Alan Weighs In

(posted by Alan)
Click on pictures to see them full size.


76kg (167lbs in American language)

In a tribute to my friend Eric at www.ericweighsin.blogspot.com, I'll be keeping track of my weight while I'm here in China. But unlike Eric, I'm trying NOT to lose weight. My first year in China back in 2003, I dropped 10 pounds despite still working out regularly and eating plenty. There just wasn't enough meat in my diet to maintain muscle. Eggs and tofu are NOT a substitute for meat. But that was in a small town in Henan province. Here in Shanghai, meat portions still aren't as bountiful as back in the States, but there IS decent meat here. It's going to take some effort and my small stock of protein bars that I brought with me, but I think I can maintain.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Our excuse is that the last 5 days have been spent searching, securing and setting up our new apartment. We got a great place, right by the subway in an awesome area. For anyone that knows Shanghai at all, we're right by XuJiaHui, the Herald Square of Shanghai. We're right in the former French Concessions, a former French settlement in the 18 and 1900's that kept it's distinct architecture and is now a popular area for its shopping and international makeup. We're on the top (25th) floor of a high rise with two bedrooms, so we have a place to stay for anyone that comes out here to visit. We even hit up Ikea and got a really comfortable fold-out bed. My favorite part about the apartment besides its location are the unobstructed views to the north and the east of the entire city. I'm going to wait until we have our place more set-up before I show you pictures of the inside, but a picture of the view is below. To the right in the distance, you can see the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Jin Mao Tower and the brand new World Financial Center, which has the highest observation deck in the world.
So within one week of arriving, we've made alot of good friends and contacts. I've joined an expat basketball league, we've played Ultimate Frisbee, found an apartment, discovered some awesome local restaurants and got to know the city really well.

Shanghai really is a dynamic place to be. We've marvelled at how interesting the people here are. It seems like every other person we meet has an interesting story as to how they ended up here and what they're doing. People are here from all over the world. Add all of that to the experience of learning and exploring another country and culture. Things here are SOO different and although I've lived in China before, there's nowhere else in China like Shanghai. It has a culture unto itself. Who knows how long we'll be here, but there's one thing we know for sure about our time here: it will definitely NOT be boring.

Check back soon for more frequent updates from now on. And as always, pictures:

IKEA Shanghai (the couch i'm testing is NOT the one we bought)

1 of many awesome noodle shops. 5RMB (75 cents) a bowl.


Daisy w/HaiBao. The 2010 World Expo (in Shanghai) Mascot.