So, it’s been 17 days.
That kind of blows my mind. On
the one hand, I feel surprisingly-well acclimated (culturally, not
weather-wise) to Shanghai. Perhaps part
of this is due to having traveled through a number of Asian cities several
times before, but I suspect a greater part can be due to the fact that we’ve
already lived overseas once before so while the city is new, the transition
itself is not. Of course, on the other
hand, I am getting down on myself for not having seen or done more yet… and
then Pete reminds me that we have barely been here more than two weeks and it’s
been all we could do to adjust to the massive time change, buy plates and
silverware (not yet done), and set Reese up in school.
All that said, we have gotten a fairly good start, I suppose. We have plates, cups, a new wok (that is seeing plenty of action), and plenty of sheets, towels, etc. No silverware yet (beside the initial 3 spoons, forks, knives that were here when we arrived) but we haven’t had guests yet either so no problem yet. This last weekend we got a couple plants and also ordered some photos to be blown up and framed. We even hung a couple maps. So, it’s bit by bit. Today, we FINALLY got a wifi modem and VPN (which means we can get access to Facebook, YouTube, etc). Woo-hoo! Oh yeah— and we attended this great community center orientation session to Shanghai run by this not-for-profit group that basically just puts on cooking and Chinese classes, gives walking and biking tours, and does all kinds of cool events for the expat community. Awesome! Come to think of it… we also went to the aquarium with Reese and some friends so I guess we’re not really slackers after all. But, ask me if we have gone to see anything “cultural” yet (like museums, temples, palaces) and I will shamefully reply in the negative. “Soon, very soon,” I tell myself. : )
Eventually we’ll collect some more household items and build up the spice supply in the kitchen, but at this point, we’re ok. The to-do list for this list is more along the lines of signing Reese up for toddler soccer and/or swimming, and finding a babysitter for a couple nights a month. We might even (finally?) get Pete settled on the surgery question. I know it seems like it’s been ages since his accident, but he is actually feeling ok, and there’s been a lot else on our plates. That said, we figure the scar tissue is growing and it’s best to get the shoulder surgery over and done with sooner rather than later.
The visa problem I brought up in our last email update hasn’t gone away, and we (and my HR office) are slowly making progress on the issue, but it is SLOW progress. Here’s hoping we’ve got more to say about that being resolved by our next email and before we have to start a collection envelope for the Yenbarski charity. : )
On the bright side, work is going positively SWELL. Yup— I just said that. Of course, we’ve just arrived and so I fully admit that I am probably in the honeymoon stage. But, I like my office and I love my boss. My assistant and my immediate co-worker… not the best, but I’m certainly not complaining. (In fairness, my last co-worker also became a very good friend in Turkey so I suppose there’s no comparison.) Otherwise, I feel and am treated like a professional, I’ve been asked to be a part of the Staff Committee (like a union… kind of), and expectations are generally high so I’m challenged and I like it. Plus, the kids are super smart and ambitious and I am learning a lot more about my field. All systems GO on this front.
The weather has already improved as well. When we first arrived it was near 100 degrees and basically 100% humidity for a solid week. (Or, at least it FELT like that.) It then began to taper off just enough to get a little more comfortable but still not ideal. Then, this last weekend, while we were at the plant market/bazaar, the skies opened and the rain came. It poured buckets. Pete and I were with Reese and Addie (the toddler daughter of some friends of ours) and we hoped to wait it out before rejoining Addie’s parents. After 20 minutes, it showed no sign of letting up and we needed to get back to them so we ran through it for about 3 blocks and were soaked upon arrival. The puddles were more than ankle deep and our hair was plastered to our faces. Luckily for me, I had Reese and she was laughing hysterically; poor Pete had Addie and she was just hysterical. Rained a bit again today, but I think we might get a break now and a little less humidity in the air.
More good news: we just recently learned that the first week in October is actually a national holiday so, if we can afford it, we plan to take the fast train to a smaller city about an hour or two away where there is supposed to be a beautiful lake, some nice easy hiking, and plenty of pretty pagodas and gardens, etc. We figure, by then, it will be just the thing we need for Pete to continue his recuperation (post-surgery) and for us to get away from the big city. See here (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
Until then, the plan is for me to continue to work (and enjoy it as much as possible), for Reese to start school full-time (next week), and for Pete to perhaps begin some Chinese classes. While I’m at it, I will attach to this email a couple of photos of Reese, recently. The move hasn’t been all easy on her, and you can tell she is dealing with some stress (particularly notable for parents of toddlers) but she is being a trooper and she is so so so excited about school and having her little backpack. She is in 1 hour a day this week and then 2 hours a day later on before starting in at 3 hours a day on her regular schedule on Sept. 9.
I should note that my focus for this email and the previous ones have been on us being here, but that’s not to say we don’t miss home or Turkey. We do. We miss parents, siblings, cousins, and dinners at home. We miss Turkish produce, “mashallahs,” and the nearness of the water. We miss friends, and “being there” when it counts. Just this weekend we learned about an awful, near-fatal accident that a friend of ours was involved with and we just wish we were around in Walla Walla and Seattle. That’s the tough part. I don’t mention it as often in these emails because it’s not easy to write about, doesn’t include much “interesting” for the reader in terms of stories, and doesn’t fit in neatly to a quick paragraph. But, please do know that we are thinking of you. We do miss you. We do hope you will come to visit.
More to come. Also, if there is anything in particular you are interested in hearing about, let me know and I will try to include it in the next update. We love you. Thanks for listening and supporting us in this crazy adventure. As we enjoy a very special bottle of Kabatepe Turkish wine in our apartment in Shanghai, we are thinking of each of you.
All that said, we have gotten a fairly good start, I suppose. We have plates, cups, a new wok (that is seeing plenty of action), and plenty of sheets, towels, etc. No silverware yet (beside the initial 3 spoons, forks, knives that were here when we arrived) but we haven’t had guests yet either so no problem yet. This last weekend we got a couple plants and also ordered some photos to be blown up and framed. We even hung a couple maps. So, it’s bit by bit. Today, we FINALLY got a wifi modem and VPN (which means we can get access to Facebook, YouTube, etc). Woo-hoo! Oh yeah— and we attended this great community center orientation session to Shanghai run by this not-for-profit group that basically just puts on cooking and Chinese classes, gives walking and biking tours, and does all kinds of cool events for the expat community. Awesome! Come to think of it… we also went to the aquarium with Reese and some friends so I guess we’re not really slackers after all. But, ask me if we have gone to see anything “cultural” yet (like museums, temples, palaces) and I will shamefully reply in the negative. “Soon, very soon,” I tell myself. : )
Eventually we’ll collect some more household items and build up the spice supply in the kitchen, but at this point, we’re ok. The to-do list for this list is more along the lines of signing Reese up for toddler soccer and/or swimming, and finding a babysitter for a couple nights a month. We might even (finally?) get Pete settled on the surgery question. I know it seems like it’s been ages since his accident, but he is actually feeling ok, and there’s been a lot else on our plates. That said, we figure the scar tissue is growing and it’s best to get the shoulder surgery over and done with sooner rather than later.
The visa problem I brought up in our last email update hasn’t gone away, and we (and my HR office) are slowly making progress on the issue, but it is SLOW progress. Here’s hoping we’ve got more to say about that being resolved by our next email and before we have to start a collection envelope for the Yenbarski charity. : )
On the bright side, work is going positively SWELL. Yup— I just said that. Of course, we’ve just arrived and so I fully admit that I am probably in the honeymoon stage. But, I like my office and I love my boss. My assistant and my immediate co-worker… not the best, but I’m certainly not complaining. (In fairness, my last co-worker also became a very good friend in Turkey so I suppose there’s no comparison.) Otherwise, I feel and am treated like a professional, I’ve been asked to be a part of the Staff Committee (like a union… kind of), and expectations are generally high so I’m challenged and I like it. Plus, the kids are super smart and ambitious and I am learning a lot more about my field. All systems GO on this front.
The weather has already improved as well. When we first arrived it was near 100 degrees and basically 100% humidity for a solid week. (Or, at least it FELT like that.) It then began to taper off just enough to get a little more comfortable but still not ideal. Then, this last weekend, while we were at the plant market/bazaar, the skies opened and the rain came. It poured buckets. Pete and I were with Reese and Addie (the toddler daughter of some friends of ours) and we hoped to wait it out before rejoining Addie’s parents. After 20 minutes, it showed no sign of letting up and we needed to get back to them so we ran through it for about 3 blocks and were soaked upon arrival. The puddles were more than ankle deep and our hair was plastered to our faces. Luckily for me, I had Reese and she was laughing hysterically; poor Pete had Addie and she was just hysterical. Rained a bit again today, but I think we might get a break now and a little less humidity in the air.
More good news: we just recently learned that the first week in October is actually a national holiday so, if we can afford it, we plan to take the fast train to a smaller city about an hour or two away where there is supposed to be a beautiful lake, some nice easy hiking, and plenty of pretty pagodas and gardens, etc. We figure, by then, it will be just the thing we need for Pete to continue his recuperation (post-surgery) and for us to get away from the big city. See here (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
Until then, the plan is for me to continue to work (and enjoy it as much as possible), for Reese to start school full-time (next week), and for Pete to perhaps begin some Chinese classes. While I’m at it, I will attach to this email a couple of photos of Reese, recently. The move hasn’t been all easy on her, and you can tell she is dealing with some stress (particularly notable for parents of toddlers) but she is being a trooper and she is so so so excited about school and having her little backpack. She is in 1 hour a day this week and then 2 hours a day later on before starting in at 3 hours a day on her regular schedule on Sept. 9.
I should note that my focus for this email and the previous ones have been on us being here, but that’s not to say we don’t miss home or Turkey. We do. We miss parents, siblings, cousins, and dinners at home. We miss Turkish produce, “mashallahs,” and the nearness of the water. We miss friends, and “being there” when it counts. Just this weekend we learned about an awful, near-fatal accident that a friend of ours was involved with and we just wish we were around in Walla Walla and Seattle. That’s the tough part. I don’t mention it as often in these emails because it’s not easy to write about, doesn’t include much “interesting” for the reader in terms of stories, and doesn’t fit in neatly to a quick paragraph. But, please do know that we are thinking of you. We do miss you. We do hope you will come to visit.
More to come. Also, if there is anything in particular you are interested in hearing about, let me know and I will try to include it in the next update. We love you. Thanks for listening and supporting us in this crazy adventure. As we enjoy a very special bottle of Kabatepe Turkish wine in our apartment in Shanghai, we are thinking of each of you.
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