...new in Shanghai...

The first week has passed... a lot of first impressions and thoughts... I noticed that my way of experiencing this place is different from as it would have been, if we came here only for holiday... I always think about ways of dealing with everything that is different in the future... since we will stay here for a while :)

Living in the very central part of Shanghai has a good side... it is very good start point for visiting city. I cannot say that everything is very close, because nothing is close here :) But it is definitely easier to reach various places. If it only wasn't raining almost every day... But as I have heard today, only couple of weeks more and the weather will change :) to very hot and steamy one... :)

Interesting thing in my perception of this place is that it doesn't feel so strange as I expected it. I find my way around and enjoy it :)

But there is one thing that 'worries' me - language... It is difficult without knowing mandarin... and English doesn't help much... It is the biggest motivation for me to learn basics of mandarin... Let's see how it will go :) So far I recognize two words - exit and entrance, as well as 1, 2 and 3. Not bad, isn't it? :D

Shanghai is a huge city, but for some reasons not so overwhelming and there is something strangely calm about it (I know it may sound ridiculous, but it is true :)). This city, simply make sense :)

Until mid July we will live in the apartment on 21st floor with a very nice view to the sky scrapers on one side and the river on the other one. Then we will move to a calm area a little bit outside city center. So, I hope that until then we will manage to visit most of the places here in the center :)

And the boys:

Vincent - what a great big brother he is :) Marcel adores him as well. Vincent is very excited about China, he absorbs everything and feels very confident and self going. It feels good for me and Ro.

Marcel - today we made him laugh :) There are many wonderful things in the world, but baby's laughter makes its own category, not comparable with anything... Just lovely :)