It's official...

Summer is here!!!!  We gave in and went to the outdoor pool today.  It's another beautiful day at 82 degrees with a clear blue sky.  Morgan's friend from school came too.  The two girls braved the chilly water while I sat out and soaked up the sun.    

Bye Bye Molly!

Molly was so cute tonight!  She had her new Elmo bag on her shoulder so I asked her if she was going bye bye.  She thought that was so funny.  So she started saying bye bye and then giggling.  It was cute.  

You may notice a trend.  In a previous post, Molly was carrying the same Elmo bag.  She received this in a care package from her Aunt Kimmie and LOVES it!  She gets the biggest kick out of carrying her new bag around.  

Fast Food

Yes, there is a KFC on almost every corner here and McDonald's will deliver to your door 24/7. But there is a more common type of fast food in China.  On every street you will see vendors selling fresh fruit, omelets, meat or seafood skewers, steamed buns, or dumplings, sweet potatoes, and more.  Many of the locals do not have kitchens in their apartments, so they "eat out" for most meals.  I have not been so brave as to sample from the street vendors.  Only once did I buy a small bag of peanut candy.  I figured at the temperature they were cooking the crushed peanuts and honey, most of the germs would be gone by the time it got to my mouth.   

    

Guess Who??

*can climb up an entire flight of a stairs in less than 10 seconds?

*can say more words in Chinese than I can understand?

*can eat an entire bowl of macaroni and cheese, plus her Dad's?

*has a HUGE molar in the back of her mouth?

*loves to read and loves to read the same books over and over and over....?

*wants to brush her teeth every time we are in the bathroom?

*wakes up with a smile on her face every morning and offers a big hug to her Mama?

*loves playing outside, but hates being on the grass?

*can't wait to get in the pool, not even to take her clothes off?

*whose favorite word is go-go (Chinese for dog)?

Can you guess who?  It's Molly of course!!!

Perfectly Pampered?!?!

I know I joke about our pampered lifestyle here, but it can't all be wonderful.  We truly do feel blessed with our situation and the opportunity we have been given.  We also understand that we don't exactly live in the "real world" here with our driver, ayi, and spa within walking distance of our house.  However, there are some "real" issues that we deal with that can make day to day living here very frustrating.  

*Please keep in mind that the following are not complaints.  We really are enjoying ourselves and are so happy to be here.  I just wanted to give you a better perspective of what really happens here.  It's not all shopping and trips to the spa.

You really lose a sense of freedom, privacy and control when you're on an international assignment.  Especially here in China with the language barrier and the constant feeling of being on stage.  Simple, everyday things like getting your hair cut or mailing a letter require the help of a translator.  And even then you never really feel like you understand what's happening.  It's only after your hair is chopped short and turned orange, or your friend comments about the letter she received that you really know.

It is near impossible to go out in public and not feel like you're being watched...because you are.  The locals are so fascinated with westerners and how they live.  They are not afraid to look into your grocery cart, touch your children, watch you walk down the street.  They are so bold as to sit next to you on a bench while someone else takes a picture of all of you without your permission.  We are celebrities!  Well, sort of.  Mind you this mostly happens when we have the girls with us.  Which is why I often choose to leave Molly at home with Sophia when I go out and Morgan is at school.  It's not that I don't want to take responsibility for my child.  I just don't want to subject her to the touching and photos, and unsolicited attention.  

We have a driver in China for several reasons.  One, we cannot read the street/traffic signs.  This should be reason enough.  Two, traffic is so crazy and rules of the road don't necessarily apply here.  Just ask Nancy about her experience and she will tell you how invaluable Mr. Yu is to our family.  He keeps us safe, he gets us from point A to point B, and he keeps us sane.  But there is something to be said for just hopping in your car and going when you want.  Not having to worry about coordinating things in advance.  Making sure Mark is picked up from work, or Morgan is taken to school on time. 

Something else that has taken some time to get used is the fact that our driver knows where we are at all times.  Unless we take our bike he knows how often we get groceries or go to Starbucks.  He knows that we've bought yet another case of Diet Coke or diapers in the last two weeks.  He knows that Mark is away for business and when he'll be back.  We trust Mr. Yu to no end, but it is a little unnerving to think someone knows so much about you simply by driving you around town.  

Personally, some of the more difficult things have been the energy it takes to create a network of friends, find competent medical facilities, establish relationships with service professionals, learn how to get things done and where to find various household goods-all while maintaining a smile and sense of humor.  We are very fortunate to have made such wonderful friends already, that we have the help of Mr. Yu and Sophia to guide us through this crazy world, and the support of our family back home.    

         

         

A Taste of Summer

We had a beautiful weekend here.  After Morgan's gymnastic lessons on Saturday, we took the girls to the mall and out for lunch.  We were able to sit outside to enjoy the sunshine.  After lunch, we walked along the river and had an ice cream.  That evening we went to a Spring Fling/Wine Tasting Carnival at the clubhouse here in our compound.  They served "carnival food" complete with popcorn, hot dogs on a stick, cotton candy and more.  Morgan had her very first taste of cotton candy and LOVED it.  There was entertainment for the kids: a balloon twister, face painter and magician.  And the adults were able to enjoy the wine tasting.  The party was held outside and the weather was perfect.  

Sunday was another gorgeous day and the temperature reached about 81 degrees.  We had scheduled a photographer to come take photos of the girls.  That took up most of the day.  The woman came right to the house and brought her own equipment.  I'm anxious to see how the photos turn out considering the girls did not fully cooperate.  Mark and I were able to get out for a date that night and the teenage girl from down the street watched Morgan and Molly.  Morgan was so excited for Jesse to come over.  Even Molly kept repeating her name when she came in the house.  That certainly made it easier for Mark and I to enjoy our free time.  We had dinner outside at Blue Frog, a favorite of ours.  Then we came back to the spa and had foot rubs and head/neck/shoulder massages.  It was wonderful!  A nice way to end our weekend. 

Mark is off to Korea again this week.  He left Monday morning and will be back late on Wednesday.  Thursday he is off on holiday.  In fact, Morgan is off of school this whole week for holiday.  I think Chinese Labor Day.  We will try to stay busy this week to help pass the time.   

A Beautiful Day!!

It was gorgeous here today!!  No rain, not a cloud in the sky, a light breeze and about 78 degrees.  Molly and I went out after lunch to play in the courtyard.  We played with a ball, blew bubbles and explored the garden area.  She was not happy to play on the grass.  In fact it was all she didn't want her bare legs to touch the grass and kept grabbing her pant legs and pulling them up off of the picky green stuff.  She was much happier to play on the brick/tile/stone paved area.  Her poor knees!!  

She even took time out from playing to pose for the camera.  ;)

  

Morgan was outside today also.  Her school had an Olympics Day today.  They played games and had relay races outside.  Morgan said it was kind of boring, but her favorite game was jumping rope.  Morgan, Molly and I went out after school too.  We played at the outdoor play area in our compound.  The girls had fun going down the slide together and we all enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air.    

She's Trying!!

This is Molly's latest attempt at walking.  Assisted yes, but at least she's trying!!

Boot Camp

A friend of mine invited me and some others to join her for boot camp.  Its held once a week at a nearby park.  Today was the first day and can I say "ouch"!  Actually, it was really good.  There were two trainers and four woman there.  The weather was perfect and I feel great...well sore too, but great for going and trying it.  We ran around the lake, then did some squats and kick boxing type moves.  We did lunges, push ups and sit ups and also some partner work.  I'm having a hard time getting up the stairs and I don't want to think about getting on the bike to pick up Morgan from school, but I am looking forward to going again next week.  

Weather

You know things must be slow for me to be talking about the weather.  But it really is different here.  It feels like the temperature rises quickly in the morning, but by 2 or 3 pm it starts to cool off.  The wind picks up and it the temperature drops.  

We've had a lot of rain this month which was what Mr. Yu and Sophia warned us about.  In May we can expect rising temperatures.  And the summer is said to be unbearably hot and humid.  Something to look forward to, I guess.  At the very least a good excuse to the use the pool.  

Tongue Depressor

Warning...don't let the cute picture fool you, gory details to follow:

Molly has a tongue issue.  She sticks it out all the time and lately it has been getting in the way.  Earlier this week she was standing, then wobbling, then fell forward towards the floor.  She sat up crying with blood running out of her mouth.  Yep, she bit her tongue.  She obviously bit it pretty hard for it to bleed.  I calmed her down and gave her cold water to drink.  She settled quickly, but her tongue continued to bleed for a few minutes.  I called Mark but he wasn't concerned and sure enough it stopped bleeding shortly after that.  

Well, we had another incident tonight.  The girls had taken a bath and I was getting Morgan out of the tub.  When I looked over I watched Molly slip and hit her chin on the edge of the tub.  And, you guessed it, she bit her tongue again.  Poor thing.  This time it was really bad though.  I can't even describe to you the horror of this.  Blood was pouring out of Molly's mouth, much more than last time.  Morgan started sobbing telling me she kicked Molly in the face, when I know she didn't.  My shirt was covered in blood and will now be thrown away because there is no salvaging it.  And poor Molls just sobbed and sobbed.  I was able to give her cold water again and it seemed to help.  The bleeding did stop eventually but I know she is pain.  She whimpered and snuggled with me until it was time for bed.  

She really needs to do something about her tongue.  Its cute the way it sticks out, but I'm afraid she'll bite it off next time.  Talk about a tongue depressor.

Wow...that's service!!

I ordered airline tickets today from www.elong.com, www.expedia.com's China counterpart.  I was having a hard time getting information from the actual website, so I called their customer service number.  Judy was very pleasant and helped me to book our tickets to Hong Kong.  We were discussing payment and I was ready to give her my credit card number but she didn't take it.  She told me I would pay when the tickets were delivered.  As in hand-delivered.  To my door.  The same day.  Sure enough the delivery man arrived about 20 minutes ago with the tickets and a credit card machine with him.  Within minutes he was gone and I now have our tickets and itineraries. 

So come May 7 we'll be on our way to Hong Kong.  We are taking the girls to Disneyland.  Morgan is ecstatic as you can imagine.  We've heard really good things about this Disney.  It is a small park with rides and attractions geared towards young kids.  In fact, the only ride that Molly won't be able to go on is Space Mountain, but Morgan is plenty big.  They also just opened their "It's a Small World" ride and High School Musical show.  It should be fun! 

What a Weekend!!

We've had a busy weekend.  Morgan had gymnastics on Saturday morning.  She still really enjoys the lessons and was thrilled to jump on the big trampoline this week.  We left right from there and went to a birthday party for her friend Bradley who turned 5 this week.  Bradley's family is from Delaware and they moved here in December as well.  The party was at Think Town, which is affiliated with Gymboree.  It was a huge area filled with tons of activities for the kids, like a hand on museum.  The biggest hit was the ball pit.  Gross, I know!  The kids also liked the rock climbing wall, astrology room, and science show.  

This is our first birthday party in China, so we didn't know what to expect.  For the most part everything was "normal".  We were surprised to hear the birthday song in Chinese.  And even more surprised that Morgan new the words.  Apparently they sing the birthday song in Chinese and English at school.  Think Town provided everything for the party including lunch (chicken nuggets and pasta), supplies and cake.  Bradley's Mom had requested a chocolate cake, which was what they got.  It was not your typical child's character birthday cake.  It was covered in fruit with a glaze on top.  Very fancy actually, but still delicious.  After more play time, we headed home.  We also managed to go swimming in the evening before dinner.  It was a busy but good day.  

Today we met two other families for brunch at the clubhouse in our compound.  The food was good and the kids had a ball, thanks to unlimited use of the bouncy house.  We headed home and Mark had to pack.  He left for Korea this afternoon and will be back on Thursday night.  Morgan is looking forward to a sleepover.  It's our tradition that when Daddy is away, she sleeps with me in our room.  We'll miss Mark while he is away but will look forward to seeing him over the weekend.   

Stinky Tofu

I can't believe I forgot to mention this in my last post.  I experienced stinky tofu yesterday.  No joke this is the true name for the local delicacy.  Stinky tofu is nothing more than fermented tofu. But by stinky, we're not just talking about an unpleasant odor.  We are talking major stink bomb. Words cannot describe the stench.  Despite its awful odor, which can be compared to manure, its supposed to be pretty mild.  Yesterday it was deep fried and sold by a street vendor.  It was all we could do to quickly move away.  Although, that didn't seem to help.  The odor seemed to follow us for most of the morning.    

Quibao Seven Hidden Treasures

Today I took a tour of an area of Shanghai called Quibao, or Seven Hidden Treasures.  To be honest, I can't tell you what those treasures are.  Surely they don't include the cricket museum.  An area used to display all there is to know about cricket fighting.  Yes, you heard me right.  Just like dog or cock fighting, they have cricket fighting here in China.  It couldn't possibly include the miniatures museum or the pawn shop.  But this is mostly what the tour consisted of.  Which is exactly why me and the two friends I was with split from the group only half way through the tour.  And it's disappointing really.  My friend Sue and I had taken a tour before in another area of town and were really pleased.  So this was a bit of a let down. 

However, I was able to take some nice pictures of old town Shanghai...the way things used to be.  This is a "water town", which only means that there is a canal running through it and the locals use it for their daily living. 

And so it begins....

the initiation from toddler to big kid.  Mark took the training wheels off of Morgan's bike on Sunday.  We had all been out for a ride in the afternoon and had stopped by a Trek bike shop. Morgan found a bike she really wants.  But there are no training wheels on this new bike.  So we made a deal with her.  We would take the trainers off of her Dora bike.  Once she learns to ride really good with no help, she could get a big kid bike. 

It was a wobbly start, but she did pretty good.  It would be a little easier if she would remember to peddle.  So yeah, Mark did most of the work, but at least she got the hang of it.  Before we know it, she'll be zipping up and down the street all on her own.

 

Dr. Matt...This One's For You!!!

Is there anything sweeter than two little girls, fresh out of the tub getting ready for bed?

Faust Farewell

Chuck & Nancy left today.  As far as we know they took off about 3:30 this afternoon.  We didn't receive any frantic phone calls saying the flight was cancelled, so we assume they are OK.  They finished packing this morning and said goodbye to Morgan before she left for school.  Which, by the way, she did not remember.  When Morgan got home in the afternoon, she asked where they were, and was disappointed to know they were headed home.  Mark worked from home today so he could take his parents to the airport.  Molly was a delight on this final day, but still didn't take any steps for her Nana.  Well, she did take 2 yesterday, but not quite what Nana was hoping for.    

We had a great visit with them and made many happy memories while they were here.  We hope they will return and we would love to have more company soon.  We've got a spare room.       

Fender Bender

Well, we had our first fender bender today.  Or should I say, Mr. Yu had his first with us in the van.  It was really very minor and more of an annoyance than anything, considering we were already running late as it was. 

My friend Sue and I were on our way to an American Women's Club coffee morning when it happened.  We were at the entrance of the tunnel where there are 5 lanes of cars merging into 2 lanes.  The car was barely moving when we bumped the Mazda in front of us.  Mr. Yu got out of the van and checked it out with the driver of the other car.  All seemed OK.  From where I was, I couldn't see any damage.  No broken tail lights, cracked bumpers or even scuffs of paint.  

We made it through the tunnel and Mr. Yu pulled off to the side.  But we weren't at the side of the road.  We were in the middle of a spilt in the road.  So there were cars zooming past us on the right leading to an elevated road, and cars zooming past us on the left to stay on the main level road.  A bit scary.  The Mazda had pulled off behind us, too (see picture).  A police man arrived and took everyone's information.  Mr. Yu did all of the talking though and I never got involved.  

You can see in the picture the Mazda and it passengers, Mr. Yu on the right in the tan coat, and the police man behind Mr. Yu.  Not a terrifying experience, but interesting none the less.    

Beijing Pictures

As promised...here are some of the pictures from Beijing.  We took well over 600 photos, but this is just a sample.  Enjoy!

Great Wall! Great Trip!!!

We made it!  What a great time we all had.  The trip started out a little rough with Molly teething and being very fussy the first day.  But a little Tylenol and some sleep made for a great second and third day.   We could not have asked for better weather.  It was very windy the first day, but still mild.  Wednesday and Thursday were very ideal.  It really was an amazing trip we will never forget.  

The first day we visited the Forbidden City, had a rickshaw tour of the hutongs (ancient courtyard homes), and saw Tian An Men Square.  The second day we saw the Ming Tomb, and Sacred Path and saw the Great Wall.  Finally, on the third day we visited the Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace.  While at the Summer Palace, we took a dragon boat ride across the lake.  Then headed towards the airport.  On our way there we drove by the Olympic buildings.  I will put more pictures and details about each place in a separate post.      

For now, here are some interesting facts about our trip:

*We had a private tour guide named Bruce Lee.  Just a coincidence and no relation to the martial arts star.

*During our tour of the hutongs we met with a woman who answered questions about the homes.  Hanging in her "dining room" was a Detroit Red Wing McCarty jersey.  Apparently it was a gift given to her by another visitor on a recent tour.

*The road we took to get to the Great Wall will be used for the bicycle race for the 2008 Olympics.  It is currently under construction.  We literally followed behind the bulldozer as it tore up the road to be repaved.  It made for a bumpy ride as well as a humorous memory.

*We took a gondola ride to the top of the wall.  Much easier than having to climb hundreds of steps.  Although even when we got to the top, there were plenty of stairs to climb.

*The Great Wall is positioned on top of a HUGE mountain range.  Even with all of those mountains, the Chinese still felt the need to build the massive structure, and even then they were defeated.  

*Chuck called Mark on the cell phone when we were on top of the Great Wall of China....and it went through. 

*Not all Chinese McDonald's are that bad.  Once you've eaten mediocre Chinese food for lunch each day (including fish that was still looking at us) and pizza at night made with sweet and sour sauce, a fish sandwich and some chicken nuggets hit the spot.      

*Beijing is an amazing city.  Ancient structures surrounded by tall modern buildings.  It is wonderful that they have been able to preserve so much of their history while working towards the future.

*The city has done a lot to prepare for the upcoming Olympics.  It is very easy to see where they have cleaned up properly and where they have swept some of the dirt under the rug to deal with at another time...maybe.  

*On our way back from seeing the Great Wall we had to stop on the highway to let a herd of cows pass through.  

*Nancy & Chuck stood on the "Center of the Universe" while visiting the Temple of Heaven.

*Many people were at the Temple of Heaven doing their morning exercises such as Thai Chi, badminton, and more.  Nancy got into the act and joined a group of locals for a few minutes.  We also heard a group of locals singing in Chinese to the tune of "Silent Night".

...stay tuned for more pictures and details of the trip.

  

  

Almost ready

We've been packing today and are anxious for our trip to Beijing tomorrow. Mr. Yu and Sophia are just as excited about our trip as we are. And not just because they will be off of work for 3 days. Sophia has been telling us about the weather. Its cooler up north, we need to pack a sweater. She's told us tales about the Great Wall and the Hutongs.

Mr. Yu is doing all he can to ensure we make it to the airport on time. Today he said "tomorrow airplane leave at 9 o'clock." I said yes. He said, "be at airport 7:30." I said yes. He said, "leave your home 6:30." I said yes. He said that previously for domestic flights you just needed to be at the airport 30 min before your flight. Now you need to be there one and half hours early. He also warned that liquids are not aloud in our carry on luggage.

What would we do without our faithful locals by our side? Actually we are quite appreciative of all they do for us. Sometimes I really don't think we could make it here without them.

We'll be away for a few days, but will be back soon with pictures and stories to share.