Shanghai

Here we are in Shanghai (not really by the time you read this, but that is where I am writing this). All we can say is AMAZING!! Let me back up….

I flew with the girls to Wyoming. We flew direct out of Baltimore to Denver….only about a 4 hour flight. As we drove thru DC to get to the airport, Adayla was wide awake and said, “Hey look, the Capitol!” We are in awe at how she is so aware of her surroundings, you could barely see it and it was very early in the morning. We had to get up at 4:45 to get there and so it was Tally’s nap time as we were about to take off. Finally after 45 minutes of crying, she fell asleep for about an hour. The rest of the flight was just fine. As we were waiting for Little Grandma, Grandpa, Josie, and Jewels to pick us up at the baggage claim, I pointed to Adayla the direction they were. She took off running and fell flat on her face! She hopped up and ran to meet them, she giggled and snorted for about 5 minutes.

I spent a few days in Wyoming and then flew back to Denver…..I know why I had never before taken a plane from there. The wind was blowing 40 mph and it felt as if we were going to blown off the runway in this 30 passenger jet. But I made it and spent a night all by myself. It was weird, but thankfully Air Force basketball was on and I watched them for a few hours. Unfortunately they lost : ( I woke up early the next morning for my flight to Detroit, where I met up with Tim and together we left for China.

We have been staying with a fellow Olmsted Scholar which has been wonderful. They have showed us around, given us lots of tips, and not to forget a cozy place to stay! We actually adjusted to the time difference rather quickly (thanks to the help of a few sleeping pills!) Our toughest decision for this trip was deciding where to live. Our three options along with some weighing factors were:
Downtown Pudong – Walking distance from most everything and great views, some locals, but a smaller place to live. We had to decide how much fun it would really be to be dragging a couple kids up and down the elevator.
Villa Community about a 15 minute taxi ride from downtown – Great neighborhood townhouse community, still some locals, a little more space and a bit of a backyard, more kid friendly, and closer to people that we would be going to church with. But really not much to walk to and therefore would definitely have to get a driver.
Suburb Villa Community – Huge, Gorgeous house in quiet neighborhood with fewer locals, take a taxi or have a driver to get anywhere. Lots of room in the house with beautiful backyard.

We decided to look and all 3 and see how we felt. After much thought and prayer, we decided that we would try an apartment for the first year, but having the option to move the second year. We found a 4 bedroom plus an office with outstanding views and very centrally located. Many Chinese with a child live there and so Adayla and Tally can hopefully make some friends. There is a kindergarten/preschool on the compound that is all in Chinese, except for a few English classes. It will become our home and it will be comforting as we leave the States we have a place we really like to go!

Shopping is at a whole new level in Shanghai! It has anywhere from local street markets to big, fancy, expensive shopping malls. We have taken a liking to the bigger markets. They sell about anything and it is so fun to bargain. We spent a few days doing this, especially so we could practice our Chinese. I think we will do just fine! Everyone will just have to come visit so they can experience this for themselves!

The LDS Church has a very small presence here in Shanghai. There are two branches with about a 125 people in them. You must be a visa holder to attend these. There is also a smaller group of Chinese that meet, but they can only meet amongst themselves. As for the branch we will be attending, it was about half adults and half kids! We will fit in just fine.

There are many little quirks that we will have to get used to, but for now have gotten a good laugh from it. There are nearly 22 million people around us and yes traffic is heavy, but it still flows. We just close our eyes while riding in a taxi. We must be very careful on the streets and sidewalks or you could easily be run over by a car, bike, or moped.

A few jaunts and then I will be done
Yes, there is a WALMART in Shanghai….definitely Walmart, but geared to the Chinese (so it sells pig feet, chicken feet, and live eel!)
We can buy nearly everything (other than deodorant) here, some it will cost you a bit, but it is available!
Be careful where you step it water on the sidewalk, more than likely it is peepee
The city is beautiful!
We could never make it to all the shopping areas around here
Food is plentiful….anywhere from mere pennies on up, just depending on what you will eat!

Shanghai is the place where our family needs to be at this time in our lives, we know this because we can feel it! We are looking forward to the adventures!

Tim and I will soon head back to the states for just a few months and then we shall return. Morgan can’t wait to hug her girls! She is missing them tons!!!! We are grateful that they could stay with Lil Grandma and Grandpa, Josie, Corde, Julionna, Jeremy, Odessa, and baby Bridger. I know they loved it and will look at me when we are home and ask where all their friends went. I know Adayla was able to stomp on the snow with some snow boots. (The day after we left, they had the biggest blizzard they had seen since moving there!) We have enjoyed our 5 year honeymoon, but I will be so excited to hear their sweet giggles and even a few grumps!