GONE to the Chapel!!!

Maybe not exactly a "Shout-Out from Shanghai" but certainly worth mentioning! This past weekend I was lucky enough to take the long journey to America. I arranged substitute teachers for Thursday afternoon and Friday and departed for the home land. I left my apartment Thursday around noon and 26 hours later arrived in Fayetteville, NC ready for a weekend of fun and excitement. It was a beautiful wedding from the very beginning and we couldn't have asked for better weather. From the flowers and cake to the church, Katherine's dress, and even groomsmen shoes everything turned out perfectly. I am beyond excited to have been able to go home even for a short visit to share this special time with my family and friends.

*Check Facebook for more pictures!

Fabric Market and Pearl Market!

These two markets may just be the reason I stay in China forever (well, not really forever but certainly part of the reason I decided to stay another year...) There is honestly only one word to describe these markets and that's HEAVENLY! They are by far my two favorite markets in Shanghai and although neither is the cleanest or easiest place to navigate, once you get accustomed to the crazyness, the options and creations become ENDLESS! I've had winter jackets, dresses, skirts, and shirts made at the fabric market and numerous necklaces, bracelets, and earring made at the pearl market. Since they are walking distance from each other, I often find myself visiting both in the same day! And the best part, they ALWAYS have your size and favorite styles!

Xi'an - Qingming Festival weekend vacation!

This past weekend (during the Qingming Festival) Camden, Tricia, and I embarked on yet another Chinese adventure, this time traveling and exploring the city of Xi'an, located in the Shaanxi province of China. We took the overnight train Friday after school and arrived in Xi'an around noon on Saturday! Our first stop.... lunch of course, and WOW we were impressed! We went to a noodle shop recommended by our ever faithful and handy Lonely Plant. We ordered a couple noodle dishes (one of which may or may not have slipped right out of our chopsticks and ended up on the floor.... oops), pancake things, and a yummy eggplant dish. All the food was delicious, and once our bellies were content we decided it was time to hit the streets for a little sightseeing and shopping!

On our first day, we saw the Drum Tower, the Bell Tower, and visited a Mosque while exploring the Muslim quarters. Day two was spent shopping and eating tons of street food snacks! We also went to an antique market outside the city walls which was quite interesting to say the least.... Sunday night we met up with a few other teachers from SHSID for dinner at the oldest restaurant in Xi'an. Monday, we went on a tour to Mt. Hua, the 5th holiest mountain in China! Then, finally on Tuesday we saw the Terracotta Warriors! This was by far my favorite part of the trip! The warriors were simply amazing and there were SO MANY!

After a great four day weekend vacation I made it back to Shanghai to sunshine and warmer weather!

welcome home Meili'an!!!

As most of you know (after quite the extensive pro/con list) I've officially decided to stay in Shanghai another year! I couldn't be happier about my decision! I've already lined up a new apartment (one with ACTUAL water pressure) and did the 2nd craziest thing I could think of (after moving across the world of course) and adopted an adorable little kitten! While this might not sound that wild or crazy to most - for me, it's quite adventuresome, as I am allergic to cats... but don't worry, I've stocked up on allergy medicine and my body is already starting to adjust to having her around, as I'm sneezing less and less each day!

Well, my precious Meili'an (pronounced May Lee Anne) couldn't be more perfect! She's already a beautiful spoiled little princess who loves nothing more than cuddling up on my lap while I'm grading homework, studying Chinese, or watching a movie! And when I say she likes to follow me around EVERYWHERE, I'm not kidding, from the second I open my bedroom door in the morning she's by my side just asking to be held and loved! As she eats her breakfast, she watches me make coffee. If I go to the bathroom, there she is, sitting by my feet. And the moment I sit down on the couch, she's on my lap, curling into a ball, and falling asleep almost instantly! She has clearly adjusted well to her new home!

I haven't told her yet, but starting next week she's going to start toilet training (and I do mean the ACTUAL toilet and not just the litter box - who wants to worry about cleaning a smelly box everyday?.... certainly NOT ME!!!)

weekend activities!

I am so blessed to have met and made such wonderful (SFP) friends since living in Shanghai. It's great having a good group of girlfriends to travel, hang out, shop, and go out with. It's become a tradition of ours to do Sunday brunch, usually trying to find new restaurants in Shanghai (but often times going back to a few favorites!) We have been to several museums, art galleries, shows including the ballet and circus, and events in Shanghai and feel like we're truly taking advantage of everything this amazing city has to offer!

Thailand Island Tour

Our entire Chinese New Year vacation was immaculately planned! We started in Phnom Penh, Cambodia were are hearts were broken for the victims and families of the Khmer Rouge. In Siem Reap, Cambodia we experienced the wonders of Angkor Wat at sunrise, and ate the most delicious food the world has to offer. Upon arriving in Chiang Mai, Thailand our spirits were lifted touring Zoe Children's Home and hearing about the amazing work they do to rescue innocent children from being sold into sex slavery. We got a solid dose of fresh air and wilderness while riding Elephants, playing with baby tigers, swimming in a waterfall, hiking, and white-water rafting! We learned the secrets of Thai cooking and made lots of wonderful dishes. We saw Palaces and Buddhas galore, and took tons of excellent photos along the way. We flew, cabbed, bused, (church)vanned, tuk-tuked, and even took a sleeper train! So now what? Well this leads me to our last full week of vacation - ISLAND TIME!!!

Our first full day after flying into Phuket was spent touring a few of the islands Thailand has to offer. We visited Koh Pi Pi (most known for the filming of "The Beach") as well as Monkey Island and 2 others whose names I don't remember. During our tour we even went snorkeling, which was AWESOME! After 2 days in Phuket we were off to Koh Penang ready to hit the beach all day and Black Moon Party all night!

Surrounded by techno music and neon lights we did what any Black Moon Culture crazed party animal would do - got neon paint tattoos of course! Mine was pink and green flowers (surprise, surprise) that went totally down my arm! Rebecca's and Blair's arms were also streaming down with flowers while Camden decided to get real crazy and have a gecko put on her arm! The party was crazy, and an experience to say the least, but a lot of fun as well!

It was definitely a vacation that will last a lifetime with wonderful new friends!

Oh, you are so gorgeous everyday!

living the dream in Thailand!

We booked an Elephant Trek through out hostel which included a full day of outdoor adventures! It began with a visit to a beautiful orchid and butterfly farm. We walked around and took an embarrassing photo shoot (these pictures will likely never be relieved so I would suggest using your imagination.....) Following our photo shoot we went on a short hike through soybean fields, and pineapple, melon, and coconut trees. The end of our hike lead us to my favorite part of the day - ELEPHANTS!!! They were so cute and we were all excited to feed them bananas and have them take us around the mountains. Later on in the day we enjoyed a delicious lunch, walked though a few mountain villages, swam in a waterfall, and even went white-water rafting! Our day ended with a relaxing bamboo raft across the river.

The next day Camden, and I took a Thai cooking class where we learned to make Spring Rolls, Green Curry with Chicken, Spicy Thai Soup, and Chicken with Cashews. It was all very yummy and surprising SO easy! At the end of our class we were given a cookbook with all of the recipes as well as about 20 others to try on our own!