We've lived in China for over 3 years now. China is a very different place from America in many ways, and we still stand out like sore thumbs. Chinese people do not have blonde hair or blue eyes. Chinese people do not hug. Chinese people do not eat cheese, or Mexican food. We do loads of things every day which mark us as foreign, something we have gotten entirely used to.
It is only with this move that I have realized how much China has normalized for me. When moving into a new expat community, the best way to make new friends quickly is to get to know the other newbies. But I don't quite fit into the newbie category - although I'm new to Shenzhen, I'm an old hand to China, and not looking around with glassy-eyes like the other newbies. Conversations with a particular friend make this very apparent to me. The things she raves about, as wonderful or as particularly odd, I have trouble sharing her enthusiasm on. She raves about her ayi - I watch her ayi, and think she is mediocre at best. She feels guilty having the driver take her daughter to school - I look on with envy, remembering the simple life with a driver. She hears people honking on the street, and feels they're honking at her. She pays way more than things are worth, because she doesn't know where or how to dig around town.
She's new, and I sounded the same way when I was new. She'll normalize too, and that list will embarrass her someday.
But even after so long, things happen in my home that throw me. Ayi cleaned the bookshelves a few days ago, and they look fantastic. She organized every book by size. But upon closer inspection, you see that a third of the spines face either up or down, and some of them face the back of the shelves.
T.I.C. Some things will always be foreign.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
All in a Day's Work
Dave left for Abu Dhabi this evening. Actually, he'll sit in the Hong Kong airport until midnight and technically leave for Abu Dhabi tomorrow. We expect that he will be gone for 3 weeks, and it was crummy to say good-bye. He'll be missing the school Halloween party tomorrow, and Halloween itself on Sunday night. He'll miss at least 2 movie nights. He'll miss a large portion of Annika's life thus far. He'll miss too many bathtimes and storytimes and afternoons at the playground. Three weeks is a long time to be away from family, and it made us all sad.
So sad that I am honestly contemplating the girls to Abu Dhabi for their fall break next week. Am I crazy enough to fly alone with 3 young girls? Its an 8 hour flight, with a ferry exchange on this side and an hour-long taxi ride on that side. Plus, its overnight. Any votes?
On the bright side, I made pita bread tonight for dinner. Who knew it was so simple? I also made hummus, which didn't turn out quite right because I couldn't find Middle Eastern tahini - which is, we learned, rather different from Asian tahini. But, after a google search, I learned how to make my own. Who knew tahini was so simple to make? What a feast we'll have, as soon as I can find sesame seeds.
Check out these babies!
It may not be high quality photography (okay, its definitely not). But I was just so excited that I had to share.
In Shanghai, I learned how to cook and bake because I missed the foods from home. I've gotten pretty good at brownies, pies, sweet breads, plus soups, curries and a really mean loaf of honey wheat bread. Now that we're in Shenzhen, I'm missing all of the world-class restaurants in Shanghai. I'm needing to learn more interesting foods - starting with hummus, tzatziki, pita bread and tahini. Lets say its in honor of Dave's first trip to the Middle East.
So sad that I am honestly contemplating the girls to Abu Dhabi for their fall break next week. Am I crazy enough to fly alone with 3 young girls? Its an 8 hour flight, with a ferry exchange on this side and an hour-long taxi ride on that side. Plus, its overnight. Any votes?
On the bright side, I made pita bread tonight for dinner. Who knew it was so simple? I also made hummus, which didn't turn out quite right because I couldn't find Middle Eastern tahini - which is, we learned, rather different from Asian tahini. But, after a google search, I learned how to make my own. Who knew tahini was so simple to make? What a feast we'll have, as soon as I can find sesame seeds.
Check out these babies!
It may not be high quality photography (okay, its definitely not). But I was just so excited that I had to share.
In Shanghai, I learned how to cook and bake because I missed the foods from home. I've gotten pretty good at brownies, pies, sweet breads, plus soups, curries and a really mean loaf of honey wheat bread. Now that we're in Shenzhen, I'm missing all of the world-class restaurants in Shanghai. I'm needing to learn more interesting foods - starting with hummus, tzatziki, pita bread and tahini. Lets say its in honor of Dave's first trip to the Middle East.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Knowing Is Half the Battle
We now know that Dave will fly to Abu Dhabi on Thursday. He's buying a return ticket for 2 weeks later, but we don't really know that won't be changed. We do know that he'll miss Halloween, which is a real bummer. A week-long Fall Break will take place about the same time as his projected return. I looked into just going to Abu Dhabi for the break. What fun would that be! But over 14 hours travel time, and around $1,000 per adult ticket makes that prohibitive. I don't think I could handle three girls on my own in an airplane, layovers and plane transfers included, for such a long time.
Although there is no bright side, we will be just fine. We've got a great ayi. I've already developed a good support system (God is Faithful!). The girls have their routine pretty well figured out. Annie has been waking up 2-3 times a night lately, which'll be rough on my own. But otherwise, we shall survive.
Although there is no bright side, we will be just fine. We've got a great ayi. I've already developed a good support system (God is Faithful!). The girls have their routine pretty well figured out. Annie has been waking up 2-3 times a night lately, which'll be rough on my own. But otherwise, we shall survive.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Way We Live
Its funny the things we can get used to.
We've been living under the cloud of a pending move to Washington DC for about a year now. For most of that time, had we received an email invitation to the Foreign Service, we would have been living in Washington within 8 weeks. We prepared the girls for such a move, and got them excited about DC.
That call still hasn't come, still hangs over our heads, but we don't talk about it to the girls as much. They no longer remember most of the friends we have there.
Possibly because of this mindset, we picked up and moved to Shenzhen within 2 weeks this summer. We've settled quite well, even with the cloud of an uncertain future hanging over our heads. When people ask how long we expect to be here, I don't really know what to answer. If Dave gets into the Foreign Service, we could move as early as mid-March. If he doesn't, we could be here for another year after this one. The 1-year contract everyone signed for us has not yet taken effect, and the girls have landed well in Shenzhen. Could be that we're facing stability, and the same address for 2 years in a row!
But the uncertainty still prevails. Dave will start work on this new contract any day now. He got an email last week asking him to go to the U.A.E. for 6 weeks or so, starting today. Only on Saturday did he learn the city (Abu Dhabi - how cool is that?). And still today, he's been given no travel plans. Our best guess at this point is that Dave will fly to Abu Dhabi tomorrow, for somewhere between 1 and 6 weeks. But we won't know for sure until tomorrow, when he either does or does not catch a plane.
This new uncertainty makes the old stuff seem simple. As does having lived with it for a while now. But I can't make plans for this weekend if Dave may be away. I can't make plans for tomorrow's dinner if Dave may be here. I can't make plans for Thanksgiving, because I don't know how long he'll be gone. Dave has pushed back, saying 6 weeks is far too long to spend away from his family. I expressed that this uncertainty, and this long trip are not very good employee treatment. Dave answered that it certainly is not - that's why they hire a consultant rather than use their own employees. And a globally mobile one at that. Fair enough.
Clearly, I am actually fixing dinner tomorrow, and life is going on as usual around this uncertainty. But I'll admit, its giving me a big headache.
We've been living under the cloud of a pending move to Washington DC for about a year now. For most of that time, had we received an email invitation to the Foreign Service, we would have been living in Washington within 8 weeks. We prepared the girls for such a move, and got them excited about DC.
That call still hasn't come, still hangs over our heads, but we don't talk about it to the girls as much. They no longer remember most of the friends we have there.
Possibly because of this mindset, we picked up and moved to Shenzhen within 2 weeks this summer. We've settled quite well, even with the cloud of an uncertain future hanging over our heads. When people ask how long we expect to be here, I don't really know what to answer. If Dave gets into the Foreign Service, we could move as early as mid-March. If he doesn't, we could be here for another year after this one. The 1-year contract everyone signed for us has not yet taken effect, and the girls have landed well in Shenzhen. Could be that we're facing stability, and the same address for 2 years in a row!
But the uncertainty still prevails. Dave will start work on this new contract any day now. He got an email last week asking him to go to the U.A.E. for 6 weeks or so, starting today. Only on Saturday did he learn the city (Abu Dhabi - how cool is that?). And still today, he's been given no travel plans. Our best guess at this point is that Dave will fly to Abu Dhabi tomorrow, for somewhere between 1 and 6 weeks. But we won't know for sure until tomorrow, when he either does or does not catch a plane.
This new uncertainty makes the old stuff seem simple. As does having lived with it for a while now. But I can't make plans for this weekend if Dave may be away. I can't make plans for tomorrow's dinner if Dave may be here. I can't make plans for Thanksgiving, because I don't know how long he'll be gone. Dave has pushed back, saying 6 weeks is far too long to spend away from his family. I expressed that this uncertainty, and this long trip are not very good employee treatment. Dave answered that it certainly is not - that's why they hire a consultant rather than use their own employees. And a globally mobile one at that. Fair enough.
Clearly, I am actually fixing dinner tomorrow, and life is going on as usual around this uncertainty. But I'll admit, its giving me a big headache.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Moving Tips
As I seem to be moving with rather startling frequency, I thought it would be useful to put together some of the things which have made it easier. Moving companies all put together handy little lists telling you when to unplug your refrigerator and reminding you to eat breakfast, and so I'll spare you all of the simple stuff. These are the things I've learned by trial and error. And the errors come easily when 10 people arrive to pack up your house, and none of them speak English!
Tip #1:
The person who took the furniture apart will not be the person who puts it back together - unless that person is you.
I suppose a domestic move in the states may involve the same individuals packing and unpacking your boxes. An international move does not. The Shanghai crew did not travel with our boxes to Shenzhen, although they did take apart some of the furniture. If your furniture breaks down, do it yourself. Then place all small pieces in a Ziploc bag or an envelope, and tape it to the bottom of the furniture.
Tip #2:
Know where your tools are - including scissors, a Sharpie, and a box cutter.
Your toolbox, no matter how big or small, ought to be the last thing boxed up and in a well-marked container. You'll need the screwdrivers quickly upon unpacking. But don't even bother packing your scissors, Sharpies and box cutter. You'll want those while the movers pack the house, and again when you're unpacking alone.
Tip #3:
Label your boxes well by destination room. The packers will not.
To look at the labels on our boxes, you would think that we had an amazing amount of vases and stationary. You'd also think that we had one baby and no other children, as anything child related was labeled Baby Room. If you don't need an inventory of each box, at least peek in each one to confirm the destination room.
Tip #4:
Don't diet. Do exercise.
Now, don't act like a fool and gorge yourself on McDonald's and ice-cream. But remember that moving boxes, exploring a new neighborhood, and stress all burn loads of calories. And when moving internationally, the lack of ingredients at the grocery store as well as the crummy restaurant you happened upon will keep those meals low-cal for the first few weeks. Add in the diet and exercise routines as soon as possible (exercise will come much earlier than diet), but the regiment will be initially impossible and only add more stress.
Tip #5:
Smile at everyone who makes eye contact with you. Introduce yourself to everyone who smiles at you.
Soon you'll find that you know the names of everyone in your everyday routine, and that they all think you're friendly. Even if you don't have friends for quite some time, you'll have conversations with people every day. These conversations turn into friends quicker than you'd think.
Tip #6:
Use the phone.
Communicate with folks by phone whenever possible. Stay away from email and texting while you're getting to know people, if you can help it. Those spoken conversations give others the chance to ask how you're doing, or to invite you along to their morning plans.
Tip #7:
Do as many favors as you can, and take advantage of help when its offered.
Being a helper is a wonderful way to get to know someone. And you need help when you're moving. So does anyone else around you in the throes of the same. Take advantage of help and offer it as well. You'll build a community around yourself quickly, and set a lovely precedent for help later on... when you find your husband traveling for weeks at a time, or you need a doctor and someone to watch your kids immediately.
Tip #8:
If the economy allows it, hire help immediately.
In China, and in many other countries through the help, hired help is readily available and quite affordable. A housekeeper and nanny make a considerable difference when you've got a To Do List a mile long. A local housekeeper can be a lifesaver, as she already knows the good shopping and can communicate with any Fix-It-Men who'll try to help. But refer to Tip #7 for the actual hiring - a referral is always the best way to go.
It may not be neuroscience, but these little rules helped me through the last few months. At this point, I feel pretty comfortable here. Friends in Shanghai still feel closer, although pretty far away. But friends here do feel like honest friends, and I do feel that if I had an emergency I would have plenty of shoulders to lean on. Good, as my husband does seem to travel about 80% of the time right now.
Tip #1:
The person who took the furniture apart will not be the person who puts it back together - unless that person is you.
I suppose a domestic move in the states may involve the same individuals packing and unpacking your boxes. An international move does not. The Shanghai crew did not travel with our boxes to Shenzhen, although they did take apart some of the furniture. If your furniture breaks down, do it yourself. Then place all small pieces in a Ziploc bag or an envelope, and tape it to the bottom of the furniture.
Tip #2:
Know where your tools are - including scissors, a Sharpie, and a box cutter.
Your toolbox, no matter how big or small, ought to be the last thing boxed up and in a well-marked container. You'll need the screwdrivers quickly upon unpacking. But don't even bother packing your scissors, Sharpies and box cutter. You'll want those while the movers pack the house, and again when you're unpacking alone.
Tip #3:
Label your boxes well by destination room. The packers will not.
To look at the labels on our boxes, you would think that we had an amazing amount of vases and stationary. You'd also think that we had one baby and no other children, as anything child related was labeled Baby Room. If you don't need an inventory of each box, at least peek in each one to confirm the destination room.
Tip #4:
Don't diet. Do exercise.
Now, don't act like a fool and gorge yourself on McDonald's and ice-cream. But remember that moving boxes, exploring a new neighborhood, and stress all burn loads of calories. And when moving internationally, the lack of ingredients at the grocery store as well as the crummy restaurant you happened upon will keep those meals low-cal for the first few weeks. Add in the diet and exercise routines as soon as possible (exercise will come much earlier than diet), but the regiment will be initially impossible and only add more stress.
Tip #5:
Smile at everyone who makes eye contact with you. Introduce yourself to everyone who smiles at you.
Soon you'll find that you know the names of everyone in your everyday routine, and that they all think you're friendly. Even if you don't have friends for quite some time, you'll have conversations with people every day. These conversations turn into friends quicker than you'd think.
Tip #6:
Use the phone.
Communicate with folks by phone whenever possible. Stay away from email and texting while you're getting to know people, if you can help it. Those spoken conversations give others the chance to ask how you're doing, or to invite you along to their morning plans.
Tip #7:
Do as many favors as you can, and take advantage of help when its offered.
Being a helper is a wonderful way to get to know someone. And you need help when you're moving. So does anyone else around you in the throes of the same. Take advantage of help and offer it as well. You'll build a community around yourself quickly, and set a lovely precedent for help later on... when you find your husband traveling for weeks at a time, or you need a doctor and someone to watch your kids immediately.
Tip #8:
If the economy allows it, hire help immediately.
In China, and in many other countries through the help, hired help is readily available and quite affordable. A housekeeper and nanny make a considerable difference when you've got a To Do List a mile long. A local housekeeper can be a lifesaver, as she already knows the good shopping and can communicate with any Fix-It-Men who'll try to help. But refer to Tip #7 for the actual hiring - a referral is always the best way to go.
It may not be neuroscience, but these little rules helped me through the last few months. At this point, I feel pretty comfortable here. Friends in Shanghai still feel closer, although pretty far away. But friends here do feel like honest friends, and I do feel that if I had an emergency I would have plenty of shoulders to lean on. Good, as my husband does seem to travel about 80% of the time right now.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Keeping Hope Alive
Another Foreign Service Candidate was just offered a spot in the January class. He is in the Economic track, and he scored 5.6. With a 5.6 in the Political Track, Dave probably ranks in the low 60s, but in Econ this man was number 23 and is going to the next class.
When Dave interviews in early January, he will land on the Economic track. He needs to do at least as well as he did last time to receive a call. This keeps my hope alive.
The other contingency plan was the Mandarin test, which he has scheduled for the end of November. But in only a few short weeks, he has a long ways to go to become conversational. Too many challenging conversations on the train reinforced that this weekend. Plus, he may be spending the next 6-8 weeks in the Middle East. They don't speak Chinese there, but maybe he could start working on his Arabic? The Mandarin seems like less of a sure bet, and so I'm comforted to see that a good score in Econ seems possible. And then we could get out of Asia!
When Dave interviews in early January, he will land on the Economic track. He needs to do at least as well as he did last time to receive a call. This keeps my hope alive.
The other contingency plan was the Mandarin test, which he has scheduled for the end of November. But in only a few short weeks, he has a long ways to go to become conversational. Too many challenging conversations on the train reinforced that this weekend. Plus, he may be spending the next 6-8 weeks in the Middle East. They don't speak Chinese there, but maybe he could start working on his Arabic? The Mandarin seems like less of a sure bet, and so I'm comforted to see that a good score in Econ seems possible. And then we could get out of Asia!
If You Want it Done Right
They say that if you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself. Nowhere is this truer than in China. Friends working in quality control would agree - this is not a place where you can offer simple instructions and expect to know the end result. Although I should say its a great place to get a copy made. I could hand someone a photo of the plate above and get a replica which looked just as tasty. But nothing that tasted nearly as good.I'm a Kansas City girl, and we've been importing our Arthur Bryant's and our Billardo Brothers for years now. But as our stock dwindles, the time has come to man up and make out own. Here are the photographic results of our day of barbeque.
the makings of the sauce
the makings of the bacon -
you could still feel the piggies little back hairs on the skin!
you could still feel the piggies little back hairs on the skin!
Believing ourselves to be in China only temporarily,
I never bought a food processor.
Enough is enough!
This machine is loads of fun!
I never bought a food processor.
Enough is enough!
This machine is loads of fun!
the beans, after a 14 hour soak
the beans, after an hour of boiling in sauce
after 4 hours of boiling
after sitting in the coals of the grill for 2 hours. yum!
the grillmaster and his assistant,
cooking late into the night
cooking late into the night
and once again, the final product
We need to keep refining. The beans were still a bit tough, the Root Beer was too expensive an ingredient, and something about the ribs just wasn't right. We think it might have been the meat itself, which we've got no power to fix.
But the best part? I shredded the leftover meat into the beans, and boiled it all with the rest of the sauce the next day. Poured the whole mix over fresh corn bread. Oh, heaven!
The Canton Trade Fair
Because of extremely poor planning, our family enjoyed an excursion to Guangzhou this past weekend. I had planned to visit Guangzhou in the near future anyway, as it is a 1-hour fast train from Shenzhen and one of China's main cities, and so the trip itself was welcome. But the timing had many unwelcome challenges.
We went because Lilly's passport becomes unusable in a few weeks. Although it does not expire until the beginning of May 2011, China will not allow entry into the country with a passport 6 months away from its expiration date. Were we more responsible parents, we would have noticed this over the summer. The summer where we lived around the corner from the consulate, rather than a journey away. The summer where we obtained a new passport, social security card and birth certificate from the consulate, each in different visits. So, this trip should not have been necessary.
I had hoped the quick timing could guarantee us a quick jaunt to Hanoi over the fall holiday. The girls have a week off at the beginning of November, which is a lovely time to travel in Southeast Asia. I expect it will also be a lovely time to stay home in Southeast Asia. Because not only will our Residence Permits still be in limbo, but Dave will have begun the big consulting job for the big client for which we moved to Shenzhen. He begins on Monday. In UAE. That's the UAE located in the Middle East. So no Hanoi.
But all of these timing issues simply forced the trip last weekend. They did not make it bad timing, but simply quick timing. The Canton Trade Fair made last weekend bad timing.
The Canton Trade Fair takes place twice annually in Guangzhou. It occurs over 3 successive weekends, last weekend being the first of the fall session. It invites over 23,000 exhibitors to hawk their wares to 204,000 overseas buyers and sees $34.3 million US dollars in business turnover. This is the largest trade fair in China by far, and one of the largest in the world.
That means that every room in Guangzhou was booked for the weekend. And although we live a quick 1-hour fast train ride away, it took us an hour on the bus and an hour on the metro just to reach the train station from our home. With 3 kids in tow and an appointment for bureacracy at the consulate, this was definitely an overnighter. We paid nearly $300 for our hotel room, making it the most expensive hotel room we have ever used. Scratch that - I believe we paid slightly more when Dave and I spent a week on a private island in Fiji.
I find the trade fair fascinating, and am mildly disappointed that we did not find a way to sneak in. Here's why. The Canton Trade Fair has been in existence continually since 1957. That's less than 10 years after the founding of The People's Republic of China. That's under Mao Zedong's rule, and before the Cultural Revolution. While China maintained a strictly isolationist policy, the Canton Trade Fair continued. When people in China were being tortured and killed for their capitalist background and their international associations, the Canton Trade Fair continued. And when Deng Xiaoping opened China's economy to the world in the early 1980s, the Canton Trade Fair had already established trading patterns which quickly soared and helped China's economic growth tremendously.
I did a brief google search for more history of the Canton Trade Fair, and found precious little. Had I the time, I would embark on a research project and write y'all a truly fantastic book about it. At this point in my life, I think I'll have to settle with having been in town concurrent to the show.
We went because Lilly's passport becomes unusable in a few weeks. Although it does not expire until the beginning of May 2011, China will not allow entry into the country with a passport 6 months away from its expiration date. Were we more responsible parents, we would have noticed this over the summer. The summer where we lived around the corner from the consulate, rather than a journey away. The summer where we obtained a new passport, social security card and birth certificate from the consulate, each in different visits. So, this trip should not have been necessary.
I had hoped the quick timing could guarantee us a quick jaunt to Hanoi over the fall holiday. The girls have a week off at the beginning of November, which is a lovely time to travel in Southeast Asia. I expect it will also be a lovely time to stay home in Southeast Asia. Because not only will our Residence Permits still be in limbo, but Dave will have begun the big consulting job for the big client for which we moved to Shenzhen. He begins on Monday. In UAE. That's the UAE located in the Middle East. So no Hanoi.
But all of these timing issues simply forced the trip last weekend. They did not make it bad timing, but simply quick timing. The Canton Trade Fair made last weekend bad timing.
The Canton Trade Fair takes place twice annually in Guangzhou. It occurs over 3 successive weekends, last weekend being the first of the fall session. It invites over 23,000 exhibitors to hawk their wares to 204,000 overseas buyers and sees $34.3 million US dollars in business turnover. This is the largest trade fair in China by far, and one of the largest in the world.
That means that every room in Guangzhou was booked for the weekend. And although we live a quick 1-hour fast train ride away, it took us an hour on the bus and an hour on the metro just to reach the train station from our home. With 3 kids in tow and an appointment for bureacracy at the consulate, this was definitely an overnighter. We paid nearly $300 for our hotel room, making it the most expensive hotel room we have ever used. Scratch that - I believe we paid slightly more when Dave and I spent a week on a private island in Fiji.
I find the trade fair fascinating, and am mildly disappointed that we did not find a way to sneak in. Here's why. The Canton Trade Fair has been in existence continually since 1957. That's less than 10 years after the founding of The People's Republic of China. That's under Mao Zedong's rule, and before the Cultural Revolution. While China maintained a strictly isolationist policy, the Canton Trade Fair continued. When people in China were being tortured and killed for their capitalist background and their international associations, the Canton Trade Fair continued. And when Deng Xiaoping opened China's economy to the world in the early 1980s, the Canton Trade Fair had already established trading patterns which quickly soared and helped China's economic growth tremendously.
I did a brief google search for more history of the Canton Trade Fair, and found precious little. Had I the time, I would embark on a research project and write y'all a truly fantastic book about it. At this point in my life, I think I'll have to settle with having been in town concurrent to the show.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Loving SIS
One of the facts of life living abroad is that our children attend expensive private schools. However, being both expensive and exclusive does not guarantee a strong curriculum or dedicated teachers. We loved The Wonder Center. We were very disappointed in Tiny Tots. Despite mixed reviews, I was looking forward to SCIS in Shanghai, but with our quick transfer to Shenzhen both girls are now at Shekou International School (SIS).
All things considered, I would probably still prefer Lilly do kindergarten in a Montessori or a Reggio Emilia program. And I would certainly prefer that for Sophia. But as neither is available here, I must say that we've landed quite well.
This is currently on my mind because I spent last night at the elementary school's Curriculum Night. The teachers gave short workshops on the school curriculum, namely Everyday Mathematics and Writer's Workshop. During his introduction, one of the teachers explained why he loves teaching at SIS. Partly for all of the standard reasons - good facilities, good administration, good co-workers (all true). But also because the school has invested in fantastic curriculum, which he finds a joy to teach. From the presentations last night, and what I've heard about these curriculum before, I wholeheartedly agree. I don't know if education has changed dramatically since I was a kid (probably), but Lilly certainly benefits from a wonderful style of teaching.
Further, the school communicates well. We have already had two conferences with the teachers, and been invited to informational meetings like last night's. The school has open classrooms, where I can pop in whenever I like. The student-teacher ratio is low, with only 14 children in Lilly's class. And the teachers are accessible - they run classroom websites, updated weekly; they send out classroom newsletters every week, with exactly what students are working on a good questions to ask at home; they share their cell phone numbers and email addresses. And Lilly's teacher has her working at her own level, rather than following the curve of the class. Each of our teachers know their students well, and clearly enjoy their jobs.
May I keep going? The art studio is truly an art studio, with beautiful natural light and tall stools at wide work stations. The kids have swimming at the outdoor pool every week. The library is well stocked with plenty of fantastic books. Lilly is allowed to choose any book she likes to borrow during her library period. And then I am allowed to borrow 10 more books. We've been going every week, to load up on some fantastic material. We rarely read from our own library anymore!
As extra benefits, our commute is fantastic and the other moms are truly lovely. I would like to see music as a more integral part of their young curriculum, but I otherwise have no complaints. Praise God for placing Lilly and Sophia in the perfect place this year.
I'll admit, as much as I want Dave in the Foreign Service, I kind of hope we can finish out the year here.
All things considered, I would probably still prefer Lilly do kindergarten in a Montessori or a Reggio Emilia program. And I would certainly prefer that for Sophia. But as neither is available here, I must say that we've landed quite well.
This is currently on my mind because I spent last night at the elementary school's Curriculum Night. The teachers gave short workshops on the school curriculum, namely Everyday Mathematics and Writer's Workshop. During his introduction, one of the teachers explained why he loves teaching at SIS. Partly for all of the standard reasons - good facilities, good administration, good co-workers (all true). But also because the school has invested in fantastic curriculum, which he finds a joy to teach. From the presentations last night, and what I've heard about these curriculum before, I wholeheartedly agree. I don't know if education has changed dramatically since I was a kid (probably), but Lilly certainly benefits from a wonderful style of teaching.
Further, the school communicates well. We have already had two conferences with the teachers, and been invited to informational meetings like last night's. The school has open classrooms, where I can pop in whenever I like. The student-teacher ratio is low, with only 14 children in Lilly's class. And the teachers are accessible - they run classroom websites, updated weekly; they send out classroom newsletters every week, with exactly what students are working on a good questions to ask at home; they share their cell phone numbers and email addresses. And Lilly's teacher has her working at her own level, rather than following the curve of the class. Each of our teachers know their students well, and clearly enjoy their jobs.
May I keep going? The art studio is truly an art studio, with beautiful natural light and tall stools at wide work stations. The kids have swimming at the outdoor pool every week. The library is well stocked with plenty of fantastic books. Lilly is allowed to choose any book she likes to borrow during her library period. And then I am allowed to borrow 10 more books. We've been going every week, to load up on some fantastic material. We rarely read from our own library anymore!
As extra benefits, our commute is fantastic and the other moms are truly lovely. I would like to see music as a more integral part of their young curriculum, but I otherwise have no complaints. Praise God for placing Lilly and Sophia in the perfect place this year.
I'll admit, as much as I want Dave in the Foreign Service, I kind of hope we can finish out the year here.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Charity Work
I hold a Master's degree in Social Work, an MSW. I like to drop those initials sometimes, just to feel good about myself and the qualifications I hold for my current position. When I was recently out of school, I used to joke with my other do-gooder friends, people like me who were sacrificing ourselves for the good of others. I remember joking about the easy life, saying
I should just move out to the suburbs and volunteer for my church.
At that point in my life, that was a cop-out. And with all fairness, my friends and I were putting in a lot of hard hours and dedicating ourselves to some amazing and quite difficult causes and people. It certainly made churches in the suburbs seem simple.
Since I quit working, I often struggle with what good I am doing for the world. Sure, raising my kids is fulfilling and a challenging commitment to 3 important individuals. Absolutely. And both churches and the suburbs are worthwhile places to spend ones energy. But I had bigger plans than this, to make a bigger difference in the world. And what have I done to that end? Run a Bible Study in my home, audienced almost entirely by very wealthy people like myself.
In Shenzhen, we're newly getting to know an Australian couple who quit their executive jobs and devoted their working lives to helping a few of the underserved and needy of China. I am itching to ask her how I can get involved, and thinking through what I will offer. Initially, I've bought tickets to their fundraiser this Saturday night. If you're looking for an organization to support, follow the links and learn more. Captivating International, my friends' organization, supports The Seng Girl's Home & Vocational School in a remote part of China. Seventeen of those girls spent 36 hours on a train to arrive in Shenzhen yesterday afternoon. All seventeen are staying with our friends, in their home. I asked how to help.
I spent the day today baking bread and running laundry. I would love to do it again on Wednesday. I would dearly love to follow the girls around as their photographer on Thursday. Funny, because neither task requires an advanced degree or any work experience, but these things feel truly worthwhile. Raising funds and offering prayer lead to dramatic and amazing change, and are very necessary parts of changing the world. But folding someone's laundry, or watching them smell freshly baked bread is much more intimate. Living in China, I have accessibility to the intimate. I hope to find a way to take full advantage of it.
But the postscript is that this day felt like a personal failure. Although the bread and the laundry came out nearly perfect, my family fell apart. Sophia came home sick, and spent most of the day in front of the television in a room apart from me. Annika stayed home with ayi most of the morning. And by the time we picked up Lilly from school, I needed to run all 3 girls to the grocery store to pick up milk and fruit. This is on foot with 3 exhausted children, and arriving home at dinnertime. With 3 exhausted children. I rushed dinner, yelled too much, skipped homework and spent the evening watching sitcoms on StarWorld. I have yet to discover the balance between getting outside of myself and meeting my children's needs.
I should just move out to the suburbs and volunteer for my church.
At that point in my life, that was a cop-out. And with all fairness, my friends and I were putting in a lot of hard hours and dedicating ourselves to some amazing and quite difficult causes and people. It certainly made churches in the suburbs seem simple.
Since I quit working, I often struggle with what good I am doing for the world. Sure, raising my kids is fulfilling and a challenging commitment to 3 important individuals. Absolutely. And both churches and the suburbs are worthwhile places to spend ones energy. But I had bigger plans than this, to make a bigger difference in the world. And what have I done to that end? Run a Bible Study in my home, audienced almost entirely by very wealthy people like myself.
In Shenzhen, we're newly getting to know an Australian couple who quit their executive jobs and devoted their working lives to helping a few of the underserved and needy of China. I am itching to ask her how I can get involved, and thinking through what I will offer. Initially, I've bought tickets to their fundraiser this Saturday night. If you're looking for an organization to support, follow the links and learn more. Captivating International, my friends' organization, supports The Seng Girl's Home & Vocational School in a remote part of China. Seventeen of those girls spent 36 hours on a train to arrive in Shenzhen yesterday afternoon. All seventeen are staying with our friends, in their home. I asked how to help.
I spent the day today baking bread and running laundry. I would love to do it again on Wednesday. I would dearly love to follow the girls around as their photographer on Thursday. Funny, because neither task requires an advanced degree or any work experience, but these things feel truly worthwhile. Raising funds and offering prayer lead to dramatic and amazing change, and are very necessary parts of changing the world. But folding someone's laundry, or watching them smell freshly baked bread is much more intimate. Living in China, I have accessibility to the intimate. I hope to find a way to take full advantage of it.
But the postscript is that this day felt like a personal failure. Although the bread and the laundry came out nearly perfect, my family fell apart. Sophia came home sick, and spent most of the day in front of the television in a room apart from me. Annika stayed home with ayi most of the morning. And by the time we picked up Lilly from school, I needed to run all 3 girls to the grocery store to pick up milk and fruit. This is on foot with 3 exhausted children, and arriving home at dinnertime. With 3 exhausted children. I rushed dinner, yelled too much, skipped homework and spent the evening watching sitcoms on StarWorld. I have yet to discover the balance between getting outside of myself and meeting my children's needs.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Photojournalism
As promised, a few photos from our trip. Beginning in Macau, this is the ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral in the beautiful, pedestrian-friendly, Portugese old-town.
Exploring the market streets surrounding the old cathedral, we found this temple surrounded by paper lanterns. We thought the Lantern Festival was on the 15th day of the 1st Lunar month, so we're not sure of the occasion they mark in October. But awesome, all the same!
This is the Macau Tower. Although you can also climb to the top of the cathedral, the top of this one offers better views... and bungee jumping.
Looking down onto Macau, you can see what a strange piece of land it is. A skinny peninsula off of China, with the mainland visible there on the far left. It is also a few islands, directly behind the photographer.
Moving onto Hong Kong, we spent a morning wandering the flower markets and bird gardens and markets of Kowloon.
And another day hiking on Lantau Island. After a long ride up the cable car, we were on nearly equal footing with this Buddha, and ended up hiking a little ways past him, deeper into the forests.
Our deeper into the forests led us to The Wisdom Path, a great viewpoint and a lovely spot for photos.
Exploring the market streets surrounding the old cathedral, we found this temple surrounded by paper lanterns. We thought the Lantern Festival was on the 15th day of the 1st Lunar month, so we're not sure of the occasion they mark in October. But awesome, all the same!
This is the Macau Tower. Although you can also climb to the top of the cathedral, the top of this one offers better views... and bungee jumping.
Looking down onto Macau, you can see what a strange piece of land it is. A skinny peninsula off of China, with the mainland visible there on the far left. It is also a few islands, directly behind the photographer.
Moving onto Hong Kong, we spent a morning wandering the flower markets and bird gardens and markets of Kowloon.
And another day hiking on Lantau Island. After a long ride up the cable car, we were on nearly equal footing with this Buddha, and ended up hiking a little ways past him, deeper into the forests.
Our deeper into the forests led us to The Wisdom Path, a great viewpoint and a lovely spot for photos.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Our Journey Ends - Macau and Hong Kong
We received our passports back this afternoon, each with a full-page devoted to allowing us back into China for another month. If we are lucky, we will get our residence permits early enough within that month that we can also trade Lilly's in for a new one and still travel over the November school holiday. The new passport will happen either way - the trip in November may not, but I'd sure love to see Hanoi while we're in the neighborhood. At least we'll get one or two trips to Guangzhou in, as that is where the U.S. Consulate is located.
We've passed the last few days enjoying Macau and Hong Kong, as we were not allowed on mainland China. I haven't taken many photos, as we didn't really go anywhere visually striking. But the entire family has enjoyed both destinations.
In Macau, we stayed at the Mandarin Oriental - Grand Lapa Hotel, which I happily recommend for family travel. The room was small, but the location and resort in the center of town made up for it. The bed was wildly comfortable, and the breakfast buffet was tasty and vast. I must admit that I've always stuck my nose up at family resorts, but I may be sold on them. The girls love swimming in the outdoor pool, mainly because it was built with children in mind. They enjoyed the playground and the Kids' Club as well, and we even took advantage of it enough to have a lunch date (with a baby in tow, but who can complain about Annika's presence?) Mandarin Oriental has apparently just opened another hotel on the peninsula, within easy walking distance of the first. I am not surprised, as the Grand Lapa certainly feels dated. But it is so luxurious that the out-dated feel almost seems on purpose, like they're calling back another time. But the price was good, the service was tremendous, the location was great, and the resort was loads of fun so I'd happily return here.
Macau takes its cues directly from Las Vegas, and so along with enjoying the hotel, we also explored The Venetian, Fisherman's Wharf The Grand Prix, and the market area around the Ruins of St. Paul. If I've got any good photos, I'll post them soon. The girls and I watched Cirque du Soleil, and Dave gambled at Sands Casino. We found loads of playgrounds, ate loads of egg tarts, and generally enjoyed our time. And then we hopped the ferry to Hong Kong.
Now, we've been to Hong Kong before. We've come as tourists, so we've already climbed The Peak. We've come for the doctor and for the shopping, so we know our bearings around Central. This time, we just came to hang out and enjoy each other's company. Uncle H-- put us up for this round, as they take care of our visa issues, and they've quite comfortably set us up at the South Pacific Hotel near Causeway Bay. Near to the office, its also close to the Metro and loads of shopping - and the girls enjoy the view from the 21st floor room.
We took a day in Kowloon, where we acted like the family tourists that having children makes us. Together, we explored the flower markets, the bird garden, a sunny playground, the space museum and a restaurant with great burgers and milkshakes.
We took a day on Lantau Island, past Disneyland and the airport to ride a cable car up the green hills of the island to a small, wildly touristy village called Ngong Ping. After filling our bellies, we headed away from the crowds as quickly as possible and found some lovely hiking and beautiful green vistas. We ended this day back on Hong Kong Island, with more American food - this time BBQ chicken and fries.
We took a day for shopping, in which Dave and the girls both held up remarkably well. In Central, we filled bags with jeans and Halloween costumes for the girls, a few groceries, a few books, and a few baby items. Moving up to the Mid-Levels, we lunched in Soho over organic dahl and sweet potato fries. On our way back down the hill, Sophia fell right into a fountain and soaked herself. I warn my kids about these type of accidents all the time - I never expected one to happen! Our poor drenched Sophia stripped her clothes in the middle of the street, and put on Lilly's new school clothes. She looked like a rather fashionable hobo, with her hair a crazy mess and her clothes all baggy. Burgers for dinner, and then I hit Causeway Bay solo. Grabbed some home items and a few pieces of clothes for me, as well as the incentive to drop that last baby weight before I need to wear jeans.
We head back tomorrow, so the hum-drum of life in the expat ghetto. The girls return to school on Thursday, but Dave still has the day off. So he and I will spend the morning seeking out something exciting in Shekou. Will let you know if we find it!
We've passed the last few days enjoying Macau and Hong Kong, as we were not allowed on mainland China. I haven't taken many photos, as we didn't really go anywhere visually striking. But the entire family has enjoyed both destinations.
In Macau, we stayed at the Mandarin Oriental - Grand Lapa Hotel, which I happily recommend for family travel. The room was small, but the location and resort in the center of town made up for it. The bed was wildly comfortable, and the breakfast buffet was tasty and vast. I must admit that I've always stuck my nose up at family resorts, but I may be sold on them. The girls love swimming in the outdoor pool, mainly because it was built with children in mind. They enjoyed the playground and the Kids' Club as well, and we even took advantage of it enough to have a lunch date (with a baby in tow, but who can complain about Annika's presence?) Mandarin Oriental has apparently just opened another hotel on the peninsula, within easy walking distance of the first. I am not surprised, as the Grand Lapa certainly feels dated. But it is so luxurious that the out-dated feel almost seems on purpose, like they're calling back another time. But the price was good, the service was tremendous, the location was great, and the resort was loads of fun so I'd happily return here.
Macau takes its cues directly from Las Vegas, and so along with enjoying the hotel, we also explored The Venetian, Fisherman's Wharf The Grand Prix, and the market area around the Ruins of St. Paul. If I've got any good photos, I'll post them soon. The girls and I watched Cirque du Soleil, and Dave gambled at Sands Casino. We found loads of playgrounds, ate loads of egg tarts, and generally enjoyed our time. And then we hopped the ferry to Hong Kong.
Now, we've been to Hong Kong before. We've come as tourists, so we've already climbed The Peak. We've come for the doctor and for the shopping, so we know our bearings around Central. This time, we just came to hang out and enjoy each other's company. Uncle H-- put us up for this round, as they take care of our visa issues, and they've quite comfortably set us up at the South Pacific Hotel near Causeway Bay. Near to the office, its also close to the Metro and loads of shopping - and the girls enjoy the view from the 21st floor room.
We took a day in Kowloon, where we acted like the family tourists that having children makes us. Together, we explored the flower markets, the bird garden, a sunny playground, the space museum and a restaurant with great burgers and milkshakes.
We took a day on Lantau Island, past Disneyland and the airport to ride a cable car up the green hills of the island to a small, wildly touristy village called Ngong Ping. After filling our bellies, we headed away from the crowds as quickly as possible and found some lovely hiking and beautiful green vistas. We ended this day back on Hong Kong Island, with more American food - this time BBQ chicken and fries.
We took a day for shopping, in which Dave and the girls both held up remarkably well. In Central, we filled bags with jeans and Halloween costumes for the girls, a few groceries, a few books, and a few baby items. Moving up to the Mid-Levels, we lunched in Soho over organic dahl and sweet potato fries. On our way back down the hill, Sophia fell right into a fountain and soaked herself. I warn my kids about these type of accidents all the time - I never expected one to happen! Our poor drenched Sophia stripped her clothes in the middle of the street, and put on Lilly's new school clothes. She looked like a rather fashionable hobo, with her hair a crazy mess and her clothes all baggy. Burgers for dinner, and then I hit Causeway Bay solo. Grabbed some home items and a few pieces of clothes for me, as well as the incentive to drop that last baby weight before I need to wear jeans.
We head back tomorrow, so the hum-drum of life in the expat ghetto. The girls return to school on Thursday, but Dave still has the day off. So he and I will spend the morning seeking out something exciting in Shekou. Will let you know if we find it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)