We made it to Shanghai... PHOTOS

Welcome to Shanghai!

We are officially in China. And, all of our luggage is too. Yay!!! Most of the trip was very uneventful (no funny Lyvie stories to tell…imagine our surprise!) For my students that are reading this… we flew over the Northwest Territories of Canada and Alaska on the way here…seeing Mt. McKinley from 34, 000 feet. When we woke up over the western Pacific Ocean, the skies were absolutely breathtaking. It was the most beautiful shade of blue I’ve ever seen; pictures and words just can’t capture it.

Over the Western Pacific Ocean

The flight from Tokyo to Shanghai receives the award for nicest plane and the most turbulent. Those puffy white clouds certainly are nice to look at, but not nice to fly through; we had plenty of time to do both! For all of my hometown viewers…it was 2 hours and 31 minutes of crossing downtown’s “Tickle Tummy.”

The view from 34,000 feet above Japan.
(Yes, that's ice on the window and we flew through the dark sky above us!)

I could not wait to get checked into the hotel. The first thing I wanted to do was call home and let my mom know that we’d gotten here with everyone (and everything) still intact. I’ve been blessed to follow a lot of journeys to China since March, but nothing prepares you for the heightened emotions of experiencing it first hand. The word “surreal” keeps coming to mind because it is almost like a dream. Exactly five months prior to setting foot on Chinese soil, we found out about the little boy waiting for us to bring him home. And, now… we’re in his homeland. Just last week, I was kayaking through the Fay flooded streets. Today… I am the farthest point I could be from my home and three days from holding that little boy in my arms.

Our goal over the next few days is to just relax and rest up for the big day. We aren’t scheduled to leave until Sunday when the train departs for Nanjing. I’m definitely taking your advice, Sue! It sounds like I won’t be getting much rest after Monday.

I promise to post pictures as soon as my techno hubby wakes up!



For my Fabulous Fifth Graders:

You all traveled so well! It was wonderful to hear from you guys (even though Mrs. G called us at 2:15 in the morning.)  Not to worry… I wouldn’t miss hearing from you all. You are in good hands with Ms. Adams and Mrs. Godwin…but can’t wait to get back and introduce you to Adam! I miss you guys already.

For Day 4’s “Where in the World is Mrs. Church?” question, you will need to do a little math! So, here goes…

Shanghai has an amazing skyline and some of the tallest buildings in the world. One of most recognized is the Oriental Pearl Tower and the newest Shanghai World Financial Center.

Create a bar graph comparing the heights of some of the most well known building in Shanghai…
Jin Mao Tower: 421 meters
Shanghai World Financial Center: 492 meters
Plaza 66: 266 meters
Oriental Pearl TV Tower: 468 meters
Peace Hotel: 77 meters

When you are finished, I would like you to write five statements about what the graph shows, such as… “The _______ Tower is _____ meters taller than the _________.”

Have Ms. Adams place all of these “Where in the World” questions together in one folder and staple a few on our bulletin board. I want to see the amazing work you’ve been doing while I’m gone!