Shanghai...The First 48 (Part 1)

Hello All!  As you can see, I officially made it Shanghai!  So much has occurred over the past few days so I’ve decided to break this up into two separate posts.  So, without further ado, here goes a quick review of my first two days in Shanghai (with pictures!)…

Departure Day (Wednesday, September 5):

As I previously predicted, I was up until the wee hours of the morning packing. I was up so late in fact, that I only got two hours of sleep. My cell phone alarm went off around 4:15 a.m. E.S.T. and I quickly put on my clothes, brushed my teeth, and then moved my very heavy suitcases to the car.  I arrived at the airport just in time for check in and to my dismay; my bags were a bit too heavy.  I managed to plead with the person working the check in desk to let me through since I was going to China (for God knows how long) and that I needed everything.  She was kind enough to let me through and sternly told me that next time, I needed to be 50 pounds and under (my bags were 54 and 52 pounds).  I then hugged my mother goodbye with lots of tears and then I quickly passed through security for flight 1 of 3 in 24 hours (my flight schedule was: Hometown-> LaGuardia-> Detroit-> Shanghai).

My connection flights went by quickly and smoothly since I pretty much caught up on much needed sleep. Once I arrived in Detroit, I called several friends and my mother to bid them adieu, as well as, I sent out one last text message saying goodbye.  

My Plane to China

My flight to Shanghai was pretty standard and uneventful.  The flight was almost filled to capacity and as I wrote in an earlier post my only option was middle seat (boooo!).  Once I arrived at my seat, all the overhead bins had been quickly scooped up, so I had to run around the plane to find an empty one.  I ended up shoving my huge backpack in business class (which was nearly empty) and once I returned to my seat, a kind gentlemen ended up switching seats with me and gave me his aisle seat (yeah!!!)  I settled into my seat and started playing with the inflight entertainment which was pretty decent for a domestic airline.  My 15 hour flight consisted of watching movies, sleeping, eating, watching TV shows, sleeping, and eating.  The food was edible and the staff was pleasant (I even managed to try out my Mandarin to the delight of a flight attendant).  After what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard the message that the plane was “making its descendant into Shanghai, so put up your tray tables and seats and prepare for landing.” It was officially time…

Shanghai: Thursday, September 6

The plane touched down into Shanghai PuDong airport on 9/6 at 7:30 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. E.S.T.).  I gathered all my belongings and made my way off the aircraft.  I was pleased with the airport upon entering and making my way to customs, it was very modern (it was built several years ago) and since everything was in Chinese characters and English, it was easy to navigate.  I cleared customs rather quickly and upon exiting, I was greeted by a hotel representative holding up a sign with my name on it.  We greeted each other and he led me to a bench since he had to wait for two other arrivals. I met one of my new coworkers who I had previously been in contact with via the internet.  We were happy to finally meet each other in person and we eagerly exchanged stories of our preparation, packing, and flight to China.  

Pudong International Airport

A bit of the Shanghai Skyline

Since the other two arrivals were delayed, our hotel representative led us to our transportation that would be taking us to our hotel (Sidenote: My employer would be putting me into a hotel for two full weeks at their expense.  During my two week stay, it was up to me to find my own housing).  I looked out with amazement at the incredible views of the airport and all the different areas of the city.  I managed to find my camera and I enthusiastically snapped away. 

The Shanghai Exhibition Center

After 45 minutes, we arrived at the hotel and after filling out some paperwork; I received my room key along with a welcome back from My Employer filled with some much needed goodies (cell phone with SIM card, adapter, map, and notebook). 

My Digs for 2 weeks

Bag of Goodies!

 By the time I made it to my room, I was completely drained and starving.   I managed to locate the hotel’s restaurant and I ordered what I thought was going to be a small bowl of soup.  I was shocked when the waitress brought me an enormous bowl of soup that could have easily fed four people.  I managed to stuff myself with four smaller bowls as I watched the Asian version of the t.v. show “The Voice” (which was named “The Asian Voice”).  After my late night meal (it was after 11p.m. at this point) I dragged myself to my room, brushed my teeth and set my alarm in preparation for my first day of work…

Thanks again for reading and stay tuned for how I handle my first full day in Shanghai!!

Moving...Saying My First Goodbyes

Hello and Welcome Back!

Just as the title says, I started the moving and goodbye process. I officially leave in three days and so far, the reality has not hit me yet.

Over the weekend, I moved out of my apartment which was enormously stressful.  When it comes to moving, I tend to grossly underestimate the process which only leads to more stress the actual day of the move. Since I left The Firm over a week ago and upon returning from my mini vacation on Monday, I pretty much had the entire week to pack, organize and clean.  All week, I slowly packed up my things and I honestly felt like I had very little to pack, but when Friday finally came, it was a different story and I was frantically throwing things in garbage bags and cursing under my breath about all the s#%t stuff I had accumulated. I was fortunate to obtain some help at the eleventh hour; but, I completed the bulk of the move on my own, which only led me to think...

Can I continue living this lifestyle and if so, for how long?

Maybe it was the stress talking (because after all, who really likes to move???) because while I was packing, I had some time to think deeply about my long term plans for the future. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel and I'm excited about the opportunity to live and work in Shanghai, but I have to be honest when I say a small part of me is experiencing some fatigue when it comes to the nomad lifestyle. A part of me is eager to finally settle down into a place I can call my own without the undue burden I've placed on others. A part of me is over saying goodbye again and again only to return to where I came from.  A part of me is just tired...

I'm sure many other people who are in my position have these same thoughts and just like me, the thrill and excitement of travel weigh out a life of stability or monotony (or something along those lines).  All I can say is that I've chosen this life and I will deal with the consequences of my choices (rant over).

Now that I've ranted a bit, I was very overjoyed once I completely finished the moving process and a representative from the rental agency did a walk through of my apartment and upon inspection, informed me that I should expect my security deposit back in 4-6 weeks (this bit is crucial since I was engaged in a battle with the rental agency for several weeks over the return of my security deposit). Once the inspection was completed, I dropped off several bags to the neighborhood Goodwill and I continued on back home for a nap and then the massive task of once again, organizing and packing.

Saturday evening found me in the brand new home of one of my childhood friends complete with a delicious home cooked meal by his mother.  His mother exchanged some stories and advice on what to expect upon my arrival in Asia since she had spent some time there and had a sibling who lived there for several years.  It was a lovely evening full of friends, foods, and lots of discussion. We decided to call it a night just after midnight and thus, I said my first round of goodbyes. Despite the sadness of the situation, I remained cheerful and empowered about the new chapter of my life that would begin in the next few days.

And that's all there is...there isn't anymore...

On May 25th, Oprah aired the final episode of her amazing, award winning talk show. I was in disbelief the first time I heard over a year ago that Oprah would be ending her talk show (especially since I never made it on as a featured guest). Oprah has always had a strong presence in my life, her talk show and face were two of the first pieces of media I recognized when I was 6 years old. During my elementary school years, I could always count on her show being played in the living room the moment I entered the house. Since the material was a bit too boring mature for my young palette I always tuned it out unless there was someone talented or famous on. I didn't really get into her show until my teen years once I could actually understand and even relate a bit with the topics, and over the last couple of years, I have pretty much watched it religiously (unless I was living the expat life).  Thus that fateful Wednesday, I prolonged my lunch break until 4 p.m. EST in order to take part in a pivotal piece of soon to be American History. I watched the final episode in a mixture of awe, sadness, disbelief, and inspiration.

Even though there were no big celebrities, giveaways, or surprises (those all happened a couple days before) for her final episode, I was still touched and riveted about what Lady O had to say. Oprah left me many pearls of wisdom and four very important points that I have been exploring and expanding upon over the last few years of my life which I will expand upon below...


1.Find Your Calling
This is the one I am having the most trouble with/ have yet to be complete from her list. As much as I hear/acknowledge the calls of my future city (London), and also passions (Travel, Inspiring Others, Expat Life); I have to yet to determine what I want to do in terms of a future career. For a few years, I saw myself as being an attorney and I even planned on enrolling in law school this fall or next fall, but after my last stint abroad and my current job, I def know that being an attorney is not for me (I 'm glad I realized that now instead of 5 years later, a 6 figure sum worth of school debt and a miserable 80 hours a week existence).  I have toyed around with the idea of getting into corporate recruitment, international human resources, study abroad work at colleges/universities, and even teaching. But, alas, I still have yet to feel my "A-Ha" moment.


2. Know Yourself and the Power of Love
The 'know yourself" transformation started during my year in France. For most of my teenage and even young 20's, I always lacked self confidence and never really knew my power. Once I got to France, I not only had to learn to adapt to a new culture and language, I was had to build my confidence little by little in order to survive and thrive in a non-Anglophone country. This transformation took many months to complete but its effects still resonate within me today. I realize today more than ever that I am intelligent, beautiful and confident and destined for great things.
I am now realizing the power of love since I am currently reading "The Power" by Susan Bryne (she also wrote the cult hit: "The Secret"). The author discusses how recognizing and using the power of love and positivity will attract nothing but good in your life (which I do agree with). Thus, I know and am confident in my myself and I'm using the power of love to take my life to the next great step.


3. Know Your Worth
This one pretty much goes in tandem with what I wrote above. I know that I am worthy of great things and a great life and no more wallowing in self pity.


4. Belief in God
I was never really spiritual person until last year. I grew up in the Christian faith thanks to my mother and her militant schedule of having to go to church every single Sunday (sometimes even twice). I always hated going and I always tried to sneak in a book or word search puzzle to occupy my mind. I was excited when I hit my teenage years and church attendance was no longer mandatory. I even went through a period of atheism always saying "there is no God."
But last year something happened. I was traveling in Sweden, and going over a lot of things in my mind about my past, present, and future. As I was walking, I noticed a very large church on a hill and something was pulling me to it. Even though I had been walking for many kilometers by that point, I pushed myself to get up that hill and to the church. I was uncertain if it was open, but once I spotted another set of tourists enter inside I ran in right behind them. They quickly looked around and left, but something invited me to stay. I took a seat in one of the pews and looked up into the church ceiling at all of it's magnificence. At that moment, there was a voice inside me, a deep and powerful voice that was directing me to find my faith in God and to realize that once I had this faith, to belief. I closed my eyes and listened to this voice for quite some time and I left the church renewed, rejuvenated, and inspired by the greatness of God. I have since counted on the Lord for many things in the past few months and just like the voice had promised, He has delivered on all of them. Thus, that is how I renewed my belief in God.


So in short, I learned a lot from Oprah's last episode. I know that I will find my calling, I know myself and my self worth, and I know there is a God. I will take her final pearls of wisdom into my heart in order to "live my best life."