Here's the NEWS:
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| Photo: Destination360 |
This was a very sudden trip that needed to be taken by Travis for work, as we just found out about it last Thursday. I'm extremely nervous going to a country that speaks Mandarin, as I know nothing about the language (yet), but even more nervous about traveling with an infant...halfway around the world. Wow. It should be a trip for sure.
A couple of things:
- My Dad is staying at our house, so there will be someone here at all times and Mr. Murphy kitty will not be alone.
- My little sister, Liza, will be using my race bib for the Iron Girl 5K in Greenlake on the 11th of Sept. I'm bummed to miss this fun race, but I know Liza will have a great time. Remember last year her appendix burst the day before and she couldn't run it?...what a wimp! Ha! ;)
- My You Go Girl Half Marathon bib is up for grabs if someone wants to buy it off me. Again, super bummed I'm missing this race too! I love these ladies! You will be an automatic team member of "Will Run for Ice Cream." Let me know if you want the bib!
- There are a bunch of reviews I need to do when I get back, so hopefully I'll get some writing done over in China. We'll see.
- I will have internet access, but I know Facebook doesn't work...we'll see about Blogger and such. EEK!
Goober is going international, baby!
Anyone been to China before? Tips/advice?
I'm going to miss you all!!!!
my sister lived there for a year, and i have other friends who lived & worked there for some time. they didn't know the language either but all managed to survive :)
ReplyDeletei think facebook is actually not totally blocked... i know at one point both fb and blogger were. blogger still may be, but my friends have been able to get on fb. i don't know if they have to do anything special though.
how exciting!!! keep a journal - i can't wait to hear about it!
OMG...that is the craziest thing I've ever heard. You must have nerves of steel. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!!! You will do fine...as far as internet, when I have gone to other countries all the internet sites are in that language, so I couldn't tell where I was going or what I was reading! But hopefully you'll be able to jut enjoy the city and the culture!! And Goober will do just fine! Just take everything she will need as far as food. WHo knows what they will have over there for her to eat! This is just so awesome!! I guess I could come along as a nanny/chaperone/moral support....
ReplyDeletewow! that should be a pretty crazy fun experience! that's very awesome that you don't have to be apart for that month! have fun and don't stress too much... i know i would be haha
ReplyDeleteInsane! What an amazing experience! Does this mean I won't see you and that adorable baby of yours?
ReplyDeleteOh that is so cool! A month is a great amount of time too...not so long that you get sick of it, but not too short that you wont get to check a ton of things out.
ReplyDeletePlus how cool will it be when Goober gets older and gets to tell people she lived in China! :)
Safe travels!
Oh my word! That is crazy! Good luck and enjoy your time there. That should be an awesome experience! Have a safe trip!!!
ReplyDeleteDude. I didn't realize you leave on the 29th! I need to try to see you on Thursday morning. Eeeeek!
ReplyDeleteWow! That is some exciting news! I'm sure this will turn out to be a great trip! Safe travels!
ReplyDeleteThat is BIG! I hope you and the family enjoy such an awesome experience.
ReplyDeleteThat's so exciting!!
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! Have a blast! When I was in highschool I did a month long exchange with a Japanense family and I fell in love with Japan. I love everything about that country and want to go back. My biggest piece of advice is in regards to food - you have to take 2 or 3 bites of everything before you say you do not like it. I stuck to this rule and I discovered a whole new world of food.
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes! That is craziness! Safe travels and take lots of pics!!!!
ReplyDeleteExciting! I agree - great opportunity, and a month is a great amount of time. My mom just returned from a 14 day trip and wanted to stay longer. (The only thing she didn't like were the public bathrooms - stall with no actual toilet.)
ReplyDeleteHave fun!
Wow! Have a great time!
ReplyDeleteGirl you are so brave to handle this with an infant! What a great experience you will have. Photos, journal and video so when Goober is old enough you can share it all!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, scary but also EXCITING!!! Good luck!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is craziness! But how exciting! You and Goobs should have tons of fun, just remember when you are there its just called food, not "chinese" food!
ReplyDeleteI would totally buy your bib if I thought I could even run a mile by then!
Have a great time!!!
ReplyDeletewhat an incredible opportunity!! I am sure it will be a fantastic adventure -- and you will have a ton of fun!!
ReplyDeleteSafe travels :)
Very big and very exciting! Enjoy your time there.
ReplyDeleteWow that is HUGE!!! What a cool and fun opportunity!
ReplyDeleteThat is sooo exciting!! I hope you are able to blog while there! I want to live thru you!
ReplyDeleteHow much were you selling the bib for? I so wish I could run it, but sucks I don't live in WA to run all my fav races.
That is such a great opportunity! One month is just enough time to get a feel for things but hopefully not go crazy (no FB??)!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to photos and stories when you get back :) Take pictures of food, PLEASE!
I'd run on the Great Wall. Have a great adventure in China!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I live in Beijing right now and here are a few tips I can recommend:
ReplyDelete1. Your blog and facebook WILL be blocked. You can get around this w/ a VPN (google witopia). You might not want to waste the money though if you think you can hold out. Personally, though, I couldn't live w/o it for a week.
2. I've been in Beijing for 1.5 years and my mandarin is pathetic. Ni hao (hello) & xie xie (pronounced a few different ways but "shay shay" will work - means thank you) will actually get you really far. Definitely learn xie xie - it can be really awkward when people are doing things for you (opening car doors, loading your groceries, etc and not having a response for them). Ni hao you probably already have by now. Shanghai is more "english friendly" than Beijing so you'll be fine. You'll be surprised how far you can go w/o needing Mandarin.
3. Check itunes to see if there's a Shanghai taxi guide. There's one for Beijing ($10) and it's awesome. You just look up where you want to go in english and press a button and it turns it into a card you can show the taxi driver. If not, I think City Weekend Shanghai has listings of places and they'll text the directions to your phone in mandarin.
4. Have a BLAST!! China is so awesome. I haven't been to Shanghai (going there for the first time on Dec 4th to do my first ever 1/2 marathon!!) but have heard it's the best city in China (for expats).
If you have any questions give me a shout - danazemke@gmail.com I've really enjoyed stalking your blog the past couple of months so anything I can do to repay you for the advice/entertainment is my pleasure.
What an incredible opportunity! My in-laws just moved back last month from Pudong, Shanghai (Tang Zhen District) after living there for 3 years! We were able to vist them for two weeks last march! Shanghai is so huge it takes over 3 hours to get from one side to the other! But because you are going there for work you will probably be near the downtown area..im guessing!
ReplyDeleteLike Dana said your FB WILL be blocked so download a VPN before you go. The one we used while we were there and the one my in-laws used was Express VPN.
There is so MUCH to do while you are there you wont be bored! A trip to YuYuan Garden is a must it is so cool! Also make sure you take a trip to the underground market and bargin for the things you want. If they dont give it to you for the price you want walk away and then they usually follow to bargin more!
Have fun and enjoy your trip...its a once in a lifetime experience!
If you have any questions email me eimersjourneythroughlife@yahoo.com
What an experience! Have a great time!
ReplyDeleteCool blog.
ReplyDeleteChina's fun, check out Hangzhou especially around the west Lake.
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