Friday, May 25, 2012

china facts

Random facts I learned today....jade helps with health....red is a lucky thing...and one thing I forgot to tell people....4 is unlucky so many buildings do not have  a 4th floor....they skip it and go from 3 to 5 very interesting....


Today I was wearing a gators shirt and someone recognized it and said go gators....haha turns out they are from ocala....it was a lady with her daughter that she had adopted from here and they came back to volunteer in an orphanage...craziness....could not believe they were from ocala.....

bought a really pretty tea set at the gardens today....so excited...first purchase for my new home....YIPPPEEEEE

Tomorrow I start work at a center in Shanghai...It is weird working on a saturday....but hopefully it goes well...


Going to bed more randomness tomorrow

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Random China fact of the day!

Random China fact of the day....massage less than 20 dollars for an hour body....beer 4 40 ounce beers less than 8 dollars!!!! rock on!! and BONUS they let you drink them while you walk down the street....yippppeeeee

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

It has been a few days since I have written...Today was a rough day...Training was long and everyone was off today....We all just seem to be kinda over the training though it is bitter sweet to end the training because it means people will start moving out of the hotel if they are working in Shanghai and our group that has so quickly become sooo close will be broken up...It will be nice to start getting experience in centers and be done with training.  I am going to stay here for a few more weeks until our visas go through...

I ended up going to the soccer game the other night at three in the morning it was a lot of fun to be out in the middle of a western bar with all of the British and German fans....It was a late night but a lot of fun...  Saw a prostitute at a bar that was cool and a guy walking around with a monkey on his back....


Sunday was a mellow day not much happened.  I bought a new camera and hung out with friends...Yesterday we did center visits and observed the current trainers.  They were helpful to see...It was a long trip to get the center I had to go to...we had to take the metro and then a bus...took us an hour and half to get home.  Long day...

Today After our rough day four of us decided to get a message...it was wonderful afterwards we did something called cupping very interesting I have a bunch of circle marks that look like hickeys on my back....it was  a much needed process and my back finally feels like it is returning to normal after all the traveling and sitting for long hours....

I havent really had much else happen...We get stared at alot over here especially yesterday when we went for the center visits because it was on the outskirts of Shanghai and so there are alot less forgein people there so they were very confused by us :) 

Tomorrow I get observed so if you read this say a prayer for me :)  

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Week 1 complete....The days of training are very long but we def. make time for fun!  I think I posted about the temple I went to see in the last post I can't remember though....If I didn't I went to a really awesome temple here in Shanghai.  It was really pretty though and very neat to see really old budhas. 

Living in China is def. turning out to be an adventure.  Everyday life is harder when you don't speak the language.  EVERYTHING IS A PROCESS!  Ordering food especially turns out to be a process.  The other night we went to dinner and it turns out the menu had no words  and no pictures and NOBODY spoke even a little bit of English.  There we were five grown adults clucking like chickens and mooing like cows and oinking like a pig to try and communicate...Try being the key word...what we wanted to eat.  Go figure not everyone understands what you are saying when you just make animal noises :)  

Yesterday was a shopping disaster.  We went to a mall to get my friend shoes and nobody spoke english.  There was one girl with us that speaks a little bit of Manderian but it took over a half an hour and like 5 different associates to finally be able to understand that they would not have the shoes until tomorrow.  Oiy!  We were cracking up laughing because there is nothing else you can do but laugh.  

Last night we all went out to a Club called SOHO It was so much fun and exactly what was needed after a long stressful week of training.  This club is like no club I have ever been too.  There was a clown and performers and dancing like crazy... It was so much fun.  I am def.  gonna miss having everyone around all the time because we have become a bit like family to eachother.  There is always something to do or someone to hang out with. 

Today it is raining in Shanghai which makes it a bit more work than usual to do anything.  I have been looking for a camera today.  I think I found one I like but it is hard to know what the prices should be.   I am going to find some boots tonight because of the rain.  We walk everywhere so my pants and shoes get soaked.  I think we are beginning to enter the rainy season of China. 

I still kinda feel like I am on Vacation because we are in a hotel.  However, It does feel like we have been here a month and it has only been a week. 

Tonight I think we are going to watch the soccer games but we have to go at like 3 in the morning to because of the time difference.  Everyone is tired from last night so it should be an interesting night of trying to stay awake. 

More details later.  I think we are going shopping YIppeeeee 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The past two days have been a whirl wind...we have been in long training and they are kinda boring but...yesterday we went to lunch and had a traditional meal...food was preorder and brought out and put in the middle of the table...everyone just serves themselves from there...We got fitted for our pants and then we were able to leave and go back to the park in the middle of Shanghai...I found out we will be in Shanghai for another month which is kinda of exciting because there is so much to do.

Living out of a hotel is hard we dont have a dresser or a closet so it is hard to get settled here.  What else... the food is very interesting it is a lot of just testing to see what I like and dont like...surprisingly it is hard to find a place that will serve rice...


Today after training we were needing to get out and do something fun so we went back down to downtown Shanghai and went to the river...it is soo beautiful at night all the buildings are lit up and it is just amazing...My friend got asked by three different people to take pictures with them because she is american.  I am finding that people are quite interested in talking to us and finding out alittle bit about us.  I got to haggle my first purchase tonight brought the lady at the store down from 180 rmbs to 100 rmbs for a duffle bag...so excited...I also tried my first street food...where they cook food on a stove on the street...I got fried rice it was so good.  After that we found a sidewalk cafe bar and had a drink and just chilled for a bit.  It is truly just amazing to be down in downtown.  Nanjing Road is the big shopping area...It's lights are almost like the streets of Vegas.  Here people come up to tourist and try to get you to go to there shops and buy watches and luggage.  It is hard to get them to go away when they start trying to talk to you. 

Tomorrow we go for medical checks and then we have the day free....We shall see what new adventure I get to go on tomorrow~

Sunday, May 13, 2012

The parks in China

Though the day is not over day 3 has been an amazing day.   I truly feel blessed to be here...today was a slow down day for sure...It was a relaxing Sunday.  Today was a slow start but we went back to the park today and walked around...it was misting the entire time but still really nice.  This park is just unlike anything I have ever experienced.  It has venders and singers and people sitting in fields relaxing and flying kites.  It has paths to walk around and ponds to sit by...There are boats that you can ride around the ponds in and there is a game center and bumper boats.  During the day there are also blow up bounce toys for children.  The are parts of this part where is is secluded and you can sit around and be by yourself and there are other parts that are happening parts...while a friend and i were walking around we walked up on a group of dancers there was music playing and at least 50 sets of people dancing around to different slow dances truly awesome to watch.  It just seems like it is a fantasy.  It is an amazing place to be.  I am really starting to like it here...to bad this is not the city I will be living in.  I wish I had a camara today to show everyone what this park is like...  More to come later just thought I would share about the park.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Day 1 and 2 Big adventure times....We arrived in China at 8 pm thursday night which meant we lost thursday all together....Fell asleep as soon as I got to the room....Friday morning we had to be at a meeting at 10 but we met for breakfast at 9 there are 20 of us here and lots of nice people...only four will be going onto my city when I leave here...We saw a disney english center and ate at an italian place...the pizza was very weird....The toilets are indeed in the ground and you get to squat over them...lesson I learned on day 2 it is essential that you carry your toilet paper with you or else you have to use notebook paper...no public restrooms have toilet paper.....there are some toilets that are western style like ours in america but not many....Today I went to down town and we did a lot of walking..I road on the Metro and played around at street shops...after we got back a friend and I found a really neat park near our hotel where we layed in the grass and people were flying kites and playing around...I went to find a bathroom in this park and discovered there is a bumper boat place and lots of games and stuff.  Earlier in the morning there were belly dancers performing at the park...we stumbled across the craziest sign at one of the parks....I hope that pictures will be up soon of it because it made us laugh so hard...the rules were crazy.  After the park we went to dinner and back on the metro to down town and we walked around and got some drinks at a street shop...really neat little side walk cafe....There are lots of street food venders here.....It is weird not speaking the language but I now know how to say hi and thank you in Manderian...Hopefully I will be able to get on Rosetta stone and learn some more soon....Anyways it is late so I am going to go...This city is amazing...abit like what I think new york city must be like...Now that I have a program that lets me through the fire wall there will be more to come soon!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

The adventure begins

Today is the day...the big adventure has begun the hardest part is over..leaving. Today I have realized once again that I have an amazing support group and I don't know where I would be with out you all...your support has given me the strength to get through the good byes and the fears and reservations and move foward in the next phase of my life...thank you to all of you who have shown your support..I love you all and look forward to skipping with you and emailing...keep in touch!