Tag: Iowa

Potpourri

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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!

Monday Fun-day.

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We celebrated our second Monday of the year by going to our friend Joel’s apartment to watch a movie. We watched Ghost Busters. This past Friday, we had a school happy hour that a lot of staff attended. We stayed there a long time, and then went to our Canadian friend Cat’s house to have a low-key night. Saturday we went out to dinner via bicycle in the French Concession to a place called Abbey Road, based off of the Beatles album. It was a very fun adventure. 

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On Sunday Angela and I got foot massages! We went to separate places. Both of us had awesome foot massages, but my place was much more expensive! All for now.

Bikes!

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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!

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Ritz Carlton Shanghai

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Teacher friends in Iowa, be jealous.   I know we’ve been spoiled these past 2 weeks, but last night was just too good to be true: complementary cocktail hour at the Ritz Carlton in Pudong.  Of course I’ve never stayed or visited any Ritz Carlton hotel and considering the stores surrounding it were Cartier, Tiffany, and Armani, I knew that this would be a treat!   Our bus arrived first and we were escorted to the elevators.  After stopping at the 30th or so floor we were shuffled into another elevator where we arrived to the Flair Bar on the 58th Floor!  Here we were eye to eye with the top of the Pearl Tower.   Take a look at the photos!  It was really amazing….of course it was really hot, but because we were the 1st group to arrive it was nice to have lots of space to take pictures etc.   Also this high up, you really see the pollution.  Either way it was beautiful!

 

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Good Morning!

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For most that are reading this, it’s probably evening time, but for me its morning. Normally I’d be using this time to be working out but for some reason the heat and what not is too much.  Once school starts I will get back on it!   Anyways, in one week school will start for real!  Both Jason and I are excited and nervous about our new jobs but know once we get settled, we will do great!  Yesterday, the school took all the faculty on mini-tours of the city!  We were divided into 14 different teams!  My team took us to a sculpture garden as well as this cute little shopping place made in a brick alley! The whole staff ended up at the Shanghai Brewery for drinks and social time!    I will totally go back to both places when it’s cooler.  The heat is getting unbearable.  This morning at 6:30 it was 95!  The high today and for the rest of the week is around 103 and yes there is humidity…tons of it!   Our schedule for the rest of the week is pretty low-key.  Today and tomorrow is all meetings and classroom time!  Friday night there is a party for the entire school at the Ritz Carlton!   Check out those views! Continue reading →

Phones, school, and more

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Today was a very successful day! After venturing out at 8 am we went to find the school and fix our SIM cards! This sorta worked but using the phone was more difficult! After leaving school we went to find a pedestrian mall known as Golden Street but to our dismay, everything was closed. At this point it was 90° and we were hot! We went to a bakery with free wifi, ate, and FINALLY contacted our parents! We then went home!

Later We had to go back to school to deliver our passports and find Jason a new SIM card. Apparently my $50 worth of photos didn’t make the trip! We went to school ( about a 10 min walk) and met a lot of helpful ppl who gave us directions to a better cell phone provider! and we made dinner plans with the vice principal! After a long walk we finally got cell phones with 3G! Facebook is blocked here so for now we will be posting updates here or via Instagram! More later…exhausted!

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One more flight!

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According to my iPad it is 7:26 p.m., and according to the airplane time, it is 9:30 am in Seoul! We decided to fly Asaiana Airlines. When I selected our seats, I made sure to pick the row with only 2 seats in it, which has been great! After receiving a hot towel and slippers, Jason and I enjoyed a some drinks while we browsed the movie selection! I 1st picked Les Mis, but after seeing some piss poor acting and singing, I browsed some more and settled for Agro! (Not to worry, there are still 8hrs left on this flight…I’m planning to watch Wreck it Ralph as well! ). Next came meal 1! We both picked the Korean option, Bibimbap , which was delicious!

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After waiting in line for the WC, I found cute little toothbrush packets in the bathroom! The plane is getting darker now, Jason is sleeping and I’m exhausted! I should probably sleep! Be back later!
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3am Iowa time, and thankfully only 2hrs left on this flight! We were served a small hot sandwich as a snack and our 2nd meal wasn’t anything special! Jason and I both got some “sleep” but are still very tired and sore! Im crossing my fingers that our connection flight to Shanghai will be close by, as we both are tired, but either way we should be good on time!
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Our last flight, FINALLY! The Seoul airport is very nice! And free wifi! 20 min until we board!

Chicago

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We made it….well to the airport! After some hard goodbyes, $500 in overweight baggage, and one Bloody Mary we are ready to begin leg one of our adventure!

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Packing 2.0

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Obviously when moving abroad for 2 years, packing can be stressful! I know, I know, people tell you to pack light, you’ll buy stuff there etc! But I’m spoiled and I Already got rid of 3/4 my possessions! Not only do you “need” clothes, shoes, toiletries, clothes, and more shoes ( having size 11 feet is stressful) you also need teaching supplies, teaching clothes, and for us musical instruments! My parents are currently off weighing my suitcases for the 2nd time! The first time one of my bags weighed 85lbs! Ha! So, After some delicious breakfast and researching weight limits, we re-packed some things into a 3rd suitcase! All of my stuff is over 50 lbs, but now, not over 70!

Jason on the other hand….his ONE SUITCASE weight 54lbs!!