We have been in Chiang Mai since December 21 and have one full day left until heading south to the beach. I will keep this brief as I know Jason will blog in more detail later! Sunday and Monday were spent exploring the city, markets, and temples! We threw in a few massages and even splurged for a fish pedicure! On Tuesday we took a cooking class which took us out of the city! Christmas Eve was spent listening to live music and chatting with a 64 year old Brit spending his holiday in the city! Today (Christmas) we went on a horrendous hike and mountain bike trip in Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthrep national park! We’ve had a fun and relaxing time so far and head to Bangkok on Friday! Wishing Everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!
Author: Angela Staron
Concerts and Holiday Party!
We’ve done it! We’ve survived our 1st semester of international teaching! *Side-note: Jason still has 2 concerts this week* Otherwise we’re done! I had my concerts last week on Tuesday and Thursday and they were a huge hit! Parents, teachers, and administrators loved them! Besides the fact that we’re awesome, my co-worker and I think that our concerts went so well because we both come from being band directors and know how to run things! The kids were also really cute! It did make for a long week. Monday and Tuesday were spent rehearsing 2nd and 3rd graders with a full dress rehearsal and concert on Tuesday night. Wednesday and Thursday we did the same thing all over again with 4th and 5th grade. I also received 2 huge flower arrangements. The packaging is a little crazy!
Holiday Cheer!
It’s hard to believe that it is already December 8th and that we’ve been in China for 5 months! We only have 2 weeks of school left until a well deserved 3 week break! As you may have heard in the news, Shanghai has been hitting some crazy high pollution levels. The beginning of the week, the pollution was over 200. By Thursday it was pushing 400 and then on Friday Shanghai broke records with air quality above the index 500. It is hard to explain what it’s like, but I”m really hoping this 500 business is not a reoccurring thing.
Thanksgiving Part 1
Jason and I had our first Thanksgiving abroad and unlike our family members back home, we had to work! It actually wasn’t too bad since we knew that Friday would be a professional development day! We started our week with a Tuesday night Sushi date! Even though it was only Tuesday, it was great to get out of our neighborhood and eat some delicious sushi! On our way home we stopped at a new Mexican restaurant to get Corona-ritas! Let’s just say, it was the perfect night cap!
Work!
Believe it or not, Jason and I actually have jobs here in Shanghai! And due to these jobs, we are busy, well at least one of us! Jason is always off doing something! Since August he has been coaching cross country Monday, Tuesday, Thursday! Thankfully, that just ended this last weekend! Besides coaching, Jason is in a community Jazz band which rehearses on Tuesday nights. On Mondays Jason and I have been going to an ultimate frisbee league! It’s been fun so far, besides getting yelled at by our ‘teammates’ and it’s great workout! We’re on different teams so it’s allowed us to meet other people! I’m not sure how I’ll feel when we have our games in late November….may be a bit chilly!
Nanjing Weekend!
It’s amazing what you can do in one weekend! This weekend Jason and I traveled with some other friends to Nanjing, China! Our travel group consisted of 8 people: Kathy, Heather, Boramy, Kat, John, Catherine, Jason, and me! We took the train from the Hongqiao Railway Station. This was our first time to this train station and it was very easy to navigate although it looks confusing. There was a minor security check that everyone was herded through, and then we just had to find our train number and platform. We were running behind and nearly missed the train. Our ride to Nanjing was very pleasant and comfortable and was only one hour and 45 minutes.
Rain storm
Another week in Shanghai has ended! Everything this week was pretty normal…I think! Jason started playing in a community jazz band and had a rehearsal for that on Tuesday night! I stayed in and researched info about our trip to Thailand! On Wednesday we had Taco night! It was yummy! I was able to find all the ingredients (a little expensive) but it was delicious! I even splurged on some Tostitos Hint of Lime Chips! YUM! I even made homemade salsa! It felt great to cook again! And the tacos were delicious! On Thursday night, Jason had back to school night for the high school, so I decided to go out for some drinks with my co-worker Sean and his bride to be Tiffany! We went to the Shanghai Brewery! They have a decent happy hour, delicious nachos and yummy thin crust pizza! It was a fun night out! Continue reading
Saturday in the Park
There is always something going on in Shanghai. We decided to pass on watching a Rugby game and instead chose to explore the city. Jason and I haven’t really seen much of Shanghai, so we were excited to get out! My Saturday morning started with getting my permeant visa! Luckily, I didn’t have to do much for this, and it was just like a trip to the DMV, take a number and wait. The whole process took about an hour! For some reason Jason did not have to go so when I got back home we biked to get some coffee and breakfast. My whole plan after these excursions (since it was just 12:00) was to take a nap, but instead I laid on the couch and Skyped with Julia and my parents! So no nap for me!
Potpourri
Angela here and sorry I’ve been MIA! Not much new happening here but things are going great! I’ve been waking up very early to go swimming at school. It’s nice to drag myself out of bed and jump, bike to school, and jump in cold water….no really it’s fun! Tonight Jason and I are meeting up with a friend of his from high school! It’s crazy how small the world is. This week, I told myself I’d be better about cooking at home which turns out has been a failure! Monday and Wednesday we had plans! Tuesday we had leftovers—Wait I ate the leftovers, Jason had PB&J! That leaves me tomorrow. It’s so different cooking here. Going to the grocery store is a chore and then after all that work you have to cook….but thankfully I can have my groceries delivered! That’s right! I haven’t gotten to that point yet but I’m thinking it will be worth it!
Below are a few pictures from my phone! China win: having convenient Gum packets! China fail: Said gum comes in a green package (I think mint) turns out it’s flower-ish! Oh well!
Bikes!
We got bikes! This morning we took a cab to the Giant store to search for a bike. The store had a great selection of bikes that were all decently priced. After going back and forth between a cruiser and hybrid bike, I decided on the hybrid. The guy at the shop let me take it for a test drive down the street….the breaks felt a little weak so they tightened them up for me. The bike felt a little small but the weight and color sold me. It didn’t come with a kickstand but was able to have one installed before we left. Oh and of course I bought a helmet! Less than $500 for a brand-new bike, kickstand, and helmet. The only weird thing about it is the disc breaks….not sure how I feel about those! Since we had cabbed it to the bike shop one of us was going to have to ride the bike home. Jason volunteered and ended up beating me home! After an afternoon nap we rode our new bikes to the pearl market to pick up my clothes that I had ordered last week. The whole adventure took about 20 minutes and was pretty easy. Having a bike really makes getting around a lot easier! Actually biking in Shanghai is pretty nerve racking because you don’t really have to follow any traffic laws! In fact I noticed the more careful I was, the more dangerous it seemed. Cars yield for you but you can never really tell if they will! So for example when the light was red we just went for it and weaved in and out of traffic! Not to worry –we wore helmets and really, we were the only people wearing helmets! Once all of our friends get bikes it will be nice to bike around the city!
Oh and the clothes I picked up are awesome. The dresses that I got are a perfect match and fit great!
















