The Bund

East Nanjing pedestrian road - breathtaking!!

We went down town the other week looking for some adventure. We rode the metro (subway), it was so crowded we didn't have a place to sit, so we hung onto the metal poles for dear life, swaying to and fro as the train stopped and started over and over again. The children did really well, nobody got sick or injured (except a few bonks on the pole when the train stopped) and quite fun. About 25 minutes later we were at our stop. This was a bigger "train station" than the one we were originally at, probably 3 times the size of Winnipeg airport with numerous exits taking you in every direction imaginable. So, we ventured up to the surface and lo and behold there stood a Starbucks - yay!! Joe and I enjoyed a latte (we reluctantly shared a few sips with our begging kids - ha!!) as we strolled down East Nanjing pedestrian road to our destination - The Bund!!

The Bund is a famous tourist attraction: a mile long walkway along the bank of the Huangpu River exhibiting buildings dating back more than 100 years, featuring various styles of architecture (European art-deco for all you artsy folk), housing the headquarters of many financial institutions operating in China back in the 1800s. However, with the rise of Communism, many of these financial institutions were moved out, the buildings closed or converted for other uses. Only in the past 15 years or so has the Chinese government made a point of restoring this area and promoting it as a tourist attraction, officially re-opening it to the public in 2010. For us, the highlight was going at night and seeing these amazing buildings lit up. It was surreal.

Across the river we see Shanghai's most famous skyline with some of the tallest towers in the world in Shanghai's economic hub.

Our Audience

We paused to take a few family pictures here, and as I was focusing in on Joe and the kids, I suddenly saw flashes out of the corner of my eye and heard giggling. I lowered my camera and asked Joe if others were taking pictures of them from behind me, which he affirmed. Turns out we were as much an attraction as the sights!! Nearly 20 people had gathered around us and began eagerly asking to take pictures of them with our kids. Not something we would ever have experienced in Canada!! The kids were happy to oblige and made some people very happy. They couldn't resist getting a little squeeze in there too. Good thing our kids are such good sports. All in all, we had a blast.

With all the walking that was to be done, I was a little nervous of how the kids would hold up, if they would get tired and miserable, but they did an awesome job. Autumn kept reassuring me she was at 1 million %, and topped it off with "I just love the world!!"

Written by Brenda :)

Settling in to life in China

 I know this post is long overdue, so here goes with hopes of keeping up with consistent entries to share our experiences with you. So much has happened in the past 4 weeks that we have been living here as a family... Our flights went well, they felt long but at the same time it is pretty amazing to travel to the other side of the globe in less than 24 hours. Our first week was a blur of new sights, sounds and smells amidst adjusting to the time difference of 13 hours and catching up on much needed sleep. I have discovered that there is no "wading" into the culture here, it is a jump in with both feet kind of response that allows for enriching opportunities and increased confidence. Not only do we have to learn our way around a new culture and lifestyle, but also big city life in general...all new for this prairie girl. We feel that this is where we are supposed to be and have embraced this path we will be journeying down over the next 2 years.

One of our favourite past-times as a family has been exploring. Joe and I have both bought eBikes which has brought us the joy of mobility. Besides cruising the crazy streets on my own wheels, I have also learned to take a taxi and ride the metro (subway) successfully. Shopping is another thing I have learned to do on the fly, which has been a bit of a challenge considering I do not know much of the language. They seems eager enough to help out, especially if they see an attempt to communicate.

We are getting used to all the attention we receive when we go out. The area we live in has less expats than other areas and I would venture to say that some of the locals here have never seen white people, let alone little blond kiddos :) We have learned the phrase for "I don't understand" but it doesn't seem to phase them, they keep chattering excitedly at us, rubbing the kids' arms and hair. There is much to learn about this culture and China seems so very different than life in the Western Hemisphere.

Thanks for joining our blog and we hope you continue to follow us on our adventure!!