Week 1

It's been a while since I last posted because I wasn't able to access the website, thank you Chinese Government!! Many people received an email detailing our first few days in Shanghai, but for those of you who didn't get that email, I'm posting it below. Everything that's happened since will come in the next post!!
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Sent: October 18, 2010 at 12:19
Hey guys,

Our blog site has been, unsurprisingly, blocked by the Chinese government. So, until I figure out how I can use the USC VPN to post stuff, this email will have to do.

A lot has happened since landing last weekend. We've been here a week and we are finally starting to get settled in. We were lucky enough to get an apartment the day we arrived, and moved in the next day. Our address is: [insert]. The next day we got ourselves a Metro card and started using that for our main transportation. The subway is really good, trains run every 3.5 minutes, which is great when one has 25 lbs of household items and an ironing board. On Day 3, we had to go to IKEA to get some furniture and Chuangdan (sheets). Not that IKEA is easy to get around in the States, but the one we went to here was larger and even more confusing than I have ever seen. Yesterday, we took the Metro to the China Mobile to get our cell phones, although we are still waiting for the software to come out so we can unlock our iPhones and start using mobile internet. Our numbers are (+86) 18221789230 (mine) and (+86) 18221789231 (Tiffany's), and I expect we will keep these numbers even after the pre-paid minutes expire. After we got our cell phones and ate lunch at KFC (don't judge people, you wouldn't believe how good that food tastes when you can't read other menus), we went to Walmart to pick up some remaining items (i.e., soap, laundry detergent, dishes, etc.)

Today, Tiffany started her new job. She was really nervous and didn't appreciate my effort to interview her for posterity's sake. haha. We took the Metro to what is going to be her normal stop and had breakfast at the local 7-Eleven (see previous comment regarding menus). Now I am back at the apartment. I rearranged some of the furniture our landlord provided us and washed some dishes, the latter of which really sucks because the counter-top is below my waistline. So, I finally had to start doing dishes on my knees. Anyways, that's a little glimpse into what we have done with ourselves for the last few days. Hope all is well, I will contact everyone when the blog is up and ready for your perusal. Take care!

PS - Mom, not sure what happened but I sent you and grandma an email the day we arrived. Not to worry, everything is fine. I have two email addresses for you so I may have sent it to one that you don't use. Would you mind letting me know which email address you use on a regular basis? Thanks.