Our great adventure begins....

Finally, I am sitting at the computer, ready to write my first post from China...

It has been 18 days since our arrival in the land of the dumpling! A shock to the system would be an understatement. Lesson number one, keep expectations low and then be pleasantly surprised.

We arrived on a cold, drizzling morning, with two amazingly happy kids despite the overnight (with one stopover in Singapore) flight. We made a mad dash for our connecting flight because our first leg was running 30 mins late and it was only a 1 hour 10 min stopover. We had to race from one end of Singapore Airport to the other. If anyone is familiar with this airport you will understand the 'mad dash' and that was with the connecting shuttle trains!

We were picked up by 'Jack' our new agent. He is our lifeline and guide to all things Chinese. He is actually the property manager but his job also entails looking after us, from translating for us and fixing the leaking shower, washing machine etc. So far we have needed him for numerous home repairs and lots of taxi translations, thankfully he is never more than a phone call away. A taxi fare is usually around 10RMB, which equates to less than $2. The bus is around 2-3RMB but we haven't been brave enough to get on one of those as yet!

Our apartment was exactly as promised, however when you take all of the furnishings we have gathered over the course of 7 years out of the home, it doesn't feel like home. This is difficult to get used to as it is also very cold (temperature). I am looking forward to finding some cosy rugs and maybe some pictures for the walls to make it feel more like 'home'.

We spent the first weekend shopping for food. We have found a hypermarket called Auschan (a French company I believe) that is crazy to navigate through but it has everything, so we brave it. It is bigger than anything I have ever seen and stocks more than you can imagine from electric bikes to kitchen tongs, linen to every food product, fresh, cooked, frozen, canned etc than you can imagine. It is a little difficult deciding on a product though as all of the labels are in Chinese! Thank goodness for pictures! The alternative is buying our food from many separate stores which, without a car or transport other than a cab is so time consuming it's not really worth it. We cause quite a stir when we arrive though, with our blonde haired babes, the Chinese know nothing about personal space, often touching or patting the kids heads. We have even gone indoors to discourage the paparazzi!

The kids are settling in well, Jaden has started school. He is in Nursery the first year of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. He is still a little teary but today I surprised him with a midday visit which he (and I) loved. Tara is happy all the time, she has such a capacity for change, she just rolls with it. An amazing quality for such a young girl. She is desperate to be at school with Jaden and after school comprises of hours of giggling and playing as the two reconnect at the end of their busy day.

The kids have already made some friends, Jaden at school and Tara with one of my colleagues' daughters. She is a little older however they get on well. Together they have even gone to ballet class. Tara has been desperate to start however she is still a little young for the classes here. They let her have a trial lesson (1&1/2hours for a 5-6 year old class) she loved it but she was happy to go home at the end. Not understanding the instructions and the length of the lesson, were difficult however she did remarkably well from just watching and copying the teacher and students. It was nothing like our baby ballet classes though, no flitting like fairies, everything was on the same spot and repeated over and over. I bought her some ballet shoes however to flit like a fairy in the apartment!

Aaron has cooked dinner several times now and seems to be getting the hang of it. He even made a much loved home cooked specialty, Pasta Lenticchia, it felt like home and the kids gobbled it down. Today they (he and Tara) found imported Australian sausages, actually Tara, I am told spotted them and wanted them for dinner. They are a bit of a specialty here, 10 pork sausages for 75RMB compared to 500grams of breast chicken (absolutely no fat) for 9RMB. Needless to say chicken will be on the menu often.

Aaron is busy during the day, sourcing products for export to Australia, he has purchased his first product sample! Jaden loves it too but I won't give too much away, you'll have to buy 'it' when 'it' arrives, just look out for the AZABOB label!! He is looking forward to working as sourcing food, cleaning and cooking is apparently not how he was expecting his days would pan out. I am looking forward to it too, so I can lash out on an ayi (Chinese for Aunty) but essentially means someone to do the housework!

The weather is freezing, I can't wait for it to warm up, although I am told, the summer is unbearable with heat, high humidity and mosquitoes. The mid seasons, Autumn and Spring apparently, while short lived, are the best seasons for a visit. (Note to self for all of those intending to visit us!) So far though I would love more sunshine so the kids can run and play and I can thaw out. They are surprisingly happy despite the restrictions on outdoor play.

School is busy, I have a very full timetable, more teaching than ever! (Wasn't expecting that one) the students are good but the cultural differences are tiring especially with a subject like mine that requires extroverts in the classroom. I am exhausted at the end of the day from trying to motivate and encourage some of the kids to get up and have a go. I do have a lot of non-Asian students though and they are all great but no different from Australia really. (If any of my ex-students are reading this, I miss you heaps and you are fabulous!)

We are doing a lot of things we would never have done in Australia. One Friday night we went out for pizza...in the pouring rain we walked to Singa Plaza, about 1 kilometre from Landmark (our apartment compound) to eat an Asian version of western pizza, we were all rugged up and freezing but nonetheless we made the journey. The change of scenery however did us good and the kids love these small adventures.

Last Sunday (yesterday) we went on a school organised excursion to 'Embroidery Street' (another, never in Australia). We first visited an embroiderers home and watched her work. The work is intricate and her fingers very nimble. The stitches skillfully made with the smallest of needles and the finest of silk threads. The designs were traditional Chinese as well as floral and animal designs, I didn't make any purchases but I now have an appreciation for this type of work. The street was about 1 kilometre long and along both sides of the street are shop after shop of exactly the same thing, the embroiderer changes but not much else. It was almost amusing to see so many of the same thing and difficult to image that there is a demand for so much of the same thing. Apparently it is all set up for westerner's excursions just like ours.

There is an amazing amount of construction happening over here at the moment, new shopping centres, new apartment compounds and freeways are being built everywhere. The air is thick with construction dust. Everything is built big here too. The apartments stretch into the sky and the shopping centres are massive, imagine Castle Towers at least twice over for each of the shopping complexes. They are not bustling like you would imagine though, maybe they are expecting a baby boom!

So much has happened in such a short period of time and yet it feels like I have been here forever. Only 18 days...

I am sure there are many unanswered questions so feel free to leave a comment and I will endeavour to answer it for you. No doubt it will help me to recall a moment I may have lost otherwise.

(You don't need a gmail account to register and make a comment, just use whatever email address you are currently using to register, I would love to hear from you)

I will try and keep these post regular however you will have to bear with me while I settle into this foreign city.

Until the next time I write, enjoy the sunshine and go for a run through lush green grass!