A new year, a new apartment

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Shanghai continues to throw its' firsts at us and this week was no exception. We have finally ceased living as nomads and moved into our new place. We are so excited and happy to be in here, we cannot explain it in words. Sadly, pictures will not explain it fully but we will try. Our apartment is on 11th floor, in the compound behind school with the great 'Pirate Ship' play area in, where our friends Kevin and Victoria live. We have 4 bedrooms (yes, I am currently writing this from our "study" come guest room......any takers?!) and underfloor heating, so we are ready for the winter. Our landlady has been really great also and helped us with all sorts of things. Sophie has a desk in her bedroom, which will allow her to do her homework in peace (or hide and not do it at all, depending on how you look at it!) and there is heaps of storage. We have managed to fill much of this, as we now have collected pretty much all of our stuff now, bar a few books and pictures, although we are sadly not allowed to put pictures on the walls...I guess they make big holes!

The children have already been out playing and calling on their friends, although not everyone is back yet. School doesn't start for another 2 weeks for them. Today Sophie is missing from our home and William and Ian are enjoying the 'Star Wars Clone Wars' DVD as they do when they have their "boys time"....Sophie is already on a sleepover with her friend Roxy and I believe they have been swimming this afternoon. She will be back in the morning to terrorise us!

This week we have welcomed a new friend into our fold....Ms Jo (yes, there is another one of us!) has arrived here from sunny Halifax where she will be working with me in Grade 3 ICE. We have been showing her the sights and sounds, and food places of course...we have amazed ourselves....for dinner we have eaten Mexican, Japanese, Indian, home-made Chinese stir-fry, American (yes, we initiated her into the Blue Frog, poor girl!) and this evening, Israeli. We showed her the sights of Taikang Lu and the French Concession today and have been trying to find her an apartment, although with not much luck yet. We have now found out there is a bit of a shortage of 2 bed apartments and the prices have gone up. We ponder whether this is a myth and we indeed hope so! The search continues....

It was great to welcome back our great friends Suzanne and family....it's amazing to think quite how quickly last year actually went by...although I seem to remember it didn't feel that way at some points! I have really been reminiscing alot this week, especially with Jo's arrival and showing her around, remembering the way it felt when we first arrived. I have to admit it has not been plain sailing for me, although I think Ian and the kids found it much more so. If I am honest, now I am in this apartment, I am feeling quite at home. I am used to the manic of the Chinese people and traffic. I am used to the currency and the difficult-ness of the language and I really hope to learn it much better this year. And I am used to the noise and the pollution and the inability to get everything you are used to.....but I think that is the adventure. We are here for another year and I feel much more prepared. In the words of Hannah Montana, "Life's a climb, enjoy the view"!!

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