The furniture is here, and the Jia is a hive of activity to get everything set-up this week. I'm attaching a picture of the lengths we are having to go through to get some of the furniture into the rooms; this is a wardrobe being lifted into one of the buildings - they are huge and beautiful, but I hope that every time you hang up a shirt, you'll think of the workers that made it all possible! We've been out all week, buying more washing machines, plates, computers, and just about every other household item that man has invented it seems - we'll do our best to see that the Jia is fit to be 'home' by the time you get here.

As you prepare all your final packing list, I wanted to share a few of the questions I have received from students and parents, and give a few final recommendations for things you might want to pick up on your way to the Middle Kingdom!

Also, I highly recommend you review the Program Manual that was distributed at the orientations in Malibu. If you’ve lost your copy (shame on you), then click here to download it again; although some of the information regarding the facility may be incomplete/outdated, there is a lot of useful information in it, including other general suggestions for packing, etc. I highly recommend you skim it at least one more time before you leave. When you arrive, we’ll go through the Program Handbook (which is slightly different, and contains more policy information and Shanghai/Jia-specific information), but this is a very useful read in the meantime.

House address:
A number of you have written asking for the house address for shipping things. It is:
(Your Name)
Pepperdine Shanghai Program
No. 66, Lane 532, Yuyuan Rd.
Shanghai, P.R. China 200040
Main program office line: +(86) 21 5238-6807

Packing:
The rule of thumb to remember with packing and what to bring is this: if there is anything particularly ‘special’ about a particular item you ‘must have,’ then bring it with you, don’t plan on buying it here. This means, if you rely on a particular brand of shampoo, facial cream, or pogo stick (being such a practical form of transportation in Shanghai), then bring it. The caveat to this is clothing: clothing sizes can vary widely in China, and depending on your personal clothing taste and sizes, you might want to plan ahead. Shoes will generally be smaller in China than in the US; for women, shoes over a size 8.5 are incredibly hard to find (according to my wife, who is widely regarded as the ‘Indiana Jones’ of treasure-hunt clothes shopping worldwide). The same is true for shirts above US medium, and pants larger than US size 9. For guys, I’ve found that shoes get harder to find above size 10-10.5; since I’m about an 11.5, I do most of my shoe shopping in the US, although I have found a few pairs in China. Clothes are similar – although clothing tends to be cheaper in China, your choice in sizes tends to more limited for larger sizes. Because of this, I’d recommend making sure you bring at least a few good sets of clothes for both spring and winter that fit you well and that you expect to last – these can then hopefully be supplemented here as needed.

Other things to bring:
- Dryer sheets, or a fabric-softener ball (you can get them here, but they’re pricey)
- Specific to women: (this is straight from Mrs. Van Velzer): Clothes recommendations: Bras & underwear. You can have clothes made here, and can find sizes larger than this, but if you’re in this category, it might be wise to make sure you bring enough to be comfortable if this proves to be challenging. Face lotion, specific hair-products, hair-rubber-bands, makeup, leg-razor refills, hair-removal products or waxing kits, deodorant.
- Specific to men: a few cans of shaving cream (if you wet-shave, since it’s a little pricey here – though you can definitely get it). Deodorant, if you’re particular to non-generic brands. Shoes I already mentioned above; clothes: shirts larger than a US ‘large’ size; pants/jeans: you can do ok with sizes here, but if you’re larger than a 40 waist, or longer than a 34” pant leg, you’ll have limited options here. For pants/jeans, keep in mind that often more ‘European styles’ are seen in fashion here, so if you don’t like tapered jeans, etc. – it might be better to plan on stocking up in the US.

Do Bring (For Everybody): Standard cold medicine (Dayquil/Nyquil, Aspirin, Nasal Spray – whatever you normally use). You might want to pick up a brand of anti-diarrhea pills, though you can get that here easily. A quad-band cell phone (Google this if you don’t know what this means – most modern models are already quad-band, but if your phone is older, it may not work on the cell network here).

Don’t Bring: Plug adapters (they can be purchased here on practically every corner, and are not terribly expensive). Bed linens – they are provided for you. A non-quad band cell phone (you won’t be able to use it). Finally, don’t bring anything that isn’t necessary – this may go without saying, but if you can live without it, just don’t bring it. If you don’t really need 6 pairs of shoes, leave 4 at home. Save the luggage weight, or find a cheaper alternative while here. Batteries – these can be bought cheaply (even rechargeable ones), so don’t worry about stocking up in the US.

To Buy In Shanghai: SIM card for your cell phone – these are not very expensive, and you pay-as-you-talk with all plans here. It’s cheap compared to the US – depending on your level of use, you might be able to get through the whole semester on less that $50 US of cell minutes. Having a cell phone for directions and keeping in touch is a huge benefit in China); voltage converters: you’ll need one for anything you bring that only uses the 110v; they’re not very expensive. If possible, avoid bringing anything that doesn’t have a dual-voltage power supply, but if you need something, pick one of these up once you’re here.

That’s about it. Again, read the handbook for more suggestions and information, and please feel free to email with any questions. We’re very excited to have you all here next week!

T-minus 18 days and counting!

I can't tell you how excited we are for your arrival in Shanghai. The last weeks and months have been a whirlwind of activity at the Jia; renovations are almost complete, and within the next week and a half, the furniture will be delivered, which will all but complete the preparations that we've been busy making to ready your 'home away from home.' Of course, there are approximately a 1.2 gazillion (rounded up to the nearest gazillion) other details that we're trying to keep on schedule that are non-facility related, but I must say, the renovations, which you will see in full-revelation once you arrive, have made an already great facility all the more suited to our needs. Bathrooms have been added, halls moved, lights, curtains, carpeting, tiling - it's incredible to see it all finally take shape, and it heightens the excitement to be able to share it with you very soon. In particular, some major changes to the garden area turned out wonderfully; no more pictures to share for want of spoiling anything, but I hope you'll be as pleased as we are. As a caveat to all this, which I feel obligated to remind you - no place is perfect, especially for such a unique living-studying-administrating-recreating combination of needs; there will certainly be things we'll need to tweak and adjust once we've had some time to break in the house.

Many other big developments have taken place, including the hiring of our program assistant. We had over 714 applications submitted, and feel very confident that the new addition to our team will be a blessing to the program. I'm going to do a separate post shortly to introduce our team to you, but it is certainly a major development, and one that will be a daily part of your Shanghai experience!

I hope most of you were able to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday; I cannot understate what an important event this is for China, and of course, the world. So much has been poured into the preparations, and it represents such an important moment for China - one that can be tangibly felt in every person here. Although you'll be arriving shortly after the Olympics have finished, I hope that seeing the fanfare and spectacle of the preparations China has made will get you even more excited to be starting your studies in such exciting, historical times. 中国加油！(Note, if you didn't already know, Pepperdine was honored to have Charles Hall, our Dean of International Programs, participate in the opening ceremony show. You would have to look closely to see him on TV, but I was able to find a picture of his participation in the various news coverage afterwards. What an honor for Charles!)

As you get ready in these last weeks, I'd like to invite you to ask final questions that you might have - I'll respond to you personally, but will also post questions for everyone to see in the FAQ section, as I'm sure we'll all benefit from the shared knowledge. You can submit them via the contact form, or look up Chris Van Velzer in the Pepperdine email system to email me directly (I won't post my email address here, so as to avoid spam-bots from having a party in my inbox). You can also leave a comment directly in this post.

Please feel free to keep us in your prayers as we finish out the last of the planning this month, and of course- pray for your fellow Shanghai-men (that's the 'Chinese men 们 ,' not the English, gender-specific variety). I will be praying for you all until we see you at the airport!