Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. The ole' bike accident that gets blamed on the foreigner. The whole thing was such a horrible experience. After it was all over I cried for the first time since we arrived. So this is what happened:
Yesterday I was crossing the road near our house to pick up the kids from a friend's house. It is a pretty busy street, so I waited until the coast was clear and then started to cross the road. As I got close to the other side, I saw a three wheeled motor bike coming and not slowing down so I stopped my bike to let it go by. It was an older guy and I don't know what he was doing but he didn't slow down and made this huge swerve and tipped his bike over landing him on the street. I quickly got off my bike and ran over to help him. That was a huge mistake.
As soon as I righted his motor bike he started yelling at me and telling me it was all my fault. I should have just left at that point. Another guy from across the street came over and called the police and told me I couldn't leave. Again, I just should have left anyway. I was scared that this guy was going to tell the police that I hit him and they were going to hunt me down and who knows what. Anyway, I just said in Chinese that it wasn't my fault and that I was going to leave. He said I couldn't leave and stupidly, I believed him. About 10 people were gathered around by now, all interested in the show. I was stunned at how quickly this blew up into a huge thing. A police guy came in his car with lights flashing and that drew even more people to the scene. I tried to tell the cop what happened and he said it didn't matter what I said. It didn't count. My friend Sung Hee Smith who's house Gabe and Sara were at called me to see if I had a diaper for Sara and I told her what happened. She said she would be right there.
She came about 2 min later and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Just to have her there by my side made the situation so much better. Our A yi, who was on her way home, saw the crowd and came over to see if she could help. She is a shy person so she just quietly stayed by me the whole time lending her support as best as she could.
I called Chris and told him what happened and he immediately got the driver and headed home. He felt so helpless cause he was a half hour away. When he told the driver what happened, Chris said he has never seen our driver put the peddle to the medal like that before.
In the mean time, another cop shows up. I was so confused as to what they all expected me to do. People were shouting and yelling and the crowd was getting bigger and bigger. My friend Sung Hee did her best to try and help, but the cops wouldn't do anything. We kept saying that if I had hit the guy, who was riding a bigger vehicle, then my bike would have had damage too. It was just too much logic for these people. The cops paid no attention and just kept talking to someone on their cell phones.
Obviously, this old guy wanted money and he wasn't going to let this go until he got some. The cops finally just said that we had to settle on an amount of money and then I could go. WHAT!? This guy biffed it totally on his own and now I'm supposed to pay him money? He was really acting the part too. He kept showing the crowd his scrapes shouting stuff I couldn't understand. His knee had a scrape and he kept his pant leg up the whole time making sure everybody saw what the evil foreigner had done. This was such a nightmare.
It had been an hour when I finally just said I would give him 100 yuan so I could get out of there. The guy just yelled at me a bunch of stuff and the only thing I caught was that he wanted 1000 yuan. I laughed out loud because I certainly wasn't going to cry! The cops were just talking on their cell phones to I don't know who while the crowd just kept yelling stuff. One of the cops handed the phone over to me and a guy speaking English asked me what happened. I recounted the whole thing and he said that I had to work it out with this old guy or come down to the police station with my passport and a police officer there would decide who was at fault. Yes, I know, this whole thing was ridiculous. I gave the phone back and just said that I was willing to give 100 yuan and that was it. I wasn't going to the police station so take it or leave it. I was fuming by this time. Upon hearing my offer one more time the old guy started all the dramatic "showing" of his owies. Then this lady who got there long after the accident happened piped up saying that if I hadn't been riding my bike so fast then this poor man wouldn't be hurt.
That was it! I had been pretty calm until then, but after that I asked her in my "outside voice" how she could have seen me riding my bike when she wasn't even there! I said some choice things to the old guy as well. I didn't swear, although I was tempted like never before. I just threw out a few insults like, " you're stupid and crazy," ( those are the only insults I know in Chinese) The old guy just made a face at me that rivaled the best nany nany boo boo face I had ever seen.
Chris and our driver showed up about this time and I was so relieved to see them. This was also about the time that a friend of mine in our compound showed up as well and asked me if she could go back to my house to be with Emily and Anna who were probably wondering where the heck I was. Our A yi had to go and Emily and Anna were just getting back from a friends house so it was a huge help to have my friend go be with them. Sung Hee also went back to her home to take care of Sara and Gabe. Meanwhile our driver began to argue in my behalf. Our driver is tall compared to most Chinese guys and Chris was a head taller than everyone there so I think this helped the situation. The arguing went on for about 10 min and then to my surprise our driver threw 300 yuan at the guy and it all ended... just like that. Everyone dispersed and went on their way. Chris walked my bike home and I got in the car with our driver and drove over to Sung Hee's house to pick up Gabe and Sara.
The minute I got in the car I began to cry. It was the most humiliating experiences ever and I was so angry that the guy got any money out of it. The injustice of it just killed me. I thanked the driver through my sobs and he put his hand on my shoulder and said that it was nothing. I was a sobbing mess when I got to Sung Hee's house and she just hugged me and said, "Oh today was one of those "Bad China" days. Sung Hee, who is Korean, has had a few of them herself and we've talked and laughed about her "Bad China" days in the past. It made me feel better. We were late to a birthday party a friend was having down town, so we got a taxi and booked it over there. A few sisters from the branch were there and all listened to my story with great sympathy. They literally put their arms around me and helped me laugh through my tears.
Despite the day's horrible events I had a lot to be thankful for at the end of the day. I am so thankful for good friends who helped me out when I needed them . I'm thankful to Chris for dropping everything and coming to my side. I'm thankful for a good driver who takes good care of our family. I'm thankful for the sisters in my branch. I'm thankful that this whole thing didn't turn out worse than it did. I'm thankful to the Lord for putting such caring people in my life. Yes, as bad as it was, I have a lot to be thankful for.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Driving, Cinnamon, and being in love
Ni hao!
Well the big news for this week is that Chris passed his drivers license test and can now legally drive here. Chris passed with 96%. Knowing Chris he's probably upset about that 4% he didn't get. It was a huge relief to him to get it over with though. Now he can drive us around on the weekends when our driver is off.
The other big news is that Anna learned to ride her bike. It's more like she learned to peddle the bike. Steering is still another issue but she's working hard at it. She was so proud of herself and kept saying how she wanted to show daddy when he got home from work. She is through and through a daddy's girl.
We want to throw out a huge congrats to the Johnson family on the big wedding. Congrats to Chris' brother Nate and his beautiful bride Danielle who were married on Friday and congrats to both sets of parents on making it through, one, without any rain and two, without losing your sanity. No really, we heard it was just a beautiful wedding and we are so happy for all of you.
Since we are on the subject of love, I'll tell you what Gabe said to me today. I asked him how his day was on the way home from school and he said, " It was such a great day mom. I fell in love. Me and this girl in my class named Jordy fell in love." I asked if this big event happened at recess and he said, "No, it was inside the school. We were deciding if we should kiss.....ON THE LIPS!" I didn't know what to say. In true Emily fashion, she promptly told him he's not supposed to fall in love. Any advice anyone? Maybe I should stop calling him "Gabe the babe." I think it's going to his head or maybe his heart. I never thought I'd have to go over the dating rules with my kindergartner. I'm still just laughing about how matter of fact he was about the whole thing. "we read a book, had a snack and then I fell in love." Seriously, what should I say to him?
On to our fearless Saturday's Worrier. (that's Chris) Saturday was the "big game" to see if the branch basketball team would go on to play in the tournament. If they lost, they were out. Last game they had plenty of guys to sub in and out but this time they only had five guys. Chris hung in there the whole time. Well, almost the whole time. He only looked like he was going to pass out a couple of times, but the rest of the time he really hung in there. They won by 4 points and so now they play in the tournament in two weeks. Go Saturday's Worriers!
I'm just going about life as usual. My latest anxiety is about how to tell our A yi to stop putting cinnamon in our food. I'm not sure how it started but I think it's because I showed her an apple crisp that I made and told her that we like the apples and cinnamon. Ever since then, everything we eat has a slight cinnamony flavor. The other day she made cold rice noodles with soy sauce, about 50 cloves of chopped garlic and yes, cinnamon. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat cinnamon again. Just smelling that dish kinda ruined it for me. She also took the head of lettuce Emily picked on her field trip to the organic farm and cooked it up all nice and oily for us. On a good cooking note, I did teach her how to make Pad Thai. I was determined to eat something delicious so I set out on a mission to learn how to make Pad Thai and then teach our A yi how to make it. We'll see how it goes when she makes it on her own. If she puts cinnamon in the Pad Thai, its grounds for termination. Any Thai food lover would agree with me!
This next week we are heading to Beijing to see the Great Wall. We are really excited to see it with the kids. We're going to also see Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City and some of the Olympic Venues. A part of me wishes the kids were a lot older so they could appreciate the history of it all but hopefully, they will appreciate the fact we took them there when they learn the history of it someday.
I'm sure we'll have lot's to tell you next time we post. Until then, we send our love to you all.
Well the big news for this week is that Chris passed his drivers license test and can now legally drive here. Chris passed with 96%. Knowing Chris he's probably upset about that 4% he didn't get. It was a huge relief to him to get it over with though. Now he can drive us around on the weekends when our driver is off.
The other big news is that Anna learned to ride her bike. It's more like she learned to peddle the bike. Steering is still another issue but she's working hard at it. She was so proud of herself and kept saying how she wanted to show daddy when he got home from work. She is through and through a daddy's girl.
We want to throw out a huge congrats to the Johnson family on the big wedding. Congrats to Chris' brother Nate and his beautiful bride Danielle who were married on Friday and congrats to both sets of parents on making it through, one, without any rain and two, without losing your sanity. No really, we heard it was just a beautiful wedding and we are so happy for all of you.
Since we are on the subject of love, I'll tell you what Gabe said to me today. I asked him how his day was on the way home from school and he said, " It was such a great day mom. I fell in love. Me and this girl in my class named Jordy fell in love." I asked if this big event happened at recess and he said, "No, it was inside the school. We were deciding if we should kiss.....ON THE LIPS!" I didn't know what to say. In true Emily fashion, she promptly told him he's not supposed to fall in love. Any advice anyone? Maybe I should stop calling him "Gabe the babe." I think it's going to his head or maybe his heart. I never thought I'd have to go over the dating rules with my kindergartner. I'm still just laughing about how matter of fact he was about the whole thing. "we read a book, had a snack and then I fell in love." Seriously, what should I say to him?
On to our fearless Saturday's Worrier. (that's Chris) Saturday was the "big game" to see if the branch basketball team would go on to play in the tournament. If they lost, they were out. Last game they had plenty of guys to sub in and out but this time they only had five guys. Chris hung in there the whole time. Well, almost the whole time. He only looked like he was going to pass out a couple of times, but the rest of the time he really hung in there. They won by 4 points and so now they play in the tournament in two weeks. Go Saturday's Worriers!
I'm just going about life as usual. My latest anxiety is about how to tell our A yi to stop putting cinnamon in our food. I'm not sure how it started but I think it's because I showed her an apple crisp that I made and told her that we like the apples and cinnamon. Ever since then, everything we eat has a slight cinnamony flavor. The other day she made cold rice noodles with soy sauce, about 50 cloves of chopped garlic and yes, cinnamon. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat cinnamon again. Just smelling that dish kinda ruined it for me. She also took the head of lettuce Emily picked on her field trip to the organic farm and cooked it up all nice and oily for us. On a good cooking note, I did teach her how to make Pad Thai. I was determined to eat something delicious so I set out on a mission to learn how to make Pad Thai and then teach our A yi how to make it. We'll see how it goes when she makes it on her own. If she puts cinnamon in the Pad Thai, its grounds for termination. Any Thai food lover would agree with me!
This next week we are heading to Beijing to see the Great Wall. We are really excited to see it with the kids. We're going to also see Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City and some of the Olympic Venues. A part of me wishes the kids were a lot older so they could appreciate the history of it all but hopefully, they will appreciate the fact we took them there when they learn the history of it someday.
I'm sure we'll have lot's to tell you next time we post. Until then, we send our love to you all.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Markets, Cabbage and Activities.
Hi there,
I think I need to put in a disclaimer on Chris' entry. HE tends to impress people with his Chinese and my Chinese in nicely tolerated. Speaking Chinese for me is a humbling experience. I'm trying hard to work on it though.
Life is going along as usual around here. I ventured out to the neighborhood market last week and that was an experience. I took Sara and Anna with me and Anna kept asking me what that bad smell was. Honestly, it was pretty overwhelming. The market is an outside market but sort of in this covered pavilion. It's kind of like a farmer's market. There's a lot of fruit and vegetables for sale. I've never seen half the long bumpy or green leafy vegetables before. There was the enticing bloody beef and pig parts being sold. I'm guessing that's where a lot of the smell was coming from. I steered clear of that section. There was also a ton of sea food there. LIVE sea food. One fish jumped right out of it's little bin and landed in front of the stroller. The guy held it up and Sara reached over and grabbed it. Anna wouldn't touch it. There were tons of shrimp and eels and frogs and other unknown squirmy things. We bought shrimp and some vegetables and headed home.
Our housekeeper Wang lin put the shrimp in a bowl in the sink to keep them alive until dinner. ew! I walked by the sink a few hours later and several of the shrimp had gone A-wall. Or I should say over the wall. About ten were lying beside the bowl in the sink. I put them back in the bowl but.........I'm sorry to say, they were already gone. I didn't watch her cook them cause I couldn't watch them die. Maybe next time.
I took Wang lin to the Carrefour in town and she didn't like it much . She said it gave her a head ache. I have to agree. It gives me a head ache too. For those of you who don't know what Carrefour is, it's like Walmart. She's used to going to the outside markets to buy her food. Carrefour is usually really crowded and there are tons of sales people everywhere. As obnoxious as Carrefour is with it's elevator version of "Dancing Queen" being played over and over, it beats the smelly, bloody beef market in my opinion. I buy most of my food at Carrefour but I still go to the market to buy veggies cause they're cheaper there.
I love having Wang lin make dinner every week night but I have to admit, I'm getting tired of Chinese food. To stir things up a bit, I decided to teach Wang lin how to make a casserole. That's totally American right? The casserole I taught her how to make is called Chicken Tetrazini. Wang lin got such a kick out of how I made everything. After cooking the sauce, noodles and chicken, I mixed it all together and put it in a casserole dish to bake. She thought that was culinary blasphemy to cook everything, put it all together, and then cook it again. She just laughed and laughed. Before I put it in the oven I asked her if she wanted to try it and she shook her head like, "no way lady!" But I insisted. If I'm eating everything she cooks every night, she can try the tetrizini. She said she liked it but who knows what she really thought. (she certainly didn't ask for another bite)
On the weekends I try to make American food to help out the Chinese food burn out. This past Sunday I made meat loaf and cabbage. I know, cabbage sounds gross but it was the only vegetable we had in the fridge. Gabe ate one bite of the cabbage and made loud gaging noises to let us know he didn't like it. When I told him he had to eat it anyway, he got a really bad stomach ache and couldn't sit up any longer. He moaned on the couch for a few minutes and then in his most pitiful voice said, "I think it was the cabbage." BRAVO Gabe! I told him he didn't have to eat it and he was miraculously cured. We had cookies left over from the previous night and Emily asked if she could have one. I said that anyone who finished their cabbage could have a cookie. This evoked some quick thinking from Gabe. With the most serious face he could muster he said, "Mom, I think our family eats too many sweets. It's not good for us. Don't you think all of us shouldn't have any cookies?" Chris and I just laughed out loud. Instead of gaging down the cabbage for a cookie, he was going to inspire us all not to eat one. That way he didn't have to eat the cabbage and he wasn't missing out on anything either. You gotta hand it to him. That was a really good try.
Gabe and Emily start their after school activities this week. Gabe is taking a croquet class and Emily is taking an ornament making class. Gabe also has a Kung Fu class on Fridays. I have stuff of my own too. I have a Chinese tutor on Monday mornings and Tuesdays I go into Hong Qiao (30 min away) for Scriptures study with the other ladies in our branch. Wednesdays there's Play group but I haven't been yet.
We send our love to everyone, especially Chris brother Nate and his fiance Danielle who are getting married this week! We miss you dearly and couldn't be happier for you. If you can get through all the stress of the week before the wedding then you've got it made! WE LOVE YOU. That goes for all of you. Thanks for all your comments. It's good to hear from you.
I think I need to put in a disclaimer on Chris' entry. HE tends to impress people with his Chinese and my Chinese in nicely tolerated. Speaking Chinese for me is a humbling experience. I'm trying hard to work on it though.
Life is going along as usual around here. I ventured out to the neighborhood market last week and that was an experience. I took Sara and Anna with me and Anna kept asking me what that bad smell was. Honestly, it was pretty overwhelming. The market is an outside market but sort of in this covered pavilion. It's kind of like a farmer's market. There's a lot of fruit and vegetables for sale. I've never seen half the long bumpy or green leafy vegetables before. There was the enticing bloody beef and pig parts being sold. I'm guessing that's where a lot of the smell was coming from. I steered clear of that section. There was also a ton of sea food there. LIVE sea food. One fish jumped right out of it's little bin and landed in front of the stroller. The guy held it up and Sara reached over and grabbed it. Anna wouldn't touch it. There were tons of shrimp and eels and frogs and other unknown squirmy things. We bought shrimp and some vegetables and headed home.
Our housekeeper Wang lin put the shrimp in a bowl in the sink to keep them alive until dinner. ew! I walked by the sink a few hours later and several of the shrimp had gone A-wall. Or I should say over the wall. About ten were lying beside the bowl in the sink. I put them back in the bowl but.........I'm sorry to say, they were already gone. I didn't watch her cook them cause I couldn't watch them die. Maybe next time.
I took Wang lin to the Carrefour in town and she didn't like it much . She said it gave her a head ache. I have to agree. It gives me a head ache too. For those of you who don't know what Carrefour is, it's like Walmart. She's used to going to the outside markets to buy her food. Carrefour is usually really crowded and there are tons of sales people everywhere. As obnoxious as Carrefour is with it's elevator version of "Dancing Queen" being played over and over, it beats the smelly, bloody beef market in my opinion. I buy most of my food at Carrefour but I still go to the market to buy veggies cause they're cheaper there.
I love having Wang lin make dinner every week night but I have to admit, I'm getting tired of Chinese food. To stir things up a bit, I decided to teach Wang lin how to make a casserole. That's totally American right? The casserole I taught her how to make is called Chicken Tetrazini. Wang lin got such a kick out of how I made everything. After cooking the sauce, noodles and chicken, I mixed it all together and put it in a casserole dish to bake. She thought that was culinary blasphemy to cook everything, put it all together, and then cook it again. She just laughed and laughed. Before I put it in the oven I asked her if she wanted to try it and she shook her head like, "no way lady!" But I insisted. If I'm eating everything she cooks every night, she can try the tetrizini. She said she liked it but who knows what she really thought. (she certainly didn't ask for another bite)
On the weekends I try to make American food to help out the Chinese food burn out. This past Sunday I made meat loaf and cabbage. I know, cabbage sounds gross but it was the only vegetable we had in the fridge. Gabe ate one bite of the cabbage and made loud gaging noises to let us know he didn't like it. When I told him he had to eat it anyway, he got a really bad stomach ache and couldn't sit up any longer. He moaned on the couch for a few minutes and then in his most pitiful voice said, "I think it was the cabbage." BRAVO Gabe! I told him he didn't have to eat it and he was miraculously cured. We had cookies left over from the previous night and Emily asked if she could have one. I said that anyone who finished their cabbage could have a cookie. This evoked some quick thinking from Gabe. With the most serious face he could muster he said, "Mom, I think our family eats too many sweets. It's not good for us. Don't you think all of us shouldn't have any cookies?" Chris and I just laughed out loud. Instead of gaging down the cabbage for a cookie, he was going to inspire us all not to eat one. That way he didn't have to eat the cabbage and he wasn't missing out on anything either. You gotta hand it to him. That was a really good try.
Gabe and Emily start their after school activities this week. Gabe is taking a croquet class and Emily is taking an ornament making class. Gabe also has a Kung Fu class on Fridays. I have stuff of my own too. I have a Chinese tutor on Monday mornings and Tuesdays I go into Hong Qiao (30 min away) for Scriptures study with the other ladies in our branch. Wednesdays there's Play group but I haven't been yet.
We send our love to everyone, especially Chris brother Nate and his fiance Danielle who are getting married this week! We miss you dearly and couldn't be happier for you. If you can get through all the stress of the week before the wedding then you've got it made! WE LOVE YOU. That goes for all of you. Thanks for all your comments. It's good to hear from you.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Chris' entry
Ali's writing is so much more interesting to read than mine but I thought I should add some of my perspective and experience. It's not all about maidservants and chocolates...so this week I found a driver for me. Actually, we only have one vehicle and I don't have a drivers license yet so it is a necessity. Did I convince anyone?
My job has been crazy just like all new jobs are. My first three weeks were spent traveling to suppliers to conduct quality and program management systems audits. You can imagine how much fun that is for everyone. All the while I am trying to learn the stuff that I am trying to convince people that I am an expert of. So far so good. The learning curve is steep. All the while I am trying to do this in Chinese. I am also learning alot of language. This last week I was in the office because I was asked to prepare a presentation for our corporate heads/project sponsors.
Last week I went to have my health check for getting my drivers license. I have to go back this Thursday for the written test. They gave me a study guide with the answers. Some of the questions are hilarious.
Here is a sample:
55. Driving on the road covered with ice or snow, try your best not to turn the steering wheel lest the vehicle should:
a. Skid
b. Slide
C. Slip
(In case you were wondering the answer is 'a'.)
One more:
Before driving motor vehicles, drivers:
a. may drink a little alchoholic drinks.
b. must not drink alchoholic drinks.
c. are only allowed to drink beer.
(My first guess was 'c' but...)
I know Ali has included some classic Gabe moments, that many of you miss, so here is one I had yesterday.
We were getting out of a pool at a local expat. clubhouse (where Europeans are plentiful) and a man in a speedo walked out of the locker room with his son. This spectacle caught Gabe's eye especialy since they were no more than 8 or 9 feet from us. So in Gabe's loud voice he asks, "DAD, WHAT KIND OF SWIMSUIT IS THAT?!" . I answered him quickly in hushed tones, "Gabe, its called a speedo". Of course this is not an adequate answer for Gabe who is now pointing at the man's speedo, which is now 6 feet away and repeats his original question which he apparently felt I didn't hear because in a louder voice he repeated his question, "DAD, WHAT KIND OF SWIMSUIT IS THAT?" In desperation I tried to divert his attention or try to at least stop him from pointing and staring, but I was completely unsuccessful as the question was repeated a third time. Oh well, If the guy didn't want attention he shouldn't have been wearing a speedo.
It's been fun relearning Chinese and impressing everyone again. Since there are not a lot of foriegners that speak any Chinese or have any fluency they are always very complimentary of me and Ali. Both of us have been attending the respective Chinese Elders Quorum or Relief Society lesson.
When I was on my mission my companion and I would always fantasize about getting a phone call from the prophet in the middle of the night telling us that we were called to go and open China for proselyting. Well Ali and I have about the closest thing to that as you can get. Ali is a branch missionary and I was just called to be branch mission leader. We can only teach people that are foriegn passport holders or people that are married to foriegn passport holders. Shanghai is a very international city like NewYork or Hong Kong so we will be plenty busy.
Thanks for reading and we love to read your comments.
My job has been crazy just like all new jobs are. My first three weeks were spent traveling to suppliers to conduct quality and program management systems audits. You can imagine how much fun that is for everyone. All the while I am trying to learn the stuff that I am trying to convince people that I am an expert of. So far so good. The learning curve is steep. All the while I am trying to do this in Chinese. I am also learning alot of language. This last week I was in the office because I was asked to prepare a presentation for our corporate heads/project sponsors.
Last week I went to have my health check for getting my drivers license. I have to go back this Thursday for the written test. They gave me a study guide with the answers. Some of the questions are hilarious.
Here is a sample:
55. Driving on the road covered with ice or snow, try your best not to turn the steering wheel lest the vehicle should:
a. Skid
b. Slide
C. Slip
(In case you were wondering the answer is 'a'.)
One more:
Before driving motor vehicles, drivers:
a. may drink a little alchoholic drinks.
b. must not drink alchoholic drinks.
c. are only allowed to drink beer.
(My first guess was 'c' but...)
I know Ali has included some classic Gabe moments, that many of you miss, so here is one I had yesterday.
We were getting out of a pool at a local expat. clubhouse (where Europeans are plentiful) and a man in a speedo walked out of the locker room with his son. This spectacle caught Gabe's eye especialy since they were no more than 8 or 9 feet from us. So in Gabe's loud voice he asks, "DAD, WHAT KIND OF SWIMSUIT IS THAT?!" . I answered him quickly in hushed tones, "Gabe, its called a speedo". Of course this is not an adequate answer for Gabe who is now pointing at the man's speedo, which is now 6 feet away and repeats his original question which he apparently felt I didn't hear because in a louder voice he repeated his question, "DAD, WHAT KIND OF SWIMSUIT IS THAT?" In desperation I tried to divert his attention or try to at least stop him from pointing and staring, but I was completely unsuccessful as the question was repeated a third time. Oh well, If the guy didn't want attention he shouldn't have been wearing a speedo.
It's been fun relearning Chinese and impressing everyone again. Since there are not a lot of foriegners that speak any Chinese or have any fluency they are always very complimentary of me and Ali. Both of us have been attending the respective Chinese Elders Quorum or Relief Society lesson.
When I was on my mission my companion and I would always fantasize about getting a phone call from the prophet in the middle of the night telling us that we were called to go and open China for proselyting. Well Ali and I have about the closest thing to that as you can get. Ali is a branch missionary and I was just called to be branch mission leader. We can only teach people that are foriegn passport holders or people that are married to foriegn passport holders. Shanghai is a very international city like NewYork or Hong Kong so we will be plenty busy.
Thanks for reading and we love to read your comments.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Neighborhood Buddha temple
Saturday was an incredibly beautiful day. It was sunny and breezy and perfect for a bike ride. After Emily and Gabe finished piano lessons we decided to bike to the neighborhood Buddha temple.
This temple is in the part of our little town where hardly any foreigners venture into. The temple is situated in a kind of plaza type street corner. A lot of people were just hanging out around the temple on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. When we pulled up to the front gate of the temple, several people began to crowd around. They all wanted to get a good look at the bike riding foreigners with 4 kids. It was seriously laughable. We asked this cute old guy at the door how much it was to get in and paid him the 6 yuan it cost to enter. There were so many people gathered around, it was hard to actually get in the door. The cute old guy let us take our bikes and park them just inside the door so they wouldn't get stolen, which of course caused an even bigger scene. After a few minutes however, we did manage to get inside all safe and sound.
The temple was very beautiful. There was so much wood working detail on the ceilings. Out in the courtyards there were places to burn incense and candles and all that good stuff. The kids loved exploring all the different rooms and courtyards. They loved seeing all the ornate colors and designs. I should say everyone, but Anna, loved seeing all that stuff. To her, all the statues just freaked her out. In the room with the biggest Buddha, there was this huge mural on the wall depicting a war scene of some kind. There were all these little Buddha statures lined up in rows beneath it. I wish I knew what it all meant. There was another place where in front of another Buddha statue, it looked like the monks had taken the soles of their shoes and pinned them on a silk cloth. We were the only ones there except for the little old guy at the door so we didn't get a chance to ask anyone the meaning behind it all.
After about an hour, we decided it was time to go. Sara was covered in dirt from tripping over all the raised doorways and falling down and Anna was beyond glad to get out of there. I think the crowd of people must have waited for us because they swarmed again once we got out the door. This time though, they crowded around Chris and Anna. They all wanted to know what we were doing with a Chinese child. They were all talking at once asking why we had her, and how did we get her. After a few minutes the "village sage" came upon the noisy scene to see what was going on. I had never seen anyone like him in china before. His skin was really dark which contrasted sharply with the long white beard he wore. He stood in front of the group and asked the same questions about why we had this Chinese child. Emily, Gabe, Sara and I just sat on the side watching. It was good stuff. Slowly the people lost interest and began to dissipate, but there were still enough people gathered around to make it hard for Chris to leave. I decided to help him out of there by yelling really loudly, " Let's go!" in Chinese. It worked like a charm cause they all stepped aside and let him go.
It was a great memorable outing. It was the first time the kids had been to or seen a real Buddha temple before. They also got to see someone worshiping as we were walking out. It was a great moment to help the kids reflect on their own beliefs and see the beauty in someone Else's. Devotion to God is a beautiful thing. We pray as a family every day that in the near future there will be more religious freedom in China. I have no doubt that some day hearts will be softened and our Chinese brothers and sisters will come to know of the Savior. For now, we strictly keep the laws by which we are bound and say nothing. We are allowed to talk to foreign passport holding citizens about church and invite them to our services. We just aren't allowed to preach to or invite Chinese citizens to church.
We miss our friends and family back home and send you all our love!
This temple is in the part of our little town where hardly any foreigners venture into. The temple is situated in a kind of plaza type street corner. A lot of people were just hanging out around the temple on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. When we pulled up to the front gate of the temple, several people began to crowd around. They all wanted to get a good look at the bike riding foreigners with 4 kids. It was seriously laughable. We asked this cute old guy at the door how much it was to get in and paid him the 6 yuan it cost to enter. There were so many people gathered around, it was hard to actually get in the door. The cute old guy let us take our bikes and park them just inside the door so they wouldn't get stolen, which of course caused an even bigger scene. After a few minutes however, we did manage to get inside all safe and sound.
The temple was very beautiful. There was so much wood working detail on the ceilings. Out in the courtyards there were places to burn incense and candles and all that good stuff. The kids loved exploring all the different rooms and courtyards. They loved seeing all the ornate colors and designs. I should say everyone, but Anna, loved seeing all that stuff. To her, all the statues just freaked her out. In the room with the biggest Buddha, there was this huge mural on the wall depicting a war scene of some kind. There were all these little Buddha statures lined up in rows beneath it. I wish I knew what it all meant. There was another place where in front of another Buddha statue, it looked like the monks had taken the soles of their shoes and pinned them on a silk cloth. We were the only ones there except for the little old guy at the door so we didn't get a chance to ask anyone the meaning behind it all.
After about an hour, we decided it was time to go. Sara was covered in dirt from tripping over all the raised doorways and falling down and Anna was beyond glad to get out of there. I think the crowd of people must have waited for us because they swarmed again once we got out the door. This time though, they crowded around Chris and Anna. They all wanted to know what we were doing with a Chinese child. They were all talking at once asking why we had her, and how did we get her. After a few minutes the "village sage" came upon the noisy scene to see what was going on. I had never seen anyone like him in china before. His skin was really dark which contrasted sharply with the long white beard he wore. He stood in front of the group and asked the same questions about why we had this Chinese child. Emily, Gabe, Sara and I just sat on the side watching. It was good stuff. Slowly the people lost interest and began to dissipate, but there were still enough people gathered around to make it hard for Chris to leave. I decided to help him out of there by yelling really loudly, " Let's go!" in Chinese. It worked like a charm cause they all stepped aside and let him go.
It was a great memorable outing. It was the first time the kids had been to or seen a real Buddha temple before. They also got to see someone worshiping as we were walking out. It was a great moment to help the kids reflect on their own beliefs and see the beauty in someone Else's. Devotion to God is a beautiful thing. We pray as a family every day that in the near future there will be more religious freedom in China. I have no doubt that some day hearts will be softened and our Chinese brothers and sisters will come to know of the Savior. For now, we strictly keep the laws by which we are bound and say nothing. We are allowed to talk to foreign passport holding citizens about church and invite them to our services. We just aren't allowed to preach to or invite Chinese citizens to church.
We miss our friends and family back home and send you all our love!
Friday, April 10, 2009
A yi and a driver
Well, we finally found a driver. It is a huge relief! Chris has been having to catch a ride with his boss who lives an hour away. The boss would send his driver out to pick up Chris and then go pick him up and then head off to work another hour away. We only live 30 min from Chris work place so having a driver means a lot less driving time. Also, it means I can have someone drive me and the kids where we need to go during the day. Wahoooo! So exciting.
At first we didn't know what we were going to do because in our first meeting with him we found out that he smokes. That's really common among drivers here. He seemed so nice and he lives right in our neighborhood. That makes it very convenient for him to get to our house and for him to get back home after work. We just don't want our car to reak like cigarette smoke. The next morning Chris talked with the driver and asked him if he would not smoke at all during his work hours and he said that wouldn't be a problem. After his first day (Friday) with the driver, Chris felt like he would be a good driver for our family and that he would keep his word about the no smoking thing.
Our A yi ( house keeper) who's name is Wang lin has turned out to be great too. At first, I didn't think we would keep her because I couldn't understand her Chinese very well. In fact I still can't but she's a hard worker and I trust her. Those two things, I decided, were more valuable to me than the speaking perfect Chinese thing. She has two children, a girl 10 and a boy 13, living in Si Chuan with her parents. Si Chuan is a province about 50 hours away on a train. She and her husband moved to Shanghai to make money to put their children through school. In China, you have to pay for your kids to go to high school, even public ones. Wang lin also has to pay heavy taxes because she has more than one child. I offered her more hours and she was thrilled about it.
Wang lin and I are getting more comfortable with each other now and she's getting used to our strange American ways i.e. using a dishwasher and a clothes dryer. I even taught her how to make sweet and sour chicken ( American style) the other day. She really liked it and wants me to teach her how to make more American food.
The kids are warming up to Wang lin and like to give her a big "Ni hao," when they see her. Gabe walked in the door the other day after school and made a point to find Wang lin and show her his art project. Gabe has a hard time saying Wang lin and mostly just calls her Wing Wong. It's all the same to him.
We hope everyone has a great Easter!
At first we didn't know what we were going to do because in our first meeting with him we found out that he smokes. That's really common among drivers here. He seemed so nice and he lives right in our neighborhood. That makes it very convenient for him to get to our house and for him to get back home after work. We just don't want our car to reak like cigarette smoke. The next morning Chris talked with the driver and asked him if he would not smoke at all during his work hours and he said that wouldn't be a problem. After his first day (Friday) with the driver, Chris felt like he would be a good driver for our family and that he would keep his word about the no smoking thing.
Our A yi ( house keeper) who's name is Wang lin has turned out to be great too. At first, I didn't think we would keep her because I couldn't understand her Chinese very well. In fact I still can't but she's a hard worker and I trust her. Those two things, I decided, were more valuable to me than the speaking perfect Chinese thing. She has two children, a girl 10 and a boy 13, living in Si Chuan with her parents. Si Chuan is a province about 50 hours away on a train. She and her husband moved to Shanghai to make money to put their children through school. In China, you have to pay for your kids to go to high school, even public ones. Wang lin also has to pay heavy taxes because she has more than one child. I offered her more hours and she was thrilled about it.
Wang lin and I are getting more comfortable with each other now and she's getting used to our strange American ways i.e. using a dishwasher and a clothes dryer. I even taught her how to make sweet and sour chicken ( American style) the other day. She really liked it and wants me to teach her how to make more American food.
The kids are warming up to Wang lin and like to give her a big "Ni hao," when they see her. Gabe walked in the door the other day after school and made a point to find Wang lin and show her his art project. Gabe has a hard time saying Wang lin and mostly just calls her Wing Wong. It's all the same to him.
We hope everyone has a great Easter!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Anna finds a school
I found a local Preschool for Anna. Hooooray! When I asked people if they knew where I could find one, people just looked at me like I was crazy trying to put an American kid in an all Chinese preschool. We got one lead and called the principal of this one school. She didn't sound too thrilled about it when I talked to her on the phone so I decided to find the school and talk face to face. I didn't know exactly where it was so I just wandered around on my bike and happened upon this other little preschool.
It's this tiny little casual preschool which is what I was looking for. People get a little uptight about preschool in the foreigner community around here, thinking that a 3 year old needs college prep or something. Anyway, I met the "principal" and liked her. She didn't have any problem accepting Anna with no Chinese speaking ability. They have a half day program from 8 to 12 every day so that's what we arranged for Anna to do.
The school is a couple miles from our house and we still don't have a driver. Getting Anna to school was something of a dilemma seeing as I only have one kid seat on the back of my bike. Emily and Gabe start school at 8:00 so here's how it all went down: I just strapped helmets on both Anna and Sara, strapped Sara on the back and sat Anna on my Handlebars. Yep! that's what I actually did. We dropped off Em and Gabe and then off we went down the busy street like that all the way to Anna's preschool. She loved it.
When we got there though, she was having no part of all these Chinese women coming at her. There were probably 8 of them wanting to comfort her which did the exact opposite. The only teachers she has ever known are white so she was naturally scared of these people. Anyway, being the resilient child she is, I only had to stay for 10 min before I asked her for a kiss and she let me go with no problem. I kept my phone with me all day in case there was a problem but no phone call came. I picked her up at 12:00 and they said she had a great time with no crying. They wanted to know what Anna likes to eat and I told them that she eats anything, which of course they didn't believe. It was hard for them to understand that an American kid would eat Chinese food. I had to tell them several times and list several Chinese food items she eats before they believed me and let it go.
Today when I picked her up (her second day) They said she had another good day. I guess Anna saw the other kids about to nap in their little beds and decided she wanted to nap there too. They seemed so disappointed when I told them that I was going to take her home anyway. I guess it's a good sign that Ann feels comfortable enough to want to nap there and that the teachers actually want her to stay.
Once we get a driver I won't have to do my little circus act with two kids on one bike. Although, I have enjoyed my rides to and from her school. Today as I was riding and looking around at the morning scene, I felt like I was in the Chinese version of the opening scene from Beauty and the Beast. People out selling vegetables, people opening their various little shops, buses and cars honking and going by amidst the constant flow of bicycle riders and scooters. Some people were waiting at bus stops, others were washing clothes in buckets outside their shops. I saw all the Clothes racks strewn with drying clothes decorating the balconies of the neighborhood apartment buildings. There were old men standing around smoking and, old women strolling along with friends. The old and the young alike beginning a new day, just going about their lives. The sounds and smells (sometimes not so good ones) filled my senses. It was like Bell was going to jump out and sing, "there must be more than this provincial liiiiiife"
It's this tiny little casual preschool which is what I was looking for. People get a little uptight about preschool in the foreigner community around here, thinking that a 3 year old needs college prep or something. Anyway, I met the "principal" and liked her. She didn't have any problem accepting Anna with no Chinese speaking ability. They have a half day program from 8 to 12 every day so that's what we arranged for Anna to do.
The school is a couple miles from our house and we still don't have a driver. Getting Anna to school was something of a dilemma seeing as I only have one kid seat on the back of my bike. Emily and Gabe start school at 8:00 so here's how it all went down: I just strapped helmets on both Anna and Sara, strapped Sara on the back and sat Anna on my Handlebars. Yep! that's what I actually did. We dropped off Em and Gabe and then off we went down the busy street like that all the way to Anna's preschool. She loved it.
When we got there though, she was having no part of all these Chinese women coming at her. There were probably 8 of them wanting to comfort her which did the exact opposite. The only teachers she has ever known are white so she was naturally scared of these people. Anyway, being the resilient child she is, I only had to stay for 10 min before I asked her for a kiss and she let me go with no problem. I kept my phone with me all day in case there was a problem but no phone call came. I picked her up at 12:00 and they said she had a great time with no crying. They wanted to know what Anna likes to eat and I told them that she eats anything, which of course they didn't believe. It was hard for them to understand that an American kid would eat Chinese food. I had to tell them several times and list several Chinese food items she eats before they believed me and let it go.
Today when I picked her up (her second day) They said she had another good day. I guess Anna saw the other kids about to nap in their little beds and decided she wanted to nap there too. They seemed so disappointed when I told them that I was going to take her home anyway. I guess it's a good sign that Ann feels comfortable enough to want to nap there and that the teachers actually want her to stay.
Once we get a driver I won't have to do my little circus act with two kids on one bike. Although, I have enjoyed my rides to and from her school. Today as I was riding and looking around at the morning scene, I felt like I was in the Chinese version of the opening scene from Beauty and the Beast. People out selling vegetables, people opening their various little shops, buses and cars honking and going by amidst the constant flow of bicycle riders and scooters. Some people were waiting at bus stops, others were washing clothes in buckets outside their shops. I saw all the Clothes racks strewn with drying clothes decorating the balconies of the neighborhood apartment buildings. There were old men standing around smoking and, old women strolling along with friends. The old and the young alike beginning a new day, just going about their lives. The sounds and smells (sometimes not so good ones) filled my senses. It was like Bell was going to jump out and sing, "there must be more than this provincial liiiiiife"
Adventurous Monday
This past Monday was Tomb Sweeping day. It is the equivalent of Memorial Day in the states. Chris and the kids both had the day off so we decided to venture out and about.
If you look up a picture of Shanghai, it will most likely show a bunch of high rise buildings with the Pearl Tower in the middle. The Pearl tower is like the mascot of Shanghai. We thought that would be a great place to go and show the kids. The Pearl Tower, not many years ago, was the tallest tower in the world (1500 feet) but no tower carries that title for long these days.
First we took a 30 min taxi ride to the nearest subway station and jumped on the number 2 line that goes under the huangpu river to the west side of Shanghai. It was so exciting for everyone to descend below the city, get our tickets, go through the turn style and get on our train. All the kids were just giddy with excitement. We got on the train at the end of the line so we easily got seats, but as the train progressed on to the next stops, it became seriously crowded.
The kids didn't care that everyone was staring at them. They just loved being "brave" and standing up to hold the pole while the train was going. There was this one grandpa who took no less than 15 pictures of Sara throughout the ride. A group of girls also wanted their picture with Sara. Little did we know that was just the beginning of the photo ops for the day.
We got off the subway and walked right over to the tower. Chris stood over by the entrance with Sara and Anna, while I took Gabe and Emily over and bought tickets. After we got the tickets I looked around for Chris and found him surrounded or I should say, found the stroller surrounded by people all looking inside. It was so funny! We managed to get away and inside to the elevator. We went up to the second observation level 863 feet up.
Once inside the observation deck, we could look out over Shanghai. It was amazing! We didn't get to observe long before the picture requests started. People would just walk up and pick Sara right up. She didn't cry but she also didn't acknowledge their existence either. People all over China have pictures with this very straight faced American baby boy. Yes! I said boy. That is the joke in the family. Sara can be dressed to the hilt in pink and still everyone says what a cute boy she is. Today at McDonald's we got the kid's meals with two girl toys and yes, two boy toys. Ah I digress. Back to the tower.
A lot of people wanted pictures with Emily too and like a champ she just stood there and grinned. A few families wanted Emily to stand next to their same aged sons for a picture. This one dad made his son put his arm around Emily and when the picture was done, the kid ran for the hills. It was hilarious.
Gabe didn't enjoy the Pearl Tower so much because he's a bit scared of heights. He wasn't going to rest easy ( stop whining) until we were on solid ground. Although, once we were down and eating lunch, he said, "That was so cool going up that high in the Pearl Tower. Let's go again." Of course, now that he's not staring down 860 feet at the city below, it's all cool.
Taking the Subway back was really fun and the kids loved it as much as the first time. I think we'll be taking it more often to the city. The rest of the day we spent at the school with our friends the Smith, just playing soccer. All in all it was a great day.
If you look up a picture of Shanghai, it will most likely show a bunch of high rise buildings with the Pearl Tower in the middle. The Pearl tower is like the mascot of Shanghai. We thought that would be a great place to go and show the kids. The Pearl Tower, not many years ago, was the tallest tower in the world (1500 feet) but no tower carries that title for long these days.
First we took a 30 min taxi ride to the nearest subway station and jumped on the number 2 line that goes under the huangpu river to the west side of Shanghai. It was so exciting for everyone to descend below the city, get our tickets, go through the turn style and get on our train. All the kids were just giddy with excitement. We got on the train at the end of the line so we easily got seats, but as the train progressed on to the next stops, it became seriously crowded.
The kids didn't care that everyone was staring at them. They just loved being "brave" and standing up to hold the pole while the train was going. There was this one grandpa who took no less than 15 pictures of Sara throughout the ride. A group of girls also wanted their picture with Sara. Little did we know that was just the beginning of the photo ops for the day.
We got off the subway and walked right over to the tower. Chris stood over by the entrance with Sara and Anna, while I took Gabe and Emily over and bought tickets. After we got the tickets I looked around for Chris and found him surrounded or I should say, found the stroller surrounded by people all looking inside. It was so funny! We managed to get away and inside to the elevator. We went up to the second observation level 863 feet up.
Once inside the observation deck, we could look out over Shanghai. It was amazing! We didn't get to observe long before the picture requests started. People would just walk up and pick Sara right up. She didn't cry but she also didn't acknowledge their existence either. People all over China have pictures with this very straight faced American baby boy. Yes! I said boy. That is the joke in the family. Sara can be dressed to the hilt in pink and still everyone says what a cute boy she is. Today at McDonald's we got the kid's meals with two girl toys and yes, two boy toys. Ah I digress. Back to the tower.
A lot of people wanted pictures with Emily too and like a champ she just stood there and grinned. A few families wanted Emily to stand next to their same aged sons for a picture. This one dad made his son put his arm around Emily and when the picture was done, the kid ran for the hills. It was hilarious.
Gabe didn't enjoy the Pearl Tower so much because he's a bit scared of heights. He wasn't going to rest easy ( stop whining) until we were on solid ground. Although, once we were down and eating lunch, he said, "That was so cool going up that high in the Pearl Tower. Let's go again." Of course, now that he's not staring down 860 feet at the city below, it's all cool.
Taking the Subway back was really fun and the kids loved it as much as the first time. I think we'll be taking it more often to the city. The rest of the day we spent at the school with our friends the Smith, just playing soccer. All in all it was a great day.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
settling into school
Hello everyone!
We finally have a blog. Wahooo! Now that we have this up and running, I'm not sure what to say.
Let's start with today. Emily and Gabe went to thier 3rd day of school. I really like thier teachers, Miss Vierra and Mrs. Claussen. They seem to be very used to new students and have a lot of ways to help new students feel welcome and understand classroom rules. Emily's classmatedsput together a poster with all of thier own personal advice on how to be a good student in Miss Viera's class. I thought that was pretty clever.
Gabe and Emily both have swimming for PE during the next two months. Today when I picked up Gabe he said, "Mom guess what? Before we went swimming, I had to get naked!" All the boys had to change in the same room and "everyone saw everybody's everything." according to Gabe. It's never a dull moment with him.
I like the school in general. Although, it is strange having to show ID to a guard before going on campus. They have that place pretty secured with a huge fence and guards everywhere. It's nice but strange.
Today was the 3rd day we had our A yi. I like her a lot but I don't understand her mandarin. She comes from a province in southern china called si chuan. She has a really thick accent which makes it hard for me to understand her. I was hoping to improve my chinese as well as have the kid's learn chinese with this whole A yi things so I'm not sure if we are going to continue with her. We'll see. It has been really nice to have someone make dinner while I help the kids with homework and hold a crying baby.
Most of you know a lot about the first two weeks of us being here so I won't go over all of that. I will keep you posted on our adventures in China.
love,
ali
We finally have a blog. Wahooo! Now that we have this up and running, I'm not sure what to say.
Let's start with today. Emily and Gabe went to thier 3rd day of school. I really like thier teachers, Miss Vierra and Mrs. Claussen. They seem to be very used to new students and have a lot of ways to help new students feel welcome and understand classroom rules. Emily's classmatedsput together a poster with all of thier own personal advice on how to be a good student in Miss Viera's class. I thought that was pretty clever.
Gabe and Emily both have swimming for PE during the next two months. Today when I picked up Gabe he said, "Mom guess what? Before we went swimming, I had to get naked!" All the boys had to change in the same room and "everyone saw everybody's everything." according to Gabe. It's never a dull moment with him.
I like the school in general. Although, it is strange having to show ID to a guard before going on campus. They have that place pretty secured with a huge fence and guards everywhere. It's nice but strange.
Today was the 3rd day we had our A yi. I like her a lot but I don't understand her mandarin. She comes from a province in southern china called si chuan. She has a really thick accent which makes it hard for me to understand her. I was hoping to improve my chinese as well as have the kid's learn chinese with this whole A yi things so I'm not sure if we are going to continue with her. We'll see. It has been really nice to have someone make dinner while I help the kids with homework and hold a crying baby.
Most of you know a lot about the first two weeks of us being here so I won't go over all of that. I will keep you posted on our adventures in China.
love,
ali
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