Shanghai Snapshots

Here are a few moments captured from my first weekend in Shanghai. Honestly I slept most of it. This jet lag is no joke. But here are a few digital memories. Jet lag is the ultimate Chinese diet.
however when I can actually stay awake to eat dinner, my electric kettle and various Chinese Ramen have been my best friend. And let's not forget about the cool yet refreshing Lime flavored Lays! I've fallen in love with bubble tea! I can't believe that Shanghai isn't wired for wifi like Korea! WTH! I was soo devastated :( I'm headed back to the hotel with brick hard beds, and no WiFi. #epicsadness Until next time...

In Transition...

Dear Friends, Fam, and Fellow Expats,

I'm here in Shanghai safe and sound. I'm not ignoring you. The past week has been super crazy. From a pile of bricks Chinese bed in a fake HolidayInn, warm water in the COLD water cooler, outrageous Chinese myths about health, strange Chinese android phones, green pea popsicles, adjusting to the time change, trying to understand Chinglish, weird greasy foods, trying not to get mad every time I hear the Chinese expression which means "that" sounds exactly like the word "n#$$a"and scouring Shanghai for an apartment, I haven't had time to blog. I've experienced an abundance of Chinese ridiculousness that I cannot wait to share with you. The jury is still out on China. Give me a few weeks to let it sink in. I promise to write as soon as I've settled in.
Until next time...

And the countdown begins ...

August 11th is here, and in the blink of an eye my departure date will be here too. It's my last weekend on this side of the pond!
Its crazy to believe a couple months ago China wasn't even a thought and now here I am on the precipice of a new journey. I have to say I'm really excited about the direction my life is headed in. I am truly happy. If I've learned anything so far in my 30 years it's to seize every chance to be and live extraordinarily, embrace every opportunity and never rule out the unexpected happiness that can come out of  serendipitous moments!
I'm beyond excited and a little sad at the same time.It's been great having my family so close. No more having my Little sister bust in my apartment, eat up all my snacks, jump in bed with me at 8 am and say "Sissy, Whatchu doin?" , waiting 13 hrs to talk to my bestie to tell her the latest news, or my mom calling me multiple times a day " how are you today sweetpea?". The time difference is always a drag when you want to talk to friends and fam.
I'm going to miss speaking English everyday, but I look forward to mastering Mandarin. In the mean time better dust of my charades skills. I'm going to crave Chik-fil-A and sweet tea but I'm interested in trying seahorse soup, tempura starfish, various noodle dishes and authentic crab rangoon.
Everyday this week I've woken up and thought "Ahh I'm moving to Asia...AGAIN!!!" so excited I could almost pee. The most stressful thing about moving is PACKING! I'm two piles of S@&T away from being a hoarder! I'm a cancer and I'm sensitive about my S@&T! EVERYTHING has sentimental value and all of my clothes are "my favorite" clearly or I wouldn't have bought them. So it's been painful to sell, give away, and flat out throw things out. But it's all growing pains. I realize I could keep things in storage but I did that last time around and I wound up not needing half the stuff I stored. When you move overseas you realize how much less you need and yet how much more you do ,and how much more fulfilled you are.

I went back through my blog last night and read posts about preparing for Korea, it made me laugh and a little sad. It's crazy how life changes. I cracked up as I read about my expectations of Korea and my butchering of Hangul. I reflect on all that I've experienced since October 2009 and I smile.

http://www.throughthereddoor.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

It's amazing how your road map in life detours and leads you down an unforeseen roads. I'm excited to see where this road will take me.
In the words of my good friend Jon
Map out your future - but do it in pencil. The road ahead is as long as you make it. Make it worth the trip.
~Jon Bon Jovi

I look at how different this experience is from 3 years ago. I'm an veteran expat and a bit wiser.
With 48 hours and counting to my departure I dive back into my bags to consolidate more crap. Until next time...