Shanghai first day

Shanghai, China

I arrived Wednesday night around 5:30 PM. Weather is hot and humid. Brought too many bags, so moving them around is difficult. Picked up at the airport and taken to my new residence. All went smooth. My new home is a very nicely appointed studio apartment. No complaints until a second person tries to come here and move her stuff in and then it will be tight.

Awoke at 3:30 AM and was ready to start the day. Since this was so early, I continued to configure my living space. Computer connections to the internet work fine, Camera gear all set, converters charging things while I sleep, etc. Breakfast at the hotel was good although it may get boring to eat there every day.

So far, I have found two things that I can’t get to on line, Facebook and this Blog site. I can get to them through my Staples office (VPN) connection so no real issue. I did find several, let’s say, questionable sites that were not blocked but I guess the focus is on social media.

Initial impressions:

Hot, hazy, crowded, too much traffic, confusing streets (and signs)

Also, lots of opportunity to help the business at Staples in China; very nice people, amazing interest in business, US, China’s place in the world, etc.

Saturday is my travel around day and i will have lots to post including the amazing Friday night dinner.

Last day at Staples in Framingham

A sad day for me as I spent my last day at the Staples Home Office in Framingham, MA. Many great people, many outstanding business successes and many great memories. I have worked in this building since it opened in 1998 and have watched many people grow and prosper as their careers took flight along with Staples rapid growth and expansion.

I got a ton of hugs from many people who I will miss seeing on a regular basis. Hey, even Joe Chernek hugged me! Joe got a souvenir from me which was my 14 year old mug which went with me to many meetings over the years and when it got lost, was delivered back to me as it was well known. Bonnie Valle got my employee badge for SCC from 1996 in which the 41 year old version of me looks like a young kid. It feels kind of weird to think I wont be back in the building for at least three months and maybe even longer. While I look forward to the next step, it's hard to believe this chapter has closed.

I was treated to an enjoyable farewell lunch by a small impromptu group that gathered to wish me well. (We did NOT eat Chinese food.) So now I've moved out of the building and am headed to California for my mother's 85th birthday celebration. Next Tuesday, I take off for Shanghai and will be in the Staples China office on Thursday, 7/29.

It took an incredibly long time to pack and I ended up with way more stuff (and weight) than I thought I would so traveling to China will be another interesting experience.

Thanks again to all who made the Staples and Hopkinton experiences outstanding for all the Spiegels for the past 14 years. Next post in 10 days from Shanghai.

Steve

Alaska photo redux

The winner of the fight promptly went and got some dinner.

Alaska photo

Just as a tease, here's one of the top shots from my trip to Alaska. This was a little disagreement over fishing position at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park in Alaska. More to follow after I travel to Asia.

Getting ready for China

It's my last weekend in Massachusetts so I'm scurrying around trying to do everything that needs to be done before I head to California for next weekend when we celebrate my Mom's 85th birthday.

Susan will be in the US until October selling our house, getting Jeffrey off to college, packing things up, etc. She will be joining me after most of this stuff is done.

Since our house is going on the market, it may be the last time in this house which has been our home for the last 13 years which was most of our children's youth. I'm also going to be separating from the Staples team that has been my 2nd family for the past 14 years. Lots of great relationships, a lot of business success and many, many laughs along the way. The third group we will be separating from are all the wonderful friends we've made especially in our town, Hopkinton, which has been a great place for our family to live and grow for these years. We leave behind many people who will hold a special place in our hearts, neighbors, school teachers, friends, etc.

I've got lots of things to consider taking. How much camera gear? What clothing? Since I'm planning on being there through January when it's around freezing vs. August when it's around 90 degrees with high humidity.

Lots of trepidation about life in China even though I've been to Shanghai three times, I never thought about living there. What will the regular daily life moments be like shopping for food, waling the streets, etc. As a NYC boy, I like walking the streets so it will be an interesting experience to take in the smells, sounds and movement of people in China.

Staples has a good number of non-natives in China so there will be people to spend time with during non work hours. Two members of the Canadian team are going to be in Shanghai for the same period as me.

The Staples team got me the Rosetta Stone Mandarin version so I have some work to do on that.

So this is the start of the attempt to Blog my life from overseas.

Of course, as somewhat of an adventurer, I am working on going to see China off the beaten path. I've already slept in a guard tower on the Great Wall, ate dinner in a farmers house in a remote farm near the Wall in JinShanling (I don't think the meal would pass muster as a kosher serving) and enjoyed a lunch in the Hutong in Beijing. I've been to Guillin, Yangshuo, Hong Kong and the islands near there several times.

The first thing I'm finalizing is a November trip to the remote mountains to photograph Giant Pandas and Snow Monkeys in the wild. We're also planning on buying round the world airline tickets so we can maximize this opportunity to see the world.

Finally, I still haven't processed, my Alaska photos so lots of things to do.

Later.

Steve