Lots of catching up to do...

OK...it looks like I've found a way to post here even though I can't directly access this site. As the title of this post says, we have a lot to catch up on. You could say that we've had a pretty eventful week. Let's start with our trip over here and try to get everyone up to date.

We checked out of the place we were staying in Madison on Monday morning, July 30. I've got to stop here to tell everyone again - if you ever have friends or family who need a place to stay in Madison, we highly recommend you call Sam at the Hendricks-Beall B&B. You will be well taken care of (and well fed). Anyway, back to our story. We made it to the airport and checked in without a hitch, especially considering we checked 12 bags - several of which pushed the 70 lb. limit. Our flights were smooth, connections were on time, and we actually arrived in Shanghai a little early. We had no problems with the customs and immigration checks and all our luggage even showed up. At this point, however, the trip took a turn for the worse. We were supposed to have two vans meet us at the airport - one for us and one for all the luggage we brought with us. Well, we found our driver but he know nothing about a second van. So there we are with five of us (counting the driver) and something like 18 bags with only one van. Oh yeah, this would be a good time to mention that the Pudong airport has to be one of the hottest places on earth. We were able to squeeze all the bags in, then we all piled in for a nice, sweaty ride to the hotel. We found out later that Shirley, my HR rep, forgot to schedule the second van but we made it work.

So, 26 hours after we pulled out of Madison, we're finally at the Ramada in Pudong. We stayed at this hotel back in June and it's definitely not one of the better ones in Shanghai but it's only two blocks from our apartment so it's really convenient. When I made this reservation in June, I told them exactly which room I wanted. I should clarify here - these are suites with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Two bathrooms means two showers, right? Well, for some reason, at the Ramada both showers are in one bathroom. Now don't get me wrong. We like each other just fine and I like to think we're a close family. But we're not so close that we're going to double up when it comes time to take showers. So, from previous experience I knew which rooms had showers in each bathroom and they assured us that we were getting one of those rooms. Needless to say, they lied. Of course, one would probably be available the next day and we could have it then. And of course, I knew this was a lie too but at this point, we're just want to get some sleep so we go along. The room has been closed up with the air conditioning off so we turn on the AC, crank down the thermostat, and - nothing. They didn't bother to tell us when we checked in that the air conditioning in the whole building was messed up. It was working but just barely. It would be like trying to cool your house with your car's AC. To make a long story short, we made it thru a restless night, checked out in the morning, and headed for the Marriott. Oh yeah, we got to cram the 18 bags in the van again. Believe it or not, the guy at the front desk when we checked out just couldn't understand why we didn't want to stay there for another two weeks or so. After one night at the Ramada, the Marriott was like heaven.

I mentioned our driver earlier so let me tell you a little about him. There are two ways to get a driver here. You can interview them yourself and try to find one who suits you or you can take your chances and have one assigned to you. Well, I told Shirley what I wanted in a driver and left it up to her. She did the screening and sent me a couple to choose from. We ended up hiring a gentleman named Shen Bo. He is 30 years old, married, and expecting his first child this fall. He drove a taxi in Shanghai for three years and spent the last four driving for some German expats. He is safe (unlike many Chinese drivers), clean and polite (unlike many Chinese men), and knows where everything is in this city. He speaks very little English, but we are still able to communicate and get where we need to go. He's really pretty sharp. Somehow he always manages to get the best parking spots. And when he drops us off at a store, he's always waiting for us at the exit. Some of my Dow Corning colleagues went thru 4 or 5 drivers before they found a good one so we're very fortunate to have a driver like Shen Bo.

Now, back to our story. The day after we arrived, we met our realtor and checked out our apartment. It's pretty much ready - we're just missing a couple pieces of furniture. In the meantime, we settled into the Marriott while we wait for our stuff to arrive from the States. Before we can get our shipment, we have to get an import permit. Unfortunately, we have to get our residency and work permits in hand before we can even apply for the import permit. This whole process will take up to a month so we probably won't see our stuff until the first week of September.

In the middle of all this, we got work that Kristi's brother, Mike, was having some medical problems. He hadn't been feeling well even before we left home and had an appointment to see his doctor Monday. However, Sunday he was having trouble breathing and went to the emergency room. His kidneys were failing and lungs were messed up so he went to Norton's Hospital in Louisville. He's spent the last several days on a respirator in an induced coma. It took a few days to diagnose but it looks like he has Goodpasture's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease. It's still touch-and-go but it looks like he is turning the corner. He's still looking at several more weeks in the hospital, followed by many months of recovery. It's really been hard on Kristi because she can't be there to support and help her family. She fighting the urge to catch the next flight home but has decided to sit tight for the time being. Of course, any and all prayers are greatly appreciated.

Even though the Marriott is nice and we don't have any dishes, pans, blankets, or pillows, we went ahead and moved into our apartment this weekend. It's going to take a while to get everything set up and we're still eating most of our meals out but it is so nice to finally be in our own place. I'll try to post some pictures of our apartment soon so keep checking back here.