Shanghai and Dry

We are still alive.

And, we are in Qingdao! There is so much to relay to all of you, but I guess its best to start with an overview of our orientation week in Shanghai. After flying into Pudong Airport, we were responsible for getting ourselves and our bags (hen duo - Chinese for very much/big) to the Jiao Tong University Faculty Club. Fortunately, this wasn't too hard and we were able to sit back and enjoy a scenic ride. Taxi rides in China are always an adventure, as is any involvement with public roads for that matter. Lots of people + Lots of cars + Lots of motor bikes/bicycles + No real "rules of the road" = mass chaos, but it is pretty fun to experience once you get used to it.


Our first day of sightseeing took us to Old Town Shanghai (you'll see some pics below) After Old Town, I was fortunate enough to have my first Chinese Public restroom experience, or trauma (I'll leave it to your imaginations).


We don't want this blog to be boring or tedious to read through, so we'll fast forward (for now) and say that Shanghai was amazing, despite being a bit smelly and loud. We were fortunate to meet some great people during our orientation, and experience more of Shanghai. Here's a quick rundown of other things we were able to do: Eat banquet dinners (this deserves and will have its own blog) at a Uighur and an amazing vegetarian restaurant, visit Shanghai's (current) tallest building - the Jin Mao Tower, view the Shanghai Museum and The People's Square, browse the Shanghai City of Books, ride the always crowded subway, see a Chinese Acrobatic show, cruise the Huangpo River, hang around the Pearl Tower, observe the Jade Buddha Temple, and walk the famous West Nanjing Shopping District. It sounds like a lot because it was, especially with orientation classes in the mix. Now, we can relax for a little bit in Qingdao before classes start on Thursday (? we think).


We'll be able to blog at a little better pace now, thanks for hanging in there! Here are some Shanghai pictures. We'll try to post a full album of these on facebook sooner than later.



Cruising the Huangpo River

Chinese Acrobats

Shanghai's tallest building - Jin Mao Tower

Missippi Girl hanging out in Old Town Shanghai

More Old Town

More to come soon!

DB&KM