Random pics

Sing your heart out!

SO I should have a pic of noodles and rice.. I will get you pics no worries. ok so we went to Karaoke last night. It was fun. There were some good tunes... I would have liked to see some more Spice Girls songs lol...anyway...We went to two places and one was all booked. ON A TUESDAY. Thats insane. When my roommate and I got to the first place our other friends were eating Subway lol..SO we got our picture taken from the security there. We felt like celebs! It was fun. Then we walked into super expensive City Shops where I bought Chessman cookies! I love those and i had to buy them... They had KoolAid Juice pouches and a Dutch Capri Sonn (yes Sonn). I will have to steal that pic from the roomie. Then we went to the wine shop and had a glass of wine while we waited and made two new friends Fannie and ZhouLou (who will hopefully teach us Chinese). We met up with the others and went to the KTV to find out it was sold out/booked. SO then we all went to another. Took the metro one stop and crossed to the HaoLedi Ktv. Thanks to Fiona who sorta translated things for us... Anyway im blabbing. We got a nice room for 7. We had two bottles of drinks and popcorn and sang away. I really thought that I was going to lose my voice. I was screaming ... well singing haha. I got a cab back home while the others went out. I am responsible and went home since I did have to work in the morning. I got noodles and some chicken. I didn't even eat the noodles. I just want you to know that although it's not 3am cookout...noodles at 1am is great! Where can you get noodles and rice and all the meat skewers you can dream of ..of chicken, beef, heart, liver LOL..?? at 1 am!? I think that is amazing...hahah well I guess I had one of those I'm in China moments...in 3 days I will have been here 1 month! WOW !! ok ta ta for now chau

I am in china

Here are some pics of some things i have encountered :-)

Omg

I want a huge pic of bentley to hang over my bed when i come lol!!! Omg i miss him and i miss his warmth lololololol bentley would love laying in the hot sun in shanghai just chilling ok enough..u know i miss him half of china knows too!!!

My fake market purchases

Mac lip gloss
Dvds (27)
Shoes
Purse


Yay me!!! I need $$$ if u want purses and silk and cashmere and shoes lol..it was fun and quick !

I saw some nice lv gucci and prada bags..all the way in the back of a dungeon of course!! She started off with 1200 rmb then says first purchase how much? Lol such a scam..but i have her card lmao..the dvd guy was going to charge me 480 rmb! Umm no way jose!! No worries ..if you know me..you know i can bargin lol ...yay im so happy

Off to eat cheese and watch my movies!

Some comforts of home in china

So i took a trip to carrefour..an international store and i got some goodies! The most exciting thing was the cheese! Finally!! Of course i got the spaghetti and cant find ground beef. I made fried chicken in a wok and creamed corn....it was ok..nothing like moms cooking...
I must say buying imported goods will not become a common thing for me as its a bit pricy. I do enjoy cooking the foods i m used to. I think i will try cooking noodles soon...probably not as the noodle lady on the street is the best!

Work this week was good. I am tired from the early mornings. Its so hot! My class consists of 4 boys...well 5 but he doesnt come in the class. We are learning colors this week and they are super smart...
Of course all of the songs get stuck in ny head and i sing them all the time and even hear them in my dreams.

So last night was crazy..i went to wash clothes and it didnt work ..realtor told me to turn water on from wall and what happens?? Water gets everywhere!!! Needless to say the landlord and his crew were there immediately and ayi came to help clean the water...thank goodness for the drain inthe floor. Thats all im going to say about that lol


Today i am going to go to the fake market and see whats there!! I am excited. I am not bringing much money lol... But i will let you know what i find!!!

My room

My morning view of huang pu river
Bed etc lol oh and huge mahogany door

Sooo..

So I was thinking about my class from back home today and I miss them! Abby!! Logan! Christina! Cameron! OMG all of them! I started teaching and it's fun! My class of 4 boys (FOR NOW) is soooooo cute! Two are 5, one is 6 and the other is 4. It's summer camp so I just have them for 3 weeks then I get a different group (they will be older). My pics are on my computer. I don't have internet in the apt yet...it's coming ... as soon as I get my passport back (i'm getting my permit etc). SO I love Shanghai except the humidity. My hair and I have been fighting more than usual and I feel like shaving it all off.... but I would NEVER DO THAT! Don't worry. I talk about my hair and this humidity alot lolol!! Things are great....I've been out walking in the neighborhood and brought a roasted duck...my roommate thinks I'm crazy. It was tasty. My favorite street food is this Muslim Man who makes meat skewers and the noodle lady....They probably see us more often than we (my roommate and I) see each other. This is fun because they will know us and tell people who we are lolol and how fun we are and we will be the talk of the neighborhood! lOl i have big dreams? oh yea we went to KTV aka Karaoke last night. It was like insane... why you ask? well you walk in and there are like 50 rooms and you get a room huge TV lots of mics and a old fashion mic and little stage and nice tables and drinks and it's fun! Ok let me stop blabbing.... I hope to send you pics and more stories soon!! miss u

Walmart adventures

So im all moved in sirta... But today after work we went on a walmart spree... Yes its walmart... But its not out walmart lol ... It was fun and we had these kids following us around speaking english a bit and kind of being creepy and cute all at the same time... We had full carts and guess what?? No bags so we carried a lot and looked crazy but it was fun...

Oh not to mention the lady who was getting vanna to buy cheaper sheets lol.. She was very agressive funny helpful and spoke no english!!

It was fun. We needed that after the long day of work. Tomorrow is the last day of training! Yay me...

Ill check in later

Bragging rights

I may have said this already but im gona say it again because its so cool...

Did i tell you i have access to all disney parks in every country but tokyo (not disney owned) ..and even discounts kn cruises and resort in hawaii..ya for free like all year (sorta) ..so yeaaa im cooler than u..u need me to go...meet me in paris hongkong cali florida..hawaii

Yesssss!!!

Jigga my nigga??

Sooo zhe ge (pronounced jigga) in mandarin means this...nhe ge (pronounced nigga) means that..so s lot of the time you hear jigga nigga and it is hilarious because it just it. I dont even think they know what a nigga is but wheb you hear them speaking you kind of look quick and gasp..but then you laugh and joke because they are not pointing at you calling you nhe ge..its a joke with my friends lol.. Hey especially being 1 of few african americans!

Sooo....

I just want u all to know that there is more than just rice in china... In fact theres mcdonalds pizza hut kfc and they have more choices and ...wait for it...deliver!!! Lots of places deliver!!! There are even some grocery stores that deliver..i dont live in the hills and plains of china..its pretty cool..sooo no i wont come back super skinny because theres always dumplings for breakfast lol...i love the fresh nooooodlees there. There is this great muslim mom and pop restaurant...
See his pic!? Hes so sweet
So dont get me wrong ..rice is everywhere but thats not all im eating!

Ahh...

The chicken here is always sold in my favorite piece the flat!! Lol

Oh and i have access to disney everything but u cant go without me lol!!

Ahh...

The chicken here is always sold in my favorite piece the flat!! Lol

Oh and i have access to disney everything but u cant go without me lol!!

I miss bentley

My apt

Ps...im not african

Hey just because im brown does not make me african! Lol

Some new friends thought we were african and were surprised we were from american! Its so cool at their reactions..i love china

Mattress

So i went and got sheets for my bed today..even though i have not yet moved in....it gives me comfort getting ready for the move. I have gotten a set which comes in 4 pieces...pillows and a duvet...now the only thing i need is a mattress topper. The beds are low. They are also hard. Its common here..but i am afraid if i keep it that way..my back will break or something so i am not on the search for a mattress topper...
In other news...today was great weather. I didnt sweat hahaha
We took a little boat ride in zhonshan park today it was calming..it was different..pics will be on flickr.

My friend is feeling homesick. I think once we move she will be better.. Especially because our apartment is amazing!!

You all would be happy for me. I have been drinking water without ice. I guess because i am realizing that i will dehydrate lol and um need water no matter what. Ha ha no joke

Well............i dont know what all i was going to add...so i will be in touch!

Address

I have an address send me my shoes n clothes lol

Fyi

There isnt facebook or twitter in china unless i get a vpn service. No need to contact me there if u have my email or skype. I dont want a vpn service because i dont want my info out there... I can get it on my ipad cellular data but that goes fast snd costs more so im good ... Just please understand that

Sweat sweat and sweat... Is it autum yet?

Well the first week in Shanghai has been great. I really like this city. The training is long but its all part of the job. I think im gona like it! Since it is the weekend..inam relaxing and treatibg myself to foot massage, shopping at gap and lunch. Its relaxing and i love exploring the city. I walk everywhere so foot massages are necessary.

The big news of the day is that i signed the contract for an amazing apartment! It worked out well!! At first i was worried. My friend and i (a fellow teacher) couldnt decide where to live or get roommates...we work on the other side river in pudong but puxi is where its happening...

Well i had previously seen one apartment and wasnt sure so i contacted another realtor and i invited the roomie (vanna)... Well i set up appointment and the realtor thought i cancelled but i didnt. It was her mistake. She also didnt know where the compound was..but we decided to be patient and see it. Well we were worried because the area outside the station wasnt beautiful..but thats normal in some cases... So we walk walk cab cab...it turned out she had just got out of college and was working on a new sale and her colleague wasnt saying much. He wanted her to handle it...

Well finally we get there and its a compound of like 6 high rises and hotels and security etc. fabric markets were everywhere!!! Yay me


So we go in and are amazed ..we talk ws walk around we talked... We negotiated and it was ours lol... There was a disney sign..there were some play mats left in the windo area of one of the rooms...it was a sign... Needless to say..we signed today and move in in 10 days..its pretty sweet...

Two bed plus office ..kitchen.. dish washer ..washer.. 2 balconies ...fitness center w pool and classes (1500rmb/year) 28fl cenntral air ..security ..two apts per floor in the bund ...its grrrrrrreeeeeattt


Ok so whatelse...ummm

Yeaaaaa ttyl for now gtg its raining!!!!

One more thing

I miss lifetime and true blood aka american tv......

I love chinese old couples

They work hard
They are cute
They are friendly

Aside for my liking of old couples, things have been fine...real training starts today so it will be a busy week

Ah! Another custom i have noticed is that babies/toddlers have slits in their pants which makes it easier for them to use the bathroom wherever they are..and yes wherever.

Another thing i noticed it that the women wear stocking and knee highs with anyting. I still havent figured out why...it either has to do with keeping their skin white, cool or maybe its a style..very interesting... I am also apartment hunting and you will never guess what i found!!!!

Well heres what happened..i went to find out where my job is and walked around the area to become familiar with it..well i got my hair washed..and bkow dried...it was 38rmb which is like 6 buc..but thats not the fun part the fun part is that you get the royal treatment...a shoulder and neck massage, tea and good ol fashion great customer service.....!!!!!

They also dont shampoo you at the sink. That happens in the chair as they wash and massage your hair!! They put shampoo in your hair and squirt water out bottle so it lathers!!! They are so creative and skilled at doing hair and take pride in their work. Also the hair stylists and his group were trying to help me find a place to live!!!! They are very hospitable.

Later after that i went to help a fellow coworker and friend find her center and guess what theres a century 21!! But apparently we couldnt afford apartments in that area lol. I like exploring the city and seeing whats around!

Ok i think thats it for now..i have ro get ready!!!

Love
Seob

Hey!!

My first few days have been great. I have been doing alot. I went to the jade Buddha Temple and shanghai oriental pearl tower. There are certain sites blocked and i havent gotten the chance to get a vpn service because i want to get a safe one. In the meantime, my pics are on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Mividachina

My name is: mividachins so search that

Ok so besides my touristy things, i have enjoyed meeting people and exploring the city. They are very kind here. Some stare some take pics. I really enjoy it all....not knowing the language is not really a bad thing for me because i enjoy trying to translate and learning nee words. Here they also try to hel and want to understand what you want.
I havent had a chance to see the dake markets lol. I will get there soon.
I went to order on oldnavy and ther as a large duty tax soooo i will be finding the fabric market soon!!! I need more clothes ny clothes are soaked from sweat.


Ah did i mention how humid it is?!!!!!!??? My hair usually looks like a furbie by the time i get home lol!!

I did view one apartment and it was decent. I would like to have a 1 bed and not studio. We shall see...the random roommate idea has entered my head and quickly left lol...

There are sites where you can go and find roommates and usually they are with foreigners too...

Hmmm lets see...whats been the hardest for me? Ummm welll ice...ice is rarely seen but in bars and drink/tes/smoothie places.. I like my water cold and am probably going to go dry if i dont suck it up...that is one luxury i miss..other than that....lol thats it.
I dont use the public bathrooms in the states so i wont use it here especially since its in the ground and there isnt toilet tissue...i just cant squat lol...im always afriad of messing up clothes pr falling. So that is something i wont be doing...please excuse my punctuation..

Its 6am..i was awaken by someone running down the hall (with flops) and it was loud..besides im on my ipad ...

Soo anywho i like it here a lot...theres so much to see and do. Today i start training and i have the visa medical check tomorrow...i will also see other apartments tomorrow and will see where i will be working...
Oh i know..the tv..i am missing my shows like true blood and LMN!!! Ahhhhh but hey its all good i can get cheap dvds :-)...


Well please take a look at my pics..i will title them and edit later..the hotel internet is slow unless i sit in lobby so please bear with me.. Miss you and love u all

Well the day has come. I am en route to shanghai. I had to leave my dog....ok i wont bring it up again.... So i woke up early and got to the airport at 6 am.....good thing I arrived early because There were issues with my luggage...over weight of course .....i had to move some things around ...to say the least i am glad that part is over!!!! I now have $260 less in my accoun..thanks to air canada and usairways... Wellllll after sweating...being aggravated and glittery (my shirt had glitter on which eventually got on me).... I somehow resemble Bella and Edward when they go into the sun and pastures...anywhooooo im good now..excited ...elated....thankful Of course i cried when saying goodbye....i mean 365+ days without seeing Bentley....i mean my family...gosh that was sad... Sitting here..waiting for the short flight to Toronto..anxiously awaiting the big plane to shanghai!!!!..life is good....Brb