Convenience and Choices

I walk into Safeway, after driving the short 5 minutes from my parents' house. I am overwhelmed by the hundreds of things that I could have for dinner...instantly...now...no prep...huge variety...the deli counter...the Chinese(-American) food counter...frozen foods (so many I could have a different one every night for 6 months)...the bakery...the salad bar...and all the "regular" food too. America really is the land of convenience.

America is also the land of choices...21 McDonalds within 5 miles of our homebase in Southern California....7 Costcos within 10 miles...11 Mexican restaurants within 1 mile. Really. In China it takes me 30 minutes to drive to the one McD's. Huge contrast.

Home leave has left me with the renewed passion for living simply and a bit conflicted over how much I like the convenience of convenience food. Cooking from scratch in China is sometimes fun and sometimes a drag. There are days that I wish that I could just run out for quick food...even though I know that homemade is healthier.

Home leave has also proven to me that there are lots of things I can live without. That I really don't miss things as much as I thought I did.

So, tomorrow we head back to China. Back to the land of inconvenience and Betty Crocker.
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First Impressions Back in the US

It's a long *#&$(! flight.
Lots of nice cars....driving fast and following the rules.
TV ads reminding me of all the foods I've missed.
Good food.
Drinking water.
Clean, bright, colorful.
People speaking English.
Warmth.
Reading the newspaper for the first time in 6 months.
Choices, choices, choices.
Kiana saying, "I am really really happy."
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Ready for the Holidays!

Tomorrow we leave for the US!! This week has just flown by! Here's what we've been doing to celebrate the holidays in China.

Hanging the stockings by the "fireplace." Decorating the "tree."


Elementary school winter concert:


Secondary school winter concert:


Campus Village Secret Santa party:


A small little fire to roast marshmallows after Christmas carols:


Our painted Christmas tree:


Looking forward to more fun in the next few weeks!!
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Shopping for Charity

Wow! I just got back from a shopping trip with three 9 year old boys (and the rest of the 3rd grade) to the local market (the Chinese small town equivalent of the mall). This market has about 50-75 stalls, each individually owned. Some are small (10ftx10ft) and some are bigger (20ftx20ft). They sell clothes, shoes, toiletries, toys, household items, etc. Each shop has it's own specialty.

Our school is teaching community service and giving back to the community in which we live. So last month they had a Move-a-Thon and raised 100,000 RMB (about $14,000!). This month they are going shopping for items they will donate to local children in need. So today we took the bus to the local market about 10 minutes from the school.

My group of three had a total of 900 RMB ($130) to spend. With that we bought:
- 3 backpacks
- 6 winter coats
- 3 earmuffs
- 3 hats
- 4 scarves
- 3 pairs of gloves
- 3 pencil boxes
- 6 pencils
- 3 pencil sharpeners
- 6 pens
- 3 notebooks
- 3 erasers
- 3 pads of paper
- 3 sets of crayons
- 3 small bouncy balls
- 3 stuffed animals
- 1 basketball
- 1 soccer ball

The kids were SO excited that we were able to buy SO much. They went shop to shop picking things out and buying them. They will bring them back to the school and put the items they picked out in the backpack. Then each kid in need will get a backpack stuffed with stuff!

We are also giving a huge economic boost to the local market, as each grade will be doing similar shopping trips.
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Why I Love Thursdays!

One of the perks of living in China is that labor is cheap. This means that most expat families who live here have an "ayi" who helps with cleaning, laundry, shopping and cooking. Some have a live-in ayi, some have a full-time ayi ($200 per month) and some have a part-time ayi.

We have a part-time ayi who comes on Thursdays for about 4 hours ($35 per month!). This is why I love Thursdays!

BEFORE:


AFTER:


BEFORE:


AFTER:


BEFORE:


AFTER:


BEFORE:


AFTER:


I considered having a full-time ayi (someone who cleans up after you ALL THE TIME! My friends who have one have houses that look like the "after" pictures all the time). But here's the catch. She'd be here every day, all day, every day, all day, every day, all day. I don't think I could handle that.

There are moments when I am doing my own dishes and laundry that I think to myself...."are you crazy????" But for now I am happy with the trade off. For the price of doing my own laundry and dishes, I have privacy all but 4 hours a week! And a clean house most of the time, but especially on Thursdays!
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Makes It Worth It

Moving to China was a hassle, no doubt. One of my reasons for wanting to come was to expose the kids to the world...showing them that they live a privileged life...that Beaverton is just a small spot on the big planet Earth. And to show them that:

Not every kid has Nintendo.
Not every kid has TV.
Not every kid has their own bedroom filled with toys.
Not every kid has a house.
Not every kid has a coat.
Not every kid can go to school.
Not every kid has enough to eat.

And there are moments that make it all worth it. Like last night, hearing my 9 year old explain that he wants to buy geese for a Chinese family because "It's not only that they can make money from them, it's good because then their kids can afford to go to school and that will make things better." Beautiful.

(I had to paraphrase - wish I had the Momzi tape recorder going to catch the moment).
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Stinky Markets

Here is what I posted yesterday on Facebook:

"The produce market smelled so bad today I almost hurled. Nice." Yes, this is my life in China.

However, before you feel too sorry for me, I do have to say that this doesn't happen very often. Mainly because I'm a wimp and stay away from those places as much as possible. As a former vegetarian who still hates to cook meat, I can barely stomach shopping at places that have slabs of meat laying around. And smelly meat - no way!!

Yes, I usually shop at the most "western" grocery store possible - Tesco. It's (mostly) clean, has chicken breasts wrapped in plastic, and good yogurt. And unless you are near the durian (it's a smelly fruit) or the fish tank, it doesn't smell! It's a bit more expensive than the "local" markets, but I accept that trade-off. Some friends accuse me of avoiding the "real China." I'm ok with that.

But, lest you think my Tesco shopping trips are "normal".... there are still slabs of meat hanging in the aisle, platters of chicken heads (just in case you didn't get enough heads with your regular chickens?), and live frogs and turtles. I've learned to just walk by and not look.

Here are a few pictures(taken with my phone in a hurry, sorry for the quality).

Slabs of meat at Tesco:

Chicken heads at Tesco:

So, if I can shop at Tesco, why was I at the stinky produce market??? It's a small, local market in the town closest to our house - I just needed a few fruits and veggies, so instead of making the 30 minute trip into town, I decided to go to the local market. Last time I went was a few months ago. You think it would smell worse in the heat of the summer, eh? Nope! In the summer, they open all the doors, so the smell escapes. In the winter, they keep the doors covered with very thick blankets, so the smell just stays and stays and stays (until it's strong enough to make me hurl).

When I got a whiff as I walked in, I almost turned back (should've), but I stuck it out, bought my carrots and bananas, and skedaddled. Lesson learned.

Just another day in China.
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Celebrating Thanksgiving with a Bang!

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend! We started with a massive Thanksgiving potluck at Campus Village Cafe on Wednesday night with about 20 or so families. And another potluck with about 6 families at a friend's house on Saturday. The food actually tasted American (that may sound boring to you, but to us it was very exciting!). After Saturday's dinner, we had fireworks!

Where else can you walk into a store, buy massive aerial fireworks and set them off from the street outside your house? This is China.


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My Birthday in China

Although I missed celebrating with my family and friends 'back home' it was still a great birthday in China.

A friend and I hiked up to the UFO. We went the back way through the woods. Very natural and quiet....

We are going to the UFO in the top, right corner:The quiet hiking path:

Me at the top:
Me and my friend at the top:The view of KaiFaQu from the top. It was a foggy morning, but unseasonable warm - it would be 50 degrees (F) that day!
After the hike another friend joined us for yummy brownies!!!

My lunch from a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. Yes, takeout comes in bags, not in those cute boxes like in the US. I've seen people take these bags back to their shops and then put the bag inside a bowl. That way they can eat out of the bowl and then discard the bag and not have to wash the dish.
I finished off my night with nachos and ice cream at home. A GREAT DAY!
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Warm Feet

I have a lot of new loves in China. Yes, I still love Eddie (bagels, bread, muffins and rolls delivered yesterday). BUT, my new love......

Radiant Floor Heating.......

How could I have lived 40+ years without it? We've had lows in the 20s (F) and highs in the 30s (F) and I'm in the house without slippers!?! I used to live in my slippers!! I always had cold feet. Not now.

We've turned off our forced air heat and the warm floor is enough to warm the house. Unbelievable. Yesterday there was sun shining through the window of the office and it got so hot I had to open the window (just a very small crack, but still!!).

We're tearing out the flooring in our Audrey Street house when we get back. Looking into Radiant Floor Heating options there. :)
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Turning 9 in China

Kevin's birthday!

Living

This post isn't about living in China...it's about living...and dying...and living.

Last week a friend from high school and college died unexpectedly. A woman in her 40s, a teacher, a well-loved person who touched many lives. Almost 9 years ago my sister-in-law died after battling brain cancer. A woman in her 30s, a teacher, a well-loved person who touched many lives, a mother of two young children. A year ago this week my father-in-law died of the same (not very common) brain cancer. A friend's friend died unexpectedly last week. A friend's neighbors' lives were taken unexpectedly last week, too.

I can't help but continue to ask myself. Can life really be so fragile? So brief? If death can come at any time, should that affect how we live our lives?

Nine years ago, with my sister-in-law's death, my awareness on life changed. I started to ask myself: If I were to die next week, would I feel like I lived a good life? If not, what changes do I need to make? Am I happy with who I am? Can I accept things that I cannot change in my world? Do my actions show my kids that I love them...every day? What can I do to make my relationships more meaningful? Can I stop complaining about the small stuff and appreciate what I have? What choices in my life will make me and my family happy?

Some people believe that we shouldn't change the way we live because we fear dying. I don't fear death. I just fear dying without having lived my best life. So every day, I choose happiness and try live my best life. And hopefully, I'll live to be 100 and I'll look back without regret, knowing that I did my best.
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No Doubt it will be Cold!

If the 17*F wind chill factor this morning wasn't enough to convince us it will be a cold, windy winter....

These "wind barriers" are pretty convincing! They are even protecting the poor trees!

And, yes, Kiana is still wearing shorts to school :)
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Loving the Field

When we moved in, there was a dirt field between our house and the school. Now we have a playing field and track! Yesterday there were about 15 adults playing soccer, about 20 kids playing soccer and about 10 other people playing or running!

Our family has enjoyed playing football, soccer and baseball in the past few weeks. In Portland, we used to play in the street and stop every time a car came by - but here we can play without interruption. It's been very fun!

I have been working out there - running intervals or stairs, walking and doing push-ups on the wall. One day Kiana was my personal trainer - she is tough! I'm trying to enjoy outdoor workouts while I still can. While the past few days have been beautiful weather, we've had a taste of what a cold, windy winter will be like as well. The cold is tolerable, the wind is intense!

Here are some pictures of the construction of the field. It is an artificial surface laid over concrete with little rubber pellets for cushioning. It also has nice pathways around the field that the kids walk across to go to school.

Leveling the dirt:
Pouring the concrete:

Smoothing the concrete surface:
Laying the surface:
Playing!:

The path to school - the construction on the right is the new gym and pool (hopefully it will be finished while we are still here!). This is taken from my bathroom window - so the kids have a very quick walk to school.
PS. Kevin just played for a little bit with the Taiwanese softball league (mostly adult men). Very friendly and fun game!
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Halloween 2009

Kiana:

The Neighborhood Party:



Kevin:

Kevin was sick on Halloween so I didn't go to the school party, but I hear it was quite fun. The neighborhood party had sack races, pinatas, a hay ride, petting zoo, games for the little kids and a "gross food" buffet.

There was a costume contest and Kiana won for silliest. She thought up the striped costume and we managed to find all that we needed. If you asked her "What are you?"...her answer, "I'm awesome!". Love it!

Trick or treating was busy, chaotic and fun. We hit every house, apartment and condo in the neighborhood. Our house had over 100 trick or treaters! Definitely a fun day!

We spent the weekend relaxing and eating candy and tonight we will go out to our favorite Chinese restaurant.
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Going to "Archie"

When people are going to the fabric market and tailor they say the are going to "Archie".... at least it sounds like that. It is actually "er qi" (27). I don't know if that is what the building is called or the address. I just know where to tell my driver to go!

The fabric market is nothing like I've ever imagined. Two floors of nothing but material and sewing supplies, plus stands for tailors. Each floor has about 500 stands. It is a typical Chinese market - a very large building full of individual stalls. Each stall is an individual's business. Here are some pictures.

Two typical aisles:


Tailor stalls:


The stall which specializes in striped t-shirt material:



It is amazing what you can find here - I think you could find almost any kind and color of fabric.

Most people we know go there to visit a specific tailor (stall #6). She has a good reputation and speaks some English. You can show her a picture or a piece of clothing you already have and she can copy it. Her husband will take you to a stall to pick out the fabric you want. Here she is fitting a coat:


Kiana and I went a week ago to have her Halloween costume made [you'll have to wait for pictures because I can't ruin the surprise]. It took a week and cost only $15 for the sewing!

I'm thinking of going back someday to have a sweater knit...or maybe a nice coat made... I have lots of time to think about it...

Note: if you double click on the pictures, it should make them bigger.
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Thinking

Some days I see things that just make me stop and think. Today was one of those days.

What I saw?

A donkey-pulled cart riding along the road to the school. On the cart were an older man and woman with some stuff (not sure what it was, but I think they collect trash or recyclables). I was walking to the school in the middle of the day, so we were alone on the road. I said hello (in Chinese) and they smiled and said hello. Very friendly.

Why did this make me stop and think?

I find the difference in the economic situation of their family and the families that usually use that road to be so different it is absurd. Usually when I walk that road it is filled with brand new minivans driven by paid drivers taking expat kids to school (some driven from 2 blocks away). At the homes of most expats there is a maid who will do all the housework.

The kids that are walking or riding their shiny new bikes to school have many things in their homes that we see as normal, but to many people those things are luxuries. I'll start by thinking about the computers, TVs, game systems, and cell phones...but then I move on to electricity, running water, toilets, food.

We live such a privileged life...

I would have loved to take a picture of the friendly couple, but it just seemed too intrusive. Here's a picture of a similar cart that I took awhile back.


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Squatty Potty Adventures

Adventure #1

Something to remember while you read this story: Japan has really fancy toilets that have warm toilet seats and warm water that washes you when you are done and all kinds of buttons to push, including a "sound princess" that makes a water rushing noise to "disrupt the toilet noises."

Anyway, when we were on the high-speed train in Japan, Kiana went to use the toilet. There were several toilets, and the one she went in had "Japanese-Style Toilet" on the door.

She thought "OH! Sweet! Japanese-style," but instead she walked in and saw the squat toilet and thought "OH (disappointed voice) I thought it'd be the fancy kind."

So when she came back she told us the story and said "I thought it'd be the fancy kind, but at least I can say I used a squatty potty going 200 MPH!"


Adventure #2

Kiana and I went to the Fabric Mart on Sunday. If you watch Amazing Race, it is like where they had to find the scarves - a big building with lots of little stalls of fabric and tailors and clothes. When we went in to the bathroom, we were just a little surprised to walk in and SEE everyone squatting - no doors! We just joined the crowd....
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Coming Back to China

Coming back to China on Sunday was quite a culture shock for me. When I initially arrived in June, I was dead tired from an overnight flight and weeks of prep. So while I knew I was in China, I don't think my brain really registered all that I was seeing. This time, I was awake and alert. Coming from Japan, I couldn't help but notice that China is dirty, crumbling, and chaotic. It took me a few days and 2 trips into town to feel "back to normal" where I don't notice (as much) the cars driving on the wrong side of the highway, the pedestrians stepping in front of moving cars (and the cars not stopping), and the trash.

But now, a week later, this culture shock has turned to something more. I've wondered if the Chinese are happy with the current state of their country? Do they like it the way it is? Do Chinese who travel to Japan or the US wish that people in China would follow traffic rules? Do they wish their rivers and streets were clean? If they want it to change, how long will it take to change cultural values?

I've also felt quite judgmental the past week. I'm judging China based on my Western upbringing and standards. China is different, but the Chinese people I meet are happy. Isn't that enough?
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What I'll Miss About Japan

1. Clean drinking water.
2. Cars that yield to pedestrians.
3. Not having to worry about food safety.
4. Easy public transportation.
5. Ramen.
6. Singing, spraying, warming toilets.
7. Family time.
8. Polite, kind people.
9. The beautiful landscapes.

What I Won't Miss
1. Rain
2. Thin futons
3. Small spaces

BTW, we took 750 pictures, so if you are really interested in Japan and want to see more, let me know.
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Japan - Funny Story

In Kyoto, we were looking for a department store called "The Loft." Mike knew it was downtown because he had seen it there the day before, but he couldn't remember exactly where it was. We were about to give up finding it, when I offered to ask someone for directions (not so easy with the language barrier).

There were two nice looking older ladies nearby so I went up to them and said "Loft?" with my hands out like a question. They, of course, didn't understand me, so I said it again and they were very nice in trying again to understand me. Then after the third time, Mike comes over, and in very good Japanese asks them "Where is Loft?" And they LAUGHED! They thought it was so funny that I was asking for directions when I didn't know any Japanese while my husband stood nearby with the ability to ask. They gave us directions and continued to chuckle as we walked away.

I liked the way Mike put it - I had the guts to ask the question, but he had the ability to...guess we even each other out!
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Japan - Hiroshima

Hiroshima was our last stop on our tour of Japan. For us, a must-see. The Hiroshima Peace Park and museum were sad and hopeful at the same time. It is overwhelming to see the damage our country inflicted on other people. And hopeful to see how a city could come back from that incident with such a message of hope and peace instead of anger. Inspiring.

Here are our pictures:

Japan - Hiroshima

We spent the last of our Yen at a great import grocery store at the Hiroshima airport. Gum, candy, Quik, Thai curry pastes, chips, root beer, chili beans. Yes, we love food!

And here was our welcoming committee when we arrived home...we live in a great community!


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Japan - Toyota Factory Tour

We are a family that LOVES factory tours! We were trying to list all of the factories we've been to....Jelly Belly, Mrs. Grossman Stickers, Boeing, Hershey....

We made a special trip out of our way to go to see the Toyota Factory. It was great! We got to tour the assembly plant for the Prius. I saw my future car in production (a red Prius). Nice tour and nice museum too!

We had an interesting dinner at an Italian restaurant. The menu was in Japanese and the waitress spoke very little English. I ordered a nice salad that had lettuce, tomato and octopus. Not quite what I was expecting....but the pizza and pasta were good :).

Our pics from the Toyota Factory Museum are at the end of the Kyoto photo album. We couldn't take any pictures on the tour.
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Japan - Kyoto

Kyoto was definitely my favorite city in Japan that we visited. Mike found us a cute little house to rent on VRBO.com (Vacation Rental By Owner). It is an old attached home that is nestled on a small road (one car lane) between the main street up to the Kiyomizu Temple and another temple grounds behind it. We were able to walk from the house to the Temple and also to shopping and restaurants.

It was a tiny house - downstairs a small kitchen, dining area bathroom with a traditional Japanese bath. Upstairs two rooms - a bedroom and a tatami mat room which serves as a tv room and a sleeping room with futons. A cute little creek ran behind the house and sounded very relaxing at night.

Kyoto is beautiful as it is surrounded by small mountains. It is a very peaceful place. I feel like there is so much more we could do there - hiking, visiting more Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples around town. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for 1000 years and was not bombed in WWII thanks the insistence of the US Secretary of War Henry Stimson, who had honeymooned there decades before. The Kiyomizu temple, a short walk from where we stayed, was a top 20 finalist in the poll of the new 7 wonders of the world, along with Eiffel tower, Statue of Liberty, Sydney Opera House, and Stonehenge.

Here are our pictures from Kyoto:

Japan - Kyoto

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Japan - Tokyo

We loved the time we spent in downtown Tokyo. We stayed at a hotel that overlooked Shibuya crossing - the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. If you haven't heard of it, all of the cars stop so all the people can cross in all directions, then the people stop so the cars can go. Hundreds of people cross each time. We crossed it dozens of times during our stay.

We walked or took the public commuter trains to different parts of the city. They are very easy to take - we bought pass cards on our first day and then used those for the rest of the time. The station names are all written in English so they are easy to identify. Of course, we had a great guide - Mike - as he was familiar with the system from when he lived there years ago.

Some of the highlights of our trip included shopping (department stores, specialty kitchen shops, toy stores, 100 Yen stores, COSTCO, import and local grocery stores and other local stores), a visit to a Shinto Shrine and the large city park, a trip to the top of a skyscraper to view the city, lots of good food, and a picture with Hachiko.

The visit to COSTCO was both bliss and torture all at once. Bliss because we had dinner there (yum!) and they had so many familiar foods to buy. But torture because they had so many familiar foods to buy and we couldn't bring it all back with us! We bought food to eat for our days at Disneyland, but didn't want to spend the next 14 days lugging around cases of food, so we didn't buy anything to bring back to China (boo hoo). Next time we'll plan to fly out of Tokyo to come home so we can go just before we leave!

Here are our photos from Tokyo. Our friends were in Tokyo with us, so you'll see them in some of the pictures too!

Japan - Tokyo

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What I Loved About Tokyo Disney

1.  They took Disneyland (Anaheim) and made it even better.  Same quaint layout, but everything just looks newer, nicer and better.  When we went to Magic Kingdom (Orlando), we thought that they took Disneyland and made it bigger and uglier.  It somehow lost it's Magic in Orlando.  Not so in Tokyo.  While the walkways are bigger, the Magic is still there.  They got the scale just right - big enough to handle a crowd, but small enough to still have the Magic of Disney. 

2.  Cool bathrooms.  Stall doors that have little symbols so you can see from the front of the line which stalls are occupied or vacant.  Auto soap & water.  And great handryers that dry your hands from BOTH sides at once with a strong blast of air (these hand dryers actually work!).  And in every womens bathroom, a mini urinal for little boys.  And did I mention before how clean they were????

3.  Polite parade audience.  People lined up really early to watch the parades.  The good news is that there were lots of good seats.  The walkways going toward the hub are downhill, so that if you are sitting way back on that walkway, you can still see.  Also, they make everyone sit down and collaspe their strollers, so the view is great.  I came late to see the parade and was probably sitting 50 people back along a walkway and I could still see great.

4.  Very safety conscious.  The ropes they used for the walkways during the nighttime parade had glowsticks attached to them so you could see them better.  Also, there are fewer curbs throughout the park which made it easier to walk around in the crowd.

5.  It smelled good :)  They were selling Honey Popcorn outside Pooh's Hunny Hunt and the entire outside area smelled like honey!  Nice!

6.  All the rides seemed cleaner, fresher, newer, and improved. 

Definitely the best Disney park I've ever been to!
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Japan - Disney

The first stop on our trip to Japan was the Tokyo Disney Resort.  We loved it! 

You can view a small photo album here:

Japan - Disney Overview

Or one with lots of pictures here:

Japan - Disney Lots of Pics

We spent 1 day at Tokyo Disneyland and 2 days at Tokyo DisneySea.  We stayed at the Sheraton Grande which was a Disney partner hotel, so they had Disney bus service - definitely an asset.

Overall, I have to say that the Tokyo Disney parks are beautiful and so clean that I had a bit of culture shock.  I almost cried I was so happy to be there!

Our day at Disneyland was hot and crowded.  Because it was a weekday in October, we were expecting small crowds, but we were so wrong!  It was like a summer day weekend crowd in Anaheim.  So after passing by several rides because they had 1.5 - 2 hour waits, we changed our game plan, saw some shows and waited until later in the night to ride some of our favorite rides.  We were lucky to get Fastpasses to Pooh's Hunny Hunt - a ride we all loved.  We were able to Fastpass Space Mountain and we went on Big Thunder right at closing time.  Overall, the day turned out to be good, just not what we expected.

We spent the next two days at Disney Sea.  The pictures don't do justice to the beauty of this park.  It is stunning!  The highlights of Disney Sea included our first time on Tower of Terror, which the kids loved and the kids' first time on a loop roller coaster.  They went on Tower of Terror four times, the roller coaster three times and Indiana Jones two times! 

We were sad to leave Disney, but we were moving on to the excitement on downtown Tokyo!
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