Heading home...

Well it's only been 6 weeks or so now but I'm heading home tomorrow (wed pm here).  Back to Chicago for a day and 1/2 to visit the Chinese Embassy for my work permit application along with other stops, then to Connecticut for the weekend to see mom and finally to North Carolina for the High Point Furniture market.  
As usual, lots to do and only a little time to get it all done.   Looking forward to getting home and seeing some friends.
Weather here in Shanghai is still unusually cold and rainy.  Every day is dreary and magnified by the pollution.  But life itself is good.  I've seen a bunch of old friends and former colleagues in my short time here so that has made the transition super easy.
Bring on Chicago if only for a couple of days!

Easter

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!  I had a nice three day weekend, not due to Good Friday or Easter but to that not so famous holiday called Tomb Sweeping Day.  Basically a chance for the Chinese to pay their respects to deceased family members.  Historically they go to the tomb or burial places and burn paper (fake) money to pay respects, clean the tomb and remember their loved ones. 


My weekend was spent catching up with old friends.  I went down to Dongguan and had dinner Friday night with my old China team from my previous company.  A good chance to catch up as I hadn't seen them since resigning.  Then Saturday into Shekou where I lived before and dinner/drinks with friends followed by a Easter brunch on Sunday with a large group.  Then a relaxing day here in Shanghai on Monday before works starts back up tomorrow.

World Expo

Two years ago I was lucky enough to be in China to experience the Bejing Olympics.  This year, in one month's time begins the World Expo here in Shanghai.  It's a 6 month experience that is supposed to bring folks from all around the world.  

Shanghai has done a tremendous amount of construction and cleaning to get ready for it.  In recent weeks The Bund has basically re-opened with new walkways, viewing areas, etc.  Lots of construction still to be done though...

Today was one of the first good days to wander outside.  Not particularly warm but I was happy to be in a t-shirt!

Residency Permit and a visit to the police station

Well since I'm living here completely legitimately now, I needed to visit the police station and register my residency. Apparently this needs to be done within 72 hours of arrival. I was about 1 day late. So that meant I paid a 100RMB fine (about $14US). However the headache with paying the fine was typical China. I had to go to the station to get the ticket, then go to a bank across town, pay the fine, get a receipt and return to the police station to get the permit.  Below is the permit.

When I return to the states in April I'll need to go to the Chinese Embassy and submit other forms for my work visa in order to be totally legit. It's all a process I guess but not much fun, especially when dealing with the language barrier.

Below is my ticket for registering late.  I can't read it but for sure I did pay the fine.

Brunch

We had a very cool day today. We took a customer out to brunch at the Westin. It's considered to be the best brunch in Shanghai and it didn't disappoint! Food on two floors, endless drinks, and entertainment. Nice way to entertain some customers, relax and get some good food!










Not a bad way (or a hard way) to spend a Sunday....

Sorry about the quality of the photos but they were taken from my phone as I forgot the camera.

Plane Food

Today was a first. Was flying back from Guangzhou (southern China) to home in Shanghai. Luckily we got the upgrade to business class, although it really wasn't very nice but still.

Meal service. We had the offer of beef with noodles or hot snake! I guess hot snake is better than cold but still I choose the noodles. Maybe if I wasn't stuck on the plane I would venture out...but maybe not.

My birthday

Today I turned 37 and spent it very casually. Went to the store, the gym and then the airport for a flight down south. I don't really know many folks here yet so I didn't miss going out in all honesty.

The nice thing was I received a couple of presents from my new China staff on Friday along with a big old cake! Yup that's it in the box.

Looks good huh? It was! A nice gesture on their part plus it was big enough for everyone to enjoy.

On a side note I learned more about how old I am. Generally when you are born in China you are 1 year old because of the time spent in the womb. But because I was born in March, meaning I was in the womb during one year and born in another then I'm essentially 2 years older. So if you were to give someone my info they would say I'm 39 years old! Weird!

The Job

So what do I do these days you ask? I'm working for a NY based textile company that sells fabric basically. We sell to manufacturer's and retailers directly. Fabric to be used on sofa's, for outdoor furniture, for bedding and window treatments. I'm responsible for the upholstery business (meaning for sofa's, chairs, etc).

So it has kept me in the same industry - furniture basically - but at the same time almost everything is new to me. New customers, new terminology, new processes, etc. Lots to learn.

In addition to direct sales I also essentially run the operations of the office. We've got about 45 people right now and hiring more. There are two other Americans here as well. One handles our contract business and product sourcing and has been here for 3 years. She's been a huge help so far! The other moved over just after me and he is going to be responsible for all our quality issues.

So long story is I sell fabric to customers, run the office and spend a fair amount of time entertaining customers. When a customer lands in China they are usually 12-14hours upside down so to speak. Having an American they can count on to take them to a decent dinner or grab drinks is a relief for those who don't know where to go. So it will become my job to be their concierge here in China. Not a bad gig all in all but lots of work.

Arrival in Shanghai

(View from my new apartment...)


All my bags and bike made it to Shanghai as planned on Friday night. Saturday I went to my new apartment to get keys and make sure everything worked. Then off to Carrefour (like a Wal-Mart) to buy supplies - blankets, sheets, pillows, kitchen ware, etc...

Saturday night I was invited to a moving party. Not for me but friends of mine who I knew in Shenzhen were moving out to Hong Kong the next day. Sad to see them go but was good to get out and meet others.

Sunday I left my hotel and completely moved in to my apartment. Very nice place, especially in comparison to my apartment in Shenzhen. Probably close to 1,400 sq feet (including balcony and such that is unusable space). 2 bedrooms (room for guests) and decent size living/dining area. All in all it will be home. For now it's sparse.

Sunday night was the Latern Festival. Traditional festival for the first full moon of Chinese New Year. All in all that to me that simply meant tons of fireworks!

The Move...

The week of my move (Feb 22nd week) turned from controlled chaos to just plain chaos. Monday ended up with last second root canal which delayed getting my crown finalized until Wed. Good news is the pain was nominal for a root canal.

Tuesday the movers came to put everything into storage. I was not certain that the space I had rented would be enough for all my life to fit in. However when all was said and done there was plenty of space in the 10'x15' space.

Wednesday was back to the dentist to get the crown finished. Then off for all the last minute packing, trips to storage with a few more things and the sale of my car. I was staying in a hotel since everything else was in storage. The night before my flight I realized my luggage was really heavy! Off to find a scale to buy, found one at BB&B for $20 and weighed everything. Yup heavy! After a few more hours of re-packing I think I had it maximized for efficiency and least amount of excess charges.

Thursday morning, day of my flight. Needed to get 4 large suitcases, 1 medium carry on, one bike in a travel box (not small but thankfully on wheels) and backpack to the airport. Got a taxi van and off I went...

Flight delayed 4 hours but I'm off...