Categories
in china photography

how convenient

ah, so many unfinished half-written posts that never made the frontpage of this blog…
we haven’t been lacking in adventures and errands to run… but they end up draining all our energy and force us to crash on the sofa whenever we arrive home.
the fact that we’ve moved here without a limit date to return gives us time to appreciate the city slowlier than usual. we don’t have to like it right away and smile so that we look good on the pictures. so we’ve been taking it easy and enjoying every little thing we stumble upon.

yesterday was rainy and cold outside. we reserved the day to reading hundreds of feeds, answering emails and resting our feet from the wedding frenzy on saturday. i was one of the bridesmaids on a traditional chinese wedding (our dear lulu and tommy’s wedding), which was a great experience and lesson on culture and traditions (more on that when i have my pictures). funny detail: 4 out of 5 bridesmaids had been in groningen (netherlands), studying. how small is the world?

also in the news, tomorrow i’ll start working here in shanghai. after two weeks of interviews, i’ve chosen a swedish company as my employer. they’re young, expanding and diversifying their product range, and they seemed like a good choice. besides, one of the bridesmaids has a swedish boyfriend and she explained how sweden is out and about to conquer the world through all the companies they own… we agree. a set of 3 sharp knives and a wok in ikea for less than 50 yuan (5 euros)? hell yeah!

bonus:
* durão barroso (a previous portuguese prime-minister) appears regularly on a spot on cctv9 (china’s english news channel) stating that china is a good oportunity for investment blablabla. we still laugh everytime he speaks, just because his voice sounds so familiar and nonetheless, so strange when he speaks in english…

* we found a place which sells b&w films (100 asa, 36 pictures) for 8 yuan (80 cents in europe).
just around the corner, a dvd stall sells copies of the latest movies for 5 yuan (50 cents) – considering a movie ticket in here can cost more than 10 to 20 times that, the alternative is quite attractive.

Categories
in china

jiangning lu

has it been a week already? really?

we finally found our little corner away from the home inn. it’s located in jiangning road, somewhere near the shanghai railway station. a little apartment on the 19th floor, with a view to the nearest intersection.
we’ve been exploring the neighbourhood, and little by little, adventuring into other zones of the city, stumbling upon surprises in every corner. for instance, chinese people love “egg tarts”, that look exactly like our “natas” – they’re sold in almost every restaurant or subway station (oh yes, we wouldn’t believe it either…).
and today we discovered that we live just beside the famous jade buddha temple…

(image by 2 dogs).

Categories
in china

ni hao!

things we did since we arrived, last sunday:

* took a ride on the fastest train in the country

* opened a bank account (on a sunday afternoon)

* learned the basic traditions regarding a chinese wedding (including matching dolls and a red egg in the bed, special sweets, three sets of dresses, dragons and phoenixes, etc… )

* ate a traditional chinese “banquet” cooked by a friend’s father in law and then another one by her own parents

* been on the subway close to the rush hour (but haven’t had the courage to try the real rush hour yet)

* only used chopsticks and spoons to eat, so far

* visited several houses looking for a place to live

* got chinese mobile numbers and transportation cards

* were driven on crazy taxis through the city

* sort-of learned how to cross a street (still not very clear though)

* i did two interviews and got a job offer

* plus i went through the wonderful experience of peeing in a typically asian restroom (not something i would like to repeat).

the first taxi ride was specially painful. we were extremely tired and jetlagged and no one warned us the traffic rules around here worked based on the car’s horn. they drive like crazy, switching lanes quickly, honking, as if saying “step away, here i come!!”. can you imagine me in the back seat, scared to death, grasping paulo’s hand, just wishing i could get out? (i suspect ever since, lulu has been asking taxi drivers to drive a bit better or i might start to cry.)
oddly, i haven’t seen a single accident since i’m here. i’m starting to think there’s some sort of magnetic repulsion between cars. that’s the only logical explanation i can come up with.

it’s been a daily surprise, and it’s only just started.

Categories
geek

nail-biting

to distract myself from the excitement/anxiety of the trip, i’ve finished the template i’d started some time ago. (if you’re reading this through the feeds, you might want to have a look at it, here).
it’s simple and stripey. the stripes are from the previous version of meiadeleite – many people confessed they missed them and i did too.

and now, on to the bigger adventures. take care!

Categories
in china

“and the heart bears indentations”

* since i broke the news to friends and family, i’ve been discovering some interesting thoughts on how the west sees china. the best one-liner reaction to the news so far has been an unexpected “and you’re not afraid of losing any organs?”, which, though ironic, translates very well what i’m trying to say.

other curious remarks include strange food-related topics or fear of us being turned into slaves overnight. i hope this blog will help some people change their mind about the middle empire.

* i’ve packed my suitcase, which is enormous, but weights a mere 23kgs. can you imagine, moving your life to another continent and carrying only 23 kgs, 5 of which are from the suitcase itself? the essential survival kit includes coffee, lots of medicine from mom, summer clothes, my crocs and photos of friends. lots of them.

* this 7th/8th april marks a new life in many ways. a much wanted finantially independent life, but also one where i share my ground with the person i love and in which we get to decide our own future. together. :)

* how did mom and dad deal with all of this? very well. they’re being supportive and dealing with it all in a calm and rational way. most of the time, anyway. i’m quite proud of them. :)

the photo above is from theshanghaieye. more here.