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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Monday, December 28, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
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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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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Thursday, December 17, 2009
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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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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Thursday, December 10, 2009
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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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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Tuesday, December 8, 2009
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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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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Sunday, December 6, 2009
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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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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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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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.
"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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