Living in China (pictures inside!) UPDATED

So as many of you know my husband, Chuck and I are living in Shanghai, China. I was re-reading some old posts and Camacho had asked if I had any pictures to share. I have well over a thousand, but I've only enclosed a few below.

I also figured I'd tell you a little bit about what life has been like here. It has been a great adventure and a great challenge. Neither one of us speak the language, so that has probably been the most difficult thing. And the culture is SO DIFFERENTthan home. It has certainly taken some getting used to. It has definitely given me a greater appreciation for home. I miss EVERYTHING (especially our families, but also driving a car, being able to communicate with people, being able to go grocery shopping and finding normal foods, seeing blue sky on a regular basis). I'll certainly admit that I don't like living in China but I'm so thankful that we've gotten this amazing opportunity- it is such an amazing experience to get to live in another country.

A lot of you have been very supportive of me as you know how hard it's been for me. Thank you for that- I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

So, here are the pictures:
The Pudong (east side) of the Huangpu River- it wasn't developed until 1994


The Puxi (west side) of the Huangpu River- developed by the Europeans (mostly British) in the 19th Century



Zhou Zhuang Water Village:




Pearl Tower in Shanghai:


Our Apartment:


Baby Panda:


Chinese Toilet:


Terra Cotta Warriors:



The Great Wall (AMAZING!!!)



Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City:



I forgot to mention that I have off from school today because of Hurrican Wipha. We woke up this morning and expected the weather to be crazy outside but there was no rain and no wind. It has only started raining in the last hour (its 3:15) and should progress through the night. But the storm has been decreasing in strength as it's headed to Shanghai, so we're not too worried.