Celebrating our Independence in China

Happy 4th of July to all!

Today we celebrated it in Shanghai. On day four of my new adventure, I found myself at an expat 4th of July celebration hosted by the Shanghaiist. The event featured some American music fused with some Mongolian vocalists, a burger cook off, and "fireworks." It was great to hear American music, eat burgers, and drink beer under a scorching hot sun. Sun is a loose term as you rarely see the sun here, more of a haze of smog and pollution--the Shanghai haze. It was great to actually be out meeting people and speaking English. To date, my major accomplishments have included finding and using the subway, procuring a map, and eating at a a non-expat restaurant.

Shanghai is an amazing city, completely overwhelming and crowded but so much going on. With a plethora of expat and "going out" guides to choose from, there is something for everyone here on any given night. There is even a Shanghai Mac User group to please my inner geek. Maybe we can count down the days until the iPhone is released next year in Asia. So anyone able to get one in the US?

I found a great apartment that I will move into tomorrow (Monday) after I sign the contract. It has two bedrooms and is fully furnished...plenty of room for all you visitors out there. I will head out on Wednesday to visit Natalie in Changsha, Hunan and hopefully we will get to visit the area she has been living in for the past year. I also hope to get a crash course from her on how to order food, bargain down the white guy price, and tell a taxi where to go.

All in all it has been a great fews days and I am excited for what is to come...especially to get more of the language down.

All my pics from Europe are now up (just added St. Petersburg) here.

Take care!