It's much clearer to me now.....

why Americans and seemingly 1/2 of the Chinese don't drive in Shanghai. It's a "free for all" between cars, large buses, bicycles, mopeds, and pedestrians. I think the street lane markers and blinkers are purely for decoration. I am a little surprised that we did not see anyone/thing get whacked during our travels today.

Our day today started at 9am. Cathy, a representative of the relocating company (think realtor/tour guide/hostess) picked us up. Of course, now, she doesn't drive in the city and had hired a "professional/stunt driver" for the day. This driver is similar to the dedicated driver we'll have during our long-term stay here. We looked at 4 large apartments. The square footage in all of them was at least twice the size of our Holland home. The largest was a 4300 ft^2 townhouse. Though housekeeping is very affordable, ~$20/day, we are definitely leaning towards something smaller. We spent the morning looking at housing options and also visited 2 grocery stores. The Meijer-like "Carrefour" was very busy and a tad overwhelming. It is where most people get everything from groceries to dinnerware. I think Anna and Elijah will be intigued by the seafood section with aquariums stocked with fish, turtles, and crabs.

I spent the afternoon going through a medical exam required by the Chinese government for getting a long-term work visa. The process took a couple hours and I passed all tests, including the one where I get blood drawn and don't fall out of my chair. : ) If you know my history, this was no small task and an answer to prayer. I considered canning the whole Shanghai thing when they mentioned blood work. : ) During my medical escapade, Aimee had a Chinese lunch with the Cathy. They picked me up a Big Mac and it tasted just as unhealthy as they do at home.

We also visited 2 medical facilities today. One is the local med clinic for treating minor stuff. We also visited a new Shanghai hospital which included a nice birthing center with all the ammenities of the world-class Holland hospital. A funny story.....Aimee was reading a brochure quietly while we waited for the tour of the clinic. Quietly, until she read that epiderals were, in fact, available and commonly used in Shanghai. For a moment, I thought she was going to do some kung fu flips and roundhouse kicks right there in the lobby. It was all coasting downhill from there. She was able to squash much of the horror she had heard was part of Shanghai births (no epiderals, shared rooms, husbands do all the cleanup, etc) We have an appt. with a highly recommended OBGYN on Thursday. Be praying that we leave that appointment with clear direction on whom to see long-term.

The time zone change has hit Aimee the hardest. I believe it eccentuates the tiredness that already comes with the pregnancy.

We spent a lot of time in the car today so the pictures I got were just some shots of the city. Enjoy.

Ryan and Aimee