Let's try to get everyone caught up on what's going on. For anyone who may not know, I have accepted an assignment with my employer that will take us to China for a few years. So far we have sold our house and motorhome, as well as some of our personal belongings. We are now living in an apartment overlooking the marina in downtown Madison. We'll be here until late-July when we fly to Shanghai to begin our lives there.
A few weeks ago, we took a house hunting trip to Shanghai. It was the first time for Kristi, Katie, and Emily to see their new hometown. We found an apartment, hired an ayi (maid), and introduced the girls to their school. We even found a church.
Shanghia can be a little overwhelming at times but the area we will live in is pretty laid back. The Huang Pu river divides the city into two parts. The area west of the river is called Puxi ("xi" is Chinese for west and is pronounced shee). This is the old part of the city and is very crowded, has narrow streets, and is full of skyscrapers. 
To the east of the river is Pudong ("dong" is Chinese for east and is pronounced - well...dong). This is the newer part of the city; most buildings were built in the last 10 years. The streets are wider, there are fewer skyscrapers, and everything is more spread out. By Western standards, Pudong alone would be a large city (~2 million people) but it's a small part of Shanghai.
Being smaller, more modern, and less crowded than Puxi, Pudong is attracting a lot of the Western expats who are swarming to Shanghia right now - including us. Specifically, we will live in an area of Pudong called Jin Qiao ("Jin Qiao" is Chinese for golden bridge and is pronounced jin chow). We chose a ground floor apartment in Green Court. Green Court is a pretty big complex that houses mostly Americans and Britons, as well as a few Asians. Our apartment is 2700 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Being on the ground floor, we also have a garden. Evidently "garden" is Chinese for a 3-foot wide strip of grass because that's all we got. Actually it's a pretty nice little secluded area that's going to be great considering that most places have only a small patio for outdoor space.
One of the primary reasons we chose this apartment is it's location. It is only a couple of blocks from the school Katie and Emily will attend. The school is Concordia International School Shanghai http://www.ciss.com.cn/. CISS is a medium-sized school with approximately 1,000 students in K-12. It teaches an American curriculum and is owned by the Lutheran church. Like everything else in China, it's growing at a rapid pace. Presently, they are finishing construction on a new fine arts center and a new elementary school. It's a fantastic school that will give the girls opportunities they never would have had elsewhere. Emily's first field trip this fall will be a week-long trip to Beijeng, while Kate has a variety of programs she must choose from. In the past, some of the choices have included hiking the Three Gorges area, taking a train trip thru northern China, or learning to scuba dive.
If you've read all this, you must really be interested in what we're doing. Or you've just got too much time on your hands and you need to find a hobby. Whichever the case is, check back here often as we plan to post regular updates. And please keep us updated on what's going on in your lives. You can reach us at baamick@gmail.com or kristiamick@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading and we look forward to hearing from you.
Brian, Kristi, Katie, and Emily
A few weeks ago, we took a house hunting trip to Shanghai. It was the first time for Kristi, Katie, and Emily to see their new hometown. We found an apartment, hired an ayi (maid), and introduced the girls to their school. We even found a church.
Shanghia can be a little overwhelming at times but the area we will live in is pretty laid back. The Huang Pu river divides the city into two parts. The area west of the river is called Puxi ("xi" is Chinese for west and is pronounced shee). This is the old part of the city and is very crowded, has narrow streets, and is full of skyscrapers. 
To the east of the river is Pudong ("dong" is Chinese for east and is pronounced - well...dong). This is the newer part of the city; most buildings were built in the last 10 years. The streets are wider, there are fewer skyscrapers, and everything is more spread out. By Western standards, Pudong alone would be a large city (~2 million people) but it's a small part of Shanghai. 
Being smaller, more modern, and less crowded than Puxi, Pudong is attracting a lot of the Western expats who are swarming to Shanghia right now - including us. Specifically, we will live in an area of Pudong called Jin Qiao ("Jin Qiao" is Chinese for golden bridge and is pronounced jin chow). We chose a ground floor apartment in Green Court. Green Court is a pretty big complex that houses mostly Americans and Britons, as well as a few Asians. Our apartment is 2700 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Being on the ground floor, we also have a garden. Evidently "garden" is Chinese for a 3-foot wide strip of grass because that's all we got. Actually it's a pretty nice little secluded area that's going to be great considering that most places have only a small patio for outdoor space.One of the primary reasons we chose this apartment is it's location. It is only a couple of blocks from the school Katie and Emily will attend. The school is Concordia International School Shanghai http://www.ciss.com.cn/. CISS is a medium-sized school with approximately 1,000 students in K-12. It teaches an American curriculum and is owned by the Lutheran church. Like everything else in China, it's growing at a rapid pace. Presently, they are finishing construction on a new fine arts center and a new elementary school. It's a fantastic school that will give the girls opportunities they never would have had elsewhere. Emily's first field trip this fall will be a week-long trip to Beijeng, while Kate has a variety of programs she must choose from. In the past, some of the choices have included hiking the Three Gorges area, taking a train trip thru northern China, or learning to scuba dive.
If you've read all this, you must really be interested in what we're doing. Or you've just got too much time on your hands and you need to find a hobby. Whichever the case is, check back here often as we plan to post regular updates. And please keep us updated on what's going on in your lives. You can reach us at baamick@gmail.com or kristiamick@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading and we look forward to hearing from you.
Brian, Kristi, Katie, and Emily
