Now that I’ve moved in Japan and have a bit of hindsight and perspective I thought I’d share my thoughts for those of you considering making the big move to Shanghai, or perhaps elsewhere in China. I moved to China for a teaching position at an international school at very short notice and had an…
Category: New life in Shanghai
How to find the right apartment in Shanghai
Many new expats are put off by the thought of having to find an apartment or house by themselves, often in a very short time frame. Finding an apartment can be fairly easy, as there’s a lot of choice, but you need to decide quickly as new apartments on the market could go within days or even hours. This is my guideline based on personal experience to help you find the right apartment or house in Shanghai –
Your checklist for moving to China
Now that we’ve lived for almost a year in Shanghai, I would like to share my knowledge with newbies who are about to move to China. Especially all those things I wanted to know and couldn’t find out before we left! Apps to download for China Translator, Pleco & Google Translate It’s extremely important…
Wicked!
Last night, I went to Shanghai Culture Square on South Shaanxi Road to see Wicked, the musical. As many friends have recommended it to me, I had bought the tickets with colleagues ages ago (just after we went to the Christmas fair!). What can I say – it was the best musical I’ve ever seen!…
Living in Shanghai is like…
#1 International Literature Getting really exciting about finding a bookshop only to realise while browsing inside, that they only sell Chinese books. #2 Being a Foreigner People either staring at you in fascination or ignoring/being rude to you, because you’re a foreigner. #3 Fake Everything When you don’t believe any branded items to be real…
Misconceptions about Chinese New Year
Happy Chinese New Year! It was beginning to feel a lot like… well for me Christmas… but in general the big festive season! Our compound and work place has decorated everything nicely with fairy lights outside and red Chinese decorations on the walls and windows. (I swear, I smelled mulled wine on the streets of…
Culture Clash ‘No.’
This post just outlines one of the many culture clashes and is my story of being told ‘no’. The first time I encountered this was at the Hyatt on the Bund in Shanghai, when we visited the bar with a couple of friends, it was my turn to order and I pointed at the menu…
German Christmas Markets in Shanghai
Paulaner Christkindlmarkt (Pudong) Over the last two weekends, I have visited two of the various Christmas markets in Shanghai. Two weeks ago I went all the way to the German Christmas market at the Paulaner Hofbräu (Expo) in Pudong with colleagues. The weather was fabulous with warm temperatures and blue sky, the entrance fee very…
Fresh sushi, Australian steak and Belgian beer at the K11 Art Mall
It’s a while since I have blogged here. It’s been a busy few weeks! So now that the initial shock of living in China is slightly subsiding (it already feels like we’ve been here forever!) we’ve decided this blog could usefully serve as a place to review the many excellent eating and drinking places that…
Oktoberfest in Shanghai
On Saturday we have been invited to a birthday party at the Oktoberfest at the Paulaner Bräuhaus @ Expo, Pudong. The birthday girl had reserved a table for all of us and we could choose a menu for the evening. The boys chose the meaty menu with lots of different sausages, Kassler (gammon steak), chicken, Kohlrouladen…
Jitensha Adventure 