Realizing that I have not written in such a long time has motivated me to make another blog entry. Hopefully I'm not blogging in a vacuum and someone out there is reading this!
Recently, I've been thinking about living overseas, and the kinds of crazy things that you tend to pay for just because you can't get them normally.
Living abroad for over two years, I've found that most of the things that I've wanted (maybe 90% of them) are available at some point, somewhere, either at a Brick and Mortar, or at an online seller.
The other 10%, I just bring with me when I go back home, and carry two suitcases. The funny thing is, many of the things that I purchase are made overseas where I live, just not available here.
Socks, Towels, Windshield Wipers for the car, Bed sheets, shower curtains, are some of the things that I bring back with me!
Living in a smaller city doesn't help, but figuring out how to use the online auction/buying sure as heck does.
So lets look at the things that I DON'T buy local brands for and pay a lot more for....
The things in italics are actually imported Everything else is available locally but is still considered a foreign brand.
Toilet Paper (Kleenex Brand) - Korea
Tide Detergent
Shaving Cream
Cereal - Korea
Dog Food - Korea
Kraft Mac and Cheese - USA
Juices - USA/etc
Peanut Butter - USA
You really don't realize how much you love and miss that comfort of that Kraft Dinner Mac and Cheese till you click "Buy it now" online and pay 7 dollars American for that box of pasta and powdered cheese product....
What are some of the things that you can't find where you live, and do you still have to go get them from 'back home'?
Showing posts with label new adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new adventures. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Texas on my mind....
I've
been on quite a few adventures. For the National Holiday, XB, one
of my guys that works for me got married, and I was invited to his
wedding (also had to give a speech about his work ethic and what a great
job he does), my aunt came in from Taiwan, and we had a nice visit, I
took her to the grape festival, out to eat at a nice sushi place, and
met some friends that I made here. Overall a very nice time! She's my
first foreign visitor! She left on Saturday, and I had Sunday and Monday
to recover.
The first weekend in October, XB my right
hand guy, Took me to Huangdao, which is across the water from
Qingdao. We drove the longest bridge in the world to get there. In
fact, we had such a good time driving and talking that we ended up
overshooting the exit for huangdao, which was ok, because we ended up in
a very rural area of China, all farmland. It was beautiful, and I'm
bummed that I didn't get a chance to take pictures, but I was
driving. XB and his wife and I explored Huangdao in the
afternoon, and had a nice time. XBs wife teaches college english
there but since she lives on campus, has not had a chance to explore the
town, as her weekends are usually in qingdao with XB
.
.
The second weekend, I took it easy, saw friends, and
Sunday went to Church and ran errands. This past weekend, I was
recovering from a cold, which was no match for Nyquil and Dayquil and
Mucinex, so I got some CHinese medicine, which worked slow, but yielded
results!
This past weekend, another one of my guys got married, and again, I had to do the wedding speech as the boss and talk about work ethic and marriage. Its interesting how much weight they put on your job and how much of a part of your life it becomes, so much that the bosses have their own table at the wedding! Sunday, I met with my friends that are in China from Washington state. We went to Jimo Lu, which is the equivalent of silk street in Beijing (if you're from Houston, think of Harwin Shopping district). There, they had street vendors with food, produce, clothes etc, and that was just on the OUTSIDE of the shopping center. We enjoyed a giant Fritter (Yiu Tiao), as well as some Stinky Tofu (Will, the guy in the picture didn't like it, but his mother, who lived in Taiwan for a few years, enjoyed it). Bought some fresh fruits, and then ended the evening at Burger King at Marina City, along the water. Burger King was actually really terrible, as they just opened, and everyone and their dog was there, so instead of making your order when you pay for it, there's tons of Hamburgers premade. The result is a cold, nasty, soggy burger. I'll come back when they're not so busy and see if the food is better.
This past weekend, another one of my guys got married, and again, I had to do the wedding speech as the boss and talk about work ethic and marriage. Its interesting how much weight they put on your job and how much of a part of your life it becomes, so much that the bosses have their own table at the wedding! Sunday, I met with my friends that are in China from Washington state. We went to Jimo Lu, which is the equivalent of silk street in Beijing (if you're from Houston, think of Harwin Shopping district). There, they had street vendors with food, produce, clothes etc, and that was just on the OUTSIDE of the shopping center. We enjoyed a giant Fritter (Yiu Tiao), as well as some Stinky Tofu (Will, the guy in the picture didn't like it, but his mother, who lived in Taiwan for a few years, enjoyed it). Bought some fresh fruits, and then ended the evening at Burger King at Marina City, along the water. Burger King was actually really terrible, as they just opened, and everyone and their dog was there, so instead of making your order when you pay for it, there's tons of Hamburgers premade. The result is a cold, nasty, soggy burger. I'll come back when they're not so busy and see if the food is better.
Work is going good, if not just constantly frantic. I've
learned quite a bit since taking over the role as operations manager,
and one of the biggest things that I've discovered since becoming a
manager, is that your productivity level generally decreases, because
you're being pulled in 100 different directions in a day. Some of the
biggest headaches are HR issues. Employees that dont pull their weight,
employees that fight, slack off, etc. Now I really understand why its
hard to get a response from managers, because they're too busy putting
out little fires every day. On the good side, you do get to work with
people and the people that are on my team are all eager to learn. I
just need to find the fine line between being friendly while still
trying to be the boss.
The weather here has cooled signifcantly, and the days
are getting shorter. IT runs in the mid 50s at night and mid 70s in the
daytime. Kody is doing well, the cooler weather has him shedding his
summer coat and growing in the winter fur! Kody has also made a new
friend, Yiu Yiu is a Collie that lives in the first building in my strip
of apartment buildings. Shes a beautiful dog, and we run into her a
few times a week when we go out for walks. Her owners are nice people,
and we have a great visit every time we run into eachother.
Dining has been an adventure, as I've been eating local fare, and I've attached some pictures of the goodness for your drooling pleasure.
Dining has been an adventure, as I've been eating local fare, and I've attached some pictures of the goodness for your drooling pleasure.
The House in Katy is
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and I'm excited that Jennifer and John and the girls are coming. Then after that, I'll be home on the 17th for about 3 weeks! Looking forward to catching up with everyone if our schedules allow for it.
Miss you all and would love to hear from you!
Peace and love,
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and I'm excited that Jennifer and John and the girls are coming. Then after that, I'll be home on the 17th for about 3 weeks! Looking forward to catching up with everyone if our schedules allow for it.
Miss you all and would love to hear from you!
Saturday, July 27, 2013
When it rains (or leaks), it pours.....
Howdy everyone, some of you noticed right away that I didn't send my Wednesday night update this week.
Well, there's a pretty good reason for that.
Lets just pick up from last update. The weekend was the normal routine, not much exciting, though Bob and I did try a German restaurant in town, and had their "giant pig knuckle" which was great. They also had a nice coffee machine inside, so we ordered a cup of joe. It was the nicest cup of coffee I've had in a long time. Afterwards I did my usual shopping. Check out the picture of this HUGE durian. You could smell it from a mile away!
This week has been very busy workwise, deadlines and big management meetings coming up have stretched me pretty thin. Between work, home, and Kody, there wasnt much time to punch out an update. I also finally did join the Gym by the house and went to my first spin class there. I dont know if it was me being out of shape, no fans in the classroom, or the lack of AC, but I only lasted about 30 minutes. The room is dark like US spin classes, but has LED strobes all over the place like a trance club. That, combined with EuroTrash Techno exhausted me. I decided to leave before I had seizures from the lights.
This Wednesday evening, I went to bed, and for some reason forgot to power off my Houston cell phone. I always power it off. About 12:30 midnight, phone rang, it was my neighbor. I answered, completely incoherent, and he was paitent enough to let me get my bearings, and to tell me I had a major water leak in the house. Nick has been checking on the house regularly, along with my Mom and stepdad, and Dayna, so the house usually doesn't go for extended amounts of time without people looking in. Well, the water leak started at the water heater (defective rubber hose), and leaked all over, caving the ceiling in at the guest room, and leaking down the hall, to the office, dining room, living room, and kitchen. I'm so fortunate that my Mom and Step Dad , and Nick and my contractor friend Mark, all stepped up to the plate. I called my insurance agent, and the same day, Mom, Darrell, Nick and Mark, and the insurance company had come out, done estimates, brought in fans and dehumidifiers and were starting the cleanup process. Felt really nice to know I'm in good hands. The damage is pretty extensive, floors, sheetrock and plumbing repair. Still waiting for the final estimate. Thank goodness for insurance.
To top that off, Friday morning, Kody and I went for our usual 5AM walk. Except this guy, walked out the door without his house keys. So here I am, sitting outside the door of the apartment, flip flops, shorts and a Tshirt with Kody. I had my wallet but no cell phone. And knew nobodys phone number here. I hadnt shaved, showered or even brushed my teeth. I was going to walk down the street to the Holiday inn and wake up bob, and have him call my admin who has a key, but it would take two hours to get her to the office, get the key and then come unlock the door. On top of that, they probably dont allow dogs into holiday inn. So option 2 was to take Kody in a Cab and head to work, and twiddle my thumbs still 8am when people came to work to get a key, but most cabs dont allow dogs. So the last and final option, was to bother a neighbor. I had met two neighbors, the one on the first floor, who is VERY nice,but not sure how nice anyones going to be at 5:30 in the morning. The second neighbor lives above me, we met once, but the important part is, since he lives above me, I know what time he gets moving. Which was about 5:30. I knocked on his door, and asked him to lock kody up while I went for keys, and he said that he and his wife go to work at 7. So that wasnt an option. Then he remembered that there was a flyer for a locksmith at our West entrance to the compound. He ran down with me, we got the number, and 15 minutes later, the locksmith arrived, wearing cutoffs, no shirt and carrying with him a hammer and a metal rod. Using the hammer and his scooter key, he punched out the peep hole, and the metal rod was shaped exactly like the door handle. It took him less than 5 minutes to get in. Total cost? 100 RMB= 16 dollars. I was back inside by 6:15 AM.
So, here I sit writing this email on Saturday at 2pm from work (deadlines due!) and looking back, thinking about how very fortunate I am to have so many great people around me. People that I can not express how grateful I am, people that have stepped up, offered help, and responded when called on. So for those of you that have offered help on the house, thanks so much, but its under control so far.
This weekends plans are to look for a microwave, and go to the used furniture market (the renter grade furniture just isnt cutting it), I'm deal hunting!
In other news, SiriusXM.com works in China, so I can listen to Satellite Radio from my desk, and get a taste of US music. I'm working out regularly and just finished the first season of Arrested Development. Presently watching the current season of Hell's Kitchen too. So I'm able to keep sane. Kody is doing good, he's enjoying sharing my after dinner popsicle (Chinese sweet green bean).
Weather here is nice, mid to upper 80s but its stays very humid!
I miss everyone, and I hope this note finds you very well.
peace and love,
W
Well, there's a pretty good reason for that.
Lets just pick up from last update. The weekend was the normal routine, not much exciting, though Bob and I did try a German restaurant in town, and had their "giant pig knuckle" which was great. They also had a nice coffee machine inside, so we ordered a cup of joe. It was the nicest cup of coffee I've had in a long time. Afterwards I did my usual shopping. Check out the picture of this HUGE durian. You could smell it from a mile away!
This week has been very busy workwise, deadlines and big management meetings coming up have stretched me pretty thin. Between work, home, and Kody, there wasnt much time to punch out an update. I also finally did join the Gym by the house and went to my first spin class there. I dont know if it was me being out of shape, no fans in the classroom, or the lack of AC, but I only lasted about 30 minutes. The room is dark like US spin classes, but has LED strobes all over the place like a trance club. That, combined with EuroTrash Techno exhausted me. I decided to leave before I had seizures from the lights.
This Wednesday evening, I went to bed, and for some reason forgot to power off my Houston cell phone. I always power it off. About 12:30 midnight, phone rang, it was my neighbor. I answered, completely incoherent, and he was paitent enough to let me get my bearings, and to tell me I had a major water leak in the house. Nick has been checking on the house regularly, along with my Mom and stepdad, and Dayna, so the house usually doesn't go for extended amounts of time without people looking in. Well, the water leak started at the water heater (defective rubber hose), and leaked all over, caving the ceiling in at the guest room, and leaking down the hall, to the office, dining room, living room, and kitchen. I'm so fortunate that my Mom and Step Dad , and Nick and my contractor friend Mark, all stepped up to the plate. I called my insurance agent, and the same day, Mom, Darrell, Nick and Mark, and the insurance company had come out, done estimates, brought in fans and dehumidifiers and were starting the cleanup process. Felt really nice to know I'm in good hands. The damage is pretty extensive, floors, sheetrock and plumbing repair. Still waiting for the final estimate. Thank goodness for insurance.
To top that off, Friday morning, Kody and I went for our usual 5AM walk. Except this guy, walked out the door without his house keys. So here I am, sitting outside the door of the apartment, flip flops, shorts and a Tshirt with Kody. I had my wallet but no cell phone. And knew nobodys phone number here. I hadnt shaved, showered or even brushed my teeth. I was going to walk down the street to the Holiday inn and wake up bob, and have him call my admin who has a key, but it would take two hours to get her to the office, get the key and then come unlock the door. On top of that, they probably dont allow dogs into holiday inn. So option 2 was to take Kody in a Cab and head to work, and twiddle my thumbs still 8am when people came to work to get a key, but most cabs dont allow dogs. So the last and final option, was to bother a neighbor. I had met two neighbors, the one on the first floor, who is VERY nice,but not sure how nice anyones going to be at 5:30 in the morning. The second neighbor lives above me, we met once, but the important part is, since he lives above me, I know what time he gets moving. Which was about 5:30. I knocked on his door, and asked him to lock kody up while I went for keys, and he said that he and his wife go to work at 7. So that wasnt an option. Then he remembered that there was a flyer for a locksmith at our West entrance to the compound. He ran down with me, we got the number, and 15 minutes later, the locksmith arrived, wearing cutoffs, no shirt and carrying with him a hammer and a metal rod. Using the hammer and his scooter key, he punched out the peep hole, and the metal rod was shaped exactly like the door handle. It took him less than 5 minutes to get in. Total cost? 100 RMB= 16 dollars. I was back inside by 6:15 AM.
So, here I sit writing this email on Saturday at 2pm from work (deadlines due!) and looking back, thinking about how very fortunate I am to have so many great people around me. People that I can not express how grateful I am, people that have stepped up, offered help, and responded when called on. So for those of you that have offered help on the house, thanks so much, but its under control so far.
This weekends plans are to look for a microwave, and go to the used furniture market (the renter grade furniture just isnt cutting it), I'm deal hunting!
In other news, SiriusXM.com works in China, so I can listen to Satellite Radio from my desk, and get a taste of US music. I'm working out regularly and just finished the first season of Arrested Development. Presently watching the current season of Hell's Kitchen too. So I'm able to keep sane. Kody is doing good, he's enjoying sharing my after dinner popsicle (Chinese sweet green bean).
Weather here is nice, mid to upper 80s but its stays very humid!
I miss everyone, and I hope this note finds you very well.
peace and love,
W
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
China Update #1
Hey guys!
First off, sorry for the silence since I have been here. I have only really been keeping in touch with a small handful of people because its been sort of a nightmare since I arrived. So how can I narrate this for you all?
Kody and I drove to Dallas this week, saw friends on the way up, had dinner with friends in Dallas, and then spent the night, and flew direct from Dallas to Seoul the next morning. Because of the crate size, (and probably some greed from the agent that I used), they insisted that Kody go as Cargo to China, not as excess luggage. This was a big mistake. Lessons learned.
The agent that I hired was helpful in getting Kody checked in, and Korean air took very good care of Kody in Dallas and Korea. They left his crate inside their offices so he would have some AC. My flight was uneventful, got to Korea, checked into the hotel, and then got a decent nights sleep, and flew out the next day. Here is where the trouble starts. Arriving in Qingdao, my co-worker meets me, and we go to pick up Kody from the Air Cargo terminal. which should have been showing them my passport, Kodys rabies certs and health certs, and taking him home. Well, because he went cargo, its the same as shipping a box of shoes, or documents etc. They really dont 'belong' to anyone until they clear customs and the consignee can pick them up. Long story short, we spent Friday afternoon with the freight agent in china and a korean air rep trying to get kody out. We were unsuccessful. The good news is, that the customs warehouse people were VERY nice, and allowed me go in twice a day, feed, water and walk him. They even walked him and played with him. I'm so glad Kody is a nice dog and not aggressive.
Every day when I went to go see him and let him out, we drew a crowd of about 12 people that wanted to take pics, pose with him and ask all kinds of questions "is he famous?" etc. So, my days were consumed with being at customs, talking to the agents, inspection people, and freight forwarder regarding Kody NOT being 'freight' but a pet.
Every day, we've been making a little headway. And yesterday (tuesday) we finally made progress. So, today, I have to pick Kody up, pick up our freight agent, and then take him to the airport for an 'inspection' (they just want to pet him), and then he can go home.
Everything else is progressing. The apartment, which was supposed to be cleaned twice before I arrived. was not even cleaned once. I stayed there Friday night, frustrated and upset about Kody, almost no sleep because I had almost nothing, no sheets, pillows etc. I woke up at 4 am and started cleaning the wood floors with just a wet rag. The dirt that was on the floor was incredible. They didn't clean.
I visited Kody saturday, and my coworker took me out to buy some stuff at "Leader" which is like a super Wal mart. I didnt even have a shower curtain! Sunday, my coworker and I drove to the east coast of Qingdao, saw the beach and had some fresh seafood. In the afternoon, my dad and his wife came down from Beijing with my car and his car loaded full of stuff for the apartment. Slowly but surely, the apartment is coming together. I brought soft scrub with bleach from the US, and I've been cleaning little by little. Its getting there! I like the neighborhood I live in. Theres lots of people out walking around, so it feels very community like. I dont have much else to report.
I've been doing a lot of driving here, trying to get Kody out, and going to visit him. The thing you must remember about driving in China? There are no rules.
First off, sorry for the silence since I have been here. I have only really been keeping in touch with a small handful of people because its been sort of a nightmare since I arrived. So how can I narrate this for you all?
Kody and I drove to Dallas this week, saw friends on the way up, had dinner with friends in Dallas, and then spent the night, and flew direct from Dallas to Seoul the next morning. Because of the crate size, (and probably some greed from the agent that I used), they insisted that Kody go as Cargo to China, not as excess luggage. This was a big mistake. Lessons learned.
The agent that I hired was helpful in getting Kody checked in, and Korean air took very good care of Kody in Dallas and Korea. They left his crate inside their offices so he would have some AC. My flight was uneventful, got to Korea, checked into the hotel, and then got a decent nights sleep, and flew out the next day. Here is where the trouble starts. Arriving in Qingdao, my co-worker meets me, and we go to pick up Kody from the Air Cargo terminal. which should have been showing them my passport, Kodys rabies certs and health certs, and taking him home. Well, because he went cargo, its the same as shipping a box of shoes, or documents etc. They really dont 'belong' to anyone until they clear customs and the consignee can pick them up. Long story short, we spent Friday afternoon with the freight agent in china and a korean air rep trying to get kody out. We were unsuccessful. The good news is, that the customs warehouse people were VERY nice, and allowed me go in twice a day, feed, water and walk him. They even walked him and played with him. I'm so glad Kody is a nice dog and not aggressive.
Every day when I went to go see him and let him out, we drew a crowd of about 12 people that wanted to take pics, pose with him and ask all kinds of questions "is he famous?" etc. So, my days were consumed with being at customs, talking to the agents, inspection people, and freight forwarder regarding Kody NOT being 'freight' but a pet.
Every day, we've been making a little headway. And yesterday (tuesday) we finally made progress. So, today, I have to pick Kody up, pick up our freight agent, and then take him to the airport for an 'inspection' (they just want to pet him), and then he can go home.
Everything else is progressing. The apartment, which was supposed to be cleaned twice before I arrived. was not even cleaned once. I stayed there Friday night, frustrated and upset about Kody, almost no sleep because I had almost nothing, no sheets, pillows etc. I woke up at 4 am and started cleaning the wood floors with just a wet rag. The dirt that was on the floor was incredible. They didn't clean.
I visited Kody saturday, and my coworker took me out to buy some stuff at "Leader" which is like a super Wal mart. I didnt even have a shower curtain! Sunday, my coworker and I drove to the east coast of Qingdao, saw the beach and had some fresh seafood. In the afternoon, my dad and his wife came down from Beijing with my car and his car loaded full of stuff for the apartment. Slowly but surely, the apartment is coming together. I brought soft scrub with bleach from the US, and I've been cleaning little by little. Its getting there! I like the neighborhood I live in. Theres lots of people out walking around, so it feels very community like. I dont have much else to report.
I've been doing a lot of driving here, trying to get Kody out, and going to visit him. The thing you must remember about driving in China? There are no rules.
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