After passing our 1 1/2 month marker of our time here in Shanghai, Ollie and I were really looking forward to getting out of Shanghai to experience a different part of China. We've definitely settled into life here now - we're comfortable with our surroundings and with our routines. We have our favourite restaurants, favourite things to do, and also have our least favourite things about life here too. Happily Ollie has 2 friends living in China right now with whom he'd spent his elementary and high school years with. Eva, originally from Hong Kong, currently lives here in Shanghai and Alex moved from Toronto to Ningbo 4 years ago, a city 3 hours drive south of Shanghai in China's Zhejiang Province. As they're a couple too we planned a couple's holiday in Ningbo to stay ... read more

Well, I'm past the one month mark into my new life here in Shanghai. I thought that it would be very appropriate to reflect on the things that I'm missing from home, from Toronto and Canada, and also the things that I know I'll miss from Shanghai when I eventually return home. I'm sure that as each month passes this list will continue to shift and change as my perspective and priorities change. But for now, here it is! Things I'm missing from Canada: - apples and produce - I'm an apple, fruit, and veggie monster as most people know! For safety precautions I'm only eating fruit with a peel (bananas, pineapples, oranges, watermelons) and imported dried fruit - no fresh apples, grapes, etc. I order salads and fresh veggies from reputable restaurants to get my ... read more

So I discovered that it's not just Ollie who likes my legs .... Shanghai bugs do too! I don't know what it is - the heat, the mugginess, both which make me sweat profusely, but this past week alone I have discovered 21 different bites on my legs (and bum)! At first I got one or two, and I wasn't very concerned, but the last few days after coming in from an afternoon out or a night on the town I would literally have like 8 new itchy, puffy, and bright red bites. I've done a lot of research on this and apparently it's a common complaint of foreigners coming to Shanghai. I assume it's mosquitoes (as most people do), but maybe it's flies, who knows. I'm trying not to get freaked out about it as ... read more

Monday I was out and about, shopping, people watching, etc, and decided to write down a few random observations I found about being a woman living in Shanghai. 1st Random Observation: in pharmacies I've found entire shelves are devoted to "skin whitening" and "skin lightening" products and creams. This must be related to why strangers stop me on the street to tell me "you're beautiful - where are you from?" 95% of all advertisements I've seen use western models in them, usually blondes, even though I'd say 99% of the population here is chinese. I'm starting to get used to being stared at due to my foreign-ness/blonde-ness and being told by strangers that I'm beautiful (to which I'm always quite uncomfortable about). But when I discovered that every pharmacy or "Shoppers Drug Mart" type store I've ... read more

Today is Thursday, my 4th day here in Shanghai spent "being alone". Technically, in a city of 22 million people you're never really alone - and though Ollie's working during the day the instant I step outside my door I'm surrounded by throngs of people. But being in a city and culture where most people don't speak my language (and my chinese conversational skills are not up to speed) you really do need to find ways to entertain oneself. So far I have found that there's no shortage of stuff to do in this city (providing you have sufficient $$). Monday it was pouring rain all day, but I wanted to get out and about anyway. So raincoat on I took a taxi to the Shanghai Centre to check out a bookstore I'd previously seen. Being ... read more