A few photos from Liujiazui.

Hey dudes and dudettes! Sorry we haven’t posted anything in quite some time, but we’ve finally got some pictures together of our little home on the eighth floor. We’ve warmed to calling it home and it serves as welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.

A home away from home! Not to be missed!

3 br / 1 bath

Feast your eyes on a truly unique apartment in luxurious Pudong. Upon entering, you’ll immediately notice the space is lovingly adorned almost solely with hand-assembled IKEA furniture with very few pieces left over! The living area is comfy and you’ll just love snuggling into that big, bubbly couch. The dining area offers seating for four and an ornate change bowl sits atop to service your need for coinage. Who needs a full-size oven when a combination countertop microwave/conventional duo is heating up the scene?! This cracking kitchen keeps the culinary creativity cooking. The master bedroom has a walk-up-to closet and so does the guest room. The third bedroom has been converted into a spacious office where productivity can surely soar!

All of these amenities can be yours if you venture this way!

Where's Waldo/Wally, er, Lucinda?

Ah, Shanghai. How we’ve missed you.

We’ve just made it through our first wild week in the city we now call home (again.) It’s been like reuniting with an old friend that, while you forgot that maybe they talk a bit loud at dinner parties and drink from the milk bottle, you’re still very glad to be together again because, if that friend is at least one thing, they’re endearing and not at all boring. Ever.

The flight over here was a breeze. We boarded a half-empty plane and managed to score two whole rows to ourselves. Think first-class, but with three TVs at a 1/7th of the price. We both slept a good bit and it’s been a big help in battling the jet lag.

Lucinda’s been gearing up with meetings in preparation for the new school year. It’s been fun for her to meet the new teachers who have gathered from all over the world to work in Shanghai. Walking around her school campus she could see student artwork that she had hung almost four years ago – while it was nice to see she hadn’t been replaced completely, it is definitely time for some fresh pieces so she has her work cut out for her there. Her library is wonderful, such a welcoming and child-friendly space and the Chinese library technician is a real sweetie.

Yesterday, we had to undergo a medical check to complete the working visa process . Today, we now know that Chinese for ‘medical check’ must be also be the Chinese for ‘herd the cattle and test for quality’. It was a real buffet of fun tests like taking blood samples, having x-rays and EKGs, and eye exams whilst wearing unflattering robes amongst strangers. To be fair, it really wasn’t that bad. Maybe it was just because ‘nurse’ probably also means ‘salty prison guard’. During Phil’s ultrasound (no he’s not expecting), the nurse really went to town with the gel and ultrasound prober. This lady was really digging, as if she’d finally, after many years, gotten fed up with the grainy black and white picture and wanted a view of the real thing. After quite a bit of that she shrieks, “get up!”. Ok. Phil’s now thinking, hey, maybe she found something in there. That was some mighty probing. Maybe he should ask if everything’s ok. So he does. The nurse looks up, pauses briefly, and shouts “you’re fat!” complete with a quick and dismissive hand wave towards the door. Like we said, checking for quality. We’ll get the rest of the results back in few weeks. Hopefully, they’ll let us stay.

Our apartment isn’t quite ready to reveal to the world, but here are some pics of the outside and our view. We are on the 8th floor of a high-rise that is surrounded by high-rises that are also surrounded by more high-rises. Full interior tour to come!

Visas – check. Suitcases – check. Day of departure – almost.

The big day has nearly arrived when we say ‘good-bye’ to the Land of the Free and ‘hello’ to the Home of the Chi. We’re headed to Shanghai. Pudong, really. Near Thumb Plaza? Not familiar? You know, here.

So here’s the plan… Lucinda has scored her dream job back at her old school, as teacher-librarian and primary art teacher. She’ll teach children from around the globe – children who, by the age of 8, have learned to speak at least 2 languages. They are a humbling bunch to be around. Phil will be applying his know-how behind the keyboard, working up a storm in the IT industry. Hopefully he will be working alongside enough Chinese folk to grow his Chinese language skills.

Having lived in China before, we are feeling more excited than anxious about our upcoming adventure. We hope we can see more of the country over the next few years and learn more of the fascinating Chinese culture and language. It’s been two years since we lived in Shanghai and we’re excited to see how much has changed. With China’s rapid pace of development, there are sure to be surprises.

We know there will be days that we will want to tear our hair out in frustration (China can be a CRAZY place!), but we hope and pray that the good days will far outnumber the bad. It’ll be a comfort to know that even on those bad days that we have each other to lean on as well as a mighty God who goes before us.