Shanglows and Shanghighs

Shanglows (as our friend Kelly calls them):
• Natalie almost had to kick a lady to get her to not shine her shoes. The lady managed to get a dab of polish on the shoes before Natalie finally got away from her.
• You have to kiss many frogs before you find your prince. There are many properties here that are unbelievably bad, whether it’s decoration (every individual owner believes they are great decorators), location, or deterioration.
• When it rains, the streets and sidewalks don’t come clean. Instead they turn to mud!
• Natalie getting into our car and opening the door into a parked car beside us. In China, any accident damages are settled on the spot before either party leaves. I thought I was going to have to pay on the spot for damages. Luckily after checking it out, we just drove away.

Shanghighs:
• You can get a complete medical checkup which includes EKG, blood work, ultrasound, chest x-ray, vision, and respiratory check in less than 45 minutes at the cost of around $90 US.
• We will probably either live in a penthouse apartment on the 31st floor (yes, that is high and on a clear day you can see for miles) or in an apartment on the 6th floor. You can’t see as far from the 6th floor, but it does have a very nice view.
• Papa John’s and McDonalds still taste like home.
• We have many friends here already and they are TREMENDOUS helps.
• The fruit is amazing. You can purchase a whole pineapple for about $1 US. It is also sweeter than at home. I have mango juice for breakfast every morning.

That’s all for now! Mark