from East TN to the Far East

Taking a break from Facebooking...

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:45:00 +0000

I'm back in the United States for our annual summer trip. It's really nice to be home for a while and be with my mom and Wayne and go to our favorite restaurants and shops.

If you're wondering why I never blog anymore, it's because of Facebook. Blame Facebook. It's just so easy to fill in quick little blurb about what's going on rather than trying to be clever and informative all at once. Yep, I'm getting lazy.

Kroger. Target. Sam's Club. In China, when you get your food, you're either at a wet market, a small grocery market (small.) or at Walmart, which is nothing like the American Walmart. It's a challenge to find the things I normally bought before moving to China. It's a hassle to track it down, the store may well be out of it even if they carried it a few days ago, and you generally have to settle for something SIMILAR but maybe not exactly what you're looking for. You learn to let go and make do with what you can find, and chances are pretty good you paid way too much for it. That's eating like an expat in China. Part of life. Here, in Kroger, or Target, or Sam's, it's overwhelming to look around and see all the things that are impossible or difficult to find for me in China, with many different choices of brands, sizes, and features. All stacked up, endlessly, shelf after shelf in a bright and shiny mega-store. It's truly overwhelming. All the things I want to box up and send to China for when I need them. Right there, for the taking (well, buying). I tear up, sometimes I get knots in my stomach walking through the aisles.

Faith Lutheran Church. It's seriously like a cool drink of Gatorade after running a few miles through a desert. The singing, the humor, the laid-back-ed-ness, the people. I had so many nice smiles and hugs this morning - Pastor Matt stopped in the middle of another announcement when he saw us to welcome us home. It was really like coming home. Food for the soul, for the heart.

We stopped by the boys' (and mine!) old tae kwon do school to visit. Master Eun asked us to come to class while we're here. So all 3 of my kids are "AI!"ing and punching and kicking twice a week. I'm jealous - I used to LOVE taking tae kwon do. I would take the adult class but it's Monday and Wednesday evenings - family time - not the best time to be gone. Ah, well, when we get back to the States for good I'm going to earn that black belt!

I miss my dogs - I'm very worried about them. It's so hot in Shenzhen right now. I know they're being taken care of but I do miss them so much. Lovable little guys - they're so sweet and so happy.

This week my boys will be at day camp - I'm looking forward to hearing about their fun days. Then we go to Wisconsin for a week. One more week of camp, then a half week later we'll be back to China. It's really whipping by quickly.

It's nice to be home.

Pets of all sorts...

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:37:00 +0000

Please welcome the newest members of the Behling Family, Ronnie and Reggie. A friend of mine got Ronnie and Reggie from a breeder here in China last May when they were just 10 weeks old. They quickly became part of my friend's family. Sadly, over the Christmas holiday, said friend's father passed away and my friend stayed in England to help his mom recover and move on. His mom was in pretty bad shape so my friend was not able to return to China. He had asked his gardener to feed and water the dogs twice a day, which the gardener did, but it turned into a really long time for them to be gone. Eventually he asked me to check on the dogs and I saw that they were pretty skinny, scared and freaked out in general. So, after much negotiating with the landlord (you can't just give away tenants' property), we finally got our dogs two weeks ago. And we absolutely love these boys. They're getting healthier and fatter and more relaxed. They're great around the kids and they are so loving. I am really, really happy with our two new guys!

Remember the restaurant next to the dog-leg restaurant? Well, my friend Sharon and I were eating lunch there yesterday when I noticed something fall from the ceiling into a nearby pot. A little later I noticed something fall from the countertop under said pot to the floor. At this point I had to stop pretending I didn't know what it was and start looking on the floor to make sure there were no bionic roaches trying to eat my shoes. Yep, right near Sharon's foot...eu. Big ol' cockraoch. OK, I live in China in a city of 12 million people. It's dirty and crowded and full of food and trash and everything all piled up. I KNOW there are pretty much cockroaches everywhere. It's just so different to actually see one and be forced to acknowledge its presence in the kitchen where my food was prepared by a 15 year old chef. Still a bit queasy about eating there again, though I'm pretty positive every single restaurant in China is teeming with roaches.

ketchup

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 02:11:00 +0000

I just got home from hiking the mountain. I was worried about going because the air has been so dirty lately (you really can't imagine just now nasty unless you've spent time here in the World's Factory) that people have been having a difficult time getting up the mountain, people have been having asthma problems who don't normally have them - it's really been bad. Last time I went - Tuesday - I couldn't see very far from the top at all, just this brown haze. Today, though, it was nice and windy and must have blown away some of the crap because I could actually see Hong Kong across the water and I only had to stop for my breath once. It was a great little trip.

We were in Singapore and Bintan, Indonesia for Chinese New Year 2 weeks ago. One thing we really noticed was how you can see stars at night. They were so beautiful. You forget just how awesome they are when you can't see them for the brown, smoggy air...

Our vacation was lovely. Singapore is a very clean city-state - we refer to it as "Asia Lite" because it's still very Asian, food-wise and fashion-wise and many, many people speak Mandarin there. But it's also clean, there is toilet paper and soap in the bathrooms. It's nice to go there. Then we took a very choppy ferry ride to Bintan, which is part of Indonesia. 4 of the 5 kids we had with us were throwing up by the time it was all over - so were many other people on the boat. It was a rough ride. We then found out that the hotel we stayed at gives you tummy medicine for the return trip - smart! If we ever do that again remind me to bring my Dramamine! We had a nice, beachy vacation and the Club Med (which is older and run-down but functional) had a kids' club that included a Circus School. Both my boys walked the tightrope and flew through the air with the greatest of ease on a trapeze. It was pretty cool. Tim and I were beach bums. Not too shabby!

The other night Ella woke up miserable and crying and crying. About an hour later (still crying and writhing about) she spiked a 105F fever. It was pretty scary. The thing about a situation like that here is that you can't just hop into your car in the middle of the night and drive to the nearest emergency room or children's hospital. First of all, no car. Second of all, what are you going to tell the people at the hospital if you don't speak Chinese? It's a bit of a scary situation. I've actually heard that if you do have an emergency and need to get to the hospital ASAP you should call a cab because ambulances are notoriously slow. Yikes. Luckily, in this case, my neighbor had come over to borrow some kids' Motrin a few days earlier and I knew there was this high fever thing going around. Otherwise I would have been freaking out. And did I mention that Tim's in the States this week? yeah...

I've been spending time with my friend's 2 German Shepherds lately while he is out of the country. He has somebody feeding them and cleaning up after them but they need some love and scratches so I've been making friends with them. Some of you have known me long enough to remember Moses my rottweiler. I loved that dog! Well, 3 kids later I have doggy fever again! I'lll keep you posted on that...

Sorry I haven't blogged in so long. I've become addicted to Facebook and it seems so much easier to write a little one-line blurb about what's going on then a whole paragraph. But I need to keep doing this so you know about the brown air, the lack of stars in China, the wierd little health-care situations you worry about living abroad, and the fact that I WANT A DOG. Thanks for checking in - I'll keep this up. I'm learning guitar so maybe I'll start writing songs and put them here for you to critique. Just kidding - I know I won't do that! Thanks for checking in on us!

Thoughts on Buying Food

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:42:00 +0000

Today I took a field trip with Andrew's 1st grade class to the local market, the Park N' Shop. It's a Hong Kong chain of grocery shops (nothing at all like the huge supermarkets in the U.S.). We looked at lighting, packaging, smells, appearance, ease of movement, and location. Tomorrow will be a trip to the wet market for comparison - which is how most Chinese do their food shopping. You may remember the wet market from a previous post - if not, please check it out for a memory jog.

It's funny how I now view the Park N' Shop as the place I would definetly rather shop, and find it pleasant to shop there and pick up what I need (I also frequent the next-door import shop for my $10 Cheerios and the butcher shop for my imported meats). In China, most of the shelves are stocked with foods I wouldn't necessarily consider food (like packaged preserved chicken's feet) (Barbeque flavor) and seaweed and other dried strange things. Dried duck tongue (spicy or regular) is also very common. But I can find produce, dairy, and grains there. Especially in our local Park N' Shop, which has been wise enough to cater to the many foreigners living here and stocking items we purchase at the import stores, like cereals (Cheerios are still $10), granola bars, and ice cream.

What's funny is how I saw the Park N'Shop when we first moved here. I hated the way it smelled, how small it was, how little I could recognize. When we took our first trip to China to look for houses and schools, the grocery store (a different Park N' Shop) was where I completely lost it, broke down and said "Tim, I can't do this!". I didn't recognize anything, I couldn't read any labels (still can't), I didn't know how I was going to feed my family! It scared the hell out of me. I was afraid of the meat, the dairy (was it refrigerated the whole time?), the eggs, which are generally kept on the shelf in most of China. My Park N' Shop knows better, and that people will BUY the eggs if they're cold. My view of this little shop has evolved to preference and enjoyment. I find Target Supercenter to be too big and difficult to maneuver. I buy what I need each day and use it that night or within a week. It's a completely different way to shop.

The field trip proved though-provoking for me and the kids! My, how things have changed...

BONUS BLOG SECTION: Some Chinglish for you...on a wetnap I picked up at my favorite Chinese restaurant (the one next to the dog leg restaurant) it says "Please use sex to disinfect the wet tissue." In a grocery store nearby (not mine) there is a list of different meats and one of the items says "Please F&*C the food.
Another recently spotted sign has a stick figure of a person standing on a toilet while squatting over it with a big circle and slash mark over it...FINALLY they make it clear - DON'T STAND ON THE TOILET WHEN YOU PEE. That's how most Chinese use a western toilet 'coz that's how they're used to peeing - squatting! And so it's not uncommon to see muddy footprints where you want to put your bottom - I do miss American (and especially Japanese - the heated seat, built-in sprayer and built-in pleasant scents) toilets!

America the Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 06:31:00 +0000

What a nice change from China to come to U.S. It's so CLEAN here! The snow-capped mountains as you fly into LA are breathtaking. I do love it here. Efficiency and order are actually valued. Nobody is peeing (or worse) in the street, there are no horrid smells to assault your olfactory senses, the meat you buy you can be fairly sure is actual meat and not a former pet. There are restrooms in the restaurants and stores and malls - AND they have actual western toilets (not holes in the floor), toilet paper, soap and paper towels. People wash their hands, for the most part.

When we wanted to special order something at a restaurant I started to stress out immensely, wondering how we were going to explain what we wanted. Lo and behold, the waiter understood what we wanted the first time around! NO LANGUAGE BARRIER! I can take a shower in water that doesn't smell like feet, and not have to worry if I open my mouth by mistake when I shower. I can DRINK TAP WATER! We can drive here. I can turn on the radio and hear beautiful, normal music. I can turn on the TV and understand what they are saying on every single channel (yes, I can speak Spanish, ha ha). Nobody stares at us or wants to take our kids' pictures...we blend here. Everybody blends because everybody looks different - so different - here. It's such a beautiful country.

I can go to any website I want to and download or listen to whatever I want - there is a Chinese firewall that is pretty effective in not allowing many things through, whether due to censorship or copyright laws. Either way it can be a PITA (Pain In The #$%) to listen to a music sample or even go to a webpage that discusses personal freedoms...but in the U.S. it's something most people take for granted.

When we drive, people for the most part obey the traffic laws and respect each other. People bump into you and say "excuse me". When you sneeze somebody will say "God bless you."

Don't get me wrong - I do love China and I love living there. It's exciting and interesting and in some ways, more simple than living here. But what a lovely, fantastic treat to spend some time in my home country. Americans, you've got it good. Please don't ever forget this. With great personal freedom comes great responsibility. And it's a good thing.

Greetings from Sunny California!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:22:00 +0000

OK, not really. It's been gray and rainy and COLD here! Who would have thought LA would be so cold...ah, well. We are enjoying our little family reunion immensely here - us, my mom and her husband, my dad and his wife, Tim's mom and her sister. Too bad our respective brothers couldn't join us...

We went to Disneyland the past few days, and did a tour of LA, which was really cool. We hired a private van to take us around, which was nice. Of course we made the pilgrammage to the Hard Rock Cafe, where we assaulted our parents' ears with a loud lunch, he he he. We saw the Walk of Fame, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive...it was cool. And Disneyland Cali is really nice - we have finally been to every single Disney park.

Now we're in San Diego. Photos to come!...

Field Trips and Holiday Concerts!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:10:00 +0000

Andrew's grade took a trip up my mountain one day so I decided to join them. We really had a nice time! Can you find my son?

How about in this photo of his class singing for their holiday concert? He just looks so sweet to me!

Alex's drama club did a hilarious version of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" dressed as elves. Sorry for the blurry pictures - my camera is temperamental...wonder where it gets that...

And here is Alex's samba band performing as a warm-up for the older Elementary School kids' concert.

Here is Alex doing his solo in "I'll Be Home for Christmas". That kid has the drama/music/performing bug! Wonder where he gets it...

Here is Ella getting ready for her big show. The preschool kids sang a few songs and did a crazy dance. It was lovely.

Then they got to hang out with Santa for a bit. My girl was so brave she actually sat on his lap! Originally we agreed to maybe a high-five or some other minimal-contact interaction. You go, my Power Ranger Girl!

Santa gave her a present.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the kids' school!

Sad Times Indeed

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:19:00 +0000

My friends, let us lament what has happened in Hong Kong as of yesterday. The Hong Kong Hard Rock Cafe has closed its doors, to be opened only when they secure a new location and build in it. Our safe place, our slice of normal, our family music discussion roundtable venue, our very home away from home is no longer.

A moment of silence, please...

LOVE ALL, SERVE ALL

Happy Birthday to you!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:35:00 +0000

4 years ago, my beautiful baby girl was born...

Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 11:36:00 +0000

Last night we went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant - the kind that has plastic chairs set up on the sidewalk into the street and it's loud and busy and great for people-watching. We were seated near the restaurant door - we love the food here so we knew it would be great. Looked over at the restaurant right next door and saw some animal parts hanging for display while the rest of the animal was being cooked outside on a sidewalk. We noticed pretty quickly the animal was actually dog...the waiter confirmed this for us. And you know what? We sat right down and ate. We were a tad squeamish but stayed and were able to handle it. I think I've been in China too long!

Mini-cation!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:05:00 +0000

We've been in Beijing since Thursday. Our dear friends from Knoxville made the huge trip over the North Pole to visit us so we decided to show them as much of China as we can in 10 days.

We flew in Thursday and went to the Temple of Heaven, which is a temple (well, duh) with a really nice park around it. It's my friend Sharon's favorite part of Beijing because when she was there a few weeks ago there were old people dancing to traditional Chinese music, doing tai chi and playing mah jong. Basically it's where you see Chinese people doing Chinese-y things. Unfortunately, we got there too late in the day to see all that cool stuff, so we just saw the temple. Ah, well.

Friday we went to the Great Wall of China. Amazing. Spectacular. Really, really cool. And a whole lotta exercise. Steps galore and towers to climb. They were shooting a video up there which was cool to watch.

Everywhere we go people comment on how many children there are all in one place - 6! I hear "lio haizi!" so many times. Many, many people stop us to take photos of our kids. We've really gotten mobbed a few times. The kids are handling it well, though, and it's kind of fun for my friends' daughters.

We also went to a cloisonne factory to learn about that detailed and painstaking process, and a jade market. Christmas shopping!

We went to the Hard Rock Cafe, which is the nicest HRC I've ever been to! Had a fantastic dinner there and great music to listen to. A little slice of normal...

Today we went to the Forbidden City, which is vast and beautiful and ornate and waaaaaay too much walking. We took a bus to get there and tried to take a bus back but kept getting turned around and missing our connections. Finally ended up in a couple taxis - there are 10 of us altogether.

Tomorrow we'll have a nice breakfast at the hotel - the Holiday Inn Central Plaza, which I highly recommend - and pack and head back home to Shekou. Looking forward to getting back to my bed and my shower and my kitchen!

We've had a really great time and I'll try to post some photos when we get home and I can hook my camera up to the computer.

Normal stuff you see in China

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:08:00 +0000

Typical street in China - shops and restaurants on the bottom level, apartments above.

Typical shop full o'stuff. These are everywhere, with apartments above them with laundry hanging on each balcony.

Typical menu at a local restaurant. Just point at what you want if you can't speak Chinese, and hope it's something you recognize!

Many business set up right on the street - you can get tailor work done or shoe repair just by walking up to the people who set up shop on the sidewalk.

There are many little restaurants with plastic tables and chair set up on the sidewalk or street - they are usually packed with people at night. People just sit and hang out, eat, drink, smoke, leave their trash on the ground and somebody else comes up and sweeps it all away by morning.

Many, many foot massage places in China. Foot massages are a cheap treat and very popular with local Chinese as well as foreigners like us.
Some have very well-dressed women at the entrance to make people want to come in and get a foot massage. It's also normal to see people in eveningwear just going out shopping or to lunch or even up the mountain. People wear just about anything to do everything - if you have fancy clothes, you wear them, you don't save them for special occasions.

This is how our pizza and other food items get delivered - by electric bike!

Signs and Spooky Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:41:00 +0000

There are signs like this all over the place. One says "Empty Talk Endangers The Nation".

Aaaagh! Where does the time go, anyhow?

Let's see...yesterday my friend Sharon and I went to Hong Kong. I really needed to get my hair done so I went to an expensive Aveda salon, thinking that SURELY they would know what to do with my hair. Hmmmmmm...yeah. I wanted the color Fabulous Stacey always makes my hair and I showed them the color on the chart. They convinced me that I needed to go darker than that or it would wash out in two weeks. Well, my hair is DARK RED now and I hate it. I almost started crying right there in the fancy-ass salon. Supposedly in two weeks it will be the color I want it to be but I'm not believing that right now. Waah.

We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe but they were all tricked out for Halloween. Chinese don't really get that Halloween can be fun - they make it really, really scary and gross. Not good in a restaurant to see blood and guts and horror everywhere, and I refuse to take the kids there during October. Luckily I know better than to bring them there again until after Halloween. There is no moderation here for scary - no "fun" scary like cute skeletons and witches and bats - just blood and gore and really, truly scary stuff. Sharon lived in Sweden for 14 years and she was saying that Europe is very similar to Asia in that respect. The countries that have adopted Halloween really take it overboard on creepy. Too bad. All the dusty decoration stuff they put up also makes me sneeze.

Then we went to check out a tattoo place. We had looked in China but found dirty shops that - eu - re.use.needles. Yuck and HOW SCARY IS THAT! So we looked online and found a shop that uses only new, clean needles up to U.S. standards. We stopped by there yesterday and found cool designs we want to get, and made appointments to have it done. Yippee! Sharon's getting her first tattoo on Monday and I really wish I could be there with her but I'll be otherwise occupied. Mine won't be until October 27. I'll post a picture. Actually, I probably won't post a picture because I always say stuff like that but I DON'T do it. Sorry. I am sure it will be awesome and you'll just have to trust me on that, ha ha!

Tomorrow night our dear friends from Knoxville are coming. We are so excited to show them China. We'll go to Beijing next week and see the Great Wall of China, which is truly amazing, and the Forbidden Palace, and the really famous Peking Duck Restaurant. I'll take them to the wet market and to Lowhu, that awful, harrassing market where they yell and grab and push their cheap junk aggressively. We'll take them for nails and massages and maybe even up the mountain. The girls will come to my kids' school in grade-appropriate classrooms for a day. I'm really excited about this! Hopefully I'll take a bunch of photos and post them...you can believe that if you want to.

The Wet Market

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:16:00 +0000

Last week my friend Liz and I decided to check out the wet market. The wet market is the place where many Chinese purchase produce, meats, seafood, even fresh noodles. You can bargain and pick through whatever you want to buy. Including the meat.

I've always FEARED the wet market - live and freshly killed animals are there, and they frequently just wash down the floors with water to get rid of the blood. Perhaps you have heard of sars? It started in the wet markets. I was also always afraid to see Fido or Fluffy hanging from the ceiling, half-gutted. Fear. Silly fear. The only thing I had to fear was the smell itself. Awful. Offal. Ick. I made the mistake of having a bite of bagel in my mouth as I stepped out of the car into the wet market area. I felt as though I were eating the wet market - not pleasant. At all. Thanks to my friend Sharon's husband Ulrik for these fantastic photos...

Lovely, fresh, cheap produce that you can bargain and haggle over. Just about anything you're looking for you can find here.

I was definetly not looking for these. But there they were.

Hot peppers, anyone? Bushels and bushels of them!

And of course the LIVE CHICKENS. I was going to buy a fresh chicken for dinner, break its neck and pluck all the feathers but I opted for the rotisserie-cooked one from the butcher shop. Ew.

And some people opt for just the feet. Chicken feet are served automatically at almost every meal in China - they're on the table when you sit down. People love 'em. I haven't even tried 'em and DON'T WANNA!

Only way to make sure your meat is fresh is to TOUCH IT. Yikes. I don't buy my meat here, where it sits out all day being pawed at by anyone and everyone. Again. Ew.

See your seafood before it turns into food! Buckets and buckets of all kind of ocean life that may or may not be considered actual food.

Tables and tables and tables of produce...

It was an interesting adventure and I ended up with bags and bags of beautiful fruits and vegetables. Which I washed and washed very meticulously before eating. You may or may not know what is used for cheap, readily-available fertilizer here in China. I'll leave that one to your imagination. Scrub, scrub, scrub! More cool China photos to come, thanks to Ulrik.

Happy Birthday, ......Alice??

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:10:00 +0000

This weekend we went to Hong Kong to see our dear Hong Kong friends - haven't seen them all summer. They were kind enough to order a cheesecake to celebrate Alex's birthday, which we celebrated in the U.S. in July, and Tim's birthday, too, which as you know was Wednesday.
Except, there was a little typo on the cake...

Oops! We had a great, very private laugh about that!

I just had to add this one...

Get out your kilt!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:04:00 +0000

Soooo, what do you give a guy who loves golf as much as Tim does? Who's turning 40 and is the best husband in the world???

Yep, you give him a trip to Scotland to golf with his buddy. St. Andrews...ever hear of it? And Gleneagles. Scot. Land. He leaves next Friday and I must say the man is thrilled. I'm just thrilled to not have to hold onto that big a secret anymore!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM!

The Big 4-0

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:42:00 +0000

Ju ni shengri kwai le
Happy Birthday to the best husband in the world.

After dinner tonight I'll be able to tell you about his big, huge birthday surprise...I'm so excited to tell him!!!

mountains, massages, and meat

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:24:00 +0000

BUSY DAY today! But with a relaxing end...read on!

First Tim and I went for a walk this morning through the neighborhood. We try to do this nearly every day at 6, before the kids get up. No, we don't leave them alone - we have help here of course. It's a nice way to keep in touch and get exercise (those hills!)

Then I met Paty and other friends to get as much of the mountain in as I could before 9 - we made it all the way to the first peak. A few times I tried to stop and go back down but my Czech friend Jana was very encouraging and inspirational. Made it! In a heaving, sweating mess of muscle, but made it nonetheless...someday that WILL get easier, I just know it.

Cruised home and showered quickly before joining a test panel for my friend's husband's company. That's right, we were thawing meat and peeling vegetables at a table in Starbucks! We got a lot of strange looks and questions but we really had a good, productive test of the products. The funny thing is, I probably would have felt very self-conscious peeling vegetables and watching meat thaw in a Starbucks in the U.S. You can get away with so much more in China than you can in the U.S. Like showing up at Starbucks, where you will most certainly know at least 3 people, after strenous mountain exercise, all sweaty and icky, no makeup, and not think twice about it. Your clothes don't necessarily have to match - they can even clash. I love China.

After test panel, I met Tim at his office for lunch and a relaxing stroll around the police station. We had to go there and be interviewed for our residence visas, a complicated procedure. Luckily we had an agent who totally knows the ropes navigating for us and we were done in under an hour! It didn't hurt that she knew the officer behind one of the desks...it was relatively painless, really.

THEN we headed home and I had to deliver newsletters for my local women's club. I don't normally deliver them but my fantastic neighbor Marcie asked me to - I can't so no to Marcie. It was a hot, sweaty walk around my neighborhood AGAIN. So much walking.

Then we discovered the most wonderful restaurant in the area - REALLY! I'd heard it was good but it was truly fantastic. The pizza is fab, Alex had minestrone and a caeasar salad and he actually ATE them - no small miracle. Awesome breadsticks - you have no idea just how big a deal that one is - with little bowls of olive oil and balsamic...ahhhh. SO good. We ran into 2/3 of our kids' teachers there. It was very nice.

Kids showered and relaxing on our bed with tv, and Tim and I headed over to the local spa for a bedtime massage. SO relaxing, I must say. We took a cab home - TOO MUCH WALKING TODAY ALREADY! I'm ready to pour myself into bed now.

Ups and Downs

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:40:00 +0000

There is a mountain behind our house that many people like to walk up for exercise. I have friends who do it several times a week but I had never done it. Until yesterday.

The mountain trail starts out as a nice smooth uphill road. Then you see the stairs. They look like those Dali stairs that just keep going but never really actually get anywhere.

We were climbing stairs for an hour and a half straight. We took a few breaks so we could replenish our liquids - I felt like Spongebob Squarepants when he's been out of the water for too long. But we just kept climbing up, up, up. It was truly grueling and I don't know how people do it as easily as the friends I was with. I have friends who RUN it. Ayah.

The really tiring part was that I had gotten up early to walk my hilly neighborhood with Tim at 6. So I'd already HAD my workout when my dear friend Paty called me to join them.

My Czech friend casually mentioned that yes, the first time is so hard and that it's no better the second time. She said maybe the 10th time it starts to get easier. Paty said "you're doing great! You can do it!" to which I replied with a few choice words I can't repeat here.

Jana also said I'd be sore, to which I replied "not me! I'm in shape!" HA HA HA HA Boy are my calves aching today! Like they haven't ached in years, except maybe when I've had the flu. No, I'm not in shape. But I'm going to GET in shape. Maybe keep climbing that mountain...

On a side note, as you know I live in an expat community where people come and go all the time. Saying goodbye to people is normal so sometimes you tend to hold them at arm's length. My friend Paty - the first person I met here - and the person I have most definetly NOT held at arm's length - is moving in a few weeks. She's not even sure where she's going or the day they're leaving yet, which is also normal for an expat. But she's leaving and I am so sad to be looking at life without her company. She is a wonderful friend and a fabulous person. Say a little prayer for Paty as she faces an unknown future.

Food and friends

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:46:00 +0000

Last night was my friend Sheri's birthday. She is from Scotland and her husband is from Germany. They had a little gathering at a nearby favorite restaurant which we were happy to attend and bring a cake to.

Around the table, we had 2 Scots, 3 Germans, 2 Brazilians, 2 Americans, 2 Israelis, 1 Czech, 1 Dane and 1 Brit. It was really quite amazing to realize just how many different countries my friends are from. We had great food and fantastic conversation.

The restaurant we ate at is a western restaurant - they serve really excellent salads - owned by an Australian. He does a great job of providing "normal" food there.

We were talking to Sheri's husband about the things you don't even realize you crave from home. He was saying that when they have clients in town they go to a nice hotel brunch quite often. While the clients go for all the exotic seafood that is quite common here, he always makes a dash for the good ham, the great bread and all the very normal (but not normal here!) comfort food.

Today I have another few cakes to do and I must practice my guitar. Had my first lesson yesterday and I have an awful lot to learn if I'm ever going to be able to actually play anything. But I learned a lot in one hour and I found a really excellent teacher.

Rock you like a Hurricane

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:12:00 +0000

This is our first experience with a real, big typhoon in Asia. We knew it was coming - lots of news flashes and SMS warnings in Chinese on the mobile phone. The past two nights the sunset was eery bright red.

Last night we were told Ella's preschool would be closed today. We assumed the elementary school would be closed, as well, but we found out at 9 (yes, everybody was still home in pajamas) that school was OPEN. So, my kids were an hour late for school. Oops. An hour later I got a call from school saying they were closing at 1.

Throughout the morning the wind really picked up, even though the rain held off until this afternoon. It was a really strong wind with pelting rain all afternoon and evening! The boys were playing at the neighbors' all afternoon and barely noticed. But we couldn't believe the wind! In Hong Kong there are reports of store signs and huge bamboo scaffolding being torn off buildings. Trees uprooted and all that. I am curious to know if there's been any damage here on the mainland.

It was nice to have an excuse to just stay in all day and be lazy!

Back in the China Groove

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:59:00 +0000

It was the first day of school on Thursday. All three kids were so excited to get back to school and see their friends. In our community, people sort of trickle back in after their summer holiday - some wait until several weeks into the school year before returning. So it's been several days of seeing friends come in and join the fun. It's been really nice. Almost everybody is back now.

Friday was our 10th wedding anniversary. 10 years seems like such a long time, number-wise - but it hasn't seemed nearly that long. It's flown by and I couldn't be any more blessed with a husband. Tim took me out to Morton's of Chicago, a wonderful steakhouse in Hong Kong. Before that we went to the lounge at the Intercontinental Hotel, which overlooks Hong Kong harbor. It's breathtaking and so nice to just sit and sip a drink. I had a lovely mango juice. It was really a nice evening. He had a private car whisk us across the border, both ways. Very sleek. Nice job, Honey!

Yesterday we went to Hong Kong, back to our church. It felt so good to get back there - I really felt at home there and the sermon was preached, I believe, specifically to me. I love it when that happens! Then we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch where our waitress said "Welcome back! So nice to see you again! Would you like a Perrier, ma'am?" How cool that was - it was like "Cheers!" where everybody knows your name.

Then we went to a music store and picked out my anniversary gift. I figured now that I'm forty and been married for ten years and have three kids, it's about time I realize my lifelong dream of being a rock star. No, actually, I decided that instead of a rock for a gift, I wanted TO rock. Tim bought me a nice Fender Stratocaster, an amp and some books to learn. Started picking away last night. I'm going to have fun with this gift. And, yes, I am getting him something very special, too, but I can't tell him what it is until his 40th birthday in September. I'll let you know AFTER I let him know! Are you just ready to burst with anticipation? I am!

Sweet Home China

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:49:00 +0000

We had an interesting trip back from the States. Alex, Ella and I left my mom's at 5 a.m. Monday (Tim was so kind as to drive us there, get us checked in using his Eliiiiiiiiiite status and see us to the security check). Hung around the airport and had a sleepy flight to Newark. When I got onto the plane, there was a guy who was assigned the same seats as us. He had obviously booked the front-row-more-legroom seats on purpose. I just wanted to make sure I was by both my kids. Luckily the flight wasn't full and he was able to find another seat but when I offered him my front-row-more-legroom seats he was just like "I'm fine." I felt really bad because I don't need the extra legroom. At all. I wish I did because then I might reach my lifelong dream of being 5'8" but I don't. Needless to say, neither does Ella! He kept insisting he was fine but I could tell he wasn't especially happy to squeeze into a row-3-not-so-roomy seat.

When we got to Newark, we found out our flight out was delayed. Normally we would have a 6 hour layover but our plane kept getting delayed due to maintenance. Well, by the time we left Newark we had spent TEN hours at the lovely Newark airport, killing time, running after Runaway Ella, and eating junk. Yippee. No, really, can I tell you how fun it was? Nope, it wasn't. At all.

Well, we finally got onto the plane and had pretty nice seats - only 6 rows away from Business Class so we could smell their good food and hear their crystal-clear serene silence. Ah, well. Someday maybe I'll be ELIIIIIIIITE enough to get into Business Class. For now, I'll sit in the plane ghetto with my fantastic flying children (well, they can't really actually fly...but they do well on airplanes).

Because of the delay, we arrived in Hong Kong at 11 p.m., too late to take a ferry across to China. I couldn't find the driver who was supposed to be picking us up and my phone battery was dangerously low. I also was unable to call Tim to ask him about it. I can call the U.S. from China but from Hong Kong you need to dial some magic code that I have yet to learn or make work on my particular phone. I would have been stuck in Hong Kong with my kids, too late to cross the border near our house (it closes at 10:30) and just wanting a shower and my bed.

Luckily for us my lovely, talented and incredibly generous neighbor Lucy was on my flight and she checked with me just as she was going to her car with her incredibly generous husband David. David was able to perform the magic rites that puts a call through to the U.S. and called Tim TWICE from Hong Kong so I could find out that the driver was indeed not even AT the airport. So I stopped looking for him.

Lucy and David kindly took us to their waiting car and drove us home, just as a typhoon was moving into the area. They had to walk through the border (the one NOT close to our house) due to some new regulation that only lets 4 people across in a car at once. Then they had to wait on the other side in the rain for us while the customs people looked into our car, at our faces, our paperwork and our passports. It was an ordeal. FINALLY we were on our way again.

I was so happy to get home, to have fantastical neighbors like Lucy and David, and to have arrived in Hong Kong BEFORE the typhoon hit. My housekeeper was waiting with open arms for us and we got cleaned up and settled in for the night. Slept and showered - I'm a new woman. The typhoon is giving us an excuse to have Lazy Day, too.

I'm ready to face my jetlag.

Leavin' on a jet plane...

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:46:00 +0000

We leave for China on Monday. It's funny, at the beginning of summer 6 weeks seemed like a long time. Now it seems to have flown by!

I thought I'd answer some of the Living in China FAQ's I've gotten this summer:

Q: Are you going to the Olympics?
A: Well, no, because Beijing is a 3-hour plane ride and hotel prices have been jacked up 500%. Equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong, and the boating events in Shanghai. But we're still not going.

Q: Is it true there is a "Chinese Firewall" that blocks websites?
A: Yes. I can't get into Wikipedia or to anything having to do with the Bill of Rights. Oftentimes e-mails sent to me from the U.S. will be blocked for no apparent reason.

Q: How do you like living in China? What's it like?
A: It's different and I like it. I love the community we are in, especially - my kids are exposed to Chinese culture plus many other cultures they would otherwise not really know much about. They are becoming little World Citizens, which is awesome. But I miss the convenience of the U.S.

Q: Are the kids excited to go back?
A: I don't think so. This summer has consisted of visits with grandparents, playdates, fun camp stuff and new toys to play with. It's not "REAL LIFE" which they don't realize. If we actually lived here life would pretty much be the same - friends, lessons, and school. Bedtimes and morning routines...you know, REAL STUFF.

Q: How is the shopping?
A: It can be great - factory stores for Ann Taylor and J. Crew with western clothes (that FIT) for cheap-o! But it can be a hassle - the markets with people grabbing at you and yelling and bargaining for clothes that probably won't fit because I'm just not shaped like an Asian. Shoes that look great but are poor-quality and won't fit right. I've done a lot of shopping here to find clothes and shoes for all of us that I know will fit.
Shopping can also be frustrating if you're a westerner used to a western diet. We were in Sam's Club yesterday and I was nearly moved to tears by the huge number of stuff available in huge sizes. Like parmesan cheese and dishwasher detergent. Both of these things can be hunted down in China but it takes a lot of searching and when you find them, you can buy a teeny little jar (or bottle or can) for a way-jacked-up price. And all sorts of OTC medications that you can't even find in China - although if you need some ground-up deer horn or a snakeskin for your medicinal soup you can find them on every Chinese corner!

Q: Is it really that polluted in China?
A: Yes.

Q: Are the Chinese people nice?
A: YES!

Q: Are you going to vote?
A: Yes, by proxy, but our votes won't count unless there is a tie situation, from what I've been told. I am thrilled, however, to be missing all the ridiculous mud-slinging!! Yikes, people - a little dignity and integrity would be nice...

Q: Aren't you a little afriad to live in China?
A: Ummmmmmmmm, read the U.S. news lately?

Q: Are you excited to go back?
A: I'm completely torn. I will so much miss my mom and her husband and their very comfortable house we stay in. And her appliances. And Sam's Club, Kroger, Target, Steak N Shake, Bonefish and our dear friends (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) and my church. BUT, I am looking forward to returning to REAL LIFE, my routine, my book club, my awesome friends, my STUFF and my bed. And my housekeeper - I'm not going to pretend I don't miss her!! And tropical winters. And our kids' awesome school and their teachers and staff members. It's all about people, really, isn't it? Aren't we blessed, my friends? Love and peace to you.

Tragedy

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:08:00 +0000

We returned home to Knoxville today to find out there has been a shooting in a local church. Some guy who "hates Christians" chose to open fire in a non-Christian (UU) church during a children's production of "Annie." Two people have died so far and 5 more were injured. The people who were shot were only a few feet away from the children who were putting on the play.

Please keep the victims, their families, and the people who had to witness this horrific crime in your thoughts and prayers.