We made it to China!

West Lake in Hangzhou

The month of July has absolutely flown by. We moved out of our apartment in Budapest at the end of June and then traveled to several countries in Europe during the first two weeks of July. I was back at home near San Francisco for one week and then in Chicago for another week. It was great getting to see family and friends, but it was a strange feeling being back in the States. That feeling was short lived though, because on July 29 we jetted off on a 17 hour flight from Chicago to Shanghai, followed by a three hour van ride to our new home in Hangzhou. 

We have only been here for two full days, but we are getting our bearings and starting to explore what the city has to offer. The city is very green, clean, and doesn't feel very crowded, despite being a big city. The highlight so far was taking a walk around the West Lake in Hangzhou, which is one of the most popular domestic tourist destinations in China. It was absolutely stunning and was filled with lots of couples, families and people exercising. Within five minutes of arriving to the West Lake a man came up to me with a pen and manila envelope, and was signalling for me to write my autograph. I of course smiled, chuckled to myself, and gave him my hideous signature which I am sure will be worth millions of RMB within a few weeks. My first impression of Chinese people in Hangzhou is very good. They are very smiley, friendly, and curious. I'm excited to begin learning Mandarin so I can better communicate and explore further. 

Expect more updates about what's going on here. I also hope to have more free time to write about some more of my experiences in Hungary and Europe, so don't be surprised when those pop up too. 

Putting Hangzhou on the map for those who have never heard of it