Saturday, November 25, 2006

A Shangri La Thanksgiving


On Thanksgiving night Mandy and I went to the Shangri La Hotel in downtown Shanghai. It was the most incredible buffet that we've ever seen! There were seven different stations with food from around the world. We were a bit overwhelmed at first, but after a quick tour around the place, we dug in. It wasn't quite the same as a home-cooked meal, but under the circumstances, it worked pretty well. Besides the fact that there were no mashed potatoes, the meal was incredible. The desserts were beyond description - we even got gummi bears for the road. We certainly missed our friends and family that night, so we substituted those feelings and concentrated on food. We're very thankful for all of you who are including us in your thoughts and prayers. Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!

This is the dessert buffet - a beautiful sight!

One of the many dessert plates that we filled that night.

What? No mashed potatoes?

A view of one of the many buffet stations.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Thanksgiving in Mrs. Taylor's Room!


Mandy's first graders had a Thanksgiving Day buffet! Each of the kids brought in a dish - we had dumplings, Korean pizza, mashed potatoes, sushi, fried rice, and many other dishes (some we couldn't name). Most of the kids' mothers came in to eat with them. After the feast, the kids put on a little Thanksgiving show - the Thanksgiving A,B,C's and a few others. I was the guest photographer for the day. It was a little taste of America for us!

The impressive buffet.

Luke Miao digging in. For some reason every Chinese person gives the peace sign with their fingers when they pose for photographs. I think it's written into laws here.

Mrs. Taylor getting her grub on!

Some of the gang getting ready to perform.

Chris and Gina putting on a show for the parents.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! No, Thanksgiving is not a big deal over here - hard to believe, huh? We're celebrating by going to the Shangri La Hotel for their buffet. We've heard that it's the best in the city. I'm extremely thankful for all of my friends and family back home. Being on the opposite side of the globe from all of you really makes it obvious how important all of you are to me.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Basketball Fever Hits SMIC


The Sharks (boys team) began their season last night with a win against hated rival Concordia Academy. The team looks very good for only having had six practices. Basketball is king in China. I can't go very far without seeing Yao Ming jerseys - he's originally from Shanghai. The gym at SMIC is pretty run-down and cold, but we filled it up last night for the big win. The students are very supportive and cheer whether the teams win or lose. Shark spirit is contagious.

Min Chen looks unimpressed with my fancy new camera. She's from Boston and this is her first year in Shanghai. The kids are incredible here - they've made all of the new arrivals feel at home at SMIC - including the teachers. It's a very small school, and all of the kids are very close with one another. The support that they give each other is amazing!

Coach Brian Bates looks on dejectedly as the Lady Sharks go down to Concordia Academy. Concordia Academy is sort of the bully as far as sports go. They're the "rich kids" in the area and all of their teams are really good. They got the best of the Lady Sharks this night - to the tune of 48-16. Ouch.

A few Shark fans - also students in my tenth grade English class. Jessica, Gloria, and Min.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Apartment now officially ready for visitors!


We've settled on our living room arrangement - pretty exciting news, I know. You are looking at one of the most comfortable couches ever made.

Here's a random picture of our "dining room". We bought the table and chairs from another couple for about $30 - not bad, huh? We finally bought pictures and plants to make the place seem a little more cozy. Our place is looking pretty good right now.

I'm Back!

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I haven't been able to get into the blog page for some reason. Hopefully all of the problems are solved and I can start writing more.

This past weekend Mandy and I ran in the Terry Fox Foundation run for cancer research in Shanghai. It was publicized as a 4K run, but it seemed much shorter than that. We've been running to get ready for it, and it seemed like we had barely begun and it was over. We took a bus with about 10 students and 10 teachers from our school. It had been raining for the entire week, but it held off for the race. Surprisingly, I didn't win it.

Last Saturday the Sharks soccer team held its final tournament at the SMIC campus. It was cold and rainy the entire day and the Sharks did not respond well. We dropped three games and tied one. Not the best results, but we had a lot of fun.

We made dinner for Mandy's TA (Candy Lin - seated on the right) and my Chinese tutor (Rita Wu). We made spaghetti - a real American dining experience! They were our first dinner guests as a married couple - a real milestone.