I art alive!
Aug. 7th, 2012 12:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormy1x2I am back in Welland for the next two weeks. Arrived last night after spending two days with my Auntie Sue in Kitchener for the family reunion camporeee held this past weekend.
I missed the Saturday festivities as I didn't arrive until well after midnight. My flight from Shanghai to Vancouver had been delayed by 2 hours, and so my connecting flight from Van to TO had already left by the time I arrived. Was re-scheduled onto a different flight leaving two hours after I was supposed to. This meant my aunt and my cousin (her navigator) waited at the airport from 10:30pm until almost 2:00am for me. Thank you for not giving me up for lost or dead guys!
Speaking of the flight, mine was overbooked and so for the 11 hour trip to Vancouver, I was in first class. Oh my god, the leg room! I have been spoiled for Economy. I am contemplating upgrading for the flight home on the 19th. It was glorious. Leg room, sound-blocking headphones, no children, and the meals were served like in a restaurant - 1st, the tablecloth and silverware brought out for each person. Then the soup as the appetizer, garlic bread and a sushi tray (part vegetarian, thank god) next, and then the main course - steak (actual steak, not fake-plane steak), mashed potatoes and vegetables cut into shapes. Then the fruit platter, wine and more desserts if you so chose. Breakfast was fresh fruit, pancakes with syrup and toast - warm and toasted, not limp and soggy. I was very impressed. The chairs reclined into beds and had warmers/massagers built in.
......yup. Totally ruined for Economy. I weep.
Sunday was fun, for what little I saw of it. ^^ I slept in until 10:30 and got up for breakfast with the fam who had spent the night at my Aunt Janet's. Early afternoon I crashed though, and only woke up when another Aunt arrived and made me join in. ^^ The big corn roast was Sunday night and then Aunt Sue, Uncle Steve and mineself drove back to Kitchener (Camporee was held in Toronto).
Went shopping yesterday with A.Sue. She takes me to Walmart and Zehr's and laughs at me as I goggle in amazement at the selection and sizes and prices of items. There were jars of condiments and things the size of my head! If you are lucky, sometimes you can buy tiny jars and bottles of the same items in Shanghai at the import stores but you pay three times the price for 1/4 of the product. And selection! I love buying hummus in Shanghai but there's only one kind and in a tiny container. The hummus here had over 30 varieties and cost a fraction of what I pay. I just kept walking up and down the aisles, shaking my head and giggling hysterically. I was damn near tempted to buy like one of everything in the store.
Mom picked me up last night and we went to dinner with A.Sue and cousin Jai at McGullins (real chicken wings! First time in 2 years!) and got back around 8pm last night. I crashed almost immediately, with Gizmo (mom's dog) stuck to my side like a burr for most of the night. Poor guy. I think he missed me. :)
Speaking of missing.. I miss my Ru-Ry bear.
angel_katchan, did she make it to Jenny's okay? Does she have all her things? And keep me up-to-date on the boys.
Chico and Remy are going to adoption day on August 19th. I arrive on the 19th (Shanghai's 12 hours in the future) at night so I won't be able to see them before they leave if they are adopted. A small part of me is hoping they WILL be adopted BUT the family needs a day or two to get stuff ready for them. :) I know, not the way a foster parent should think but oh well.
We had a last meeting on Friday before I left Shanghai. We are apparently getting Chongming island and will be sending 10 teachers there in September. Chongming Island is one of the few places around here I haven't been too (it's about a 3 hour drive north but still part of Shanghai) and I'm looking forward to checking it out when I get back. It's supposedly very beautiful, very clean (only a fraction of the population of downtown) and very quiet in comparison to the districts more frequently lived in.
Got on facebook for the first time since last summer. Updated the pics of all the foster animals we had this year - Luca, Eevee, Vince, Cherry, Chico and Remy. I have to update my Tumblr with Chico and Remy...
blithesea, I didn't get the chance to photograph the bags you sent to me and LD because L was in Russia at the time and I left for Canada just after she arrived in Shanghai. We'll be sure to take a pic when I get back and she comes up from Jinshan.
I missed the Saturday festivities as I didn't arrive until well after midnight. My flight from Shanghai to Vancouver had been delayed by 2 hours, and so my connecting flight from Van to TO had already left by the time I arrived. Was re-scheduled onto a different flight leaving two hours after I was supposed to. This meant my aunt and my cousin (her navigator) waited at the airport from 10:30pm until almost 2:00am for me. Thank you for not giving me up for lost or dead guys!
Speaking of the flight, mine was overbooked and so for the 11 hour trip to Vancouver, I was in first class. Oh my god, the leg room! I have been spoiled for Economy. I am contemplating upgrading for the flight home on the 19th. It was glorious. Leg room, sound-blocking headphones, no children, and the meals were served like in a restaurant - 1st, the tablecloth and silverware brought out for each person. Then the soup as the appetizer, garlic bread and a sushi tray (part vegetarian, thank god) next, and then the main course - steak (actual steak, not fake-plane steak), mashed potatoes and vegetables cut into shapes. Then the fruit platter, wine and more desserts if you so chose. Breakfast was fresh fruit, pancakes with syrup and toast - warm and toasted, not limp and soggy. I was very impressed. The chairs reclined into beds and had warmers/massagers built in.
......yup. Totally ruined for Economy. I weep.
Sunday was fun, for what little I saw of it. ^^ I slept in until 10:30 and got up for breakfast with the fam who had spent the night at my Aunt Janet's. Early afternoon I crashed though, and only woke up when another Aunt arrived and made me join in. ^^ The big corn roast was Sunday night and then Aunt Sue, Uncle Steve and mineself drove back to Kitchener (Camporee was held in Toronto).
Went shopping yesterday with A.Sue. She takes me to Walmart and Zehr's and laughs at me as I goggle in amazement at the selection and sizes and prices of items. There were jars of condiments and things the size of my head! If you are lucky, sometimes you can buy tiny jars and bottles of the same items in Shanghai at the import stores but you pay three times the price for 1/4 of the product. And selection! I love buying hummus in Shanghai but there's only one kind and in a tiny container. The hummus here had over 30 varieties and cost a fraction of what I pay. I just kept walking up and down the aisles, shaking my head and giggling hysterically. I was damn near tempted to buy like one of everything in the store.
Mom picked me up last night and we went to dinner with A.Sue and cousin Jai at McGullins (real chicken wings! First time in 2 years!) and got back around 8pm last night. I crashed almost immediately, with Gizmo (mom's dog) stuck to my side like a burr for most of the night. Poor guy. I think he missed me. :)
Speaking of missing.. I miss my Ru-Ry bear.
angel_katchan, did she make it to Jenny's okay? Does she have all her things? And keep me up-to-date on the boys. Chico and Remy are going to adoption day on August 19th. I arrive on the 19th (Shanghai's 12 hours in the future) at night so I won't be able to see them before they leave if they are adopted. A small part of me is hoping they WILL be adopted BUT the family needs a day or two to get stuff ready for them. :) I know, not the way a foster parent should think but oh well.
We had a last meeting on Friday before I left Shanghai. We are apparently getting Chongming island and will be sending 10 teachers there in September. Chongming Island is one of the few places around here I haven't been too (it's about a 3 hour drive north but still part of Shanghai) and I'm looking forward to checking it out when I get back. It's supposedly very beautiful, very clean (only a fraction of the population of downtown) and very quiet in comparison to the districts more frequently lived in.
Got on facebook for the first time since last summer. Updated the pics of all the foster animals we had this year - Luca, Eevee, Vince, Cherry, Chico and Remy. I have to update my Tumblr with Chico and Remy...
blithesea, I didn't get the chance to photograph the bags you sent to me and LD because L was in Russia at the time and I left for Canada just after she arrived in Shanghai. We'll be sure to take a pic when I get back and she comes up from Jinshan. 