WUHAN!!!!!

Today is our second full day in Wuhan.  Surprisingly, yesterday was a pretty full day despite the fact that we got off a plane approximately 12 hours before our day began.  Although perhaps that fact is the reason that my first impressions of Wuhan are not entirely favorable. 
At first glance Wuhan is almost familiar.  We were awakened by the yellow/gray dawn and the distant song of horns, brakes, and motors almost like waking up with an old friend. The view out the window is at once strange but naggingly familiar.  The shape of the buildings are familiar, the color of the roofs, the size of the windows, but the arrangement of the skyline is completely wrong.  There are no familiar landmarks, nothing to draw the eye and say, 'ah you are here'.  I imagine that this must be what it is like to visit the US as a visitor.  Moving around from place to place, so many things are the same, yet at the same time, so much is different.... Actually I know this is what it is like because Babes' remarked on it during our last trip to the US.  To me the difference between Richmond, VA, and Philadelphia, PA is stark, drastic even.  But at first she was confused and said the two places looked alike.  Once she said it, I could see the similarities, but I would never have confused the two places in my mind. 
But, I digress...  What else can I tell you about Wuhan in my brief two days of experience?  Not much.  Without knowing what part of town I'm in Wuhan looks to be older than Chengdu.  Or maybe Wuhan has not yet put a lot of money into updating it's look.  There is a lot of construction going on here, but at the same time, there are a lot of the older buildings that we didn't see in Chengdu (once again, I'm not sure if it's where we are, or if this is actually the case).   Anyway, next week is the beginning of the national day holidays so I expect to get out a lot to see the sights and will report back on Monday. 

In Chengdu!

So we have made it to Chengdu. It feels like we've been "going to Chengdu" forever and a day, and it feels weird to have actually made it. We didn't get to come directly here so we did arrive here in the middle of the night (or so it felt) with our traveling circus all jet lagged, but to be honest the flight wasn't that bad, nor was the jet lag any worse than going anywhere else.
Chengdu is a bit of a gray city. I can't tell if it's cloudy all the time, if it's pollution, or what. I think it might be a little of everything because I haven't lived in a place this thunderstormy (yes I just created an adjective) since Texas. Since we've been here there has been a thunderstorm on average every third day. Which is good, because Chengdu is pretty green (compared to Beijing, not Taipei) and I think it's cleaner than it would be if there was not so much rain. The people here are friendlier than Beijingers so you will see smiles on faces (sometimes, though not a lot) and they generally make an effort to understand what you are trying to tell them. I have not gotten that LOOK the animal is talking look here at all.
Our housing is pretty nice, we are in a great/pretty central location. There are three expat restaurants within walking distance of us and a cornucopia of local restaurants as well. We are not too far from several big shopping centers and we can get to the Carrefore and Auschan (European supermarkets) with a short cab ride. There is also an Ikea really close and several Ito Yokado's that we can get to.
On the whole I think the city is going to be a good place to be for two years. DH can walk to work, and there seems to be a pretty active community of spouses so that Babes and I can get out and about without going stir crazy.
More soon when it stops raining everyday. We've been trying to go on an adventure for over a week!