Friday, August 3, 2007
Views from the bus window on the way to SAS
The views from the bus on the way to school on our first visit showed the stark contrast that Shaghai is now known for. Ultra modern high-rises surrounded by the old and poor. The infrastructure is rapidly being updated with nice wide roads with beautiful landscaping. Old world meets the New, China here we are.
First Impressions
We've made it to the great Shanghai, largest of Chinese cities and our new home. The 14 hour non-stop flight from Chicago was long but uneventful. The 12-hour time difference has wreaked havoc on our internal clocks making jet lag brutal, especially for the girls who can't take advantage of heavy caffeine doses to get them through the lows.
SAS (Shanghai American School) had a representative meet us at the airport with envelopes of cash and to facilitate our getting through customs and our cat Shakti getting to her quarantine. All went smoothly. We stepped out of the airport into the stiffling heat, humidity and pollution that is Shanghai reality in summer. Temps in the upper 90's to 100 with humidity in the 80's to 90's, making the heat index about 110. Pretty brutal. The air is heavy and visiblilty poor.
The airport in Pudong, the eastern side of Shanghai, is huge and modern and very effecient. Actually, we are seeing the same everywhere in Shanghai. It is a huge, modern, and mostly very effecient place. The old is being swept away by thousands of cranes and millions of workers. Wide, modern highways, very impressive and manicured landscaping along every road and highway.
Our apt. complex is an impressive development. Over a dozen low-rise, luxury apartments, super well-manicured grounds with waterways, ponds, playgrounds, walking paths, grass, trees, flowerbeds, and workers everywhere keeping it all in tip top shape. But with a very strong smell of herbisides and insectisides in the air ensuring it's sterility. Offensive smells abound from paint and building materials and cleaners. Far from au naturel.
Our apt. left us impressed indeed. Larger than we expected, it must be around 1,500 square feet. Our unit has never been occupied. Beautiful hardwood floors in all but the master bedroom which has carpet. Very modern recessed lighting, lots of windows, two balconies - one off the living room overlooking a pond and internal complex grounds and one off the master bedroom overlooking the exterior road and not so pleasant power lines (one of the only downers). The master bath is amazing. Wall to wall and floor to ceiling polished marble. Glass corner shower, corner deep tub, double sink with full wall mirror and vanity, glass doored toilet, huge space, huge windows, walk-in closed with vanity, floor to ceiling mirror, built-ins, tons of hanging space etc. Really impressive touches everywhere. Concrete walls make it very sound proff.
I'll give details on first impressions of the school later.
SAS (Shanghai American School) had a representative meet us at the airport with envelopes of cash and to facilitate our getting through customs and our cat Shakti getting to her quarantine. All went smoothly. We stepped out of the airport into the stiffling heat, humidity and pollution that is Shanghai reality in summer. Temps in the upper 90's to 100 with humidity in the 80's to 90's, making the heat index about 110. Pretty brutal. The air is heavy and visiblilty poor.
The airport in Pudong, the eastern side of Shanghai, is huge and modern and very effecient. Actually, we are seeing the same everywhere in Shanghai. It is a huge, modern, and mostly very effecient place. The old is being swept away by thousands of cranes and millions of workers. Wide, modern highways, very impressive and manicured landscaping along every road and highway.
Our apt. complex is an impressive development. Over a dozen low-rise, luxury apartments, super well-manicured grounds with waterways, ponds, playgrounds, walking paths, grass, trees, flowerbeds, and workers everywhere keeping it all in tip top shape. But with a very strong smell of herbisides and insectisides in the air ensuring it's sterility. Offensive smells abound from paint and building materials and cleaners. Far from au naturel.
Our apt. left us impressed indeed. Larger than we expected, it must be around 1,500 square feet. Our unit has never been occupied. Beautiful hardwood floors in all but the master bedroom which has carpet. Very modern recessed lighting, lots of windows, two balconies - one off the living room overlooking a pond and internal complex grounds and one off the master bedroom overlooking the exterior road and not so pleasant power lines (one of the only downers). The master bath is amazing. Wall to wall and floor to ceiling polished marble. Glass corner shower, corner deep tub, double sink with full wall mirror and vanity, glass doored toilet, huge space, huge windows, walk-in closed with vanity, floor to ceiling mirror, built-ins, tons of hanging space etc. Really impressive touches everywhere. Concrete walls make it very sound proff.
I'll give details on first impressions of the school later.
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