I realized that I never really updated everyone on the apartment situation. Bottom line- the gas leak is fixed and we decided to just stay where we are. I'll spare everyone the drama that it took to get it fixed. Anyway, I also realized that I have posted a lot of negative things about living here so I thought I would use this post to highlight some of the positives. For one thing, Shanghai is a very international city. There was a huge french & european influence in the city before WW2 which has carried over to the architecture & restaraunt scene today. You can get any type of food you want here (included Mexican, I was surprised to find out). There are a lot of 5 star restaraunts too. We finally went out for the first time last Friday (without kids) and met up with another Minnesota couple. They introduced us to 2 couples from Ireland and we all went to a Belgian beer tasting at an Irish bar. Why is it that no matter where you go in the world, they have a good Irish bar? Anyway, for awhile I actually forgot I was in China because there were so many "westerners" as we caucasians are called here.
Another good thing about Shanghai is that since it is growing so fast, there is definitely an air of excitement and optimism here. It is a vibrant place and there is always something going on and something fun to do (if you can stand the crowds). That's it for today but as I get out and about more, I am sure I will have more fun stories for everyone.