I'm So Excited, and I just Can't Hide It!

Josh and I are shouting and rocking to Pointer-Sisters' " I'm So Excited." We're doing our happy dance because we just booked our trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia to witness the magnificence of Angkor Wat!!! I'm SO STOKED! I've wanted to travel there for years, and it is finally happening, just an 1.5 hr flight away next month. Besides the pure excitement of seeing one of the world's 7 wonders, I'm also looking forward to this unforgettable experience because it will be the trip we take to celebrate our 1-year wedding anniversary. Time sure flies!

Now I just need to book our hotel: La Residence D'angkor or The Sothea? Input and suggestions welcomed!

On a different note, I'm heading back to Shanghai this Wednesday and looking forward to lots of face to face time with some colleagues from Nutley, Basel, and Beijing. Will try to update via VPN. Thank God for VPN!

Dessert time, I'm out! :)

First weeks in Sing

Just when I started to let go of my habits and expectations such as can't always customize my coffee to a T, concept of deodorant is non-existent (don't worry, I brought 6), and that diet coke here tastes different, in exchange for what I soak in everyday living in foreign countries, which outweigh any of the minor discomforts being outside of the U.S., my mom and aunt decided to pay a visit and brought back all of the familiarities that I've been missing. They've just left for the airport this morning, and boy, do I have the blues. :(

Being in Singapore has been easy, especially after 2 weeks in Shanghai. Everyone speaks English, the MRT rocks, and people here just feel more on the same page. It's quite neat to see the colonial buildings, hear old Asian cab drivers speak perfect English, and explore this cutting edge city. The internet is faster, mobile phone more clear, and the systems here are extremely efficient. The only thing is, it is HOT, 90 degrees with 90% humidity. It feels like Hawaii in its hottest month, ALL THE TIME. The great thing is ac is everywhere and you can walk from building to building without going outside and get to your destination. It is a huge melting pot, yes, you melt from the heat, but I'm referring to the diversity in people here. Because of its location, there are people from all over the world, which means the diversity in food is great, and SO delicious. However, Singapore is surprisingly expensive. Rent is comparable to NYC and everything else costs just as much as California!

What Josh and I have been up to here -

working, processing immigration paperwork, apartment hunting, getting together with friends, exploring different MRT stops, and trying different cuisines.

Here are some photos from mom's visit.

At Long Bar, Raffles Hotel

Enjoying my first ever Singapore Sling

With mom and aunt at Raffles Hotel

Hanging out in Clark Quay

Serving up my Turkish ice-cream. So good, less sweet, a little chewy like mochi, and he does tricks!

Bar named Clinic, wheelchair seats, IV drips drinks, etc.

Dinner at Long Beach in East Coast - pepper crab

First time eating bamboo clam

Local favorite - kaya with toast. Kaya is made of coconut and eggs with consistency like marmalade. It is not too sweet and great with a cup of local coffee (kopi).

Going up to Equinox for brunch with mom and aunt

View from the 70th floor

Until next time!

Common Sense Is Not What We Have In Common

The weather in Shanghai is quite pleasant this time of the year. Big wide streets and handsome architectures greeted me as I hopped in my cab and headed to my hotel. Before I could get oriented with the fact that I only had a 1-way ticket this time without a departure date to report on my immigration card, the cab driver asked where I was from and immediately asked "Do you Americans think of the Chinese highly now, with the changes done for the World Expo?" I was taken aback by the question, as I wasn't quite sure how to get started on answering it. My self-defense mode took over and I blurted out, "wen-ming!" "Wen" directly translates to literature, "ming" translates to bright. Together, it is used to describe advancement and cutting edge. I knew that was what he wanted to hear, but here's how I really felt, after 2 weeks of pondering and over analyzing...

The office in Shanghai is located in the high tech park filled with professionals and nice office buildings. However, I find it interesting that Roche occupies level 2 and 8 while Pfizer is right in between. The orientation process was minimal and after 30 minutes of signing documents, I was at my desk staring at my laptop back in business. I really enjoy my local colleagues, they are nice and eager to learn. During lunch, they asked me to join them to the cafeteria where free food is served to the employees. When I got there, I held on to my compartmentalized platter and the hair-netted cafeteria workers went on scoop after scoop and I had no idea what was being served to me. I saw some tiny crabs, some veggies, and some ground meat. I happen to be one of those people that scrutinize nutrition facts and ingredients before I consume, so this to me was definitely out of my comfort zone! The food was however quite tasty, but knowing how tasty MSG is, I never returned to the cafeteria again.

Working and living in Shanghai is quite a character struggle daily. The values and morals that were instilled in me since childhood, are constantly challenged and ignored. I constantly have to remind myself that just because I think it is common sense, it is not what I have in common with everyone. People of different upbringing and background have different ways of lives. Different is not always bad, but it sure takes some effort to convince myself of that and get used to. Sometimes I find myself questioning whether or not I really want to get used to it. For example, the first day getting on the campus shuttle to goto the cafeteria, I was being cordial and staying out of the way of the large crowd (lack of line formed). A few girls seemed inpatient and got in front of me while a few others mumbled "you want to get on or not!" I definitely learned my lesson that day and started getting more aggressive in lines, whether for the taxi, the grocery shops, or coffee stands. I started to get things done faster now that I had a backbone! However, for some reason, I felt down about this at the end of the day. It is not how I was raised. I want to be nice, kind, and patient, but if I were that way, I would end up last. I started questioning integrity, ethics, and peace of mind.

Before I bore you with too much detail, let me lighten it up by a couple of photos, and I shall continue my rant on some subsequent posts!

The China study management team

Huai-Hai Street at night (in the French Concession)

After my first 2 weeks in Shanghai, I was so excited to head to Singapore, where Josh and I fell in love with the island and its city.

Fish Out of Water

Like fish out of water, I was gasping for the basics in everyday life that we often take for granted. Even in a prosperous city, Shanghai, where my feet first landed, I felt out of air.

Before I move on to my attempt to solve the mystery of this magnificent land that everyone wants a piece of and perpetually blindsided by, here's what led up to our decision to move abroad. One of the things I am forever grateful for that Josh and I share in common, is that we tend to act fast on what we long for, because life's too short, it's now or never.

A few months prior to our wedding, we started entertaining the idea of living abroad. After the wedding, we no longer had wedding planning distractions and just weren't ready to settle and start the same repetitive cycle for the next 50 years of our lives. The timing was perfect and we were fortunate to work out deals with our respective companies, so we got on our ways. Josh flew out 4 days before me to attend a leadership conference in Singapore, where he would take on the role in managing business development and marketing in Asia. The week following his departure, I would fly directly to Shanghai, where I continue my career in clinical research leading global studies.

While I packed my belongings into 4 overweight suitcases, I thought about the experience that laid ahead of me. It is what I would make it to be. Having only been to China once in my life for only 3 days, I felt apprehensive and excited. Having been in the work force for 9 years, I'm not quite yet jaded, but I'm also not the newly grad that think I can change the world. I bear enthusiasm, but also know to roll with the punches. It's not unheard of that China is a tough market to penetrate. It is a mystery and follows the unspoken rules, or lack of. Though my looks may mesh me in with the majority, the truth is my Taiwanese and American roots set me worlds apart. I reminded myself the reason Josh and I are doing this, it's that comfort was getting on our nerves. We need to do what we set out to do, to keep an open mind and face the challenges. The world is our oyster and we need to maximize our experiences. Or so I told myself, but I was skeptical, nervous, and couldn't wait.

Next up - My first 2 weeks in Shanghai!