If Shanghai is supposedly the 'New York City of the East'... then I live in the Bronx...

Well, I'm here. It's been a rough couple of days without internet, but I finally managed to sneak onto someone's wireless signal. Our flight from Toronto was dreadfully long (13.5 hours) but they managed to feed us well (there was 3 meals!). In fact, there was more food given to us on the plane than I had places to put it; we had three large meals and one snack, and yes, air canada uses chopsticks on its flights to Asia! I managed to get some sleep on the plane, enough that when I finally got to Shanghai the 12 hour time differene didn't really bother me. It was a breathtaking flight, particularly when I randomly opened the window and saw the barren landscape of Russia staring up at me from below. Cold and lifeless, it really makes you wonder just how many of the world's corners remain untouched, uninhabited and undiscovered. The mountainous landscape over Mongolia and Northern China was also beautiful. Carved and raw with rivers running throughout it; I had never seen anything quite like it in my life.

We landed in Shanghai at around 4pm local time (we left at 7:45 am Halifax time, one day earlier). We were welcomed by a warm and balmy 18 celcius and sunny late afternoon breeze. This was music to my ears after having left a frosty - 10 Halifax the morning before. Unfortunately, with the heat came the compounded effects of humidity and smog, making the breathing situation not ideal. It was hard to see that there was infact blue sky above us. All the pollution gave the air a very grey and almost orangy hue. I can't quite describe the smell I experienced when I first set foot outside. I don't quite know what I expected it to smell like, but once the smell invaded my nostrils it screamed 'gigantic Asian city.' Its an interesting blend that I hope I will eventually adjust to. It unfortunatly leaves your skin and clothes feeling dirty. I blew my nose into a kleenex and everything that came out of it was black, which makes me understand why so many people wear masks. The air leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that you can't quite get rid of and really makes me appreciate living in Canada. The immigration check at the airport went very smoothly, a million times more efficient than in North America. Before I knew it, we were on our way to home sweet home in Puxi (pronounced pu - she), just on the other sude of the bund from Pudong. As we drove into the city, the sunset was gorgeous, setting off the Oriental Pearl Tower and glittering off of all the buildings that surrounded it. We continued driving for what seemed like an endless amount of time. Every street looked the same, filled with large glittering neon signs with outdoor vendors spilling their goods onto the street for anyone who happened by. Eventually we turned down a street with a fairly shady looking slum to our right. Sure enough, we turned to the left. It was like night and day. Our building is located on Lin Ping Rd., filled with large high rise complexes. Inside, our apartment was more than I had imagined it to be. We walked into a large room with a large closet, sofa, tv, kitchen table with chairs. Our place is very spacious with a large balcony and a great view. Our three bedrooms are also fairly spacious and we have 2 bathrooms, one located down the hall and the other located off the bedroom I am staying in.

This morning I awoke to an odd sound I couldn't at first place. Amidst all the honking outside I realized I heard the faint chirp of birds. Upon a latter investigation, I located the chirping in the ceiling directly above the bathtub. Our building is concrete, so structurally, I don't understand how they are there, or how they plan on getting out. They do make it feel remotely like home however, so I don't mind if they stay.

Our adventures today had us at the medical clinic for our standard medical exam first thing in the morning. All of us were starving and not fully prepared for what was ahead of us. We were not notified before the trip we needed at least 8 passport photos for the medical and our residence application permits, so we managed to get a few done on site quite hastily. The medical exam process was a bit of a three ring circus. We had to fill out a sheet (entierly in Mandarin) and we were shuffled, from one waiting room, to another, until finally we were given our johnny shirts and a locker for our belongings. From there we were randomly shuffled again from room to room, for blood work, ekg, ultrasound, eye test, radiology exam... it was quite chaotic, not knowing where to go next or quite what to do when we got in there. It didn't take too long and finally, I was able to eat the rationed mars bar I had brought with me.

After our medical, we drove to BSK / Pacican and were given a brief introduction and overview. We were then taken to get more passport photos taken for the residency app. (we needed 2 more!) and we then walked up the street to purchase cell phones with the aid of a BSK coordinator. It's funny how much more grounded I felt when I finally had my cell phone in hand. It's hard to understand how grounded it makes you feel to have that one piece of technology that can connect you with the rest of the world when you're standing, alone in a city where you couldn't even ask for directions to get back home. In the afternoon we continued with a beginning session at BSK and then we had to go to the police station to get the residency permit. This was an adventure I was not at all expecting, and hope is not a sign of things to come. Andy, the coordinator accompanying us got us lost several times. We had to briefly take the bus, and when we got off walk for quite a piece. We went down a lot of random alleyways and sidestreets that clearly would not house a police station. As we walked over dug up streets, I couldn't help but feel as though I was back home, trying to rock across an uneven pile of jagged rocks on the beach, trying hard to keep my feet straight. Andy kept apologising for the confusion, explaining the police station had moved. When we finally got to the station, it was clear it had always been there, and always would be. A large goverment building with glass doors and granite floors, it clearly had been there for quite a while. Exhausted and sweating (it was 21c today!) we waited for awhile until our applications were ready. Andy at this point decided to tell us he was off the clock and we were on our own for getting back to BSK on the otherside of town. Needless to say, none of us were impressed. The cab ride was great, comfortable and no nonsence. We arrived at BSK in due time, with 1/2 hour to spare before dinner. We decided to explore the area, where we came across a supermarket where I purchased mostly comfort food. Some kind of cappucino cakes, skittles, tropican melon juice and a bottle of water. It is astounding the products you can find there. They have eveything, including cucumber AND blueberry flavoured lays! I wasn't brave enough to buy a bag of either. Dinner went well and I was surprised at how quickly I recalled how to use chopsticks. One thing is for sure, I'm certainly not going to starve!

Once we arrived back at Lin Ping, we decided to explore our surroundings and see what we could find (we are in desperate needs of cleaning supplies, of any kind. We were surprised to see everything we had around us right at our fingertips. Several boutiques selling just about anything you would ever need. We also ran into Rainbow City Lifestyle mall, which I plan on going back to to take pictures! It was very bright and pink, with their cherry blossom logo just about everywhere they could put it. I ended up buying a blue sparkly Hello Kitty umbrella for the rain they have forcast for tomorrow. Hopefully it will survive!

Cheers for now,
Sarah