Pudong, Shanghai, China

It is official. Nik and I will be moving to Shanghai, China for six months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been a very long and drawn out process, but it is finally here. Unlike our last six month visit to Asia, we will be employed this time. Nik has set up a great job, and I will be hitting the pavement as soon as we arrive. We still haven’t purchased our plane tickets, so the departure date is still soft, but we know that it will be around February 16th. Less than two weeks out. Holy crap…I’ve got stuff to do. I have to apply for a Chinese Visa and pray that it is granted before we leave. I have to stock up on shampoo. I have to research the architecture job market of Shanghai. I have to get a hair cut. I have to wash clothes. I have to extend our lease on the storage unit way back in Portland, OR. I have to figure out how we’re going to get cell phones once we get there. I need to research Mandarin classes in Shanghai. And the list goes on.

It feels like I have been living in slow motion for the past month, and now we are in fast forward. Luckily, we have picked ourselves up and moved worlds away before, so we’re not doing this for the first time. At this point it is almost second nature.

Here is an interesting fact about me that you probably didn’t know: I have lived in eleven different apartments in ten years. I never imagined that I would live such a nomadic life, but I do and I love it. Every move peaks my curiosity, and I always discover something new about myself. I am certain that Shanghai will be the same. I am excited to figure out where to buy groceries and where the closest park is. I am excited to figure out the transportation system and the quirks about our apartment. And of course, I am excited about learning a new language. Who ever thought my second language could be Mandarin??? Not that I will become fluent in 6 months, but I am at least going to put forth the effort.

So here we go…just a stop in Dallas and a stop in Denver away from living in Shanghai. Incredible!!

I have been corresponding with Anne, of the lovely blog Prêt à Voyager, for some time now, so you can only imagine how excited and honored I was when she asked if Nik and I would like to contribute to a new weekly column she is doing called Boarding Pass, an insider look at designers and how they travel. So far, the column has highlighted the travel techniques from Anna Lee of Annamatic and Eleanor Grosch of Push Me Pull You Design which have both been truly insightful, and next week, Nik will share some of his secrets.

Anne herself is a graphic designer/traveler extraordinaire based in Baltimore, MD. I find inspiration from her blog daily whether it is about synchronized swimming or the best places to go in New York, Paris or Sydney.

Click the Boarding Pass below to check it out, you will be happy you did!!