Out and About

This seemed like a topical issue for today.  At the moment the ways I get around are by walking, tuk tuk, taxi and metro. Right hand traffic is the order of the land so I have to rethink trying to walk on the lefthand side!

Tuk tuk

Walking is hot work here because of the humidity.  I find that in general I walk a lot faster than everyone else and maybe that is why I arrive places flushed and with perspiration dripping down my back!  However, it seems that to get from A to B in the quickest fashion, walking quickly is the ticket.  However, I am finding that the Chinese people are very laid back and patient.  They expect things to take a long time, so I guess hurrying is not important to them.  When I can get away with it, I wear my running shoes, but going to and from school I usually wear my sandals.

Tuk tuks are all right for short distances and if you have a load of shopping.  Our compound does not let them in, so they have to let you off at the entrance and you walk from there.  It is not a great distance so it really doesn’t matter.  Most tuk tuks are electric, although I did see some traditional leg-powered bicycle versions in Beijing last year.  Those drivers must keep very fit!

Taxis are cheap and plentiful so I have used them frequently.  There are several sorts and you have to know the difference.  The surest is to take the metered taxis which are like taxis the world over - apart from the white sheeting they cover the seats with, which looks like fitted bed sheets.  Some of the taxis have a small TV screen behind the front passenger headrest for people in the backseat to watch.  Mostly it is advertising and in Chinese, so not very useful to me!  Then there are the illegal taxis.  You have to tell them where you are going and then negotiate a price for the trip.  To do this, you really have to know the metered cost or you will be taken for a ride (literally and figuratively!)  Finally, there are local taxis.  In our neck of the woods these are orange and I don’t exactly know the radius they stretch to.  

The metro has got to be the best value for money!  It is amazingly clean and efficient, particularly in rush hour when the roads can be very gridlocked.  (Of course the metro is packed like sardines at those times of the day, but that is another matter!)  The cheapest ride is 3 ¥ ( about NZ $ 0.60) and the most expensive - to the other side of the city - would be 8 ¥ (about NZ $1.75).  It’s a real bargain and if you miss one, there is usually another there within 3 minutes.

I have yet to tackle the buses, but I will do so at some stage to get to the metro station (which is sadly quite far away).

Entrance to my compound with guard

My compound is not gated, but has two guards on duty.  They also patrol around on bikes at all hours of the night and day.  I was told not to worry if I am walking alone and they follow me.  They are just making sure I arrive home safely.  Quite sweet.  They do get to know us as we wander past to work and back every day.  

There is a little old man and his wife who often bring a stool out and sit on the sidewalk with their baby grandson.  I stop and coo over him and so far could only say “hello” although after my Mandarin lesson yesterday I did attempt “good afternoon” which got me a huge grin.  

Oriental Pearl Tower at night

A friend and I were at Pudong the other evening and the area near the Oriental Pearl Tower (used for radio and TV transmission), the SWC Building (third highest int he world with 101 floors) and the Jin Mao Tower (an amazing building that has a central core you can view by leaning out over perspex and looking straight down) was all lit up.  Most of the shots were too dark, but you can see how beautiful and futuristic the Oriental Pearl Tower looks.  

In our local canals there are small fish and I have put this photo in to show you how they catch them.  There are two rods, I assume made of bamboo, with a net hooked between them.  The lower them into the water and wait until they think there are fish in there, then they pull them up.  They take them home in buckets tied to the side of their bicycles (although this man has his in a basket on the side of his bike).  I took this photo from my balcony.  

Man fishing in the canal

Well, that’s it for today.  It is raining so it has been a good day to write.

xx,

Shanghaisuz

My Apartment

The living room

Colourful bedroom decor

Dining room / Kitchen

I thought you might like to see what a Shanghai apartment looks like.  It is larger than I expected, consisting of a living room, dining / kitchen, 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms.  The decor is quite modern and sleek - at least the main rooms are.  The bedroom linen is....interesting!






The floors are all hardwood and tiles in the bathrooms.  They are mopped twice a week and my contract stipulates no hard-soled shoes.  This is fairly normal.  Among other things you don't want to drag into the house all the nasties that lurk on the streets outside.







In the kitchen, instead of a conventional stove, there is a gas wok stove.  with 2 deep indentations just the right size for a wok and vents along the top rim.  Quite ingenious, really.  No oven of course so I am thankful that I have my little oven arriving with my shipment.  In fact, it will be interesting to see if I can fit everything in.  If not, I have lots of storage space at school and I will put school things there.  Sue had a great idea which I may use - I may pull the refrigerator out and put it next to the water dispenser and get shelves made for the refrigerator cavity.  That way I can get the microwave off the countertop and have a bit more space.  We will see what I can find when the time comes.

No news on my shipment yet.  I had hoped it would arrive before the October vacation, but my documentation will not be ready yet by then, so it has not yet been sent off.  I am learning to be minimalist!

I did buy a couple of things yesterday (besides groceries) - a wok and a rice cooker, neither of which I have in my shipment (there was no point brining coals to Newcastle)!  A nice man helped me carry some of the things up the stairs.

xxx,
Shanghaisuz

Pudong, Shanghai

It has been a long time between postings. It took quite some time to get my internet up and running, and then I had to sort out a way to get to my blog / Facebook / Youtube and so on. It has been 3 weeks of wonder, learning, excitement and new experiences.

I am enjoying China, despite being currently in the middle of a typhoon. We were advised last night that school would be cancelled today by mandate from the Shanghai local governing body. Today was to have been the first day of school for the local schools (but we have been going a week). The children looked pretty happy to have another day off!

My school is fantastic. There were 3 people (with a bus!) to meet us at the airport and take us to our apartments. I have a two-bedroomed apartment which is decorated in a fairly modern style. There are two bathrooms and two balconies which overlook several canals. The compound is sentried at our entrance, and in other areas there is a barrier. There are always two men on duty at each entry / exit point and many others who patrol. There are security cameras everywhere!

During the day there are street cleaners who use brooms made of branches and men who empty the garbage bins. Also men who come along to each apartment entrance and uplift the garbage that you leave out for them to take. The ayi (aunties) are the house cleaners or maids. Mine started 4 days after I arrived and she comes twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. At this stage she mops the floors, washes and hangs out clothes, orders water and cleans the bathrooms. Once I have my things I will get her to shop for and prepare some meals. At the moment it is hard since I only own 1 plate, bowl, glass, etc....

I love my little class. I have 17 Year One children and boy, is it an eye-opener teaching girls again!!! I have had daily compliments on my skirts, jewellery, hair, etc. And the gender differences are very marked. The school is run with great efficiency and although I have a lot to take in, I am loving it. Oh yes, I applied for the senior teacher's position for Year 1 and was appointed as Year Group Leader. Needless to say I am thrilled about that!

Today I had my first hairdresser's visit. It was interesting - 3 hours long! After that I walked over to the supermarket and stocked up on groceries in case the weather really closes in badly.

There will be much more to report, along with pictures as things progress.

xxx,

Shanghai Suz

Yesssssss!!!!

Well, I have found a way to post on this site, so this evening I will update about life in Shanghai.

The moving men come in at 8:45 tomorrow morning and I think I am ready. The array of boxes is frightening, but I am pretty sure I have stuck to my 6 cubic meter estimate and I can say I am proud of myself for basically sorting it all out myself (although I would never again do a solo international move this way). I am so glad the movers will be lifting them and not me (I have already lugged them all into place once!) I was going to do the cleaning myself, but friends convinced me that is madness, so two lovely people are helping me with that tomorrow afternoon. I shall sleep very well tomorrow night!

On another note, my orchid that Clare gave me is beginning to bloom and Jonathan is taking it home tonight. Clare gave me this orchid 12 years ago when my Grandma died, and every year it blooms in September and October. This year it has come out early and I take that as a great omen!

I went in to King's today to say goodbye to everybody. I need to drop a couple of things off yet between now and Thursday but I will just go in and out quietly. More soon!

xx, Shanghai Suz

Countdown is here - less than a week to go. As you can see, the pile has grown somewhat. And this is only the pile that is being shipped (with ore to go)! There is another, equally large pile in the living room that will go into storage. I am utterly and completely sick of packing and I would never pack an international move again myself (another note to self)! Three cheers for packers and movers.

I have had lots of lunches and dinners out, so the carefully-kept items in the pantry are all getting tossed today. Jonathan and I are out at Matthew's for dinner tonight and I figure that if I have a meal or two and haven't been invited somewhere, Big Macs are just a block away. Hopefully they accept Yuan....

The Salvation Army is arriving today for their booty. I could not sell two pieces of furniture from my bedroom and have weeded through belt, bags and more clothes. They were more than happy to high-tail it out here, unlike St. Vincent de Paul who could not seem to organize themselves. The car is on auction online. I have already had 3 offers . . . cash . . . but many thousands under its value. The auction closes Wednesday night so if it hasn't gone by then, J will have to finish the transactions on that. Otherwise I think everything is cleaned up and sorted out.

Maybe my posts will be more interesting in a week . . . . . if I can access from Shanghai. Watch this space!

xx shanghaisuz

Thanks for the helpful advice. I think chopsticks may take me over my luggage weight allowance so I may have to purchase them there.

Well, 12 days to go. I had a wonderful holiday at the beach for 4 days with Matthew - and that is the sum total of my holidays for this summer / winter. The rest has been sorting and packing. A very boring life, really.

I have become the Trade Me queen (that is like Ebay). I have nearly sold all the furniture that I wanted to get rid of, and a few other little bonus extras that I would have just packed up had they not sold. I have been sleeping on foam mattresses on the floor with a sleeping bag for 2 weeks! I will appreciate a bed in my new home - no matter how hard! (Chinese beds are rock hard!)

I have a couple of leads for selling the car. I just tell them it has one little old lady owner..... :-) I am off to a dealer today and they were just about salivating on the end of the phone, so I am hopeful. I am also practising my negotiation skills in preparation for life in Shanghai!

xx,

Shanghai Suz