Christmas Is Coming....

...to Beijing!

We were pleasantly surprised to see Christmas decorations appearing in a country that doesn't even celebrate Christmas. I kind of take it as a hospitable gesture to all of the foreigners that live here in Beijing. Most of the decorations we have seen have been in front of hotels. Here is a little tour of just a few things we have seen in our neighborhood quickly after Thanksgiving.

A full size nativity scene, now this was a shock!

Just another example of how there can never be too many lights at Christmas!

This one changes colors and those pillars next to it look like fireworks. This is in front of the LG Twin Towers (the lipstick shaped buidings you can see from our living room window)

The St. Regis hotel is very traditional and classy.

A cake at Dairy Queen. The chocolate sign says, "Merry S'mas"

 And below you will see the extent of our Christmas decorations...a little sad compared to what I am used to doing. We did not bring any decorations and I have not bought much since...

...we are going to America!!!

(just a little excited!)

A Chinese Thanksgiving ~ 2011

You may ask how "expats" celebrate Thanksgiving in a place where Thanksgiving is a regular, old business day. Here is how we celebrated Thanksgiving here in Beijing. Hubby worked and did a career presentation at one of the international schools. E had a volleyball game at another international school and took the 6:00 bus home, arriving downtown at 7:10. D took the 3:40 bus, arriving downtown at 4:40.

We were actually going to have Mac N' Cheese for dinner as it was Thursday and Thursday is a cooking night. We had already made plans to feast on Saturday with friends. But after seeing all the Facebook posts of my American friends preparing their traditional foods (remember we are a day ahead) I decided to pick up the phone and make reservations at "Grandma's Kitchen" for a traditional Thanksgiving set menu. Besides, E was going to miss our Saturday feast due to a far away volleyball tournament.

We met E at the bus stop and walked to the restaurant. We frequent this particular restaurant often, as it is good Western food and it is close by. It usually costs our family between 150-250 RMB  ($21-$37 USD). This special Thanksgiving feast cost us 840 RMB ($126 USD)!! That has been our most expensive meal here in Beijing to date, I guess you do those kinds of things for a bit of tradition....

.....So, do you wanna know what we got for our money?

Soup choice: broccoli and cheese or pumpkin. I chose pumpkin

Appetizer choice: turkey roll-ups (above) or bacon wrapped shrimp (below)

Salad choice: Waldorf (in last picture) or Spinach, bacon and pear (above)

Dinner plate consisted of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing and veggies and cranberry sauce.

 We were very impressed with the taste of the traditional foods. We were missing rolls though!

Thanksgiving feast at "Grandma's Kitchen" in Beijing, China

 So grateful that we are an eternal family!

Dessert choice: pumpkin pie (above), apple pie (above) or sweet potato pie

 It was a nice night. Although it was odd for the kids to have homework and to have to go to school the very next day.

On Saturday we were invited to our friends' house, along with many other families from church.  I was in charge of sweet potatoes! How lucky we are to have a man on the corner of our street who roasts large sweet potatoes in a barrel. I bought 10 large ones for 50 RMB ($7.50 USD). After mashing them up I added cream cheese, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. They were the best sweet potatoes I've ever made!

Moi doing my best Chinese bartering.
 Not really, I was just counting how many I wanted. I have to use my fingers to count in Chinese still

 With about thirty five people there we had a ton of food!

 It was fabulous!

Those homemade rolls were amazing!

One of the many desserts: mini cheesecakes with kiwi, strawberry and mint.
Yes, you can find those ingredients  in China!

 But the best part of the day was not about the food. It was about different people, from different places, coming together and making memories. 

A great surprise was that the bus transporting E from the train station back to her school was passing through the city and she was able to get off and join us! I was very, very happy to see her!

E and her gal pals

D and a few of the boys

 We are so very grateful that we have only been here four months and we have friends who already feel like family! A few families have kids the exact same age as E and D...and the fact that they get along makes it all the better!

The entire Thanksgiving gang! (minus me who was acting as photographer)

We ended the night by writing down one thing we are thankful for and having to guess who wrote what. Then we played a couple of rounds of "Werewolf" (not Twilight related) which is a game like "Mafia".

Our first Chinese Thanksgiving had a few weepy homesick moments, 

but it was a blast and a total success!

A picture worth a thousand words

Photo Credit: Kelsey Fox

What a wonderful world of technology we have!

On the day after Thanksgiving we were able to video Skype with my parents, nieces and brother. It is almost just like being there.

I love this picture because it is in my parent's kitchen. My family has always been "sitters around the kitchen table" meaning the meal is long and we linger after the food is over.

I love this picture because my dad looks so happy! You just don't get that kind of emotion over the phone.

I love this picture because it includes a niece from Michigan (snapping the shot), a niece from Long Beach, a brother from San Diego and parents from the Bay Area all talking to me in Beijing! At one point my brother had a friend from Long Island, NY on speaker and I was talking to him too.

I love this picture because they had just made homemade gnocchi with milanese (which is on my list of "must eats" when I go home in two weeks). I wish Skype had a taste feature. I will never take for granted my mom's ability to cook.

I love this picture because my parents are my two most favorite people in the world! I can't wait to spend a few days with just them, in my childhood home.

I love this picture because it allowed me to see a situation I was in from a different perspective, kind of surreal.

I just hope my niece was able to train my dad on Skype so we can have more opportunities like these. (hint hint Dad)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for many things! 

I could make a list here, but you know what they are. They are, most likely, the same things you are thankful for. 

But I cannot help but make special note of how thankful I am to be American! Many, many items on the "standard thankful list" are possible because of the fact that I am American. We cannot hide from the daily news about destruction and turmoil around the earth (and America is certainly not exempt) nevertheless, Americans have hope for a better tomorrow. 

Happy Thanksgiving fellow Americans!

 (And a Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friends too)

...and America rocks because we have a holiday centered solely around food! Posting from a country that does not have aforementioned holiday. Eat up friends and loved ones!

To Market We Go ~ Liangma Flower Market

This was a fun day! The four of us met up and went to the Liangma Flower Market. It is close to the Laitai Flower Market but smaller,  the vendors are nicer and it is not as intimidating.

Terry, Me and Rebecca

 The entire first floor is flower stalls. The smell was amazing. I vowed to go back every week for a fresh bouquet!

This beautiful arrangement cost 100 RMB ($15 USD)

I bought some roses and filler. It cost 30 RMB ($4.50 USD)

The boutique-like stalls offered more unique items and things that appealed to me. Below is a stall where you can design your own Bone China pattern. How cool would it be to have an entire set of china from China! It takes about 2-3 weeks and they offer every piece you can imagine. The cost for a dinner plate is 160 RMB ($24 USD) and 110 RMB ($15.50 USD) for salad plates. This is something I will do!

Some ideas of custom china

A great selection of ribbons. Always a favorite of mine.

 This market also had a wonderful selection of Christmas trees and decorations! I was in awe and missing all of my trees and decor back home. 

A place to buy "American Girl" dolls and clothes

Another favorite of mine! Apothecary jars!

 Time for lunch! Dumplings of course!

This was a good China day.

A New Perspective

I am hesitant as I write this. Part of me wants to tell this story because if I were at home in California, surfing the internet, I would want to read a blog post about a woman volunteering at an orphanage in China. But there are guidelines about us volunteering there and one of them is, "Do not publish any articles on your observation of, or work at the orphanage". Since I am a rule follower, by nature, you see why I am torn. I will keep my comments less specific and try to convey my feelings. I hope the message comes across.

When I came to China it was a goal of mine to volunteer at an orphanage. I don't know why, as I am not particularly  someone who searches for opportunities like this. Of course, I try to serve my fellow men but, in the past, that has been people similar to me and those that I know. There has been a piece of me who has felt that the way I spend my spare time, here in China, is a test. I have been compelled to use my spare time in the best ways possible. I am not always successful at this. (see previous post about entertainment)

I began asking around at church if anyone knew how to go about volunteering at an orphanage. A woman told me about a volunteer organization that is "allowed" to go and volunteer at a  government run orphanage about thirty minutes away from the city. I contacted the coordinator, that was over a month ago. I was scared, but knew it was something I needed to do. I still did not know why.

Coordinating my first visit was not easy. Since the coordinators are volunteers I was passed back and forth to different people, many times not getting information I needed. Each Wednesday I cleared my schedule, only to find out that I didn't know where to go or what time. I was beginning to get frustrated and thought, more than a few times, that it was just not going to work out. I was being tempted to ditch the plan because it was too hard. 

I began to get solid details about where and when to meet this past Wednesday morning. I even had the meeting place in my taxi book (here the taxi drivers do not speak or read English, so having the Chinese characters helps insure your arrival). I made it to the meeting place in perfect time, only to soon find out I was at the wrong lobby and where I needed to be was a 15 minute walk away. I am so grateful I exchanged cell phone numbers with one of the other people I was going with. I still was ready to give in. I even said to the person on the phone, "It seems like it won't work out for today. I don't want to hold you up. Let's try again for next week." Now that I look back, how silly I was to want to give in just because it wasn't going perfectly. I was still scared about the unknown.

But I quickly found my ride and the other two women made me feel very comfortable on the ride out there. It was enjoyable to get to know two women, both from different countries, who just want to give. There are good people everywhere, whether "religious" or not. 

This is where I will not give any details about what I saw or did there, talk to me face to face. But some realizations I made are as follows:

• It does not take much time at all to touch someone's life. I was only there for two and a half hours and I made a difference in numerous lives. 
• We do not have to "move mountains". I cannot change the course of life for these children, or even one child there. But I did change those few hours for them.
• Likewise, I could not look at the big picture. These children, all with medium to severe disabilities, will most likely not be adopted. I had to focus on the joy I was bringing them at that moment. Otherwise I might've turned and run out the door because I couldn't "rescue" them all.
• Basic necessities are; food, warmth and love. Everything else is extra. Period. We can rationalize how we need this or deserve that, but when the day is done we are incredibly blessed to have all of those other extras.
• In my thirty-nine many years I have not had one single moment without those basic necessities. Why am I so privileged? Why are others not so privileged? It is easy to slip into feeling guilty. I worked hard to push that away.
• Similarly, I felt a Spirit and strength from each one of those children, even the tiniest of babies. I felt that God knows each one of them and comforts them. They were happy and smiling, even giggling at me. Their Spirits are special for the circumstances they are in.
• It only takes a smile to communicate. I do not speak their language. Many of them cannot communicate. However, they can smile and laugh and hug. I will continue to think of their eyes that brightened when I talked to them. I can't wait to see that again next week.
• I have seen movies and read books about situations like this. That does little to enlighten our lives. Feeling it, smelling it, breathing it, touching it was what changed me as a person. It took me outside of my life, as I have always known it. I was forced  to realize that there are situations, both near and far, that are not what we experience every day. This is what forever changed me. The changes may not be visible on the outside, but my heart is broadened and more empathetic to all who have less privileges than I do.
• Physical touch is a need.There were moments when my arms were full and both hands were being held. That made them content. I could see the craving of this in them.
• I have wondered what in the world I needed to experience here in China. I had literally only thought or spoken about China about five times in my entire life before coming here. Perhaps the growth I had yesterday, and will continue to have when I go, is the reason I came here.
• There are many people who give a lot more time and resources to causes like this. I have always admired them, but never thought I had it in me to dedicate my life to others. After yesterday I can imagine how humanitarian giants are rewarded by their generous efforts.
• I know that when Christ comes to earth again. Places like where I was yesterday is where He will be. I felt His presence there.

I understand if you think this post is very cliche, sometimes cliches are true. Also, I sincerely hope that it did not come across as boasting or painting myself as some sort of "angel". That is not my intention. My goal was to share the changes that occurred in me throughout this experience. I urge you to go out of your comfort zone, even though it is scary, and give a little of your time to someone who has less than you. You do not need to be in China to do that.

Entertainment

Before I moved to China I had questions about how I would access my favorite things for entertainment. I remember thinking, "How will we watch Survivor?" Survivor has been the one and only show that all four members of my family enjoy equally. We would weekly gather to watch it together...I cannot emphasize enough how much we all enjoyed it equally as that NEVER happens with any other show or movie.

Here is a breakdown on how we access things to entertain us.

TV Shows~ There are a few ways to watch TV shows here. 

First, there is live t.v. We get 5 English speaking stations (AXN-Asia, CNN World, MSNBC world, HBO Asia, Discovery). I cannot emphasize enough that the stations that are common to the US are not the same stations. For example, HBO and CNN are not showing the same shows that the US is. CNN mostly reports world news, but Anderson 360 and Piers Morgan is on in the morning. HBO shows older movies and none of the big HBO series shows. AXN-Asia does show a couple of reality shows (Top Chef and The Amazing Race) but the digital transmission is so messed up you can't see the images. They also have some different shows that are cooky called "Cash Can Asia" and "Kitchen Musical" (which is supposed to be like Glee but in the kitchen of a restaurant).  The  big bummer about live t.v. is that there is no DVR here. How did we ever watch our shows when they actually aired?

A second way to watch t.v. shows is by buying DVD seasons. DVDs are a way of life here because they are so cheap. It is really great to buy an entire season of a show, but they are always a season or two behind. This works well when you are beginning to watch an older show. For example,  we got hooked on Hawaii 5-0. Unfortunately, when you watch all the DVDs and get caught up to the States, it is hard to wait an entire year before the next season comes out on DVD. We are currently waiting patiently for "Modern Family" & "The Middle", so no spoilers please!

When our patience just runs out and we cannot wait for the season to come out on DVD we turn to downloading t.v. episodes onto our Apple TV from iTunes. We have done this with Hawaii 5-0 because a) last season left on such a cliffhanger we could not possibly wait and b) I needed my McGarrett Hawaii fix and c) I wanted to discuss the ongoing story line with fellow watchers from the States instead of after the fact. On iTunes an episode for a show costs $1.99 ($2.99 for HD) or you can buy a season subscription. I have had to really hold back or else I would be racking up an enormous itunes bill.

The funny thing about t.v. shows are the ones I thought I couldn't live without (Survivor and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) are ones we haven't even watched.

Internet~ Our VPN (virtual private network) allows me to Facebook and blog, but it doesn't help with the speed of the internet. Therefore, YouTube is something that we rarely use. Likewise, watching free episodes of t.v. shows is impossible.  I tried watching a 44 minute episode of Hawaii 5-0 one time on CBS. com and it took me three hours and pausing after each line (I couldn't pause it to download in it's entirety). I also uploaded a three minute video to YouTube and it took me two and a half hours. Anything where I am downloading or uploading (even pics to FB) I dread. But I am thankful to be able to access websites that I never thought I would be able to.

Movies~ Going to the movie theater is not something we have done yet. China only allows 20 foreign movie titles a year into their box offices. They are quite expensive and there hasn't been anything released that we just had to see.

As I said earlier, DVDs are really inexpensive here so that is the way we go. We pay 8 RMB ($1.20 USD) per DVD. There are moral questions about purchasing the DVDs, but we quickly learned that if you buy a DVD at Wal-Mart (do not even think this is the same as Wal-Mart in the states) they are the same "type" of DVDs as the market, you just pay 40 RMB for them. It is impossible to find legitimate movies here. The funny thing about the DVDs are they all have Chinese subtitles at the bottom. While watching "The Help" this weekend we noticed the subtitles were for a completely different movie, "Crazy, Stupid Love". We have also heard from friends that while they were watching "Kung Fu Panda 2" in Chinese, with English subtitles, there were racial slurs and profane words...wow! Needless to say, we now own many DVDs of current and recent movies, the quality is always questionable.

Reading Material~ I really miss magazines. I never really appreciated them until I could not get them. But the other day I saw a copy of "Better Homes & Gardens" and squealed with joy, only soon to find out it was all in Chinese. I think I may research if I can get a subscription to a favorite magazine sent to me here...daring!

I brought eight books with me, thinking that would last me until my visit home in December. I was so wrong. I read those books in about three weeks (have I mentioned I have time on my hands?). Foreign bookstores are few a far between here in Beijing. I do have one about a 30 minute walk from my apartment. The prices run about $15-$20 USD for a paperback.  Some ways I have been able to get my hands on more books is having E check them out from her school library for me, buying from a foreign bookstore while on vacation in Japan, and downloading them onto my iPhone from iTunes. I always knew a Kindle, Nook or iPad was a great thing but I am the type that likes the actual book. Here, digital books are totally the way to go, for access but also because I can pull out my "book" on the subway, in a waiting room or in a taxi to read. With these digital books I have been reading an average of a book a week. I hope to begin a book swap with friends. Any good recommendations? Currently I am reading the biography of Steve Jobs...I owe a lot to this man since I couldn't function in China without my iPhone and Apple TV.

Podcasts~ Speaking of Apple products...I have come late to the game of podcasts, but am now so grateful for them. First of all, they are FREE! If they are audio podcasts I download them straight to my iphone. I have listened to spiritual podcasts, mandarin language podcasts and comedy podcasts. I am always searching for something interesting to listen to for free! If they are video podcasts we download them to our Apple TV. Each night we all gather around and watch Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News. Funny that US news was not something that I was particularly interested in while in the States, but now I grasp onto it for the connection. I also like podcasts because they don't take as long to download as TV shows.

Games~  I knew that games would be important to us here, so I brought along our favorite board games and Wii. There is nothing like bonding over a round of "Egyptian Rat Slap" or "Dominoes". We try to play together at least three times a week. Puzzles are popular here and readily available to buy, but American board games are something we will always need to bring from the States. 

Of course, entertainment is always important to us as humans and I am so grateful that I have access to some of the American entertainment we had at home. I hope that by the time we head back home we will have acquired some forms of Chinese entertainment.

Fall In Beijing ~ baby steps

RiTan Park

I am not the most optimistic person, usually dwelling on things I have not done. But I came here in Summer and now it is Fall and I've noticed some things have changed for the positive. Here are some of them...

• I no longer have panic attacks every time I have to go out of the apartment. You think I am exaggerating?
• I can now recognize one in every ten words in Mandarin, instead of one in thirty words. I actually responded to a "wrong number call" on my cell phone by saying, "Wo shuo Yinyu" = "I speak English". 
• I can count to 10 now pretty quickly. I still struggle matching the Mandarin name to the number though.
• I buy raw meat now at the grocery store.
• I don't completely get ripped off at the markets anymore.
• I can tell a taxi driver where to go to, instead of pointing to a card, to about 4 or 5 places.
• I actually told someone else where to get something, instead of someone always telling me.
• I successfully can use video Skype on a regular basis.
• I consistently cook at least three times a week.
• I only have about two meltdowns a month, instead of once a week...baby steps.
• I can tell people where I live in Mandarin. 
• Instead of thinking about home every second of every day, I only think about it a few times a day now.

We have to celebrate our small accomplishments! I can only imagine what the next three months will bring. 

A Funny Tale ~ Shelving and Potty Talk

I have a funny story to share. This story, for the most part, has

nothing to do with living in China.  It all began with the monster

closet that our apartment manager bought for us but ran out of money

before buying the guts. The funny story isn't even about this closet being too tall for every single spot in our apartment. The funny story isn't even about us going to

Ikea THREE to times to buy the insides, only to find we bought the

wrong ones, parts out of stock, etc.

Here's where the fun begins. Last Saturday (trip 3 to Ikea) was to

complete the closet. We were told the shelves would take two hours to

bring to the store.Who knew that some items were stored off-site? 

 Of course they told us this at the END of our much

more than two hour shopping trip. We were exhausted and over loaded so

we agreed I would come back during the week to pick up the shelves.

Today I looked forward to another alone trip to the giant blue and

yellow box store  (trip 4). I checked online to make sure the shelves

were in stock. They were, it was going to be a breeze.

I decided to use the restroom before my spree. There was a line  for

one stall, another stall was empty. I assumed the line was for the

western toilet. After a few 

minutes it was my turn and I soon found it was a "squatter". If you have never seen a squatter it is basically a hole in the ground. Now squatting is not a task I have perfected yet. The last time resulted

in a mess...shhhhhh....don't tell anyone. I decided to try again. I

thought it through back to 8th grade geometry and the perfect angle.

The perfect pressure is also key I quickly learned. But successful I

was, although embarrassed at the particular pose I was in to

accomplish success. Upon completion I balanced to stand and smacked my

head on the toilet paper holder, right at the jagged part that is

supposed to cut the paper but never does. I guess I should be thankful

for the toilet paper holder, as often times there isn't one.  Ouch! It

hurt! But I couldn't check to see if it was bleeding for fear I'd lose

my balance. Finally I leave the stall, wash my hands and notice the

other stall (the empty one!) was the western toilet. All in all, that

portion of the trip was a success.

I filled my cart making sure I only stuck to my

list. Of course, the self serve section (where the shelve should be)

is the last section before paying. So after shopping for an hour and a

half I look for Pax . After not finding it myself I go to

the help desk. Without really communicating he prints me out a paper

and indicates that I pay and pick up the shelves. That I do. It's at

Customer Service that I'm told it will be TWO HOURS before I can get

my shelves!!! Apparently I am learning that some items, like above

item, is not stored in the gigantic warehouse known as Ikea. Some

items are stored elsewhere, two hours away!!! I was not leaving this

place without my shelves! So I bought a hot dog and ice cream cone

(for a total of 4 kuai = .60 cents USD) and sat. Nevermind my frozen

cinnamon rolls from the Ikea market melting in my bag!

Moral of the story- look for squatters and prepare to wait!

A Day in the Life of Me!

I continue to constantly ask myself, "What is my purpose here and now?" It is mostly because there are so many things that I used to do, in my everyday life,  that I don't do anymore. I used to feel fulfilled by stocking up on food storage (i.e. filling my minivan with Costco items), taking my kids to their enrichment activities, volunteer in their classes, clean my house, and substitute teach when the day was right. I don't do any of these things here so I have to redefine what I do to feel productive and to feel that I am contributing. It is a continuous process, often times pushing away guilt and the nagging thought of, "am I needed?"  As part of this process I decided to jot down what I did today, a pretty normal routine day. This is for you to see what my "new" life in Beijing is like and for me to visually see how it is I spend my time.

6:20- Wake up, throw on exercise clothes, brush teeth, take Jupiter downstairs to go potty, fill water bottles, make snacks, toast bagels.

6:57- "The Ducks Quack" on my iphone to alert us all that we have three minutes to get out the door. Family prayer.

7:00- All four of us ride the elevator down and walk the block to the bus stop. A huge blessing of living here is Dad says goodbye to the kids each morning as they head off to school.

7:08- Wave goodbye to the kids and walk with hubby to the corner. Kiss goodbye and head to RiTan Park for my morning run (or walk since I've had a chest cold). Every other day I go to our building gym to exercise. On the way home from the park I switch from music to a podcast, usually spiritual, right now this (couldn't live without the itunes store!)

8:20- Return to apartment and resist going online to chat with friends in US. Turn on Anderson Cooper 360 (I've become VERY interested in American news since I don't live there anymore, it helps me feel connected). I put away dried dishes from the night before. Fold clothes and put in a new load of laundry. Do breakfast dishes BY HAND. 

9:00- On Mondays I often call my parents or skype with friends, but today while Piers Morgan was on (can you tell we only get CNN?) I showered (I try to shower before going on the internet, otherwise I may not shower at all), checked my email, roamed around on FB and thought it was really interesting that Kris Jenner had no idea Kim Kardashian's marriage was over on Piers...we watch it a day behind you.

10:00- Say "Ni Hao" to the housekeeping staff that came to clean the apartment. Then, head out for my "outing for the day". Today I went to the Chinese grocery store and bought stuff for dinner tonight, along with bread and more snacks for the kids. Some days I meet hubby for lunch (my favorite outing), meet friends, go to markets, take Jupiter to vet, etc. It takes a lot of motivation to head out when you don't have to because it is so difficult to get anywhere AND the air quality has been horrid!

12:00- Return home, put away groceries, eat lunch (leftovers from hubby and my lunch date yesterday), read scriptures. I have started to read scriptures at lunchtime. I am awake and more in tune with the Spirit. 

12:30- Study Mandarin. I usually squeeze this in right before my lesson...total procrastinator. Once I start I enjoy it, but I dread it beforehand. 

1:10- Take Jupiter to the dog park on the corner of our street. It is more like he takes me. There is something about this place that makes him p00p every time we go, no matter what time of day or night. We consider this a complete blessing because he does not have accidents in the apartment. When out, I spend a lot of my time second guessing what I am doing and what the locals think about what I am doing (probably because foreigners get stared at a lot!). Even at the dog park I wonder if I am practicing the right etiquette, but today I threw that right out the window when a MAN went pee on a tree right in front of me without even trying to conceal himself. I am not going to worry about my dog peeing in the right spot anymore.

1:30- Lily, my mandarin teacher, arrives. Today I learn valuable sentences like. "Please say again = Qing zai shuo yi bian" and "I hear you but I don't understand = Wo ting bu dong". We laugh a lot and while it is fun to learn, I almost never speak to anyone and I equally cannot understand what others are saying. I consider my learning mandarin a hobby:)

3:45- Say "zai jian" to Lily and go on the computer to write in my journal. Shhhh, don't tell anyone but I pretend that I am writing the next best seller. Also, don't tell hubby but some days this is my nap time, not today though. I figure if all the Chinese men can nap in their cars on the side of the road, I can catch a few z's in the comfort of my own home.  Today both kids have loooooong days at school so I have extra time to myself. 

4:30- Go on the apple tv and download your last night's NBC Nightly News (I told you I was obsessed with the news). LOVE our apple tv here, so grateful for Steve Jobs! Do mandarin homework.

5:30- I begin to prepare dinner. Tonight I made a "made-up" recipe that is basically a Mexican lasagna with tortillas. I have set my standards pretty low for cooking. When we first moved here it really overwhelmed me because finding ingredients is a struggle, we didn't have our kitchen tools, etc. So I set out to cook only Tue, Thur and Sun nights. That way I am successful and I don't feel guilty on the nights I don't cook. Time after time, it is proven that eating out here is just so much more cost effective than cooking. While I cook dinner I wait for D to come home and anticipate hearing about his field trip that he went on today (Olympic park to study the systems) and to hear about his after school session of "Great Wall Runners".

5:40- D comes home. We talk about his day, look over his homework that he did on the hour+ long bus ride and he decides to watch some t.v. while I finish dinner. I make the salad.

6:15- D and I eat together, we enjoy our time alone together on Tue and Thur nights because E is at volleyball still and hubby has his mandarin lesson on these nights. We decide to play dominoes, that is our new nighttime activity.

7:15- E comes home. I listen to her tell me about her day. She is excited as she gets to go to TianJin for a volleyball tournament next month. She eats, plays a round of dominoes with us, then goes straight to homework. Tuesday and Thursday nights are so busy for her, but she chooses to continue playing sports and sacrifices free time. Hubby comes home and eats dinner. We all look at D's field trip pictures on the t.v.

7:45- I wash the dinner dishes, fold clothes and make sure nobody has any PE clothes that need to be done by tomorrow. 

8:30- Family Scriptures and prayer. 

8:50- Say goodnight to D, he falls into bed very tired. Jupiter joins him on his bed. E goes into her room and continues homework. Hubby and I settle in and watch NBC Nightly News.
Tomorrow will be very similar, but I will go to Ikea to finally finish off the guts of a closet (hopefully) and we will go out to dinner  since it will be Friday.

When you are feeling like you don't do much, I urge you to write down everything you do in your day. I realized that, despite having free time on my hands, I do a lot for my family and myself. Maybe this foreign feeling is balance. Who knows?