people receiving the items. I am excited to go and pick up my package when I go home to Shanghai.
Off to roam the streets of Beijing because today is the ceremony to mark one year till the Olympics. Everyone is out on the streets partying so I have to go and check it out. I of course forgot to bring my camera. I'm not used to be going on business trips AND being a tourist at the same time. I'll have to carry my camera everywhere I go from now on.
Until then...

And the award for the worst travelers go to...

f









The Chinese! I can't just limit it to the Chinese, but I would have to say that all Asians are horrible travelers. Let me clarify...I have just returned from my trip to four Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland). It was a fantastic trip, except for the fact that along the way, we saw waaaaayyyy too many Asian people. I know that sounds like I'm an Asian hater, but I have to tell you, it was seriously embarrassing to be Chinese in another country. I guess it's because I have become desensitized to it here in Shanghai. However, once you go overseas, you really get hit with it. To make a long story short, I see Chinese people (and some Koreans, not much of the Japanese) pushing, shoving, spitting, throwing trash in places that they shouldn't, talking loudly, not respecting other peoples space, and not acknowledging that they are just a pain in the a*s! It seriously is terrible! I have to make this point clear because while I understand that for 10 years, the Chinese were deprived of an education under the whole Cultural Revolution, but this only applies to people who are around the age of 45-55 years old. The younger generation should be the ones who are more educated, less likely to act like a*sholes. However, it is the YOUNG ones who are the worst, the most selfish and uneducated bunch. It is really sad to see it. The main reason is because China these days has the problem of spoiling their child. They are only allowed to have ONE child so that child is completely spoiled and has no respect for anyone else. They have this "I want" mentality and nothing else. So that was just the major downfall of the trip. I have attached some photos (bad ones to say the least...) of my trip.
Otherwise, it was fantastic! I won't bore you with the entire trip so will summarize it. We arrived in Helsinki and what a change in weather that was from Shanghai. It was a high of around 70's (whereas Shanghai still can't get out of the high 90's). The sky was blue, no rain, just gorgeous. Helsinki is a pretty city, but kinda boring. The Senate Square is gorgeous with a gorgeous church set high on top of a hill. We roamed around the open market and tried all kinds of delicious food (later that night, I wasn't feeling too good!). Next was Stockholm...my favorite city out of this entire trip. It was gorgeous! The city had such a gorgeous City Hall where the dinners are held for the Nobel Peace Prize. After Stockholm, we went to Oslo. Don't like Oslo too much. It was kind of a dark and dirty city. There wasn't much to see in Oslo so we moved on to Bergen. Bergen is a small town but filled with beautiful architecture and more to see than Oslo. Went to the fish markets and tried all kinds of fish roe. Fantastic. Everything was super fresh and people were super friendly. The only thing was it rained. It poured! Thank goodness it only lasted one day. Next was Copenhagen. Small city, but again, gorgeous. We shopped a lot in Copenhagen but bought absolutely nothing (except for my alcohol collection of course). Everything was so expensive! The US Dollar doesn't take you too far these days. All in all, a great trip. Glad to be home now though because I have to get ready for my first day of work tomorrow. I have to adjust to normal life again...of the working class. I can't believe my two month vacation has come to an end!!! I will be back to work and slaving my life away. However, I am so ready to get going on doing something other than lounging around and eating all the time :)
Until then...I hope to see you guys soon. xo

my mansion...

So I have finally moved in to my new place! It took me a long time to find this place because Shanghai is a tough place to find housing! Also, everything in Shanghai is negotiable so my sister helped in getting this place for much cheaper. It is truly a mansion...three bedrooms, two full baths, a BALCONY, amazing view, fully furnished, and did I mention THREE bedrooms? It's crazy. I have never in my life lived in a place this large. My years in DC and NYC has not afforded me the opportunity to live in such a luxurious place as this. I am in an awesome location too...15 minutes walk to work, right in downtown Shanghai, 10 minutes walk to all the bars, the shopping district is right across the street, and gorgeous park right down the street, and much much more. I am still amazed that I have this place. Can't wait to fully move in. The problem right now is getting my work visa and then getting my stuff to clear through customs. Such a stupid process. Basically, I won't be able to receive my stuff here in Shanghai until mid to end of August because I am going on vacation to Scandanavia and I have to have my passport in order to travel. Once I return from my vacation, I will have to forfeit my passport for a bit to get all of my paperwork done so I can start work. Don't know if I reallllly want to start work. I'm getting used to all of this... sitting on my butt all day is quite nice.
I'll be sure to send out my address in a separate email... don't know if it is wise to publish that information :-) Until then...

there is life outside of shanghai...

Yesterday, I finally decided to go and explore a world outside of Shanghai. My sister's friend is in town from the States for the week and I was lucky to have a buddy to travel with. I'm even more lucky because he can read Chinese! Woo hoo! We bought a day trip to a city called SuZhou, about an hour bus ride outside of Shanghai. You're not going to believe how much this cost...about $25 dollars, which included a nice air conditioned bus ride to and from the city and all admission costs to the sites (about five parks and one temple). In addition, you get an all day tour guide who explains all of the sites. The group was about 35 people so it was a decent size, although I would have liked it to be less. SuZhou is famous for all of the gardens and temples and we were able to go to pretty much all of them. The only drawback... it was about 100 degrees outside yesterday. I could not stop sweating! I know... lovely image, but it was truly disgusting. The humidity was amazing...could barely catch my breath when we walked around. I kept telling myself "I can do it...this is good for me... I'm losing weight." The first location was a historical site, beautiful garden, and we were so excited to hear that we were going to get a boat ride for only $10RMB (equivalent to 5 cents). However, to our disappointment, the boat ride was less than 2 minutes (not joking either). For us foreigners who were on the trip (4 out of the 35 people), we didn't complain because we knew that for $10, we were going to get sh*t. The others weren't too happy...Next, we visited a Buddhist temple and it was amazing. It is centuries old and although I'm not religious, I had that nostalgic feeling when I walked through the temple. It may have just been the heat...ha. We were all then led to this large restaurant for lunch. Interestingly, the lunch was not included in our tour so we each had to pay $20RMB ($1US=$7.5RMB) so it was still cheap. But, we had to share these dishes with 10 other people. The table sat 10 and basically we were given 9 dishes and 1 soup to share. Kinda gross when you think of it because everyone just sticks their chopsticks in the dish and we all eat together. Thank goodness I had all of my shots before I left the States! Following lunch, we went to more gardens...I will have to post some photos soon. Haven't figured out how yet.
I must tell you at least ONE funny story from this trip. This is going to be gross, but here goes...this tour is what we call a "very local tour." It is primarily for local Chinese people, so you are not supposed to expect a luxurious trip. Knowing this, I didn't expect much, but I surely did not expect this...we were all standing around listening to the tour guide give her presentation when all of a sudden, i hear this loud "pffffffffff...pfffffff....pffffff." I was shocked to see that the guy standing next to me was passing gas! Right there, out in the open. I almost died. My friend who was traveling with me started laughing and cursing at the same time. It just amazes me how crazy these people are and how they are so inconsiderate. Of course, the two of us ran as far away as possible, but we had to laugh it off. I had to tell this story...sorry.
Anyhow, this was my trip in a nutshell. I still can't believe I'm living here but can't wait to move in to my new place tomorrow. Until then...

Visit to "the ward"

What an interesting day...I had to pay a visit to the hospital to get a physical in order to apply for my work visa. I guess China is scared of all the disease that may potentially come from the States. Hmm...anyhow, this facility is located in an area that is way in the suburbs and very hard to find, but I was told that "expats" are the only people who are allowed to go to this hospital. Being a health person myself, last night, I was fretting this visit. I had a dream that they were going to stick me with some dirty needle and subject me to a million x-rays. To my surprise, it was totally clean, a great and efficient process, and I have to admit, it was the least painful blood drawing experience I had. Seriously...I am a chicken when it comes to needles, but these nurses were amazing. The only complaint was the entire process. Basically, when you walk in, the ask that you fill out a bunch of forms, then you wait till your number is called. You then go in to the clinic part where you are asked to change into the infamous robe. Then the chaos begins. You walk out in the hallway and there are three nurses directing you in all different directions to different rooms. One would think that there was order... oh no, there sure isn't. So, the tests performed were: EKG (first I've ever had one!), Ultrasound/sonogram, blood test, eye test, chest x-ray, and blood pressure check. However, these were all done in SEPARATE rooms! Crazy. Therefore, the nurses would stand in the hallway and you had to walk around with this piece of paper to each room. I felt so bad for the other expats who could not speak or understand Chinese so I had to basically help them out. Today was the first day where I felt lucky that I can understand and speak Chinese. To give an example, the nurse would say to me "miss, please sit here, wait for the doctor in the room to call you in." Now, how the heck do the others understand this if they have no clue? It was so funny because it seemed like people were playing musical chairs. People didn't know when to sit, where to sit, if they SHOULD sit or stand. I of course couldn't help but chuckle a bit. After a minute, I thought it was cruel so I started translating. I thought that in a place like this, people would be able to communicate. Not the case...We were asked to go to so many different darn rooms that everyone was confused. I thought that we would just pretty much go from one room to the next adjoining room. NOPE. It was a pretty stupid system. However, I have to admit, the process actually worked. I was able to get out of there in under an hour! That's a first! Most of the time in the States, we are in the waiting room for at least 30 minutes before we're seen by a doc. I had all of this stuff done in under an hour. Exciting. I can always think of a better way for this clinic to be more efficient of course :) Later when I asked my sister why they didn't think to just make it much easier by putting the rooms next to each other and we just followed the line. As an architect, she was able to decipher why: when they built the facility, they probably didn't take into consideration that some rooms needed to be bigger in order to hold the equipment (e.g., a chest x-ray machine needed to be larger than a room to screen your eye sight). HA!
The best thing about today was that I was able to mingle with a bunch of other people who are also in my shoes, new to Shanghai, first timers, and also as lost as I am. I was able to chat with a few people and I think I made some good connections. I don't have a business card to give right now so I offered my sister's instead. My sis came with me today because she feared that I would not be able to understand or be able to complete the forms. She was right...when we showed up, I didn't realize that I had to write the address as to where I would like the results of my test to be sent to. I know I can write it in English, but I didn't even bring that with me either. Augh...I have to remember these things! So I'm pretty much all set now to start work on the 1st of August. Looking forward to moving in to my place in a week. I'll send out an email with my new address and phone! Can't wait... until then...