from East TN to the Far East

Looking Back

2012-01-11T08:11:00.002-05:00

Now that we're back in the USA (for about 7 months now) I decided to look back at my blog. I just want to tell those of you who commented on my blogs and kept in touch with us over the years we were abroad - I want you to know how very much your support meant to me, how your words and your online presence made such a difference in knowing somebody was caring, somebody was missing us, that we mattered and you all were interested in our adventure. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there. Those of you who kept up communication for such a long time have a special place in my heart - you are one of the reasons I was able to make it through our time abroad. You made a big difference in my life when I needed you. God bless you.

Taking a break from Facebooking...

2009-06-21T21:45:00.004-04:00

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...

2009-03-10T08:37:00.004-04:00

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

2009-02-12T21:11:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-14T01:42:00.003-05:00

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

2008-12-27T01:31:00.004-05:00

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!

2008-12-26T21:22:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-12-10T08:10:00.011-05:00

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

2008-11-25T07:19:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-11-17T08:35:00.008-05:00

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

Changes

2008-11-02T06:36:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-10-18T09:05:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-11T05:08:00.017-04:00

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

2008-10-11T04:41:00.007-04:00

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

2008-09-09T20:16:00.014-04:00

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??

2008-09-07T10:10:00.005-04:00

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!

2008-09-03T09:04:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-03T03:42:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-29T10:24:00.002-04:00

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

2008-08-26T08:40:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-25T20:46:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-22T10:12:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-18T01:59:00.005-04:00

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

2008-08-05T22:49:00.004-04:00

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...

2008-07-31T16:46:00.008-04:00

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

2008-07-27T23:08:00.003-04:00

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.

Rural Life

2008-07-24T20:43:00.002-04:00

Today Tim and I had a little date at the local internet cafe. My dad and his wife's house isn't wired for any decent, efficient internet connection - they live too far out in the boondocks for that kind of technology. So, we had a very relaxing morning sipping coffee and getting all our internet stuff taken care of. While we were there, Grandma Jo took the kids raspberry picking and out for a nice lunch.
This afternoon, Grandpa Bob, Tim and I took the kids out fishing for trout at a local fish farm. They caught 4 big fish for supper tonight.

So, for supper we had fish we caught ourselves, vegetables grown in Grandma and Grandpa's back yard, and fresh raspberry pie, picked by the kids and Grandma. Grandpa Bob claimed to have picked the noodles in the noodle patch but I don't think the kids believed him. It was very cool, however, that the bulk of our meal (including yummy dessert) was obtained using our own hands and the local bounty of the land.

It's also been very quiet and relaxing, not being tied to the internet or to my mobile phone...no mobile phone service for me unless I stand in one particular spot on the back deck and don't move at all. I've been cut off several times even using that special position. While it's a bit stressful to not be connected, it's also quite relaxing to not be connected!

The Dells

2008-07-22T20:54:00.003-04:00

First off, my camera battery is dead so there are no lovely photos to accompany this blog. SORRY. Today we drove to Wisconsin Dells, which is a big tourist area. We are staying overnight with Tim's mom at an awesome, new indoor water park resort. There are three different water parks indoors, and two huge ones outside. There are rides and fun things for kids of all ages - lazy rivers for Grandma B. and cute little shallow-water play areas for Ella. And really fun giant slides and wave pools.

We had a blast today! The boys went on slide after slide after slide, and hit the wave pool as many times as they could.

We went to the indoor parks because it was a little chilly at first, then we sort of got comfortable and stayed there. We had planned on hitting the giant outdoor park after dinner tonight but the kids (and maybe the adults) are just beat! Ella just passed out on the couch - poor baby.

We'll have a quiet evening in our beautiful condo and then hit the outdoor park tomorrow. I hope it's warmer tomorrow! I think I've gotten spoiled living in tropical southern China! Because what seems to be perfectly acceptable outdoor swimming weather for the Wisconsinites that still live here (I'm always a 'Sconnie at heart!) leaves me blue and shivering.

Tomorrow we'll head to visit my dad and his wife for a few days and then farther up north to visit my brother and his family for a few days. We're hitting a good chunk of Wisconsin this trip and I am having a blast. I'm also looking forward to some chill time next week before heading back home to China!

Vacation

2008-07-20T17:24:00.002-04:00

We are in Madison, Wisconsin to visit Tim's mom. I came here for the first time in 1987 to visit some friends and fell completely in love with the city. People say New York City has a special energy about it - and I agree - but Madison has this incredible, laid-back, unassuming feel to it that just felt like paradise the first time I came here. State Street has changed a lot - it's a pedestrian street filled with funky shops and restaurants and bars that leads from the Univeristy of Wisconsin (my alma mater) to the beautiful State Capitol. The shops have changed - some are still the same - but the feel is still there. Freedom of expression is valued and so is pursuit of knowledge and life experience. Many outdoorsey-naturey-adventureous types milling about in comfortable shoes, tye-dyes and dreadlocks. It's not uncommon to see tattoos, piercings and politically-charged stickers and t-shirts all over the place. I remember when I was just out of college, it wasn't a question of WHETHER to get a tattoo so much as WHAT to get for a tattoo. Madison is unlike any other place I've ever lived. I lived here for as long as I could out of college, until Tim got a job when he graduated and we had to move. It's good to be home.

Next we'll be heading to the Wisconsin Dells for a retreat at an indoor water park, then up to northern Wisconsin to visit my dad for a few days.

update

2008-07-11T22:21:00.003-04:00

We're halfway through our summer holiday in the USA. We've been seeing some great friends and having a really nice time. So glad to be here.

Tonight I went to a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma. It was a Summer Salads course and we had some excellent salads - the chef prepares them and shows you how to make them, then we EAT them. We had lobster-raspberry-corn-snap pea salad; chicken-cashew-citrus-cilantro salad; fresh tuna salad (not from a can!); and candied pecan-chicken tender-mesclun salad. And excellent lemon cake. It was awesome but by the time I was finished I thought my stomach was going to explode! I have GOT to stop eating so much! Do I have to say the word? Yes, PUFFERFISH! AAAAAACK! I have been walking brisky every morning so at least I'm getting some exercise.

Tomorrow we're having a party for Alex's birthday - he will be 9 on Thursday so we're having a big shindig at one of those jumping places. We also invited some of Andrew's little friends. How cool is this: my son has agreed that no, he does not need any more STUFF so it would be great if everybody coming to the party donates to their favorite charity instead of bringing a gift. He originally wanted people to give to the Sichuan Earthquake victims but we couldn't find an easy way to do that. It's a pay-it-forward birthday - the kids get a fun time and goodie bags and lunch, then they pay it forward. Love it! Love that kid!

My stepdad is in the hospital as of this evening with pneumonia - he'll be in there for a few days. Please keep our dear Wayne in your prayers for healing and speedy recovery. Thanks!

Unjetlagged

2008-06-25T06:40:00.003-04:00

FINALLY slept a normal night's sleep last night - yippee! It's a little difficult to function when you want to sleep all day and can't sleep at all at night because it's SUPPOSED to be day! Even the kids slept all night. It's a good thing.

Can I mention how absolutely refreshing it is to be able to buy things and not have to multiply by 7 to figure out how much they "really" cost in U.S. dollars?
And how wonderful it is to have cars stop for you if you're crossing the street or in a parking lot, rather than aiming for you and speeding up?
And how great this country is, that everybody actually lines up in an orderly fashion and doesn't shove in front of you then invite their 14 relatives and friends to join them?
And how nice it is to go the store and know what everything is, how much it costs, and be able to ask questions about it?
And to understand what sizes I wear in clothing and shoes and know they'll pretty much fit me?
The food here is fabulous - at least at my favorite restaurants.
Drive-thru windows are a luxury - did you know THAT?
People generally follow the rules on the road - no big giant games of "chicken" here.
It's nice to walk down the street and not have to watch where I step for fear of "snot-rockets", trash and food debris, for the most part?
About those snot rockets - it's also nice to be in public and not hear all the hawking and spitting and nose-clearing-out that is perfectly normal in China.
Having a phone book and being able to use it!!

It's good to be home for a while.

Irony

2008-06-23T10:48:00.002-04:00

Would you believe I sort of didn't want to come home? I have made some super-special friends in China and our time together is limited by the fact that we're mostly there for just a few years. How funny compared to last summer when I was so miserable and lonely...it's a good feeling.

It's lovely to be in the U.S. - yesterday I went to my church and was welcomed by my big Faith family there. And then we went to my favorite pizza place, then to visit some very, very dear friends to just hang with them. Dinner with my mom and her husband last night...it really is nice here.

However, here are some things I did NOT miss while in China:
Pre-presidential election MUD-SLINGING...UGH! It was great to not be in the U.S. for the majority of that junk. Really, it's ridiculous.
Tomato scares
Having to drive everywhere instead of walking...I miss walking my neighborhood! Everything seems so far apart here! So funny...
Cheap stuff like pants from the J. Crew and Ann Taylor factory stores for about $5 each
Cheap manicures, pedicures, massages and hair washes - it's so expensive here!

But, it's nice to be here for a little while. I hope to see everybody this summer at some point if you can! Call me at my mom's - if you don't know her number, just shoot me an e-mail. Thanks for checking up on us!

Update

2008-06-21T14:26:00.002-04:00

After a very, very busy end of the school year, and a reeeeeeaaaaalllllllyyyy long trip home, we are in the U.S.

We had programs and parties to attend before leaving, plus going-away parties for our dear friends who will not be returning in the fall. That is the difficult part of expat life - saying goodbye to the wonderful people you meet along the way. We had to say goodbye to some completely lovely people this year. We all know it's part of the culture of an expat community, but this was my first full year and therefore my first goodbye to true, real friends. So sad!!

Then we were all set to return home. The car picked us up in China at 7 Thursday morning and took us across the border and across the big bridge to Hong Kong. We checked in and shoved breakfast down the kids' throats, only to find our flight was delayed. Delayed 7 hours! So we killed a bunch of time in the Hong Kong airport - luckily they have a nice little playground in there. And a great restaurant where we loitered for a really long time over various salads, sandwiches, tea and sodas. Finally got on the plane and flew over the north pole, down to Jersey. Of course since we arrived so late at night, we had to stay a night in Jersey. The people at Continental Airlines were completely fabulous in handling things for us. We got off the plane and were met by customer service reps with room keys for a local hotel plus food vouchers. We were shuttled off to the hotel and headed straight to our rooms. Very nice service. We had a whopping 4 hours to sleep before we had to return to the airport to head home...it was a really long 36 hours of travel. I have to say, my kids totally rock. They were so good and so patient! People around us were amazed they had been traveling for 36 hours by the time we got here. Way to go, little dudes and dude-ette!

So, after discombobulated sleep patterns we are finally here for our first full day in East TN - yippee it's good to be home! Tim and I went for a walk around the neighborhood this morning - not quite the same workout as the hills of our China neighborhood but a nice walk nonetheless. I went to Curves with my mom, where we had another little workout - and we had a nice, normal lunch. So far, so good. I'm going to do my best not to turn into a pufferfish this time home! Wish me luck with that.

Party Photos

2008-06-08T08:59:00.008-04:00

Here is everybody SURPRISING me and singing Happy Birthday

And the lovely "40" medallion. Sorry, my eyes are closed. Next to me is my friend Paty from Peru. She is either consoling me for the fact that I have to wear the obnoxious necklace or else admiring it....not sure which.

Some friends, both of whom happen to be from Scotland...guess which one is in the band.

Birthday Week

2008-06-08T05:50:00.003-04:00

Last night Tim threw me a surprise birthday party! He'd been planning it for weeks and was really sneaky about it! My dear neighbor made me a cake, another friend helped with invites, and Alex helped him decorate the restaurant. Our dear Hong Kong friends came all the way over to share the evening. This was especially nice because they just had a baby 3 weeks ago, and we spent my actual birthday with them in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
I got to wear a beautiful necklace that said "BEHOLD THE AGELESS WONDER" with the number 40 all over it (it was really obnoxious!) . There were streamers and all sorts of decorations - he really did a it great job.
It was such a lovely surprise!
My multicultural friends sang "Happy Birthday" to me in four different languages - Swedish, German, English and Chinese.
He had an excellent buffet dinner for us including fish and chips from the Irish Pub the party was held at. The party was on the top floor, open-air, upstairs from the bar where my favorite local band plays. So after eating and relaxing and having fun upstairs, we all headed downstairs to dance the night away to the rockin' sounds of "Mind the Gap."

It's the rainy season here so it had been pouring all day - luckily the outdoor room was at least covered. The floor was wet but we were dry. Many people braved pouring rain to come to the party.

Everybody commented about what a great party it was - we all had such a blast! What a fantastic husband I have!

The Whining Zone

2008-06-01T02:02:00.005-04:00

And what an...uh, exciting...week it has been! Tim left for the U.S. on Monday and is enroute back home to us right now - he's just flying over Mongolia, it looks like. Let me just say I am so happy I have help in the house, especially at suppertime! Domestic help is not only desired and expected and perfectly normal here, it's also necessary, believe it or not. Everything here gets so much dirtier so much more quickly here - must be due to all the pollution in the air and water, but if my floor is washed one day, it will be black again by the next day, and we don't wear shoes in the house! Even my Chinese friend who moved to the U.S. has commented on how you really don't need help there like you do here because you don't have to clean so much there! You need to spend a LOT more time cleaning in China (that would be a figurative "you"...meaning "Somebody Else"...)
On Tuesday I had a PSA meeting - this coming year I will be on the board for our school's Parent Support Association. Later that afternoon, I had lunch with some friends. During this time I felt sort of yucky...sore throat, a bit of a headache. Well, by mid-afternoon I had a screamin' headache, a really bad sore throat and even my skin hurt - I was really sick! Turns out I had tonsilitis, and it pretty much knocked me down for three days. Again, I am SO GLAD to have domestic help here because with Tim gone that would NOT have been fun...at all. It still wasn't fun...
Then on Thursday I still had to fulfill a cake order for a friend. This friend has ordered 2 cakes from me in the past and both times I had to cancel the day before due to some emergency or another...I couldn't cancel this time! So I got that done...and then slept some more!
Friday morning (I kept thinking I'd feel better "tomorrow" but...) I had another obligation I couldn't cancel - Ella was asked to model again and this time she wanted to. I couldn't cancel on her agent the day of the shoot so we went to that. Luckily it was a pretty short one and we were home in time to take a nice nap together. Still feeling pretty sick...
Saturday morning I FINALLY felt better - yippee! That was such a relief. Especially since domestic helpers have Sundays off and I really wanted to be healthy by today. Thank you, Auntie Biotix!
I was able to take Andrew to soccer...in the rain because it's the rainy season here...and then to his end-of-the-season soccer banquet. We had a nice time together and spent the day hanging around the house, playing and still taking it easy.
Today we made it to church here in the neighborhood. After church the kids were playing on the playground and I noticed Andrew itching away. There are many mosquitoes and horrible little black bugs that bite and ITCH for weeks here. There are also these poison caterpillars that give you a huge, itchy, bumpy red rash that makes you miserable. Guess which bug bit Andrew? Yep, the caterpillar...he was swelling up and bumpy and red and itchy...poor little guy! We got him home on a golf cart, slathered on the calamine lotion and popped a Benadryl into him. He had a little pizza picnic on the couch (way against the rules, usually) and some Cartoon Network. Now he's good as new, just a little pinker than normal thanks to the calamine.

OK, so I know this week will be exciting, too...after all, I will be turning FORTY on Wednesday. How much more exciting can life get than that? Hopefully it will be a healthy week for us, I know we will be so happy to have Tim back home. And in a mere 19 days we will be heading back home for a visit...

Another Disney Weekend

2008-05-24T21:15:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we decided to hit Hong Kong for another Disney weekend, just to hang out together as a family. We met our friends that we got to know in Cebu for a few hours at the park. Disneyland Hong Kong has a brand new It's A Small World ride. We went on it twice, and Ella has been singing the Small World song ever since - so cute! They did a great job with this one, and put different Disney charaters into this particular Small World (the only one that uses characters). Lilo and Stitch are in the Islands part - Pocahontas is in the North America part. And the China part is HUGE, showing different parts of China plus the Hong Kong skyline.

When we got to our hotel (The Disneyland Hollywood Hotel - VERY NICE) we were told that we had been chosen to be MOVIE STARS for the day - I was hoping for huge things like leading the parade, maybe a new "movie star" wardrobe...but the perk turned out to be the use of a lovely Toyota van to cart us around to the front door and pick us up at our leisure. That was really nice, actually, to just hop into our a/c van after a HOT day at the park.

We spent the evening at the pool, taking a break only to eat supper in our suits. Goofy came to the pool and actually played in the pool, splashing around with the kids, a few times. It was pretty cool. I don't know what his costume was made of but it did NOT look comfortable. The kids had a ball with him, and Ella was actually brave enough to "high-five" him.

Today we'll be heading to church and then lunch with our dear Hong Kong friends. They just had a baby girl on Mother's Day! It will be our first time seeing them since she was born, though I don't think they'll be bringing her. People here tend to keep kids in the house for the first few months of birth - it's not uncommon to get chewed out in Cantonese or Mandarin for having a baby out in public that looks too young.

Then we'll head back to China for another exciting week of school, work, and play. Probably not as exciting as last week with the Elton John show, but exciting regardless, I'm sure.

Rocket Man

2008-05-20T13:19:00.001-04:00

That's right - the photo below is an image of Sir Elton John, who we just saw in concert. In Hong Kong. At night. Morning is approaching awfully quickly but I wanted to post the picture.

He still rocks.

Foot in Mouth Disease

2008-05-19T10:23:00.003-04:00

China is lately freaking out over some supposedly super-virulent strain of Hand Food and Mouth Disease - so far I think 34 children have died from it, and it's quite widespread. They closed all the public pools in our city, and even at our school, swimming is being postponed as part of the PE program until the panic calms down.

So this morning Ella started scratching her hand and complaining about itching. I looked and, sure enough, there were a few little blisters there. She also felt feverish and was tired. So, I took her to the doctor right away this morning to get her checked out.

The doctor blames the media for the panic. She also talked about how common this illness is in the States and in Australia, where she's lived and doctored (Australia), and how kids do not die from it there. She said she doesn't know what those children died from but it wasn't hand foot and mouth disease. Her theory is that it's possibly some Chinese herbal remedy gone wrong, or maybe dehydration. She said Ella's case is very mild but to keep her home from school until the blisters go away. When I asked her about the boys she said that, ideally, infected kids should stay away from other kids. She said "Well, I'll tell you to keep them separate, but good luck with that." She figured they're probably already immune to it or else they'll pick it up but she wasn't especially worried. She made me feel so much better! So, now you have the rest of the story about the China Childrens' Virus, at least according to my lovely and talented doctor.

Ella MacPherson

2008-05-16T11:14:00.008-04:00

Since there are so few foreign kids here, it isn't uncommon to be approached by a model agent if you have kids. With all the clothing factories here, it's cheaper to shoot a catalog using local kids, pay them a little money, and send out your catalog to prospective buyers. If you fill it with Western-looking kids, the Western stores will buy from you.

Ella has modeled a few times, and Alex has done it once. I have some really nice catalogs with their pictures in. Lately Ella's been saying "NO!" when we get a call so I don't know if she'll do it again. But, the last time she did it it must have been a nice job. There is a huge billboard in the main children's clothing department store here with her on it! Several people have told me about it so today I went to check it out.

Department stores are much different here than in the U.S. They are usually two stories tall, although sometimes many more. There are different vendors that cover only a certain area, and they don't have anything to do with the vendor next to them - they are in direct competition. There is no common accounting system, either. So, if you want to buy something, you agree on a price - haggling is getting less and less productive here - and they write up a "fa piao" or receipt - all in Chinese, of course. For all I know it could say "This stupid foreigner just bought a load of crap for a ton of money. Ha ha ha. Smile nice at her, now." But, I digress. Then you take your piece of paper to a cashier - there are usually several set up around the floor. You pay the cashier, who then gives you more paper, duly chopped, and your change. You bring the new pink piece of paper along with the cash receipt to the vendor, who by now has bagged up your purchase and will hand it to you. It's a whole lotta hassle but that's the way things are done here...the old-fashioned, labor-intensive, paper-heavy way.

Today I couldn't help buy the dress she's wearing in the picture and said (in CHINEEEEEESE) "That's my daughter." They chattered on about how beautiful she was and how she looks like me ("Buy more stuff! Buy more stuff!") and then I left to take pictures of Ella's billboard.

We're fine

2008-05-12T19:37:00.004-04:00

There was a big earthquake up in Chengdu recently - a tragedy. We didn't get much news about it but apparently you folks outside China are hearing more. Chengdu is quite far from where we live and we didn't even know about it, so please know we're fine. I don't in any way mean to trivialize what other people are going through in that area. Please keep the victims in your prayers.

Happy Mother's Day to ME...the best gifts...EVER

2008-05-11T10:35:00.003-04:00

July, 1999

April 2002

November 2004

2008-05-11T09:06:00.002-04:00

Again, Happy Mother's Day to all you moms...

Today we went to Hong Kong for my Mother's Day. Had an excellent church service, with communion and everything! Then we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for my Mother's Day Rockin' Lunch. It was fun and everybody ate well...it was nice to be back there. They have this pulled pork sandwich with cole slaw and baked beans....aaaaaahhhhh, it's a little slice of American paradise right smack dab in Asia. Very nice.

Did some shopping and picked up Tim's beautiful new suits. Took a cab home and had a quiet evening here. Great Mother's Day!

This morning we took a ferry to get there - they have started using these little old ferries that they normally use for the airport to go to the part of Hong Kong where our church is...last I heard, they were going to cancel our Sunday ferry altogether, so I was glad to have a ride to church! Well, this particular ferry had an interesting bathroom. I am sure you've heard of Asia's famous "squatty potties" which are basically a hole in the floor. Rarely do the bathrooms here have toilet paper or soap, but they have water and a bathroom attendant to "clean up" (with what, though???). To make things even ickier, people don't flush their paper here, the put it into the wastebasket that is in every bathroom. Gets a bit smelly really quickly. Anywho, this was a squatter, but it was a squatter on a BOAT so I looked down and saw water rushing under me. Nice to find out just how clean the Hong Kong harbor really is....ick. It did have tp, which was a nice touch, but no wastebasket and no, no soap. Luckily one learns quickly to carry tissues, gel and wipes wherever you go! It was one of my more interesting Asian potty experiences...

So, we start our week. This weekend our Women's Club is hosting a James Bond-themed end of the year party ("License to Chill"...very cool) but I don't think I can find anything to wear on such short notice. Probably we'll have to skip it, although Tim would look so handsome in his new suit! We'll see...have a lovely week!

My Son, The Warthog

2008-05-10T10:00:00.003-04:00

Tonight was our kids' school's production of Rapunzel. They used a very funny script and the kids did an amazing job. Alex was the warthog, the caterpillar puppeteer, and the baby Rapunzel. He did great and he also has developed a severe case of the acting bug.

We went to the new IKEA store today (LOVE IT) but I only had to buy a couple of small pitchers. You can't buy gallon jugs of milk here - in fact, there is only one type of refrigerated milk that comes in one-liter sizes. Can you imagine how many of those we go through with three kids and a latte-lovin' mama? We buy the liter-size aseptic-container boxes of milk (like a large juice box) because they're easier to store (in the pantry). They are tough to pour out of though, with that hole on top of the box. So I bought a few pitchers to pour the box into. That way the kids can pour their own without spilling all around the cup. Dairy products in general are not especially popular in China. Cheeses are imported and expensive, as is most milk. Ice cream, too. The Chinese do like yogurt but it's more of a drinkable kind. There isn't as much spoon-type yogurt, and absolutely no thick and creamy spoon-type yogurt. All that is imported, and sometimes but not always, can be found at the import store.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I would like to take a bit of time to thank my mommy for being who she is and for making me who I am. You rock, Mom. And, to the other moms in my life who have had an influence on me, whether you realized it or not, thank you, too. And to my friends, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you...aren't we a blessed lot? We have the best job in the world, and more love than our kids will ever realize until they have their own kids.

Andrew's Disneyland Birthday

2008-04-26T09:32:00.010-04:00

Andrew's 6th birthday will be Tuesday. To celebrate, we went to Hong Kong Disneyland today to spend the day with our dear Hong Kong friends. We also invited some new friends we met when we were in Cebu, Philippines to join us. We all have a wonderful, tiring day, ending with a big buffet dinner featuring Mickey, Minnie and friends.

Ella is ready to party.

Andrew and Unnamed Friend, dancing to the parade music.

The Mouse himself was gracious enough to pose with us before helping Andrew cut his Mickey-shaped cake.

Just the family at the Happiest Place on Earth.

The Small World attraction opens this Monday...SUCH a bummer we missed it! We'll just have to come back...

In the meantime, stay tuned for more of Andrew's Birthday Extravaganza 2008!

So much more than shampoo

2008-04-13T08:36:00.002-04:00

One thing my friends, (as well as Chinese folks in general) like to do is get the occasional hair wash. You go to a hair place - they have hair places and they have nail places and spas, and ne'er the two (three) shall meet - and into the "hair wash room" (I don't know what they call it it Chinese!). The hair wash room is a room off the regular beauty salon full of vinyl-coated cots attached to sinks. You lie down on a vinyl cot with your head on a base over the sink. They usually start with a little head massage first. Then, they work in some nice-smelling shampoo while giving you a scalp and head massage. This lasts for maybe 8 minutes, then they rinse you and shampoo again, with the scalp massage. After they rinse you a second time, they work in some conditioning oils, depending on your hair's needs (although most are really clueless as to the needs of Western hair - another blog post entirely!). After massaging in the oils, they let them soak into your hair. During this time you receive a really nice neck massage, then they work down your back. (There is usually a towel and a sheet of plastic inside the back of your shirt to protect it.) This part lasts another 10 - 15 minutes. Then they rinse you again. Sometimes they'll clean out your ears during this time (I know - wierd, huh? They really dig in with the cotton swabs to a scary depth. I don't do that anymore). Sometimes they'll offer you a face wash as well. Since I normally wear makeup ("normally" meaning Always, except for bed) I have never gotten one, but some friends have gotten little mini-facials while at hair washes. My friends have really enjoyed this as it adds to the whole relaxing-clean thing. They rinse you again and wrap your hair in a towel, really tight. Then you lie down on the cot part without the sink. They massage your shoulders, arms and hands. Some places massage your legs but that always hurts me so I have them stop (Westerners are notorious wimps). Then they turn you over, face down, and really work your back. The whole massaging, cleansing process lasts from 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the place and on the person working on you. It's incredibly relaxing. Then they take you to the "beauty salon" part to blow-dry and style your hair. Again, they're pretty clueless about Western hair so my very straight hair usually gets "straightened" some more to the point that I could probably use it as a weapon. But it looks nice, clean and shiny. I have some friends who don't even bother to do their hair anymore, they just go to the hair wash place and have somebody else do it a few times a week.

This whole thing generally costs 25 rmb, though if you get a snappy new haircut like Tim did yesterday, it costs about 40 rmb. Please take note that with the exchange rate of 7:1 US$, that's about three bucks for a hair wash, maybe just a little more. It's a pretty sweet deal. Unless your hair gets stuck in the hair dryer like mine did yesterday - it's still a sweet deal but that was a bummer.
Another bummer is that the hair wash guys and gals make (so I've heard) about 3 rmb per hour. The above exchange rate can put that into perspective for you. We wimpy Westerners always try to make up for this with a generous tip of 5 - 10 rmb, which is really a lot of money to the hair wash folks. Everybody ends up happy and beautiful!

Sunday Foggy Sunday

2008-04-06T08:34:00.006-04:00

This morning (Sunday) was reeeeeally foggy - I couldn't see anything when I looked outside the window. This did not bode well for our planned trip to Hong Kong, as I've been a bit anxious to go to our church there. I was thinking the ferry ride, if it happened, might be a bit nerve-wracking.

Well, it cleared up a bit as the 9:00 launch neared so we headed to the ferry station and to Hong Kong. As we got closer to HK, the fog cleared some more, although I was pretty nervous. Normally there are many, many cargo ships, ferries and fishing boats out - really a LOT of boat traffic between Mainland China and Hong Kong. Well, this morning we were looking at the traffic and suddenly we spotted an aircraft carrier loaded with planes and helicopters in the water! It was an amazing sight!! Andrew was beside himself - he has been obsessed with aircraft carriers lately and we've NEVER seen one of those! Once we did see the Queen Mary II docked - it's huge - but the aircraft carrier was certainly the cat's pajamas today. It was really, really cool.
When we arrived in Hong Kong, we made our usual pit stop at Starbuck's for a snack and placed our bets on how many men would approach Tim to sell him stuff on the way to church. Each Sunday, at least 3 - sometimes up to 6 - men try to sell Tim tailor services for custom suits, watches, and handbags in little hole in the wall stores nearby. I guess we have "TOURIST" written all over us, although you'd think they'd recognize us by now! (3 men approached him today - not too bad.)
Sadly, when we arrived at church we found out they'd changed the service time for this week because it's their annual meeting. They were already 50 minutes into the service when we got there...so, so sad. Especially since we missed it the past few weeks. AND, we had bought the round-trip tickets for the 6:00 pm ferry so we had some time to waste.
Well, Tim ended up talking to one of the suit guys on the way back and they are now in the process of custom-making him two nice, new suits. They had a storefront where they measured him, had thousands of fabrics to choose from, and designed the suits and dress shirts for him in about a half hour's time.
We ate at Dan Ryan, where I had a steak salad. Let me tell you that steak and meat in general is different here -different texture, different cuts, different flavor...it's just not the same. But Dan Ryan serves AMERICAN steaks - woo-hoo! It was an amazing steak salad. Just like being home. And in the restroom, they play all these old tv jingles - today I heard "My Three Sons" and "Mission: Impossible". Last time we went there it was The Jeffersons' "Movin' On Up". Aaaahhhh....so nice to hear (and EAT) stuff that makes me feel normal! (side note: whenever I say "Let's go to Dan Ryan", I feel like I'm heading to a big, huge highway...another side note: if you're not from the Midwest, the Dan Ryan Expressway is a major route through Chicago)
Then we took the Star Ferry across the harbor to the main Hong Kong Island side called Central. We stocked up on some healthy foods we can't get here (only packaged foods allowed across the border, though - no produce, meats or cheeses) and spent some more time wandering around Hong Kong.
Hopped onto the 6:00 ferry, had a rocky, jerky ride home - we did see the aircraft carrier again. But the boys were so tired and so sick from the rocky boat ride that it wasn't quite as exciting. I just did some research and found out it's the USS Ronald Reagan (gonna keep quiet here...), the latest in nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, carries 80 aircraft, and can go for TWENTY YEARS without refueling...and there are suggestions that it's on it way to establish a presence in Iran...again, I'm going to keep QUIET right now because this is not a political blog because I have dear friends on both side of "center".... *sigh*
I dearly missed church but it sure turned out to be an interesting Sunday!

Saturday Shenanigans

2008-04-05T09:16:00.003-04:00

Chinese children have hours of homework every night. They are taught to memorize, memorize, memorize, follow the rules, be respectful to teachers, and memorize some more. That is how they are taught everything -math formulas, literature, and science - even music. It is a very different educational strategy than in the U.S., where students are taught problem-solving and creative thinking. It makes for good engineers and math and science people. It does not make for good free-thinkers, which really isn't conducive to the political structure here anyway.
Today my friend Kelly and I went to a tailor shop to get a dress made. It is fairly cheap to get clothing custom made here, though I've never done it. Kelly needs to get a dress made for an upcoming wedding. When she found a design she liked, she tried to ask to see fabric samples and get an estimate of what it would cost to make that dress. Between us, our Chinese was good enough to ask the questions. Unfortunately, the tailor's assistant was unable to think outside of the box, so to speak. Since they don't sell the particular fabric pictured, she couldn't help us. After one and a half hours of trying to find out if certain dresses were available in different colors, and what it would cost to make them, we left the store having found out nothing. She could not get it into her head that we could change the fabric color or fabric of a dress, even though it is a custom tailor. Very rigid thinking! Very frustrating for us Westerners - especially my free-thinking friend Kelly!

Then we went to another part of town, right outside the "expat neighborhood". China is full of these little storefronts on the ground floor with apartments that go several stories up above the storefronts. Skinny little streets full of bicycles transporting all sort of items and people - it's not unusual to see a family of 4 on one bike, or a guy with a stack of mattresses 10 feet high on the back of a bike. The skinny streets are lined with all these little shops, one after the other, all basically in the same building with the occasional narrow alleyway. They sell so many things in these little shops, though you sometimes wonder if it's new stuff, where it came from and how long it's been sitting there. And how clean it is. I've always sort of avoided going there because I'm not confident enough of my Chinese and I never know which shops sell what. I found some great little shops today with Kelly - she took me to this Malaysian shop that sells all these funky clothes and jewelry and knicknacks. We found some very groovy clothes and we were also able to bargain down a bit. I ended up with a beautiful, hand-beaded shirt, a skirt and a beaded tank top for under $60 - not dirt-cheap but certainly a bargain considering the quality of the stuff. We had a blast and we were able to really practice our Chinese at the shops. My new resolution is to get out of this neighborhood more often and USE my Chinese so it improves - it's so easy not to use it where we live, which is too bad because it never really gets better that way. Kelly's resolution is to run the Great Wall of China 1/2-Marathon next month. (Which resolution sounds easier?) I'm even going to get really brave and visit the wet market, which I've been avoiding due to fear of seeing Fido or Snowball there. I've found out they have live chickens but no domestic pets there - whew! They sell fresh, cheap vegetables and fruits and meats there. I will avoid the meats (uh, animals), regardless, because, brave or not, I am NOT going to kill, behead and pluck a chicken. I'd rather run the Great Wall 1/2 Marathon.

I'm back in the PRC

2008-03-31T09:49:00.004-04:00

Today it was back to reality for us: back to school, back to work, back to Chinese lessons and dropping off and picking up children. Walking up the hill, down the hill...
Everybody here is still a bit tired. Andrew's teacher called at lunch; he was claiming to be "miserable" but couldn't quite put his finger on any body part that was actually giving him trouble. He ended up eating lunch with his teacher and staying for the rest of the day...I later found out three kids called mommies from that one class alone. I guess we're not the only tired ones.
I went to Alex's class today and read with some of the students - they have a parent come in each week to listen to a student read aloud, one on one. It's nice to be in his classroom and listen to the kids reading.
Ella was excited to go back to school, though she did ask to go to the beach instead. She was tired today but not tired enough for a nap. We laid down together and watched a Little People video this afternoon, but she didn't fall asleep (I nearly did). So at dinner tonight she fell asleep eating her gingered carrots.
It's nice to be back into our routine but I sure could go for another iced coffee with spicy crackers, with a cool ocean breeze blowing through my hair.

Sweet memories and sad realities

2008-03-30T09:37:00.006-04:00

The kids had fun at the beach...

Our last night there we saw a show with dancers and drummers...

This is what the resort looks like...

This is what Cebu looks like outside the resort...

Wish You Were Here...

2008-03-26T02:10:00.007-04:00

Can you see the ocean in the background? The beautiful, blue ocean? We took a kayak out this morning with Ella and saw some cool fishies.

Tim went snorkeling today, too, and saw more cool rainbow fish.

We had WESTERN lunch outside in our bathing suits listening to Jimmy Buffet (and the Pina Colada song).

The boys have long sleeved shirts on because they are at the Adventure Zone, which is outdoor games, swimming, lunch, crafts and indoor play on the huge climbing playground. They were pretty jazzed to go this morning.

2008-03-25T20:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we got into the dual-plate car (can go between China Mainland & Hong Kong) to head to the airport. We had an uneventful ride there, and a nice plane ride to Manila, then had to wait in the (hot) plane while they boarded people on a bus, took them to the terminal, then returned to pick up more people. One bus for a HUGE planeload! We were supposed to have over an hour layover but after getting through customs, security, baggage claim, more security, and more customs, and paying our 200 philippine pesos per head, we RAN to catch our connection to Cebu. Cebu reminds me a lot of Mexico - probably due to the heavy Spanish influence here (sadly as a result of the Inquisition).
The Shangi-La is BEAUTIFUL and we were upgraded to a lovely, large executive suite. The food here is WESTERN-influenced and delicious - salads (!!!) pasta, vegetables, and - I know, it's not really Western - curries. I've been obsessed with curries and Indian food lately, much to the chagrin of my children. At dinner we ran into our old neighbors from China who moved back to Germany last summer. They had just been visiting in China (we saw them throughout the week at our school) and then came here.
We took a lovely evening swim, had a great sleep, and are ready for our adventure to begin!

2008-03-23T03:37:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter from the Behlings!

In church here this morning (where we sat listening to a message for 45 minutes until I thought my bottom was going to fall right off) we said "He is risen! He is risen indeed!" in Chinese. I wish I could remember how we said it to share with you; sorry.

Days like this I sure do miss my old church and my funny, thought-provoking, challenging pastor who did his sermons in about 8 minutes. And I missed (so much) singing "Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today" with the trumpets and big organ and such. But, I was able to share Easter fellowship with a whole bunch of passionate Christians from all over the world, and that, my friend, is one of the reasons we're here - and very, very cool. Now we're getting ready for a big dinner with a big family - 10 people from one family (including in-laws and a niece, 5 kids, mom and dad). Should be fun - the ham smells terrific. Have a blessed Easter.

The Gold Medal Goes To...

2008-03-21T09:27:00.003-04:00

This week was the Reading Olympics at our kids' school (the Olympics will be in China this year). There were all sorts of fun reading activities all week, and the school provided athletic headbands to all students. Since my Alex was the only one in his class to wear his all day, all week, he was chosen to represent his class in receiving their gold medal at the awards ceremony today. Andrew, too, was selected in his class to receive it - that was mighty cool to see both my boys so proud and grown-up!
Andrew's grade "hosted" the awards assembly, and my boy had a little speaking part. He did great! I would have photos but my camera was missing for a few days. Luckily, I complained to my dear friend Kelly that it was missing and she said "Oh! It's at my house!" because we had thrown a baby shower there last week. I was SO relieved because I thought it had been stolen! Yay, Kelly!
This weekend kicks off spring break for us, and on Tuesday we will be heading to Cebu, Philippines. It's supposed to be a lovely beach resort, adn I'm looking forward to just sitting on the beach and relaxing! I WILL be posting photos of our trip because Kelly found my camera!
It is Easter weekend and I sure wish I could have attended Good Friday services today. I did, however, go out for fish n' chips which is as close as I can get to a Friday Nite Fish Fry, for all you Wisconsinites (go, Badgers!). And I will be going to church somewhere on Sunday, not sure if it will be here or in Hong Kong. Apparently there is a bit of a flu crisis going on in Hong Kong - not sure it's a good idea to head over there to mingle with a bunch of other people in a room...probably we'll stay here and worship.

Have your people talk to my people...

2008-03-18T10:31:00.001-04:00

My lovely and talented mommy (whom I miss dearly!!!!) has a website that has pictures of our house on it. If you are interested in seeing where we live, shoot me an e-mail and I will pass on the link to you. If you can't e-mail me, you are probably not someone who needs to see the pictures OR you have lost my e-mail. In the case of the latter, just comment here that you would like to see them and I'll send you the link. If you know my mommy, just ask her for the link. Okee dokee?
Have a nice day.

Baker's Anonymous

2008-03-17T10:07:00.003-04:00

This morning I was running to grab a cup of tea and a danish before my Chinese lesson. I ran into some friends I haven't seen in a while - one basically started my cake business. She's been here for 5 years and my cake was the first "real" cake she'd seen or tasted in China. The other friend is the one who organized the dessert event I catered last month - all based on her love of my cake. So, I sat down with them for a chat and mentioned I'm taking a break from cakin' for a while. They looked disappointed so I said that, of course, I'd still fill orders for them since I know them and they're easy to please. They were very supportive about my decision.
About 5 minutes later, one of them turned to me and asked if she could order a cheesecake THIS WEEK for her family! It was really funny, to me, because she was completely serious. So, what did I say? I said YES! I admit it - I am addicted to baking!

It's Sunday...guess what this post is about??

2008-03-16T10:54:00.004-04:00

In church today an adult was baptized and a little girl was, also, whose parents became Christians only about 2 years ago. I was struck by the realization that most of the people in my church here have made a conscious choice to be Christians. Most did not grow up going to church with their parents or even the whole twice-a-year-Christmas -and-Easter thing. They own their faith in a way I think many in the U.S. don't. It is interesting how living here is making me claim my own faith, as well. It is not easy or cheap to get to a church sanctuary. Many of my friends are not believers, and those that are pose new questions or beliefs for me to sift through and weigh. I am forced here to be active about my faith, not passive. It would be easy to just put it all on hold until I return to the U.S. where it's easy and even expected I go to church.

Many U.S. Christians grow up going to church with Mom and Dad and just sort of assume it or take it for granted. That's what you do on Sundays. Many businesses close (though not as many as it used to be).
In China and Hong Kong, however, Sunday is just another opportunity for business. Everything is open on Sunday mornings. It would be very easy to choose not to go to church, to get shopping done or go out and do just about anything else. That's what a giant majority of the people do. It is just another business day.
But my church is packed full of people who are joyful and exuberant about their faith - it's fresh, new, chosen faith. When we sing, many people raise their arms in physical worship, along with their voices. It is a very inspiring place to be on Sundays. We make a joyful noise as well as a joyful picture.

She's Crafty*

2008-03-12T09:01:00.006-04:00

*Author's note: "She's Crafty" is a song by the Beastie Boys. It is not about knitting, decoupage-ing, sewing or scrapbooking... : O

I had my first knitting class today. I have started to knit a spa washcloth out of wonderfully soft cotton and bamboo yarn. I'm so excited! I've always wanted to be one of the crafty people! Can I be in the club now? Do I have the right to shop at the craft stores and look like I know what I'm doing?

We also had student-led conferences at the kids' school today. Each child took us through their classroom on a tour and showed us what they've been working on this year. They each read to us from a "just-right" book and showed us their portfolio. It was really impressive to hear from them how and what they're doing.

My hippie son got a buzz cut today. Now he looks like a serious rock star. Alex...dude. He looks much more like a boy now, too!

And I had Chinese class. I ran into my teacher grabbing a treat at Starbucks ("Shim-ba-ke" in Chinese) so we gave her a ride to my house and I tried to have a lesson with three kids and a husband milling about. Not especially productive, but it did give us quite a bit of conversation material!

Sunday

2008-03-09T08:57:00.004-04:00

Today I had great intentions to get the kids up, get everybody ready and head to Hong Kong for church. Then I started to think about the huge ordeal it is with two adults and how much huger of an ordeal it would be with only one adult. So, I decided to scrap the Hong Kong plans and attend the local church here. I have not been especially impressed or pleased with the local church - that's why we go through the huge ordeal to get to a Hong Kong church. Today was okay - I've been told it's much better now but it's pretty much the same as last time we went. It was really nice to worship once again with others after going the past few weeks without. And the boys had a nice time at Sunday School. It was good - much better than not attending worship services at all.
After, we went out to lunch with some friends - a buddy of Alex's and his parents. They then took Alex home with them for the day and I took Andrew and Ella to the playground. It was a nice day. We had a very quiet supper without Daddy or Alex and then got snuggly on my bed, watching "Little People" videos. It was a nice Sunday - family, friends, fellowship, food. I feel full and at peace. Church sure makes a difference in my Sundays, regardless of how it get it!
I am ready for Tim to come back from the U.S. (tonight!) and for another busy week. God's peace to you!

Cake, Schmake.

2008-03-07T09:15:00.003-05:00

Last week I had to cancel a cake order because Andrew had to go to the doctor in Hong Kong...he's fine now but there was no way I could physically get that cake done and still take care of him. So, Thursday night, the same woman (who I've never met) calls again for a similar cake for a bigger party for her daughter. She needs it on Saturday. I said "Sure!"...even though I had planned on NOT doing any cakes at all this week because Tim is in the U.S. and I'm busy enough with the kids. Of course, I had already agreed to do 2 dozen cupcakes on Friday and another cake for someone else for Saturday. Apparently, nobody got my mental memo that I would not be doing cakes this week. And, I apparently have trouble with the word "NO."
Sadly, I looked in my pantry this morning to start my cake baking and decorating and found it to be lacking severely in icing ingredients (that's "FROSTING" for you yankees). And the import stores have been out of the icing sugar for a few weeks now. My supply was used up with the cupcakes and the first cake.
So, I had to call this woman and tell her - AGAIN - that I couldn't get her cake done. I'm thinking I'm not supposed to make a cake for her. I'm also thinking I need to learn how to say NO because I didn't really want to do these cakes in the first place!
The cupcakes are completed and delivered and have been devoured by 4-year-olds. The other cake is done but I'm really not happy with how it looks. At all. I had no ambition or creative juices this week - they were all sucked up by other stuff. I think it turned out waaaaaay too girlie for Todd...what do you think??
I think I need a break from cake-makin'!

Slacker Blogger

2008-03-05T08:34:00.004-05:00

Man, am I lazy or what! I mean, is it really that hard to post a little something every now and then to let you know what's going on here? Maybe tell a little joke, say something dazzling or at least thought-provoking? Apparently, yes, it is very hard for me. Because I've been so busy. Doing what? I don't really know...
I have been doing cakes, of course. Last week I finally finished my big catering job. It started out with me providing 7 courses of desserts for an art and jewelry exhibit. Oh, I was so nervous I wasn't sleeping! Then we went down to 5 because we were doing it at a restaurant and the owner of the restaurant needed to do a couple, too, just to keep her products visible. Then somebody goofed on the menu so I went down to 4, which was very manageable. It turned out really great; I was pretty proud of myself for getting everything done and delivered and tasted and enjoyed. So, that had been taking up a lot of my time and attention. So glad it's over!
Later that week I filled one order for 120 cupcakes and did another cake the following day. This week I only have two normal-size orders to fill, so far.
We have officially passed the year mark (Feb. 18)...I supposed I should have blogged then, too. Ah, well, we were too busy celebrating that year of living in China...not really. I must say, that in the past year I've become more used to living waaaaaay over here, not driving or listening to the radio, not seeing my especially loved ones, and not watching U.S. t.v. (which is actually quite refreshing). I have become more fluent in Chinese to the point where I think I could survive outside of my little expat bubble. I have become much more used to and appreciative of Chinese culture, and I sure have learned a lot about Asian culture and the rest of the world. I have met many good friends from all over the place, and some super-good-soulmate-type friends from the U.S. I have dived more deeply into my faith since I have to really claim it here and sift and winnow it a bit, and also I have had to rely on it much more than I have in the past. I have come to really appreciate so many things we take for granted. I have come to appreciate and rely on my family even more than before (didn't think that was even possible). And I've certainly grown, opened up, and learned a thing or two about priorities and needs in life.
I've been playing trains and babies with Ella, who is a joy and a riot and is learning so quickly; and the Wii with my boys, who are also a joy and a riot and sometimes really crabby and sassy and sometimes so loving it makes my heart hurt. We have been playing "Boogie" which is a dance Wii game. It has a bunch of good old songs (like Jackson Five "ABC" and the so-tired "YMCA") which my boys have discovered...again and again and again...and again.
I've been reading like a woman obsessed...or at least really in need of a good learning experience/escape. I've just finished "Eat.Love.Pray" which I enjoyed and which opened me up even more for further exploration. Now I want to start meditating. I'm sure that will happen since I am so reliable with other things in my life, like my blog. And I've read "The Last Chinese Chef" which is a good read and teaches you a bit (just a bit) about Chinese culture and food and guanxi.
I've been reading my friends Meredith's and Michelle's blogs daily, usually thinking "Boy, that woman is clever. I sure wish I had a blog. A clever one, at least" and laughing and crying with them virtually, and appreciating their honesty, openness and updates.
I hope things are well with you...thanks for keeping up with us! Peace.

GO VOLS!

2008-02-24T00:28:00.005-05:00

We were going to go to Hong Kong for church today; I moved around a cake job just so we would be able to go. However, Andrew coughed all night and woke up sounding really bad. He certainly didn't need to be running around in Sunday School. The weather was blustery and rainy - not good ferry-ing weather. So, we decided to stay home.

Not being able to go to my Hong Kong church really hits me with the homesickies - I didn't realize just how much I enjoy and need to get there when I can. I was missing my Tennessee church community something fierce this morning and into the afternoon.

Tim was just about to head upstairs for a late shower when he turned on ESPN, just to see if by any luck at all the Vols/Memphis game would be on. Normally ESPN in China shows high-interest sports such as ping pong, badminton and the occasional soccer game. For some reason I can't begin to understand, the game was on, here in China, live! We were able to watch the exciting and highly satisfying second half, only it was noon here and midnight there. How cool is that! Apparently, the Vols are now number one in the country (that would be the U.S., not China!).

We are having a nice, quiet (except for the game) family day here and enjoying it immensely. It seems like we've been go-go-going lately. I'm between 3-5 cakes a week, and I was asked to cater a big dessert event this Tuesday, which I've been stressing about and preparing for. I think we needed some peace in our lives even if it meant not being able to worship this morning. I was able to meditate, pray and listen to some great praise music, dancing with the kids in the kitchen. Not quite the same, but a nice and needed break from our fast-paced daily life.

Tim is currently scouring the import store looking for ingredients for lasagne for tonight (lasagne is insanely expensive to make here in China and the ingredients are tough to find). I have homemade bread and pecan rolls rising in the kitchen, and Ella is napping. Peace to you.

Humble Pie

2008-02-11T21:44:00.001-05:00

So, are you in favor of opening up the immigration process, or in favor of stricter border control? Have you ever considered emigrating to China?
What are your thoughts about living in China? Many people have told me I'm very brave to be doing this, and many have said they don't even want to visit China, much less move here. But, did you know that there are people in Asia who see China as a safe haven, the land of opportunity and the proverbial milk and honey? Sound familiar?
There are people who live in North Korea who get killed trying to get into China for a better life. There are people from the Phillippines whose big dream in life is to get to China to work, and it's not easy for them. Living conditions in the Phillippines are such that many - millions - of women leave their children and husbands to work overseas. Just so they can feed their own children, get them to school and possibly into a better life situation, they go to China or Singapore or some other country to take care of the children of those more fortunate. They leave, not knowing when they will see their families again, and faithfully send home money at every opportunity, hoping their children are healthy and going to school. The economic conditions are grim, and many families rely on farming - sharecropping, really. Farming, of course, is dependent upon the weather - this past fall, a flood swept through the Phillippines and washed out all the newly-planted crops. Most people lost everything, and the government there doesn't provide subsidies or welfare.
In North Korea, where people live in constant fear of being considered a traitor or revolutionary, living conditions aren't any better. Poverty, starvation and disease are rampant and there is no outside help from anywhere. People hope to get to China, where they can eat and possibly make a living, but they also live in continual fear that they will be found out and returned to North Korea.
In China, there are many northerners, mainly from more rural areas, who must migrate south to find work at factories, where working conditions can be quite grim. They, too, leave their children - usually with grandparents - and get on a bus to go live in a factory dorm until the following Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the only time during the year where people have time off to return home. The vast number of people traveling during this season are making their once-yearly (sometimes even less frequent) trip home to see their children and families they are supporting.
This Chinese New Year, a terrible storm paralyzed most of the country. Transportation systems were shut down and people were stranded in train stations, bus stations, and on the road in the middle of nowhere. Most of China could not go anywhere, much less way up north to their families. It was their only chance to go home. Most are still reeling from the storm - people living without heat or water. Homes were also destroyed in this storm. Our kids' school is taking up a collection to provide blankets, coats, warm clothes and money for the people just an hour north of here.
I've been complaining lately about the inadequate heating system we have. There are little wall units which provide cool air in summer and hot air in winter. There is no central heating or a/c in southern China. It's basically like having a little space heater in a drafty room - not very effective. I found out recently, however, that it is more common to not even have the wall units in most apartments here. People don't have any source of heat in winter (remember, nobody even has an oven here) and - even more shocking to me - no a/c in the very, very hot, humid summers.
In trying to picture China as a safe haven of opportunity for millions of others, I need to reconsider my previous opinions of it. Previously I saw it as a dirty, poverty-stricken place, and in many areas it is. But these same places are a dream come true for those even less fortunate, and there are many modern conveniences and potential for great success here.
I think it's time to re-think my priorities and concentrate on how stinkin' lucky I am. I get to live with my family and I have the luxury of warmer air in this cold winter than most, and cooler air in summer. I have great food available to me all around, and I have indoor plumbing. I can complain that the water smells like feet and sometimes comes out a little brown, or I can be thankful I have a shower every day and water to clean my dishes that I use to cook and eat the food we have in abundance. I can complain about my kids' school not teaching enough Chinese, or about my kids' behavior in certain circumstances, or I can be grateful I get to see them every day and send them to a fantastic, well-credited school. I can look the other way at the poverty and distress in the world around me, or I can look into ways to help people and make somebody else's situation a little better. I can complain about living in China, away from the things I am familiar with, or I can see it as a land of opportunity, a place where people come to fulfill their dreams.

Sorry, I can't resist

2008-02-11T05:29:00.000-05:00

Here is one more, in front of the cathedral at Montmartre, the artists' village in Paris. We took the trip with the same people we went to Japan with last June - our very dear Hong Kong friends.

Poof! I did it again...

2008-02-09T07:06:00.000-05:00

My favorite part about France? The Eiffel Tower? Notre Dame? The Arc de Triumph? Monmartre? The Louvre? Champs D' Elysses? Versailles? Yes, we saw them all in TWO DAYS! No, mon cherie, it was the FOOD, mais oui! Such good, good bread. Such good, good salads. Such good, good, good, good wine. Ahh, France, I shall miss you dearly now that we are in the land of mediocre bread, nonexistent salads and NOT French wine. *sigh*

But, France, what a beautiful place! What a beautiful language! What beautiful people! What a fat tourist I've become!

Did you know that Notre Dame took 167 years to build, starting in the 12th century, and some of the stained glass is original? When the Germans invaded in WWII they took apart each piece of each window, numbered them, and stored them underneath Notre Dame, then put it all back together afterward! Those French not only understand, create and cultivate beauty, they take great pains to maintain it!

Or that no matter where you stand in a room, the Mona Lisa looks like she's looking right at you! DaVinci achieved this by using many, many layers of paint and varnish to almost make it 3D. It is encased in bulletproof glass with guards on either side, and the room has its own a/c unit inside her little shrine, because she was painted on wood.

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower not only lights up at night, it also twinkles like a 4th of July sparkler for 10 minutes on the hour? It's simply mesmerizing to watch it.

And the Statue of Liberty? We all know it was a gift from the beautiful country of France. But did you know that there are more of them, one on a bridge that was a gift from the U.S., and one in a park. In college, I had a poster of John Lennon flashing the peace sign in front of the Statue of Liberty, but I knew it was not the REAL one because it wasn't that big. Well, we found the one John was in front of and Tim snapped a pic of ME giving the peace sign in front of it. Yes, after three kids and worldwide travel, I STILL want to be a rock star.

But the kids look cooler than I do...

Gay Paree

2008-02-06T17:19:00.000-05:00

OK, Paris is the most exciting, most beautiful, spectacular place I have ever been in, hands down.

Europe!

2008-02-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

The kids have off for Chinese New Year this week so we decided to check out a few places in Europe. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Amsterdam, visiting a long-lost, dear friend of Tim's. We had a lovely time. Amsterdam is such a beautiful city, architecturally - I had no idea how esthetically deprived we are living in the modern Chinese city we do! So nice to just look around and see all the beautiful buildings.

Did you know that the Dutch are TALL?? Wow, I seriously felt short walking around in Amsterdam - in Asia I feel relatively normal but not in Holland.

We went to Ann Frank's house - walked through the same bookshelf she and her family hid behind before being carted off by the Nazis. It was one of the more emotional, humbling, sad and inspiration places I've ever been. Go there and remember, because she was just one of millions.

We went to the Van Gogh museum, which was beautiful, of course. We took a canal tour on a boat, which was warm. And a bus tour of the city - we caught a small glimpse of the red light district without the kids noticing what we were looking at - I was able to avoid a few uncomfortable explanations there! We saw a lot of "coffee" shops.

Monday we took a train to Paris, and have been staying at the Disneyland Paris Hotel. Very nice, and incredibly close to the park - like a few steps from the entrance. Any other Disney park, it seems we have to walk quite a ways to get there. Here, we just head out the hotel and into the park. Cool!

It's cold and rainy and completely crowded on a Tuesday in February. Go figure!

More to come...

I'd like to thank my fellow expats...

2008-01-29T08:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning, the workers came...

For the past year (almost...February 18) I have been battling my oven. I turn it on, it gets hot, then hotter, then hotter. It doesn't stop getting hotter! I've burned cookies, had cakes half-burned and half-mushy, and had cheesecakes turn into sad little blobs of muck. It's been frustrating, to say the least.
My wonderful Chinese friends heard about my dilemma and wrote a letter, in Chinese, to the management of our neighborhood. These guys are electrical engineers and they wrote about how the sensor is broken and what to do about it - two pages of details! The worker guy came in - this was maybe last July or so - and looked at the paper and laughed. He turned the oven on. My oven got hot (duh). He turned it off - it got cool. You turn it on, it gets hot, you turn it off, it gets cold...mei wenti (NO PROBLEM) he says! You must understand that the Chinese don't use ovens - they use a rice steamer and a cooktop or single burner. That's it - probably due to lack of space, prohibitive costs, and electrical costs, too. That's fine. But I need my oven to be at 350 when I ask it to be! He didn't understand my needs, and, quite frankly, I don't think he understood what a sensor on an oven is!

A few weeks ago my neighbor was on a vacation with some other women from the neighborhood. One of them was talking about this ridiculous oven she used to have in her house. Yeah, you guessed it: you turn it on, it keeps getting hotter and hotter and hotter! Her oven ended up in my house! I asked her how she got a new one and she told me about a friend with a fine oven who had just moved out - the management just switched them around, no problem. She called me again last week, having remembered that a friend of ours had moved back to the States and her home was still vacant, and - ta -dah! - her oven was FINE.

So, I called my management company and said I wanted that particular oven. My liaison said she would check on it but I was coached by people who have lived here a while to be persisitent and a bit insistent. So I was.

Yesterday, the workers came. They gave me Christine's old oven and took mine away, to be put into the home of some other unsuspecting expat. I turned my new oven on - I had two cakes to bake! - to 350. I checked it with my oven thermometer a half hour later, and it said - YES! - 350. Then I turned it down to 325 to make another cake. A half hour later and it was STILL 325. The whole time! Constant! My beautiful, new oven! Look out, China, here come some even better cakes!

THANKS, NICOLE!

A Blue Mohawk, Twists and Crazy Red Hair

2008-01-26T08:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Crazy Hair Day at the kids' school...what do you think?

I think it should have been called "Way-Cool Hair Day" but luckily, I'm not in charge!

I got a call from a woman who wanted a tattoo cake for today...at first she said she wanted a cake with a man's arm on it with a tattoo on the arm. And the tatttoo the birthday guy has is a PHOENIX. OK, I'm sorry but I think that's a tad above my expertise level. She said really to just do any tattoo on it. So here is what I came up with:

The heart says "BAD TO THE BONE" on it. Cheesey? Or art? You decide...either way, it was delicious - I had a little extra batter left over & made a mini-cake with it in my Chinese toaster oven. And the cake ended up being for two guys so I had to make it very manly!

Rock On, Little Man

2008-01-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

Tonight my son's school had a Night at the Wax Museum, where they researched a great historical figure or current hero, dressed up as said person, and did a little skit being that person. They each made a poster with more information about the person to put behind them. You walk up to the child, push a "button" on their shoulder, and the wax figure "comes to life."

My son chose Bono as his hero, with perhaps a limited amount of input from Mom.

We were hearing comments from people before we even got to the room he was in - "your son is doing an awesome job." "your son really rocks." "I can't get enough of Bono." It was cool but I wanted to hear it for myself. He had his hair slicked back, a rock star t-shirt (thank you, Meredith!!) and wraparound shades. He did look cool. Then he started out by singing "Vertigo," which is a pretty rockin' hit. He talked about being Bono and all the great things Bono does in addition to awesome music.

A news team happened to be doing a little story on our international school, and they were there for the Wax Museum, as well. They chose our son to interview! So, a friend was there and told me what she heard:

News: Why did you choose Bono?

DS: Well, because I love ROCK AND ROLL.

News: Where are you from?
DS: I'm from the USA, man!

News: How did you come up with a costume?

DS: I did it myself! Well, my dad helped a little. And my mom.

That kid is something else. He cracks us up. I can't wait to see it on TV - yes, CHINESE TV. Should be interesting!

A Fishy Story

2008-01-15T21:10:00.001-05:00

Last night Tim went out for Japanese food with some colleagues. They went to a very fancy Japanese fusion place and had quite a variety of seafood, sushi and sashimi. Sushi has rice in it; sashimi is the raw fish that most people think is sushi.
He said he was served the freshest fish he's ever had, and this is how he proved it: the fish was served on a bed of ice, the (raw) filets presented in front of the actual fish it was taken from. The fish it was taken from had the full head and tail and its sides had been cut out for the sashimi filets. And, the fish was still moving. Now, that's fresh.
Tim passed on the fish sashimi and went for the food that wasn't still alive.

My Latest 2 Cakes

2008-01-15T04:26:00.000-05:00

Put your backbone back!

2008-01-12T23:00:00.000-05:00

Today I did something I've been putting off for a few years now. With all my cake orders and people wanting real cakes, not just kids' birthday cakes, I have been needing some roses & other flowers to put on top of some cakes. I hate making those! They're very detailed and I guess I'm just a little to clumsy to do a really nice job. But since there is no cake supply store here I have to make my own. So I took a few hours and a whole bag of the really sticky, thick icing that makes those stiff flowers and I made apple blossoms, roses and pansies. By the time I finished my arm was just about frozen in the bag-squeezing position! They don't look amazingly lifelike but I am pretty happy with how they turned out. Whew!
MY LATEST EPIPHANY:
I was reading something, somewhere - I think it was in an issue of The Lutheran magazine - about somebody telling a friend that she had put her wishbone where her backbone should be. It's made me sit up and take notice. I've always been more of a "wishbone" type person and here I am, almost 40 (at least that's what the math tells me) and I haven't done a whole lot other than dreaming and procrastinating. That little tidbit has made a huge difference in the little things in my life since I read it. Instead of thinking "I really oughtta..." I've been trying to "So DO it already." Hasn't made me change the world yet but it sure is making a nice difference in my life. It's definetly a keeper!
So, remember, put your backbone back!

Strange but True Facts!

2008-01-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

We are back in China. It's January, and I'm looking out at sunshine and the honeysuckles in bloom all around my house, my banana tree, and all the green. In January! Yippee!

Yesterday on the plane, both during and after, we were complimented by several people on how well-behaved our kids are, and what good, patient travelers they are. Yippee!

Here's some wierd psychology: When we were in the U.S. we started flirting with the idea of buying a home, one with a 12-month lead time so we wouldn't be paying the mortgage for as long. During this little exploration, we were checking out beautiful new homes with beautiful new appliances and picturing our life back in the U.S. It was making me NOT want to come home and I was getting pretty super-bummed out. We eventually decided it would not be a good idea to do this until we know our timeline better and what our needs will be when we do return. As soon as we decided that and stopped thinking about coming BACK, I got pretty excited about going home to China and back to our life here. I am now very much at peace with being here and finishing up Tim's assignment here. Yippee!

It's good to be home.

Poof!

2007-12-30T21:52:00.000-05:00

I am a pufferfish. I've been eating everything I've missed this last 10 months, with no regard to consequences. And now I'm blowing up like a big ol' poofed-up pufferfish. Time to go back to China, where the food's not so good or so huge, and where I walk all the time.

OK, so I'm getting used to the idea and I'm missing our family routine, back to school, back to our house across the pond. I am certainly NOT looking forward to the big-ass plane ride with the kids, although they were fantastic on the way here. But I'm okay with getting back to being near Hong Kong, back to our friends, back to our life there. I will dearly miss my church, my mom and her husband, my favorite restaurants, my friends here. Of course I'll also miss my other family, though I'm used to not seeing them on a regular basis anyhow. What a lovely holiday we all had together!

For unto us...

2007-12-25T12:14:00.001-05:00

a savior is born!

A most blessed Christmas to you and your family! May you have a day of peace and love. Those of you who are especially lonely due to loss of a loved/cherished/irreplaceable one, may it be some small comfort to know you are in my prayers and thoughts, and I send you love and wish you God's peace.

Time Keeps On Slippin, Slippin, Slippin...

2007-12-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

It seems like our time here in the U.S. is just flying by! Already over a week we've been here - although a few of those days were spent in a jetlag haze. Only two weeks from today we'll be heading back to China. Want to know a secret? Spending time in the U.S. is making me want to stay in the U.S.! I'm not really looking foward to going back to China. Just something as simple as using my mom's fancy-pants appliances (really, they're nice but very normal appliances...) that are so much nicer than the very old, very basic ones I have in my house over there. Yeah, I know, I'm lucky to have the appliances I have compared to most Chinese.

I do understand that regular, daily life here wouldn't be an endless stream of playdates, dinners out and parties. At least not all the time. It's the holiday season and we have many people to catch up with in a short amount of time. I think that makes life in the U.S. seem so much more fun right now. Thanks to Meredith & family, Heidy & family, Nicholas & family, Cooper & family, Jonathan & family, Dick & Jo, my brother & family, my dad & family, Dr. Angie & family, and of course, my mom and Wayne...such fun we're having here! Sure wish Barb & family were still here, too!

I hope that by January 4 I am more eager to get back home to my life in China! If only there was a Mellow Mushroom there...*sigh*...do I complain too much???

You like me! You really like me!

2007-12-16T23:09:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been hearing from so many people that you are still reading my blog and keeping up with us - thank you from the bottom of my heart. That means so much to me!!

Today I went to my church and I felt as though I'd come home. The music is now fantastic, with a band that includes drums (rock on). The smiles and hugs that were shared were priceless. I also realized why it is I miss my church so very much in China, and why Sundays are so especially lonely. It's because in my church here in the U.S., I feel loved. People know me and care about me, and I about them. We've shared sad times and good times and monitor each other's pregnancies and watch each other's kids grow up. It's a family and it's why I get so homesick. It's so lovely to be back; I don't think I could have been happier this morning. Except, of course, for missing the Sextons and a few other families that weren't there.

I am getting used to driving again, which is fun. I was nervous the first time out! In China, nobody follows the rules; people just go where they want, when they want. It's chaos, which is really kind of a bad idea when you're moving around in a big metal box at 45 mph. Here, the roads are SO BIG and people let you take your turn. Pedestrians in parking lots wave and smile when you stop for them.

I ate at my favorite pizza restaurant in the whole world yesterday for lunch. Yes, they have pizza in China - Papa John's is very popular and delivers. Pizza Hut is also popular but the one by our house doesn't deliver! Almost everybody in China delivers, right down to Starbucks! But, I digress. We went to this fabulous little pizza kitchen. They have a Clash poster that shows a guitarist smashing his guitar at a concert, in black and white. It's one of my favorite posters of all time, and it's right back by the bathroom. I just love it. I had a pizza with artichokes, roasted red pepper, sausage, and kalamata olives - many things that you won't find on a pizza in China. Pizza in China usually has squid or shrimp on it and pineapple. They also have the "normal" pies - pepperoni is popular, but honestly, nothing ever tastes quite the same there. I don't know what kind of cheese they use, but it's just different. The meat tastes different, too, and I really don't want to know why. I do know one thing: it's good to be home.

Sweet Home Tennessee

2007-12-13T22:57:00.001-05:00

Well, I am back in the US of A and it feels pretty good! The first thing that struck me when I walked in to the Newark airport is how DIVERSE this country is! In China, everybody basically has the same color hair and similar skin. There are many differences within that, of course, but here everybody looks so different. It's beautiful to see! And, everybody seems so nice here, right down to the cashier at Kroger's! It's wonderful to be wished a "Merry Christmas" and have people really mean it. In China, while Christmas is capitalized on as a way to make money and have fun, the true meaning gets missed or never even thought of in the first place. I don't say this about Hong Kong, where Christianity is just fine and they "do it up real nice." A few days ago, in China, it sure didn't feel like Christmas was coming. Here, I can feel it, smell it in the air and see it in smiles.

Walking through Target, I also was struck by how rich we are as a nation. All the space, all the beautiful packaging, all the parking spaces. Next time you get annoyed by having to go to Target, trying not being able to go for 10 months.

We are all jet-lagged and I am especially looking forward to sleeping tonight. I will post more as the weeks fly by.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T08:54:00.000-05:00

Today is Thanksgiving but in China it's just another Thursday. School, work, all of that. And it's also really hot so it certainly doesn't FEEL like Thanksgiving! We are going to celebrate with our very dear Hong Kong friends and our neighbors from the U.S. on Saturday. I think it will be our Hong Kong friends' first Thanksgiving - and in a way it carries on the tradition nicely - I don't know how we would have survived this move across the ocean to the New Old World without them!

We have a turkey on order, and we're going to have cranberries, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie, right down to the little sweet pickles and olives my Grandma used to serve on big feast days (well, not the SAME pickles and olives...new ones)! I am really looking forward to this!

I've been test messaging "Happy Thanksgiving!" all my friends here from the U.S. and it's been such a treat to see a U.S. person and be able to say "Happy Thanksgiving!" to someone it means something to. The things we learn to be thankful for...someone who can identify with our culture is a treat here!

I know that I am certainly thankful for things I never thought much about, and I remain thankful for some things I could not do without - the love and support of my family and my friends, near and far. Thank YOU for your love, support and encouragement. I hope you enjoy your turkey with your loved ones today.

"O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen."
(Samuel F. Pugh)

Meme

2007-11-19T08:11:00.000-05:00

OK, Beth, I am going to respond to this tag. I've never been tagged by anyone else before and last time I dropped the ball. HERE, at the request of Beth's fantastic website(s) is my meme (Me! Me! Me! Me!)

8 Things I am Passionate About
My family (duh)
My faith
Education and growth of mind and personality
Reading - mainly Jane Austen, JK Rowling, Janet Evanovich and Stuff that Makes me Think
MUSIC - boy, that one makes me happy! Especially if it's got a good beat and is easy to dance to...and makes me think.
Baking and cooking - because I love EATING
Decorating cakes - I am the Cake Lady of China
Open-mindedness - Way important for learning about other cultures and getting one's ego out of the way.

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die
See my kids grow up into happy, successful, resourceful adults
See France, Italy, Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska, and the rest of the U.S. Maybe part of Canada, too.
Open a cake shop in China : )
Make a scrapbook for each of our trips (starting with China)
Really, truly make a difference in somebody's life - ambiguous, I know...and I don't mean my own family, I guess I mean the Greater Good
Be a better person
Write a book or two
Learn to be a really great cook

8 Things I Say Often
Nihao!
Oh, my goodness!
Alexander! (or any other one of my kids' names)
Are we late again? How did it get to be so late?
I'm hungry!
Let's go to Hong Kong this weekend!
I love you more! (to my kids)
Ni hue shuo ying wen ma? (Do you speak English?)

8 Books I've Read Lately
Pride & Prejudice (3rd time)
The final Harry Potter (WOW)
Sense & Sensibility
Emma
The Glass Castle (current)
The Bible (well, not the whole thing...)
New Concept Mandarin's Chinese Survival Manual
Riding the Iron Rooster

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over
Way difficult to narrow this down!!!
The duet sung by two Italian women, written by Mozart, in Shawshank Redemption (And I don't even know what it is!!!! Somebody Help Me!
Here I am to Worship
This is the Radio Clash
Man! I Feel Like a Woman
Smooth (Rob Thomas & Santana)
Spirit of the Radio (Rush)
The Harlem Boys' Choir singing O Holy Night
Mack the Knife sung by Ella Fitzgerald

8 Things That Attract Me To My Best Friend (Tim)
He can fix anything
He is funny and keeps me laughing
He's handsome!
He loves our kids as much as I do
He is a hard worker and driven to do well for everybody, not just himself
He is an excellent mediator/negotiator/diplomat/b.s.er
He makes a point to really get to know people at every level of any organization, not just the guys on top or the decision-makers
He is a great teacher, even though he's not officially a teacher
He likes to dance even though he's a white guy

8 Things I've Learned This Year
How to say "please don't touch my children" in Mandarin
That there are excellent people everywhere
That you need to make friends quickly and love them bravely in an expat neighborhood, because we all really need each other but we're all only here for a little while
That my true friends remain as such no matter where we all live
That I really do need to pray every day
That I maybe don't need nearly as much STUFF as I used to think I might
How really, really lucky I am to have been born where I was, when I was and who I was
That the U.S. has incredible health care and nothing should be taken for granted

8 people to tag
...uh, the only other bloggers I know are Michelle and Beth, and you've both been tagged! But anybody who wants to post their answers in a comment, way cool!
Barb, Heidy, Angie (still there?), Jane F., Cheryl...anybody else there?

Happy Birthday, Baby!

2007-11-18T08:02:00.000-05:00

My little girl turned 3 years old yesterday. She's gone from this:

To this:

Beijing Photos

2007-11-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

Can you find Tim in this picture??

At the Great Wall of China!

Warning: THIS IS REALLY LONG

2007-11-14T09:20:00.000-05:00

We just flew back from Beijing tonight, and boy are my arms tired...actually, my legs hurt because the Great Wall of China is really big! We climbed and climbed and climbed - they made the stairs very steep because the Mongols were so much taller than the Chinese. It was so awesome and humbling to stand up there on that structure that was started some 700 years B.C. Truly a wonderful experience, and beautiful to see it snake across the landscape of China like a dragon.

Beijing is a great city and we had a fabulous time. Before the Great Wall, we visited the Ming Tomb from the Ming Dynasty, built a mere 600 years ago. The Chinese are leaving those tombs alone and guarding them for future generations since they are so young compared to other Chinese historical artifacts. Very cool. After we saw the tomb, we headed to a jade market where we learned a lot about how jade develops (over millions of years), is processed (carved with diamonds) and how to tell if it's genuine. It was all very interesting, and the market we went to is not open to tour buses, so it was very quiet and calm compared to many other markets in China. After that we headed to the Great Wall and then a Chinese lunch, which was delicious. More shopping at the Friendship Store, where all sorts of Chinese arts and crafts are sold. We watched the labor- and time-intensive process of creating cloisonne art - it is painted and fired about 7 times then glazed a bunch more. It was interesting - the kids loved watching people curl the metal around the pottery to create the designs.

The following day we walked to Tianammen Square, which again was humbling but for a different reason, and to the Forbidden City. That place is huge! And very beautiful, but unfortunately is currently under major renovations due to the upcoming 08 Olympics. Tianammen Square is a big concrete square filled with hawkers, tourists, people staring at us and snapping our picture, and many, many police officers and vehicles. It has a big statue in the middle that I'm sure has some great significance, though I couldn't read it in Chinese. There are also some beautiful statues at the rear, comprising many different Chinese people working together and rising to a great nation. They are very well-done and inspiring.

Across from Tianammen Square is the Forbidden City, built by the 3rd emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Again, it's "only" 600 years old. The grounds are beautiful and well-preserved, and we used the gps-sensitive taped guides to tell us what was what and what it was for. That was quite interesting because no matter where we were, we were hearing an appropriate explation and description. The boys thought that was all pretty cool.

The following day we went to Beijing's famous pearl market which is quite similar to Lowhu on the lower floors (only even more aggressive - ick!) and has a big pearl market on the upper floors. I tried on a winter jacket on the first floor that had a 1200 rmb asking price to start. I bargained her down to 700 rmb, then decided I wanted to look around more before buying it. By the time we left that shop, they were offering the jacket for 300 rmb (about US$40!) and begging us to buy it! Crazy...I didn't buy it but what a deal! We had fun on the pearl floor - there were some beautiful necklaces and other jewelry up there!

Adjacent to the pearl market is the Beijing Toy Market. The kids had fun there! We walked around the whole thing with people yelling at us to buy their stuff, then the kids each picked out a toy. Tim did some sweet bargaining there, and I picked up some cool "learn Chinese" posters for the kids' rooms. They had fun there, and we then took a cab to the Hard Rock Cafe. We all do love the Hard Rock Cafe, because no matter where we go, it's got great food, awesome music and a little down-home comfort for us. During the cab ride - during all our cab rides, actually - I was able to converse with the driver in Mandarin. Yippee!!

That night we went to an acrobat show, where most of the performers were kids or very young adults. It was amazing! And the kids really loved it - especially when the bike-riding girls put about 15 people onto one bike! One boy, about 12, rode a unicycle upside-down on a tightrope, which amazed us all.

Yesterday evening we went to a world-famous Peking Duck (or as it's now called, Beijing Duck) restaurant. It's 5 stories of one restaurant and they recommend drinking blueberry juice with the duck to complement it. It was really good!! They bring out the whole duck (and I do mean the WHOLE duck) cooked and crispy. They slice it up and serve it with little pancakes (sort of like tender tortillas), plum sauce, and green onions. You roll it all up together and eat it like a little burrito. It is really good! Especially with the blueberry juice. We had a great meal there, then had some gelato at a nearby mall.

The weather was fairly cold and today it was drizzly. No snow yet but we plan to return next year for our "snow fix." On the flight home we had terrible food, cranky flight attendants and a slightly clumsy pilot (on takeoff and landing) so we were really glad to get home and chow down on the pizza Tim ordered on the way home!

It's really nice to be home but I also look forward to our next visit to China's capital in the North!

Shout-outs, snot-outs and outings

2007-11-05T08:11:00.000-05:00

Heidy, MichelleW and Beth, thank you for always commenting on my blogs and all your encouragement and inspiration. You will never know how much it always means to me (well, you probably do, Beth) to hear from you and receive acknowledgement that you haven't forgotten me! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Today was my last day of 3 modules (almost 8 months) of Chinese class. I've met some wonderful people and learned some helpful language skills. I've also been going nuts trying to keep up with everything, plus two mornings a week of classes. I'm glad it's over. My Chinese friend Luo is going to speak to me only in Mandarin from now on, she said, and that will be my new lessons! Yikes...

My daughter has a bad, snotty cold. My oldest son and I are trying to fight it. I get Kosmo Fighter juice every day I can get there...is there a Kosmo near you? It's a U.S. chain that sells awesome juices, teas and sammiches (yippeeee!! really tough to find a gooooood sammich in China.) She is supposed to be sleeping right now but is singing "Where is Thumbkin" to herself. The other night she sang "Happy Birthday" about a million times to everyone in the family while she was going to sleep!

We are going to Beijing this Saturday for five days; it's very cold there so we will be taking warm clothes! I am really looking forward to seeing the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. And today I learned how to say "Please don't touch my children" in Mandarin...people have told us we won't be able to get anywhere because of people crowding us and touching their hair and skin...not too many foreigners in Northern China!

My oldest son received a Bible from our church last week. Tonight he started reading it. We had a big laugh over how long people lived way back in the day...he thought it was pretty crazy. We had a nice, cozy time reading it and my other son had me reading stories from his Toddler's Bible. It was a really great reading time tonight!

The Big Ordeal

2007-11-02T10:32:00.000-04:00

I have been a little intimidated to try and mail anything from China, and I've successfully avoided the whole time we've lived here. So far. I know where the post office is, but I didn't know how much money it would cost or what kinds of hassles they would put me through, or whether anything I mailed would get to the U.S. on time for the intended occasion. So, I've sent e-cards and ordered stuff online to send for peoples' birthdays. I even had my mom send a sympathy card to some dear friends who suffered a really bad tragedy.

Ella's baptism sponsor, one of her godmothers, will be confirmed next week. This is a big deal in the Lutheran church, and a very big deal for this very, very special girl. I knew I had to brave the China Post Office for Katie.

I put it off for a while (had a snack, surfed the 'net...) and finally walked to the post office, card in hand. I walked up to the counter and handed it to the woman working. She said "Mei Gua," which means "America" and then she said "6 yuan." OK, if you are unfamiliar with exchange rates, that's less than a U.S. dollar. I said "SIX YUAN?" "Yes." I handed her my six yuan and left. No problem. No hassle. No language barrier. Yippee! Thanks, China Post!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T09:26:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from our first Halloween in China. My oldest son's drama club did "Thriller" for the school assembly - he is the skeleton dancing in front of the stage. They did a great job!

Then there was a Halloween Parade around the basketball courts outside.

My daughter was supposed to be Tinkerbell, but she didn't think that was quite the right look for her. She went with the Power Ranger Girl thing, and right on, sister, didn't she look tough!

Don't worry, not ALL these kids are ours, though they are really lovely kids!

Bedlam and the Boondocks

2007-10-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

When we first moved here last year, I scoured the furniture stores looking for a toddler bed. I found plenty of beds that were low to the ground, but none had rails around them. We decided to have one made, but I was advised by my friend who was helping me to have it made into twin size, so she could grow into the bed. We had nice, removable rails made for it, too. Unfortunately, the rails were way too short once we made the bed longer - not nearly long enough to keep her in the bed if she flops around too much. Which she does. So, after a few late-night falls and fears, I have been surrounding my dd with pillows and putting polarfleece blankets on the floor to cushion her.

Last Tuesday, I was at the Ikea store in Guanzhou, which is about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away, depending on traffic. Lo and behold, there was a beautiful little white toddler bed with a nice removable rail - it was perfect! I didn't buy it because we already had the other bed. However, after getting up every night this week (and the week before, and so on...) to adjust my dd and make sure the pillows are still there to try to keep her in, we decided to just buy the Ikea bed.

We drove to Guanzhou, and it only took about 1 1/2 hours - we made great time! We found the bed and tried to purchase it, but were told that we wouldn't be able to pick it up until tomorrow (not gonna happen!). My husband convinced them to let us pick it up at the warehouse, which was on the way home anyway.

Then we found out that the highway back is closed and we had to take all detours to get home. Some were sort of marked, some weren't marked at all. We spent a good portion of our afternoon in typical Chinese city-area. China is full of tiny storefronts, one after the other, down every single street it seems. They have apartments over them, usually 5 or more stories tall. The little shops sell flowers, or tires, or clothing, or possibly they house a tailor or hairdresser. Nothing ever looks new here or clean (except the hairdressers!). There is almost always a table and plastic chairs set up, with people eating or playing mah jong or else just sitting around talking, and food wrappers all around the table. It's the same in every section of every Chinese city I've been in. Occasionally you will see a large, green area with low houses and people wearing those big triangle hats and pajamas to do their work, hauling water, riding an old bike, or working in the field. If you see a body of water, it's usually crowded with boats hauling stuff from one place to another or fishing. Every square inch of land and space seems to be utilized here.

Another thing very typical of China are the many, many huge factory campuses. Most of the employees are migrant workers, so you see so many large, rectangle dorms for the workers. You can tell they're not just normal apartments because all the clothes hanging out to dry on the balconies (nobody has a clothes dryer here) are exactly the same - uniforms. It's basically a little town and also a giant family. Meals are served in a big hall and they all work, live and relax together. They say China is the world's factory, and I believe it!! Right down to the giant smokestacks and chimneys spewing who-knows-what into the air, blocking the sun so it looks more like the moon, and shoveling money into the booming Chinese economy.

Another thing you see quite a bit, and I've mentioned this about the kids here, is that people will take a whiz anywhere! We frequently see cars stopped along the highway, and all the men from the car are standing with their back to the road relieving themselves. It's really a little disconcerting, but you get used to it after a while.

To get back to our afternoon, we did manage to get sort of lost for a few hours in all the mazes of shops, restaurants and factories. In all, it took us six - SIX!!!! - hours to get home. We didn't get home until 9 p.m., when it was too late to get the bed put together anyhow! We ordered a pizza, fed the kids, and put them to bed, very late! As it was, I was stressed enough with the awful, chaotic and incredibly frightful traffic. Glad to be home, and I'm glad my girl will finally have her toddler bed. Tomorrow.

True Confessions!

2007-10-06T09:28:00.000-04:00

I admit it. We have never spent a day at a beach before. Never wanted to - sunburn, sand, worrying about kids and the undertow, too many people, lounging around in a swimsuit(!), Jaws, and no shade to speak of. Now, I am a changed woman.

Today we took a bus to a Hong Kong pier, then got on a junk boat (basically just a rented, bare-bones yacht) for a 1-hour trip to a beach in Hong Kong. The boat had a nice indoor area with tables and benches; an upper deck with chairs and gorgeous views; an outdoor seating area at the front of the boat ("I'm the king of the world!"); and a bathroom and changing area. It was a nice, relaxing boat ride. We went with 6 famililes from our area, most with little kids.

Then we took a dinghy to a dock at a beach and spent the day in the swimming area and under some shade trees. The beach was nice and small, and not crowded at all. It was a beautiful, sunny day, not too hot, just right. And the water was nice and cool, with big waves to ride in on but not too deep for kids to stand up in.

We brought picnic foods to share - somebody made some delicious baklava - sandwiches, cookies, and a lot of water. Everybody sort of watched out for everybody else's kids, and they all played together. They shared their sand toys and had fun burying each other's feet in the wet sand. It was really fun! I had no idea the beach could be such a great time, just hanging out in the water, playing in the wet sand, and cooling off in the surf.

As we headed back to the junk from the swimming area, we noticed signs around the swimming area for passing boats. The signs said "Warning! Shark nets!"...meaning they net off the swimming area to keep the sharks out. I'm really glad I saw that AFTER we spent the entire afternoon in the water, because I would have worried whether those nets were still intact and hole-free!

We got back on our junk, had more picnic food, including some lovely homemade baklava, and headed back to Hong Kong harbor. The ride back was a little rocky at times, but it was fun as long as we were sitting down.

We had almost decided not to go on this trip because of the whole beach avoidance we had before, but we really wanted to spend time with our friends - many of the people who went along are friends of ours but we never really get to see each other. Today was a beautiful, fantastic opportunity for fun in the sun!

At the Lamma Island Fishing Farm

2007-10-02T11:21:00.000-04:00

Here are the boys and Nana feeding the fish. They had little plastic foodservice gloves to keep their hands clean - smart!

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale...

2007-10-02T10:53:00.000-04:00

At about 5 a.m. today the wind was blowing so fiercely I thought we were having a typhoon (yeah, that's Eastern Hemisphere for "hurricane"). But by the time we were up and ready, it wasn't so bad and it was just gray and windy-ish. It is also a national holiday here, all week! It's Golden Week, or the anniversary of the communist rule in China. It's a really big deal, with flags and fireworks and all that national hoopla like the U.S.'s Independence Day.

Since it was my mom and her husband's second to last day here in China, we decided to take a day trip today to Hong Kong. We had some business to take care of at the U.S. Embassy, so Tim and I took an early ferry with the kids, and my mom and her dh followed.

Our ferry was totally packed since everybody and their brother has off most of the week. We took care of our Embassy stuff and were picked up by our dear Hong Kong friends. We had a nice dim sum lunch. Did you know that "dim sum" is Cantonese for "small bites" and it's usually a breakfast or lunch thing? It's mainly dumplings and steamed buns and stuff like that, but it also usually includes chicken feet! They eat them like we eat wings in the U.S. Never had them, never plan to, and our Hong Kong friend always keeps them far from our table!

We then took a very blustery, bumpy, rocky ferry ride to Lamma Island. The whole way there, Tim and I kept singing the theme song to Gilligan's Island...you know, "a 3-hour tour...a 3-hour tour...the weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed..." We were getting tossed! I almost tossed...my cookies.

Once there, we walked around a bit. It could have been any seaside town, smelling of fish and salt and with open-air seafood restaurants, one after the other. There are live fish, squid, mussels, lobster, crab, and shrimp in tanks all around. And, of course, a few shops full of junk and beaded jewelry, hats and umbrellas and stuff.

Then, as the wind picked up and the rain got heavier, we took a smaller boat (a really small fishing boat...) to a fishing farm. They have all these floating docks around the island where they basically have big cages in the water where they keep fish, feed them and breed them. It was very interesting, and looked like it probably did about a hundred years ago. We watched how they feed them and how the water boils up with fish when you throw a little fishie snack in. Did you know that squid change color when they eat? Their tentacles (which are much, much smaller than I had thought) come out and they suck in the fishie snack and turn from greyish-brown to white with brown spots! The kids were able to feed some fish and do some "hookless" fishing. They just tie a fish around a piece of thick line, tie it to a bamboo pole, and you stick it into a feeding frenzy. With the fish just tied on, it is quite rare to catch anything but the boys had a ton of fun with that. Actually, I think Tim had even more fun than the boys did!

When we were pretty sure a typhoon was happening (though it wasn't) we got back onto the teeny little boat, my fingers clenching the seat and my eyes screwed shut, and headed back to the island.

We sat down for a fantasic seafood dinner, complete with ice-cold beer, soy shrimp and bean curd dessert. Bean curd dessert is warm silky tofu, water and sugar - sounds really yummy, right? Actually, it's really, honestly awesome! I love it! I have a harder time with the shrimp, which always arrives at the table completely intact - meaning you have to rip off the head and peel the tail. Ick. Sometimes it arrives alive and they cook it (kill it) right in front of you. We had a great time, though at one point the restauranteer had to batten down the hatches because we were starting to get rained on inside the restaurant.

One more ferry ride (this time I just tried to sleep; I was tired of being tossed around by the waves and wondering if the next big wave would smash the boat up) and we were back on beautiful Hong Kong Island.

We stopped at a grocery store and picked up a bunch of things we can't get in China, and headed home. It was a lovely adventure!

The Time Warp, the Metric System and UPS

2007-09-29T10:05:00.000-04:00

Before moving to China, I had no inkling of just how different things would be here. What would seem a simple request from a realtor has turned into Mission: Impossible. The e-mail stated that all I had to do to close on our house was print out an attachment on legal-sized paper, sign it and have it notarized, and UPS it back to Knoxville within 3 days. In order to do this, of course, I had to UPS it back by Tuesday...except that it was already Tuesday when I got the e-mail because we are 12 hours ahead.

There is no legal-sized paper in China; it is an American size. There is A4 paper, which is a bit larger than our letter size paper, A3 is twice the size, and A5 is half as large, from what I can understand. Because we don't use the metric system, we are pretty much the only ones in the world who use letter-size 8 1/2 x 11 paper. It definetly had to be legal-size paper, and I was definetly not going to be able to locate any. That was my first obstacle. My second obstacle was getting to a notary: either to Guanzhou, which is 1 1/2 - 3 hours away, depending on traffic, or to the Hong Kong U.S. Consulate, which requires an appointment booking. Either way, it is an all-day trip. Either way, it was not going to happen on Tuesday!

To UPS something to the US and expect it to arrive in a few days is, at best, naive. Nobody can guarantee overnight service to or from here; 3-day service is a gamble, as well.

Needless to say, the closing was postponed for a week; the documents were hand-delivered to Tim, who happened to be in Knoxville this week, and we will be making an appointment to get them notarized in Hong Kong. The return to the US will be taken care of by Tim's office here in China, by someone who understands how to communicate that time is of the essence.

A simple request certainly isn't so simple when it's made from someone in the U.S. to someone living in China!

Home is where the heart is

2007-09-23T08:51:00.000-04:00

We accepted an offer on our house back in the U.S. this past week. So, I guess that means we REALLY have moved to China. I'm a bit sad to not be a part of that neighborhood anymore, especially with such great neighbors as Heidy and family and the Lins! But, this will save us a lot of hassle with trying to maintain a home and yard from the other side of the world. Perhaps we'll get back into that neighborhood when we return from the Orient, whenever that may be.

My mom and her husband Wayne are visiting us for the past few weeks. We are having such a great time!! They lived about 15 minutes away back home so it's been a big adjustment not to have them close anymore. But having them here is like another little piece of "home" for us.

We went to Macau this past weekend and stayed at a really, really, really nice hotel, which was such a relief after the sub-par Asian hotels we've thus far experienced (except Japan, of course!) We did a nice historical tour and some fun shopping there, and ate some great food. We also went with our dear friends from Hong Kong, who have become family to us here.

On Tuesday we plan to take a tour of Shenzhen with a native - there aren't many native Shenzheners, as 20 years ago it was just a little fishing village. The government made it a Special Economic Zone, and opened it up to foreign businesses. Most people who live here moved in after that happened. It is now a booming city of 12 million people, and very modern. We will be visiting some outlying villages that remain more traditional Chinese and far less modern. I am looking forward to getting a more in-depth look at the history and culture that surrounds me here.

It's been a while since I've made it to church and today I missed it again. It takes a lot of effort to get there. We have to get to the ferry station at least 30 minutes before the ferry leaves to purchase tickets, get through customs, and get everyone onto the ferry. Then the ferry ride is one hour and costs about $50 to get everybody there. Once we get to Hong Kong, we go through customs once again, sometimes with LONG lines, and then we walk to the church. Church is about a 15-20 minute walk, depending on dawdling toddlers and traffic. It's a big process to get there, about 2.5 hours total, and once there we really enjoy it. Hopefully we'll make it next weekend because even with my mom here I am missing church fiercely when we don't go. I miss my home church very much, though I've now found out a dear friend (a whole family of dear friends!) from my home church has moved out of state. Knoxville will sorely miss the Sextons!

This is rambling a bunch - so much has happened since my last post and it all seems a bit muddy in my head. I'm starting to re-adjust to living here and accept the things that have been driving me nuts. I don't hate it here anymore, and my longing to move to Hong Kong is starting to subside as I realize I'm going to have adjustments and issues and culture shock no matter where we go, even in the southern U.S.! I am missing my friends but as Christmas approaches I know I'll see them in just a few months. Well, the ones in Knoxville, at least! Don't know when I'll see my dear Wisconsin friends, and some of you I've never even met in person! Regardless, I am doing better as I get used to things a bit more here, and I'm learning more Chinese so I can communicate a bit better. A very little bit, but more than I could before. I am certainly appreciating what we have here and how blessed I am with my kids and my dear husband. How lucky I am, no matter where I go, to have them all by my side.

Blah...

2007-09-03T09:31:00.000-04:00

I haven't written much lately because I've been a tad negative about my current living situation and the country I am in. I'm homesick and I'm lonely and I'm missing what our lives used to be, even if I was at times frustrated then. At least I understood the culture, to an extent (considering it was the south and I grew up in the north - trust me, there are some cultural differences). and was able to speak the same language (again, north vs. south - there are differences). I could rely on stores to stand behind their products or at least accept returns. I could rely on my own abilitly to navigate through life without having to rely on someone else to drive me around or speak for me.

On the other hand, Tim is certainly home more often, and with domestic help, when he does travel, things are MUCH easier. Which makes me lazier, too...good or bad? We're meeting people from all over the world, whom we would never have met back home. I don't have to watch the whole political circus and the spin doctors' version of the truth as the '08 election "draws near". But I do know the news I get may not contain much truth here, either.

While I am not proud of some major historical events which made my country what it is, I am horrifed as I learn more about this country's history and the things that happened here not too long ago. Horrified.

While I wish the boys still had their old friends from home, I'm watching them learn to navigate socially in a whole new way. And I'm appreciating that we're getting closer as a family.

While I wish I could easily get to a church that is spiritually renewing and open to anyone, I am certainly learning to appreciate the glorious freedom we have back home.

2007-08-27T08:59:00.000-04:00

Last Friday, we went to Lowhu, which is in another part of Shenzhen. Near the train station there is a 5- story mall filled with, basically, junk: cheap jewelry, tchotchkies (did I spell that right??), knockoff designer clothing, knockoff handbags and counterfeit ones, and counterfeit watches. It is filled with hawkers who will grab onto you as you walk by or approach you asking if you want to see DVDs or designer handbags in a backroom somewhere. It's kinda creepy. It's also a great place to get a good bargain. I did some serious bargaining and got a painted bottle (it's a thick-glass little bottle with hand painting inside, which we watched the artist creating) for fairly cheap, though I didn't really like bargaining for "real" art. I got a pair of shoes for about US$30 and a nice white blouse for about the same price. No "designer" stuff, I don't like that whole scene. But I also bargained for Jo, my stepmom, and got her sweet deals on a pashmina, a silk shawl and a cool red handbag (not designer). We had a good time, but it was tiring, 5 floors of people desperately trying to get us into their stores. ICK. My dad was able to add to his collection of the little painted bottles for a decent price, too. He is in the process of collecting the entire Chinese zodiac in little painted bottles.

This weekend we went to Macau, which used to be a Portuguese colony but is now part of China. Like Hong Kong, it is under the "one country, two systems" rule so they enjoy a great amount of freedom compared to most Chinese. It is a beautiful city and what I imagine Europe to look like (never having been there...). The food is fantastic, with a heavy western flavor to it, the people there are so polite, and the city is much cleaner...all moreso than even Hong Kong. I think it's mainly because they rely so much on tourism for their booming economy, but also I was told it's because they enjoy more freedom to travel than Hong Kongese, as citizens are also Portuguese passport holders. Gambling was legalized there in 2003 so casinos abound, but there are many, many things for families with children to do, too: beaches, resorts with nice pools, shopping, and many historical sites to see. There are ancient Buddhist temples and modern Catholic churches. There is a huge fortress that was built in the 1500's; it's where the picture below was taken. There is a cathedral that has burned down three times, but the facade remains at the top of a huge flight of stone steps. It's very beautiful. There are all these cool little, skinny streets with nice shops in them and antiques and more Chinese souvenirs. They make these awesome butter cookies with big chunks of almonds in them and hand them out on the street - they're SO GOOD. You can get a great sandwich there, something that you can't get in China and is quite difficult to get in Hong Kong. I love Macau! It is just an hour's ferry ride from Shenzhen, and a lovely place to visit.

Today, (as though we haven't done ENOUGH stuff lately) we went to Bujie, which is the art district of Shenzhen. There you can purchase oil painting copies of just about any famous painting you've ever seen, and then some. You can purchase a painting and incorporate your childrens' faces into the picture. You can custom-order just about any painting, including your own portrait, and there is also some beautiful original art there. My dad went hoping to find some more of those little painted bottles he has started collecting, but we could not find any of those there. It was strictly painting - mostly oils but also other mediums. We purchased a beautiful original watercolor from an artist who has won various awards for his work. My dad and Jo were a bit disappointed not to find the bottles, and we were surprised about that, too. But, it was a nice afternoon and we saw more of Shenzhen, which is part of why we're here.

Here is the icky culture shock part: I saw about four kids total going potty in the streets and on the sidewalks in Bujie today. One girl looked to be about 8, just dropped her drawers and went in the sewer cover. The rest were babies, but their mums just held them out over the sidewalk and let it fly. It's very disconcerting and really, really icky to witness. And stinky.

Tonight, for some strange reason, I'm BEAT. Maybe it's all the touristy stuff I've been doing, plus keeping our regular "we live here" routine with the kids. I hope all is well in your world - I have been thinking about many of you, my friends, lately, and I miss you all quite a bit.

Here's the whole gang in Macau

2007-08-27T08:56:00.000-04:00

Apparently, Ella is not quite as concerned we might fall over the side of the wall...

Pang Yu Zoo

2007-08-18T10:17:00.000-04:00

Today we went to Pang Yu, which is in Guanzhou, a larger city north of Shenzhen (20 million people). Pang Yu is an animal park and safari. We originally wanted to go to the resort there but after our experience at the "very nice" resort in Singapore, I wasn't ready for the gamble involved. So, we went for a day trip.

Our driver (uh, yeah, did I mention we have a driver? "Home, James." Actually, it's "Qing, hue jia, Mr. Lei" but it's still fun to say....sorry, I digress) is from that area and so knew sort of where the animal park is. It's sort of hidden amongst a bunch of shops and apartments, much like anything else in China. The drive should have been about 1-1/2 hours, but traffic in China is worth another blog post entirely. I am not exaggerating when I say that nobody follows the rules, the biggest guy gets to go wherever he wants to, even if the exit is four lanes over, and the entire driving experience here is one great big game of "Chicken". Traffic is unreliable to say the least, and our trip to the park took 3 hours instead of 1 1/2. We were all incredibly hungry and nature was calling loudly when we finally got into the park so we took care of all that first.

Then we walked around this huge animal park. It's really pretty nice - not as nice as the Singapore Zoo, but really, really nice, and amazingly clean considering it's in China and all. There were signs all over the place saying "Let's keep our park clean...please throw rubbish in the trash" and people were actually doing that. Normally people throw their rubbish wherever it happens to fall. You should see a streetside on a Saturday night at about 2 a.m. (I haven't but I've heard...) after everone's done eating. It's all chicken bones and leftover food and wrappers and all just strewn about. Labor is very affordable here so someone will come and sweep it all away to start all over again the next day. Aw, man, here I am, digressing again. Sorry. Back to Pang Yu. Very nice and very big. At the giraffe part you could buy a branch and the giraffe would actually bend down and you can feed it. Andrew got such a kick out of this! At various animal stations you could buy food and feed it to whichever animals were specified. It's a neat idea because kids love it and it raises revenue for the zoo.

There were so many tigers and giraffes, and there are also animal shows throughout the day. We just missed getting into the elephant show and there is a tiger show, as well. Not sure how I would have felt about animals "performing" - I'm not much of a circus fan, either. So, I wasn't especially disappointed about missing that. We saw so many different kinds of animals and cool birds - it's all set up by continent. The coolest thing? WE SAW GIANT PANDAS! I've been waiting for an opportunity to see some - boy are they amazing-looking! One was sitting there, eating bamboo and ignoring us. Most were sleeping. They're so cute! And we saw koala bears and kangaroos (never seen one before!), wallabys and exotic birds, rhinos, orangutangs, baby tigers (awwww...), red pandas, monkeys and baby monkeys, seals and sea turtles. Actually, the seals and sea turtles were in what looked to be a big green-water-filled fishbowl, no land or anything, just a big tank. I felt sorry for them because their space wasn't very big and it wasn't at all exciting or stimulating for them. I also felt bad for the polar bears because they looked way too hot and just had vegetation to hang around in, no frozen area or ice or anything polar bears seem to enjoy.

After we walked through the zoo in incredibly hot, sunny weather and were ready to drop, we found out we could also drive our air-conditioned van through the "safari on wheels." We thought we had to ride the little trolleys which are open-air and probably very hot, listening to a narration in Chinese.

So we went back to the car and drove through that part - there were so many of each animal! We saw a bunch of exotic deer and elk, impalas, black bears, brown bears, a whole herd of giraffes, a bunch of zebras, these African deer-type things with huge, straight horns on top. We stopped for my dad to get a picture of these and he rolled down his window to photograph this one who was right next to the car. It made me a little nervous, because of his big horns and all, and I said "dad, roll up your window." Just then the open-air trolley rolled by so we figured it was safe to open a window. Then we saw that the big-horn deer thingies were in the process of breaking through their fence and getting out of their secured area and into the great, wide open by the vehicles and more docile animals. Yikes. I was worried the tigers would do the same thing and eat the zebras in front of some kids! Didn't happen, as far as I know, but it sure kept me on my toes!

The really, really cool thing about the driving safari was that there were so many of each kind of species, and they really had a lot of space to roam. An ostrich, which I am pretty sure escaped its area as well, walked right up to the car to glare at us. They are so cool looking! So are the emus, which we saw in the Australian section. But, as I was saying about how nice the driving safari is, many of the animals had babies with them, too! So cute, the baby zebras, baby hippo, baby giraffes and baby wildebeests! The baby monkeys were cute, too, in the walking part. One baby monkey's mama was trying to teach it to climb but it kept jumping onto her for a ride instead...another one was trying to learn to climb but a slightly older one kept pushing it off the tree, poor thing.

We drove home this evening - it only took 1 1/2 hours! - and were very happy to get home. On the way home, I got a text message all in Chinese, and Mr. Lei explained that it's a warning there is a typhoon on the way, but he said it's gone already. We thought "gee, thanks for that" but as we drove home, the lightning started and when we got into our neighborhood the wind started blowing fiercely. We had all just gotten into the house and Mr. Lei back into the car when it started to POUR. Very windy, very rain, very lightning-y, very thunder...very typhoon-y. Hmmm.....

Everyone is tucked in for the night, the storm seems to have subsided, and I'm ready for some rest! Thanks for checking out Pang Yu with me!

Ketchup (catch-up)

2007-08-10T09:37:00.000-04:00

So, what's happened since July 22, my last post??

We went to Singapore, which I was really excited about because it's supposed to be incredibly clean and English-speaking, which are two things China is not. Sadly, however, our hotel (which was supposed to be really super-duper nice) was sorta run-down, dirty and ant-ridden. And our first-floor glass door to the pool area DIDN'T LOCK! Yikes...we had to booby trap that area every night in order for me to be able to sleep. That was disapointing, to say the least. But Singapore is a pretty cool place, from what I can tell. There are many rules but they do make sense. It's extremely diverse, religiously and culturally. If one particular ethnic group inhabits a certain area, anybody selling property in that area has to sell to someone who is NOT of the predominate group. That way you don't get little pockets of ethnicities and people are forced to get to know people outside of their own group. It seems to me to be a good way of preserving peace and understanding and goodwill between different peoples.

We went to the awesome zoo in Singapore, and returned for a Night Safari at the same zoo. I didn't know that like 90% of tropical animals are nocturnal, including elephants and tigers and bears (oh, my!). It was really cool - you ride around in a tram and it's quiet and dark and the animals are right there in front of you, moving around and doing animal-y type stuff. I could have reached out and touched several of them but of course we didn't do that. It was so cool! We also had a lot of fun at the resort pool and just hanging out together doing touristy stuff. It was nice.

I took a one-morning Italian cooking class with my friend Libby and sampled some of the best food I've ever eaten. Then I made one of the dishes and before serving it to the family Tim called it "Mario and Luigi Meatballs." Alex has a serious thing for the Marios Bros games and those are the two main guys in it. He now LOVES those meatballs thanks to my Genius Husband. Did I mention that Alex is my pickiest eater, perhaps the pickiest on the planet, or at least in China? Hee hee hee...

I went to Hong Kong a BUNCH of times with Ella for some doctor visits. I'm hoping she's on a good treatment program now and can stop having such a hard time with her tummy.

I applied for and almost got a preschool teaching job here but then decided I didn't want to work full-time, I'd rather stay a full-time mom, yippee!

I got my nails done, which you can do for about U.S.$10 here! Actually, I do that quite often at that price. Nothing new there.

I got a foot massage and thought my toenails were going to boil off of my feet when I stuck them into the scalding hot water they like to use. YIKES!

I read the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series and WHAT A GOOD BOOK! I don't know that I've ever been quite so satisfied with a book or series of books ending, and so on the edge of my seat while reading it. J.K. Rowling deserves every penny she gets from those books! Props to you, girl!

The boys had their last Chinese classes today until after school starts, which is this coming Thursday. I can't believe my little teeny preemie Andrew is a giant kindergartener already, and my peanut Alex is in 3rd grade. Ella will also start preschool and have big, full days. I hope she can handle it. I hope I can handle it!

My dad and his wife are here for a visit - our first company! They arrived a day late due to a flight cancellation. The kids are off their rockers excited about this visit and have been playing with them nonstop. They're sleeping off their jetlag as we speak, so they can be ready for more kid-level energy. They brought me Belgian chocolate from my very favorite chocolate place in the whole world (no, I've never been to Belgium...) in Appleton, Wisconsin...WILMAR'S. If you're ever within 200 miles of Appleton, GO TO WILMAR'S and get some chocolate. It's a little slice of heaven on earth. Dark chocolate caramels, two pounds, YES YES YES!

Sorry. I'm back. I'm really excited about the upcoming school year and seeing how the kids adjust to their new classes. I'm also looking forward to starting up my Chinese class again and learning more of the language.

I hope all is well and peaceful in your lives, lovely readers. School is about to start - I think many of you have little (or big) kids. I hope this is the best school year yet (keep faith, Barb!) and I also hope you decide to drop me a quick e-mail to let me know that there are still people reading this! Thanks for keeping up with us!

Tower of Refuge and Strength

2007-07-22T10:34:00.000-04:00

Today we went to church in Hong Kong. It was the first time I'd been inside a real church - a sanctuary - since before we moved to China. It was as though I'd come home, and I spent much of the service peeking through tears of joy. I feel truly happy, in a way I haven't felt in a long time. The building, the service order, the songs - everything was so familiar. The church we went to has a summer-long vacation bible school on Sundays, and the boys had a great time. Alex asked if we could come back every Sunday from now on. The message wasn't too long (they usually last - I'm not kidding - about 45 mins here in the China church) but was challenging and powerful and funny. Ella behaved, and we sang one of my favorite songs at the end. We were well-received by some very friendly people, and I was yet again struck by the diversity of the faces in the congregation. It was lovely.

Then we went to Disneyland and had a nice lunch, went on a few rides, and got ice cream.

Took the train home, and had a quiet evening at home together before we start the week again.

I feel as though a something inside me has changed, been filled up with goodness and energy and love. Just the physical presence of being in a sanctuary and feeling the freedom to worship was truly missed the last six months.

It was a beautiful day.

2007-07-11T09:37:00.000-04:00

Here's the whole gang at Disneyland Tokyo...Ella is sleeping and I'm not sure why the sky was so important for the picture-taker to get that in rather than the baby...