Week in Review

The week has gone by so quickly, I thought I would just post a "week in review".

Monday - Visit to the Shanghai Museum, it's free and the collection is nice and well organized. The building has 4 floors. The collection is comprised of all Chinese artifacts and reminded me of the Getty Museum in Los Angles. I find that collection 'nice' and well organized but rather dull. If you are someone who will only be able to visit one museum in your life time the Getty offers a nice overview of art, same with the Shanghai Museum.Here is a picture of the museum.

I went with my gal pal Kate Hayes and we did a little lunch after our museum visit. We first tried to find Barbarossa, located in Peoples Park near the Museum, we thought. We couldn't find it after a 3/4 lap around the park in poor walking shoes. We landed on the JW Marriott and Kate remembered that there was a restaurant that may be ok for a quick bit inside the hotel. It was as she predicted, only OK. It was a all you can eat dim sum menu for RMB 98 = $14.34 quite dear for a lunch that at best was ok.

Tuesday - Grocery shopping and some DVD shopping. Carpenter came to hang pictures in the apartment. Tony was sick as a dog and went to the Dr's, then tucked himself into bed.

Wednesday - Tony back to work, highly medicated with a huge dose of cipro. I went to the American Women's Club of Shanghai for the monthly coffee meet and greet. Then went to Carrefour for buy a water cooler. I am just so tired of buying water everyday. Now all I have to do is call the front desk and they call Nestle and a big jug of water is delivered. The cooler cost was RMB 199 = $29.26 and the 5 gallon jug cost RMB 19 = $2.79. I figure we will go through 2 jugs a week.Thursday - a visit to the Restaurant Supply store with the American Women's Club. Walked around a bit.

Friday - Found the Everlasting Spa around the corner from out apartment. Indulged in a 70 minute hot stone foot massage for RMB 88 = $12.94. Deeeelightful! Made a nice tabouhel salad for lunch on Saturday. Dinner with Ben and Carol Ward. Ben is one of the guys that Tony reports to. Dinner was at Casa 13, located inside a 1930s villa that once was the home of the French Consul the building was nice and there was a beautiful courtyard. It was already dark so I couldn't take a picture of it. But here is one of me in the lounge, behind me is a photograph of the Bund, doesn't everyone look better in candle light? Dinner was nice and the restaurant is about a 25 minute walk from the apartment so we are planning a return visit. Here is the link to the restaurant, if you go to picture 3 on the home page you can see the dining room. http://www.casa13.cn/Home.html

Saturday - went for a walk, bought some flowers and got my nails done. What a luxurious life I lead! Dinner was with Kathi and Todd at Maya a Mexican restaurant. What a great meal we had, no Chinese influenced meal here just good ole Mexican food. The restaurant is only a 10 minute walk from the apartment, we will be back!

Don't worry that I will become too spoiled, my job starts Feb. 23, orientation is Feb. 20. I will be teaching English at Donghua University. There are 2 locations for the university, one is about 4 miles up the road from the apartment on YanAn Road and the second is in Shanghai but located on the periphery of the city in a district called Song Jiang. The center of the map with the numbers is Shanghai proper. We live in number 5 the JingAn area. Donghua University in Songjiang, I am told, is about 50 minutes from our apartment. I am having the driver take me to this campus tomorrow. Sort of a dry run. I am meeting my boss and he will take me around, hopefully give me the text and requirements for the class as well.