Hey Guys,
We have our internet now, so I should be able to send out regular updates. I do not get internet on my computer, but we our working on that, right now i am using mandys til we get mine up and running. Below are the journal entries i have been keeping. Read on....
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July 19th
Our trip to China went smooth. My parents drove me to Philadelphia on Wens (16th); we had a 3 ½ hour car ride to the airport Thurs morning (17th). When we got to the airport Mandy and I were told we had to repack our suitcases because they were too heavy. When we got our luggage situated we were able to reach our gate with ample time to spare. Once we started boarding we settled in for our 13 hr flight (6828 miles from Newark to Beijing). It was hard for us to sleep because the sun was out the whole way; it is summer (6 months of daylight) at the North Pole. And there was no AC on our flight, it was hot. But we got up and moved around quite a bit. Once we landed in Beijing (phonics: Bay-Jing) we had to check in, and then get our baggage which took a while and run it thru customs again. But since our plane landed later than scheduled we had to book it to our connecting flight and got there right as it was boarding. We made it! Once we arrived in Qingdao (phonics: CHing-dow) we grabbed our bags and Kirk (our boss) met us to take us to our new apartment.
We live in a gated community, there are 3 apartment complexes. When you walk in there is a small entrance room to hang coats. Then you step into the apartment which is multi-colored. You first see our blue Kitchen to the right and the green living room to the left. Mandy’s’ room is yellow and mine is pink. We each have our own bathrooms. We also have a front and back covered porch. Our apartment is pretty sweet. We are 5 minutes from the beach, which currently smells like green algae (the beach not our apartment). I will be working at the school on the beach, and Mandy will be working at the newer one that is a few block inland. I will have a 30 min walk every morning. Or I could get a bike or take a taxi or bus. For now I think I would rather walk and take in all the newness of this amazing place.
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Sunday, July 20
International connections
Saturday night Kirk (my boss) took Mandy and I out to meet some internationals in Qingdao. We met at an Italian restaurant, Cassani. I know you probably think that’s weird, to have an Italian restaurant in china. The city is very international, there a;; sorts of international foods and the restaurant is run by a native Italian.The food was SO good. When we were done I wasn’t sure if I should say Thank you, Xie xie (thank you in Chinese, phonics: ssee-eh ssee-eh ), or Grazie (thank you in Italian).
I had the chance to meet Stephanie, a teacher from England that I had been conversing with for the past 5 months via emails to help prepare me for this move. She is moving back to England this week so I was super excited to have the chance to meet her before she took off. I also met Anna who is also from England and also leaving this week. Jane is from New Zealand native and is here to teach as well, but at a separate school. . Then there is Sue and Todd who have two kids, Joanna and Chris. They have been here for, I believe 6 years. Maureen is from England, and is also in China long term with her husband. I also met Marchin who is a business man from Poland and Jenny who is a teacher from Texas, Dallas area.
Today I met Paul who is in Qingdao for work only for four months; he is 2 months in already. I also spent a good portion of the day with a friend Mandy made her last visit in china, Ben. Ben is a Qingdao native, but has spent a good amount of time out of the country. He is here for the summer, he is working with the Olympics, then he goes back to Gremany until his internship is over. He is multi lingual and speaks English perfectly. He was able to help us shop for things for the apartment. Mandy and I cannot read Chinese characters yet, maybe someday. So he was able to help us pick out laundry soap and shower spray, etc. He has already helped me with some of my Chinese pronunciations. I am very excited to learn the language.
I also had the chance to meet Kirks wife (Sheena, also a Qingdao native) and his youngest son Jude yesterday. Sheena got us registered with the local police and took us to the grocery store.
So, I feel like this move has happened so smoothly, I feel adjusted to the time and it is only Sunday. I feel very welcome by the other foreigners here. The Chinese stare, but I am told that is normal, they never stop staring at us. I am excited to get in to the schools, but I feel like there is so much to do before I start. Our apartment is coming along nicely. Sorry if I sound scattered, I am. There is just so much to see and do, and still have a bit of jet lag.
I do hope to meet many more foreigners here. I expect once the olympics start there will be more. Now it’s nice to meet the people that live here.
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Monday, July 21
‘Made in China’ does not mean it works in China
Mandy and I had our first experience with shopping this weekend. There is a Korean shop around the corner from our apartment that sells western food such as cheese, butter and bread. And then there is another small market around the block that sells more local things, it is much cheaper. We got some food yesterday and had to carry it all the way home.
Today we went to a Supermarket called carrefor (phonics: car-4) that sells everything, kind of like a Wal*mart, very cheap. We got some necessities there today.
Mandy got a phone there because the phones we brought for our magic jacks do not work here. Both of our phones were ‘made in china’, but neither of them work. Everything else seems to work fine, but we each need to get new phones.
We are also learning the bus routes. There are only 2 main roads that run parallel along the coast. We live one road behind Hong Kong Middle Road, one of the two main roads. We are two blocks from the beach, which I have yet to visit. We have driven along it countless times already, but have not had the chance to step foot on it. I feel very safe in the city, we have mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. It makes me feel protected. Sue said the part of the city we live in is 8 miles long by 1 mile wide this side of the mountains. There is more city on the other side of the mountains, but there is no need to go there. Everything we need is in this 8x1. So many neat things to see.
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July 23rd
So much is happening! I am learning so much. Mandy and I toured the schools yesterday. Last night we met Chucks family. Chuck is the senior international teacher. He is pretty much in charge of us. He has been teaching many years. His family is wonderful. His Wife Judy cooked for us this week. They have 6 kids. The 3 oldest boys are at a sailing camp for the next 3 weeks. We got to me bridget (8yrs), Salem (3 yrs) and the baby is 13 months. They also have a live in nanny for the summer, Elizabeth from Germany. Elizabeth is fantastic, very interested in America. The Birkenstocks are amazing and SO helpful.
Lizzie took us to get our check up for the school. It took us a long time to get there. Once we got there and got our paper work done we were in and out in a matter of minutes. The hospitals are very clean. Then we got cell phones and I already have 14 numbers in my phone. And I don’t have any of the internationals numbers that I met this weekend. I will see them all in a few days though. It was pouring down rain all day, by the time we got home we were soaked to the bone. All the shops one that side of town smelled of fish parts. It was a long day. The worst part of the day was lizzie getting hit by a car. The guy who hit her was not paying attention backing up. She refused to stop or got to the hospital. Sheena made her go get x-rays. I hope she is ok. I will update you tomorrow
Mandy and I got our microwave and DVD player! Still waiting on internet. We went to the Birkenstocks for dinner again. Tonight they took us out to this little hole in the wall place. It was a fun place to go. We went back to their house for dessert that the kids made. Scones with a homemade whipped topping and cinnamon, yum. They let us use their internet, I was so juiced. That about wraps up my day. I am pretty tired, so I am going to bed.
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July 24th
My computer wigged out on me a few days ago so I wasn’t able to journal. But it’s back up!!! This week has been SO busy!
My computer is not connecting to the internet and I had a bit of a breakdown. I just want to call home. Luckily I have the best roomie ever and she let me use her internet and magic jack to call home. I got to talk to my mom. I also got to email and facebook a bit. I feel much better. It has been a great week, a lot of change and a bit overwhelming. This is going to be a fantastic year. We got to observe Chuck teach and got to see what it will be like to teach at this school. I am so excited. It is much less intimidating now. I am so excited to get started. It has been a rough day, so this is a short entry. I am heading to bed. G’night.
I like the beams on the ceiling, in the center room , i think it gives a homey feel
my view from my couch....
it's kinda small... We use TIDE
These maps are a great conversation piece, especially with other internationals...
My Bathroom
