Shanghai, baby!

The date finally came and went, and today I write with the wonderful news that I am alive and well in Shanghai, China. Yesterday, I got off the plane, instantly recognized that smell in the air, and immediately felt at ease. I cruised through customs, shrugged off the airline forgetting to bring my luggage, and hopped into a cab.

Last time around, I arrived in Shanghai during the cold wintry weather of February. I was overwhelmed and could barely bring myself to speak with the driver, even to tell him where I was going. Embarrassed, I handed him a piece of paper with the address and sat back. This time was different, though: I felt none of the nervousness of last time. Confidently, I told the driver where I was going. The weather was among the best I've ever seen here, blue sky and all.

The city itself looks great. In the year that has passed since I was last here, so much has already changed. Construction on incredibly skyscrapers has been completed, as have several new subways lines. In the neighborhood I used to live, and plan to live again, there is a brand new Best Buy. The big mall that anchors the neighborhood is now filled with stores, including an H&M. It's really remarkable.

Now that I've been here for a day, I'm starting to readjust to little things that you forget about, such as how crowded the city is. But overall, I don't expect that to be problematic.

Not much has happened so far. Mostly, I've been walking around, working on getting a cell phone, and sleeping, so there isn't much to report.

I'll be spending the afternoon looking around for apartments and working on getting a feel for the neighborhood again.