Happy New Year!! Wow… a new Year has come and I don’t feel much different. Anyway, life continues and it is still ridiculously cold here. Tomorrow is going to be 3 degrees Centigrade…UGH! There was tons of stuff going on that I am doing over the two holidays, Christmas and New Years. Too much to really include everything in a simple website like this…but I will try to throw a bunch of stuff in to keep you up to steam.

Here is a bit of a montage of stuff, the one on the left is one of my Christmas gifts from a teammate. The picture on the bottom right is me on New Years Eve with a bunch of people who were lining the walkway into a Haggan Dazs watching the preparation and sound check for the New Years Show on Nanjing Road… I crammed into their group and got a friend to take the shot… FUNNY! The last one is my at our Christmas Carol Rehearsal as I was checking to see how loud the students were being. The scarf that I am wearing was a Christmas gift from a good friend!!!

As the leader of my team this year in Shanghai I gave everyone a bunch of gifts for Christmas. I gave them really expensive picture frames and inside on the opposite side of the paper that was originally there I scribbled an original piece of artwork for their enjoyment.

That was pretty much Christmas. We had a day off on Monday the 26th since Christmas was on a Sunday. Students had a huge Examination on Christmas eve, and we hung out with a bunch of them that weekend after the exam. New Years Eve was no different. A bunch of students wanted to do something fun for New Years…so we did one thing that big huge groups can do together other than crowd into a KTV room, we went HOT POT!!! I love HOT POT… it is just the best idea and I don’t think I could ever get sick of it. I think and hope that my mom and dad will enjoy it when they come to visit me. BRING YOUR APPETITE DAD!!!

So a whole bunch of us went out to eat at HOTPOT on Huai Hai Road. This place is known for its decor and cheap prices. The clientele are sometimes strange and obnoxious. Not us of course. THere was a group of MIDDLE SCHOOL students there who were playing what looked like TRUTH OR DARE and this one punk was supposed to dance for us foreigners. It became very obvious when he was constantly kicked by what looked like his girlfriend. I yelled out TIAO WU TIAO WU!!! which in Chinese is DANCE DANCE which only made is refusals null and void. Here we are enjoying the wonderful bounty of HOT POT!

Since you eat so much at hotpot over a long period of time, you can get quite full and a good walk afterward is always the best idea. So, since all the good places on New Years Eve required buying tickets, because of the “STARS” that were supposed to be there, we decided to just walk on the busiest street in all of Eastern China. Nanjing Road. We got a bunch of great group shots amidst the oceans and mountains of people. Here is one of them…along with a random child who I pulled from his very happy parents!

New Years Day was going to be a great day and this student did not disappoint us!! One of my students from last year asked me a while back if I like dumplings, which is like asking if the Pope is Catholic or if Mao was Chinese!!! I said, OF COURSE! She asked if I wanted to come and bring the other teachers and help make some! I said YES! So 8 of us went to this student’s place and we met Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie, Cousin and 5 (that is right FIVE) dogs…!!! Here we are making the dumplings with some of the best teachers around… please excuse my goofy face, I was just really excited…

After making a crazy 300 or so dumplings and after consuming close to that much we were ready to go and we got a group shot. Apparently Grandpa was a bit camera shy, so he tried to hide his face… but what a great day and a great START TO A NEW YEAR!!! THANK YOU!!

Again Happy New Year to all of you! January 29th will be the Chinese New Year and the year of the DOG will be coming soon. I hope that you will all have a good beginning to the year and this year will be infinitely better than last year. Of course if last year was really really good…and you don’t think it could get much better than forget my hope…but for those of you who had an OK year or not such a good year, I hope this year will be better!!!

Don’t forget to check out the Cartoon this week so you can see how I rang in the New Year!!

Again Happy New Year to everyone out there!! The cool thing about living in China is that you have two, count them, TWO New Years to celebrate. The regular one has come and gone and the Chinese New Year celebration, or Spring Festival, is coming in just a few short days. Actually New Years eve is tomorrow…but anyway. This month, January, has flown by so fast it is crazy. Seems like just 27 days ago it was the first, oh wait, it was… anyway, February is coming and Second Semester is also coming but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. I wanted to tell you about my trip to Hong Kong!!!

Little did I know that our ESEC English teaching team here at Sanda Universtiy is famous, at least in our city… COVER OF THE SHANGHAI daily isn’t so bad right?

One cool thing about Hong Kong is the money. THey have lots of coins and I wanted to show you a few. Here is a kind of a close up on the 5 dollar coin. They have a one dollar coin, two dollar coin, a five dollar coin and a 10 dollar coin. It is kind of weird to pay with a coin and get lots of change back.

After a couple days in Hong Kong we went to the Island of Cheung Chau. Here I am with the scenery. I bought a new wide angle lense in Hong Kong for my camera and this is a good example of the view. You can almost see the ocean pretty well.

In Hong Kong there is just so much to look at… while I was waiting for the group I was with to finish their shopping, I took a 4 way picture showing you what I was looking at when I was at an intersection. Cool RIght?

On Cheung Chau Island for the second year in a row I went to a great place called Katie Dessert. This time I brought tons of people with me. Katie was there and she remembered who I was and we had a great time. Katie Dessert makes the best Hot Chocolate Pudding and Baked Alaska. She made a couple things for us to try and she was really happy to see us all! We signed the guest book and took many pictures. Here is one of the whole group!!! There I am with Katie on the left side.

Here is a group of us in Hong Kong when we found SHANGHAI STREET and I doctored it up to make it look more artistic. COOL!

While we were in Hong Kong we went on a cable car ride… look at me and the scenery! So nice.

Hong Kong was awesome again. So fun to go there and it is always informative and interesting. I went to buy the South China Morning Post every morning and stopped for a cup of coffee at a place called Pacific Coffee. Not bad stuff. They had internet access there so by 9am I was all read and caffeinated and all ready for the day.

The weather was really nice and very different from Shanghai. But it was good to get back to Shanghai.
SO HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR and Happy Spring Festival!

Hey Everyone. My mother and father have arrived and they are doing well. A friend of mine and I met them at the airport tonight around 6pm. They looked fine for being on the plane for almost 15 hours. Dad’s first words were, “You know, we could do this again!”

We got on a bus and went into the city and got dropped off in downtown Pudong. We hopped into a taxi and found the hotel quite easily and finally while in the hotel got our first picture.

Since they were a bit hungry and my friend was really hungry we went out for a walk and found a nice little restaurant. We took our second picture of the trip together!!! COOL!

So my mom and dad are in for a great time and a great trip. Stay tuned to see their trip and their fun!!!

My parents have come to visit:
Day one Started somewhat early as I had to meet my mom and dad at the hotel and start the madness. We first attended my local church which was good with great music and singing and a good sermon.
Second we went with some of my team out for a snack of FRIED DUMPLINGS and then to the bank where we cashed my mom’s travellers checks. Then we went to sit and eat at a great place called CHATEA…or a place where you just sit eat and sip tea. NICE.

Next we headed on the subway to People’s Square and started down Nanjing East Road. This is the biggest walking street in China… It just has to be it is so big and so many people even on a rainy day!!!

After walking a bit we hopped into a little trolley that took us nice and slow down Nanjing Road. My mom and dad were looking all around and enjoying all the sights and sounds.

Finally we got to the Bund where we got our picture looking out over the Huang Pu RIver and at the Pudong New area. COOL! So we got the biggest sights out of the way on the first day!!! who is their tour guide???

Later we returned to their hotel and made plans for the rest of the week. Plans were made for our time in SHanghai and of course in Beijing too. Plans were scrapped and plans were created. But I must now clean my room for tomorrow my parents will visit school. YIKES!!! First thing tomorrow morning will be the SUPER BOWL!!! Go Seahawks!!

Mom and Dad visit Day number 2

Day two started quite early for me since I had to pick mom and dad up at the hotel to get to Malone’s American Bar by 7am. No no, they weren’t dying for American food already…we didn’t want to miss the SUPER BOWL!!! or as a student called it, the SUPER BALL!!! We got there and found seats and ordered our big breakfasts and watched the Seatle Seahawks narrowly lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21 to 10. We watched it live on ESPN and missed all the American commercials since it was on International TV. Here is a great shot of mom and dad with their breakfast…

After that we had to get a couple tickets for our trip to Beijing and back. We were so close to the Jing An Temple that we stopped by for a nice couple photos. The Jing An Temple is a Buddhist Temple in the heart of Shanghai. It is quite old but shops and American fast food places have popped up all around. Here are a couple pictures of mom and dad at a few of the classic traditional door guards (in front of lots of buildings) that were guarding the Temple’s door. One is male, with the sphere or world under the paw and the other is a female with the child under the paw. The middle shot is a classic “door” shot that mom and dad like so much.

Later we bought tickets for a show that we will later attend at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. After that we walked to People’s Avenue. Here are my mother and father at People’s Avenue in Shanghai, China. Cool.

Last for the day is our return back to the hotel through the tunnel under the river that divides Shanghai. Cool… I took a picture of them as we were under the Huang Pu RIver. I thought I felt a little drip… Ha ha ha.

More fun tomorrow. and the days to come. Continue to read.

Day three began not as early as day 2 but it was going to be packed with stuff.
We started with a coffee shop breakfast and hopped on a bus and to the crowded 6 cent ferry. No seats, unless you want to sit on the life preserver cases, but there is plenty of people to look at and smokers to watch smoking under the NO SMOKING sign.

From where the ferry dropped us off we walked into what is known as SHANGHAI OLD TOWN. It harkens back to a long time ago in Shanghai where the whole city was like this. A bit earthy, raw and lots of fun to walk through on a sunny chilly day. Here is mom and dad near the Shanghai Old Street. Lots of activity on a Tuesday morning!!! Crazy.

We were on our way to a famous tourist destination in Shanghai. The Yu Gardens. A huge market area all decorated for New Years. It was really really crowded and hard to really see the whole place for real. But I got to bring my mom and dad to all the good places that I enjoy seeing and watching and looking at. Here we are at the gardens with the traditional old buildings behind us.

We ate a really nice lunch right in the middle of Yu Gardens at a really nice restaurant. Actually the same restaurant that Bill Clinton and Hillary ate at when they came to Shanghai a while ago. Here is the photo…and my mom and dad’s reaction!!!

Dinner was wonderful. I don’t know if mom and dad really enjoyed it or not. Good old Chinese Hot Pot!!! We ordered a bit too much but enjoyed it all!

The end of the night was a walk down Nanjing Road with the lights on! NICE.

Lots of walking and lots of good food. So far so good. Lots of pictures too but I’m just showing you the best.

Mom and Dad Day 4

Day 4 in Shanghai was pretty low key. I decided it was time to show mom and dad the nicer parts of Shanghai. XinTianDi is a great area in Shanghai. For the pretty darn rich, that is why I dont’ go there and that is also why I recommend going for the coffee because it is the only stuff I can afford there. This is a kind of place that has McCafe…we didn’t go but that is the kind of place it is. The surroundings are really nice and very Shanghai though which makes the area really nice.

The buildings are restored stone frame doors and nice brown and gray brick buildings. My sisters would love this area and I hope mom and dad liked it. We walked around the area and took pictures.

THere we went and got some coffee…here is dad and mom chowing on their coffee and biscotti.

The rest of the day was going to a fabric market where mom got some fabric where she can make them into…well they are supposed to be gifts, so I can’t tell you all. Anyway…

They are getting tired, but the idea of Beijing is getting them excited. Tomorrow, my school and the train!!!

Day 5 started not so early. Mom and dad were checking out of their hotel in Shanghai and storing their stuff. So when I arrived we packed up their stuff and stored the rest of it and we were off to my school. I was waiting this day as I could walk around my campus with my mom and dad and they were waiting this day to see where I’ve been working and living for 1 and a half years.

Here we are outside the campus!

We went to see my messy apartment… uh… I mean my spotless place and from there we walked down to MinYao Road for lunch at my favorite place. This was my chance to show my mom and dad what I love to eat!! So we ordered tons of stuff. 40 dumplings, an appetizer, egg and tomato soup and corn bread which came out to a whopping total of 7 dollars!!! I was full and mom and dad enjoyed it! COOL! Here they are and the spread of food.

We got some food for our train trip and then went back to the apartment to get our stuff. We walked out to the bus and took an hour bus ride to northern Shanghai… here are the intrepid travellers braving the bumpy back side of the bus through Pudong and over the HuangPU and through the Hongkou District. Good job mom and dad! THey even slept!!

We got to the train station at 6pm and I wanted to grab a quick bite to eat before we got on the train. So we opted for the first time for MCDONALDS!!! Here they are in the train station soft seat waiting room chowing on hamburgs and fries!!

Oh…that was our train! Our train was just called… it will leave at 7pm and we have to get on now!

Our train literally left at 7pm. We were checking our watches. 7pm to 7am… we were in for a comfortable evening to Beijing. Riding in style…only this kind of style for my mom and dad. NICE! It even came with free dinners. Not much to write home about, or even write on a blog about, oops just did.
Here is a bit of tricky photography showing mom and dad in the mirror of the closed door in our soft sleeper compartment.

Last we left you we were on a train. Today was our first day in Beijing. The capital of China….and what a capital it is!! Wow. An amazing place. The buildings here are just so massive and makes you feel like a worthless nothing. But anyway…

This was my mom and dad’s 6th actual day. Their first in Beijing. This was a long day because we were up at a bright and early 6am when we were told the train WC would be closing soon. Our train was right on time to leave and early to arrive in Beijing. Cool. We got out and took a fun picture in front of the massive Beijing Train Station… mom was a bit excited about something…

perhaps it was the thought of our breakfast. We got to the hotel and found some information about some of the places around Beijing and found a nice restaurant called, GRANDMA’S Kitchen. NICE. We went and it was great and really tasty. JUST LIKE HOME COOKIN’!!!

Of course after that they had some energy so we took off to our first destination. Tiananmen Square. We got there and it wasn’t really as cold as we were afraid it would be. We walked around a bit and really had fun looking at the very famous and very massive square. Here is a nice view of us on the square.

If you look back at the last picture real quick…and notice the building that the picture of MAO is on… that is called the Tiananmen Gate. We bought some tickets, went through security and mom had to go through her own security line… and we went to the top. The following picture is a view from the top of that building looking out to the Square where we just took the last picture. Cool right?

We relaxed a bit at the hotel, a nice hotel that is, and later went out to have a nice dinner at OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE!! Cool. I haven’t had so much western food since this summer I was in the US. COOL!

Tomorrow we’ll go exploring and finish the night with Beijing DUCK! Stay Tuned.

Ok… welcome back to the never ending website… the journey goes on and mom and dad are surviving. We’ll combine a couple days in Bejing because frankly it has all been a blur to me anyway. I can’t quite remember which day was which and what we did on what day?!! Anyway…

One evening we met one of my friends who I had met in Boston and we went to a great Beijing Duck Restaurant. We had a great time and saw the chef preparing the duck right in front of us. NICE! Here are a couple of pictures and if you are good you can identify the duck on the table!!! Can you see it?

Sunday February 12th we took a great tour with our hotel in Beijing and arrived at the lobby at 8am and returned by 5:30pm. The day was packed with Tea, Ming Tombs, tour groups, a good english tour guide, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Cloisenne, Jade and of course the Great Wall of China. It was an awesome day. Mom and dad were really impressed with the Great Wall. We got tons of pictures… here are just a few…

The Cloisenne I mentioned above is hard to explain but it is really really beautiful. Here is mom and dad with a bunch that they had purchased…. ha ha just kidding they didn’t buy all that! Ha ha ha.

More to follow but these days have been so packed it has been hard to update every night and still be coherent in the morning. Keep reading and keep posting and keep e-mailing. Mom and dad leave the 16th and fly home and arrive the same day…weird.