Ni Hao

Ni Hao (hello) from China. Xan and I made it into Shanghai last night at about 9:30pm (our last flight was delayed getting out of JFK) and then we had to claim our luggage, go thru customs and then make the 2 hour drive to Suzhou. We got to the hotel about midnight. The flights went well and we didn't have any major snags. The biggest hurdle we had to jump was Xan's dvd player dying after only 1 hour into the long flight. I hadn't let her watch anything up until that point so she was very excited about watching the new movies that Nana had gotten her. So....you can imagine her disappointment (and mine) when it quit working. We just made the best of it and made good use of the backpack full of goodies that Danielle had given Xan before we left. We colored, and doodled and colored some more and then tried to sleep some on the plane. Xan did better than I did with that but overall I would call our journey a success. I'm pretty proud of making an international trip with 4 (very heavy) suitcases, 2 backpacks, one carryon, a stoller and a great 4 year old.
Stan was waiting on us when we arrived and we were both very happy to see that familiar face. He and his driver loaded all our baggage and off we went. I have been battling a cold and then got a little car sick on the airplane so I was glad to let someone else take charge and lay my head down for a minute.
The hotel is very nice and I will not mind at all having to spend a couple of days here letting someone else do the picking up and eating in the hotel restaurant. We are on the 27th floor so the view is nice too. This morning we had a late breakfast and then back to the room for a morning nap. Today was rainy and a bit foggy but we ventured out for a bit this afternoon. Stan had set up an appointment with the realtor he has been using to show us the apartment that we will be moving into. If everything goes as planned then we could be in later this week or weekend. Stan had told me that I wouldn't be disappointed and he was right. The apartment is very nice and we like the furnishings too. There is a playground just outside the front door that will be a frequent stop for us I'm sure. Xan was so excited to go see it but fell asleep in the car on the way over. I took some pics to show her and she was very happy when she saw them too. Pictures........did I say pictures......why yes I did. I know that all of you are just dying to see pictures of where I'm going to be living for the next 2 years. Well--unfortunately I'm having trouble getting them to upload. I've spent about an hour and keep getting an error. I'll try again tomorrow and maybe when I've had a bit more sleep I'll be more "with it".
Thanks for all the well wishes and kind words....I'm feeling your love!