Life Lesson

As always, life is blurring past us. We are making good friends, adjusting to the language and culture, finding good restaurants, and learning to know the vendors that sell me (Marcie) everything from fruits and vegetables to potting soil to watch batteries. At the same time, we are also making sure that we keep our family core strong by spending time together and continuing traditions from home (did you know the tooth fairy comes to China?). Addison blogged about the new fish tank, but what she didn't mention was my life altering experience with a taxi driver. My friend, Lena, and I were coming home from this maze of vendors selling fish and their paraphernalia when we realized that one of the small plastic bags carrying fish had leaked onto the seat. I apologized to the driver, explaining that it was only water. The spot was small (about the size of my hand), but the taxi driver was madder than anyone I've ever seen in my life. He stopped the taxi about 50 meters from the kids' bus stop. In the grand scheme of life, the water seemed so insignificant to me. I tried to explain to him that kids left unattended were much more important. We tried to leave and several things happened all at once: the driver was out of the car pushing me around, a crowd formed, and my Russian friend was encouraging me to run. I prefer to avoid conflict, but I felt like I needed to find a solution that worked for both of us. He said he wouldn't be able to work until the water dried, which is a fair point. The crowd was to serve as my jury. I knew that his motive was money (thus the show of anger), but I wanted to get to my kids where my Chinese friend, An Xin (whose children ride the same bus), could help negotiate. I told him that we were going to walk to the bus stop and that he could follow, but he insisted that I get in his car. I didn't have the Chinese words to tell him there was no way I was getting back in the car. I finally just started walking away, while he followed on foot. When he got to my friend, he started yelling at her, but An Xin is fierce and well spoken (and sugar and spice and everything nice). His crowd didn't follow, but instead we were surrounded by children and friends - a much healthier atmosphere. The negotiation started at $4.25 US. but she talked him down to less than $3.00 US. After he left, I looked at An Xin and tried to laugh it off (even though I was still shaking) by saying, "This is China, I guess". She was quick to say, "No, this is not China. I've never met anyone with a heart like his. Do not think all Chinese are like this." I was immediately humbled by my beautiful friend, whose Chinese name means peaceful heart. If anyone should represent China for me, it should be her. I am blessed to be able to call her my friend.

The Ultimate Experience

The last two Saturdays, my dad, Saylor and I (Coleman) went to a college to play ultimate Frisbee. Half the players were foreigners and the other half were Chinese, but most everyone spoke English. I like to play and am getting better. The object of the game is to get the Frisbee to your team's goal, but you can't run with the Frisbee. My dad and I are having lot of accidents, even though my mom told us not to break any bones. After the game, everyone goes out to their favorite restaurant. Because there were so many people, we ordered a lot of dishes. The food was very good. My favorites were a pork dish and a mushroom dish. During dinner, we played a fun game called Mafia (like wink murderer). If we go again next week, we'll post a picture.

Go Fish

Last week, I came home and found out that we had fish! For Saylor's birthday, she got 4 fish in a small tank, but they all died in a three-week period. We got this great,big tank from mom's Russian friend, Lena. Lena helped put the tank together and buy fish. The first time mom went to the fish market, she got tons of little blue fish, a shark look-a-like, shrimp and black skirts. The black skirts are really cute. They're zippy and always come to the front of the tank so we can see them. The Shrimp died the night that we got them so they're long gone.

The second time, Lanie and I went with them. We got some white and black sucker fish, elegant red fish that swim slowly but confidently, and some silver fish that have red strips. The fish market is full of little shops, some more expensive than others with the same product. There were tropical fish which were cool to look at, but we didn't get any because our tank isn't salt water. The fish market was stinky and icky (EWWW) but I think that's China. Oh well.

The filter can get really annoying at night but then again that's why it's in Saylor and Lanie's room, not mine.

Tooters are Here!

"The tutors are coming! The tutors are coming!"

I yelped after mom and dad announced that they found people to help us with our homework.

"Wait,"I said"Are they tooters or tutors?"

"Of course they're tutors."Mom assured me.

"When are they coming?"I asked.

"Well, tonight at six." Mom said.

"Oh,"I sighed,"Good!"

I was glad that I was getting help with the homework that I couldn't do.

And that's all Saylor wrote, since she spent all of her time changing the color of her font in this lovely narrative. We really did have a similar conversation (but I thought Coleman was the one that needed the clarification). We are happy to have April and Sean helping the kids with their mounds of homework four nights per week. Not only do they help with homework and language skill, but they are becoming good friends. The kids love spending time with them, and it seems to be reciprocated. They play Ultimate Frisbee every Saturday (see Coleman's blog) and even took first place in a competition in Beijing last fall. Sean has already graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering, and is looking for a job, while April (his girlfriend) finishes her degree. So, Saylor, do I really talk like that?

Eggstra, Eggstra Read All About It!

Last week was Easter, so we dyed Easter Eggs. My mom, Coleman and I went to an egg vender to buy eggs. The problem with dyeing chicken eggs here is that they are all brown. So, instead of only buying chicken eggs, we got different kinds of eggs. We got chicken eggs, duck eggs(that are greenish), and quail eggs (that are white with a black polka-dots and it are very,very small). Last, but not least, we found goose eggs which are white and SO big. We almost didn't get them because they were SO expensive. They were 50 cents U.S. a piece, but in China, they were 3 dollars a piece in Chinese money. We only got 4 of them. Then, we went home and after we had our work done we dyed Easter eggs! We were so happy to do it because we hadn't done it since last year (if you want to know, we're always happy when it is Easter). We found out that it was SO hard to dye them. We wished that we had Easter eggs that were all white, but we were lucky that we each at least had a white Easter egg. I saved my Goose egg for last. If you take a look at this next picture, you see that there is a blueish, purplish egg in the middle, that one is my goose egg. In the picture are the eggs that we blew. We had goose egg omlets for dinner. The rest of them were boiled. We saved the boiled ones for our family's Easter service. Every Sunday we have family time instead of church. In Portland, at our church we always did a Children's Moment and on Easter we always cracked a boiled Easter egg on our head and the kids said"Christ is risen" then the parents said" Christ is risen indeed". Then, we ate the eggs. We had a really fun Easter!!!!! Bye!!!!!!

To Market, To Market to Buy a Fat Hog

When I first saw these things in the meat market, I couldn't decide if I should try to scrub my brain or come back with my camera. The first picture shows chickens that have been blanched to remove feathers. It never occurred to me that chickens with black feathers might have black skin underneath! The second photo was more troublesome for me. I could not figure out what kind of animal had a tail that long. My imagination got the best of me as I guessed giant mutant rodent, monkey, alligator and even kangaroo. It turns out that it is nothing more than the tail of a cow. We see it in our grocery stores chopped up and labeled ox tail, and Mark reminded me that it makes great soup stock. That's a pig's foot to the left (but I'm sure you've all seen that before). Now that I am better informed, I think I will have to have a go...

Our Ship has Come In!

Well, technically it's been in for about three weeks, but was only delivered Thursday. Chinese Customs officials needed to examine the contents of 70 boxes of stuff we thought we couldn't live without. Certain items, like electronics and food stuff, will be assigned a certain tax based on their assessed values. (The "their" is the custom officials!). This seemingly random tax was the reason why we hand carried a suitcase full of American treats and did not bring any wine (the tax on wine is 300%!). Being separated from our belongings for 7 weeks (1 week in Portland and 6 in Dalian), has made me reconsider the significance of the contents. Dalian has almost every convenience of home at a fraction of the cost, but opening the boxes was like opening Christmas presents. There are things that we are really enjoying. We got the Easter goods just in time to celebrate our first holiday away from home (that's a blog for the kids). About 10 of the boxes were books, most of which I plan to leave here when we leave. I always have to have a good book, so I went to a used book store before we left and stocked up with 20 novels that I haven't read. The first month and a half, the only novel we had was the last of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, so Addison and I read it twice! The most used things from our shipment were for the kitchen. You need to be very creative to cook dinner with one pot, one knife and one cutting board, much like camping. The kids are also thankful to have Western silverware! Our apartment looked like it exploded with all the boxes and packing paper, but it is almost all put away now. We've decided that less is more, and if we ever do this again, we will bring less stuff (aka get rid of more stuff). Our mover in Portland kept encouraging us to bring more to Dalian because we only had a small space allotted for storage in the US, but ample space for our shipment.

I'm Only Here for the Food!

This lovely spread is from a restaurant that is owned by one of Mark's good friends from his first stay in Dalian 18 years ago. Early in the day, another good friend, Hongbo, took us out for a day trip to the coast, and I was still full from the huge Korean meal we'd eaten for lunch. I didn't know we were going to end up at this nice restaurant, and was embarrassed that I wasn't going to be able to eat very much. Once I tried the food, my full belly didn't stop me. Everything on the table was very spicy and made with high quality ingredients. I think at least 50 large chili peppers were sacrificed for this meal! Starting at the top and going clockwise: foie gras (I don't see the hype), a cousin of the crayfish, fried potatoes, pig's feet, a mushroom dish, boiled peanuts, vegetables with tofu, fish soup, pea dish, two pickled vegetables dishes. It the copper wok in the center of the table, two different courses were served. This one was fresh crab. Even though it was spicier than anything they'd tried, the kids still ate it. It was so flavorful, I could have just sucked on the shell and been blissfully happy! The last course of the meal was a spicy soup that they heated on the burner underneath. The kids really couldn't eat much on the table, but were each served a bowl of noodles or wonton soup.

Addison No2 - Illustrations of My Life

Once there was a girl who was walking down the street, not really knowing where she was going. Her tabby cat, Mr. Button, stopped her and asked her, "Where are you going?"

Of course she didn't know, so she answered," I truly don't know Mr. Button."

The tabby replied with a grin, "Why don't you go home and feed me?" His belly rumbled lightly because he didn't get fed in the morning.

The little girl quickly told the cat to go home and have her mother feed him.

(This is an example of a family not working together.)

Once there was a girl who was walking down the street, not really knowing where she was going.

Her tabby cat, Mr. Button, stopped her and asked her, "Where are you going?"

Of course she didn't know, so she answered, " I truly don't know Mr. Button."

The tabby replied with a grin, "Why don't you go home and feed me?" His belly rumbled lightly because he didn't get fed in the morning.

"That's a great idea!", the girl exclaimed, "you must be really hungry."

It is important to work together in a family to make things possible. It is also nice to help others with their needs. This is something I have been struggling with in China.

Gettin' Some Grub

I'd seen these in the open air market with the vegetables, so I was kind of hoping they were some exotic root vegetable. After much Internet research and inquiring, I could not find out its genius species (which bug) name, only that it's literal translation is cocoon pupa. Once they were served at a restaurant with Chinese friends, I felt compelled to try it, but really wanted the kids to experience it, too. Addison was the first to try and without any fanfare. Coleman would only eat it if I agreed to eat one, also. Saylor and Lanie could not be convinced. You put the whole thing in your mouth, but spit out the outer shell. The inside had the consistency of soft tofu. It had a strong earthy flavor, not bad, but nothing I needed to eat again. Addison and Coleman felt the same way. Mark is the bravest of us all, so I'm sure he ate his fair share.

Island of the Vast Deer

Today is Sweeping of the Tombs Day in China, which for us means a three day weekend. Our good Chinese friends (they live in our complex and the children go to the same school as ours) invited us to go with them to this remote island while they paid their respects to the grandfather who is buried there. We didn't know what to expect, but it sounded like an adventure. It was an hour taxi ride to the port and then an hour and a half by boat to the island. When we got there, a man in an army uniform raced up to us and demanded to know where the foreigners were from. He barked the response into his phone and ran away. We didn't know what to make of it at the time. We went to a mountain top Buddhist temple that overlooked the ocean. Next to the temple was a small (but very deep) lake that had been dammed up to supply water via an aquifer to the valley below. Because our friends go to this island about 3 times a year, they have made connections. They always use the same husband and wife taxi drivers while they are there. Our taxi driver, who took us around the island while our friends went up the mountain to the cemetery, wanted to take us to his home to meet his family. It is a huge honor to see rural Chinese families in their homes, something I had hoped for, but not certain the children would see. They had livestock and a large garden in their front yard. They all slept on wood beds (no mattress) that are heated with coals from the cooking fire. Our kids, especially Addison, made friends with the daughter.

This island relies on aquaculture for its livelihood. The island is completely surrounded by seafood farms about a quarter of a mile from the coast. At high tide, the men take their hauls from the floating farms to the shoreline. At low tide, the women go out and sort through the nets, with the large scallops, conchs, clams, etc. going to market on the mainland. We stopped to talk with two of the many woman hard at work. Even though this is a very tough life with long hours and little time off, they seemed to be content, with the task being social as well as necessary. When we showed up for dinner on Saturday night, we were surprised that others had joined our party. The father and daughter of our taxi driver were there as well as another man that I hadn't met. It became apparent during the meal that this other man was important, as everyone was taking turns toasting this man. Our host asked me to give a toast, but I had no idea who he was or what to say. I stuck with the generic "this island is so beautiful; the people are kind hearted; we'd like to come back again with our friends and family". During a break in the meal, Mark had a chance to fill me in. As it turns out, this man is the mayor of the island (so my toast was appropriate after all)! He wanted to be there to meet us (explaining the mysterious phone call at port), as we were the first foreigners to visit the island since before "liberation" in 1949. The kids were entertained by all the delicious seafood (separate blog) and of course, by each other.

Dragon's Layers

This beautiful fruit's literal translation is Fire Dragon Fruit. The inner skin is the brightest magenta I've ever seen. The white fruit, which is speckled with the small edible seeds, has a texture and taste similar to kiwi, but not quite as sweet. This was one of the fruits that Saylor requested on her birthday pizza. Who knew that such exotic things existed anywhere besides Dr. Seuss?

24 小时营业 from Coleman

Tonight we went to McDonald's for dinner. In this picture, I am watching boxing on TV. I used to get Happy Meals, but now I get Big Macs. My drink was supposed to be Sprite, but it was just club soda. Nobody believed me that my drink tasted funny. Finally, at the end of the meal, my dad tried it. All three kids who ordered Sprite got to get new drinks; mom and dad's were fine. My mom was laughing so hard when she tried our drinks that soda came out her nose! Can you guess what the sign says?

Alayna's Violin Recital

This has nothing to do with China, but I just figured out how to post video online. Alayna, age 9, performed in a recital in February, just before we left Portland. She was desperate to play the second violin part for "Concerto for Two Violins" 1 Movement by J.S. Bach (informally known as the Bach Double), but hadn't been able to get it together with her teacher (who played the 1st violin part). Her teacher and I tried to convince her to pick a different song, but she was determined to play this song or nothing. We added an extra lesson, and she devoted most of her practice time to this song. The day before the recital, she had a 45 minute rehearsal with the accompanist and never managed to play it all the way through, even though it was very good. The day of the recital, we met with the accompanist again for a 10 minute warm up and she nailed it. This performance is the result of her very hard work and perseverance. We are humbled by her natural talents and her easy going personality.

If the Shoe Fits...Saylor's Speech

Saylor was given the honor of translating for her class monitor during their school's Chinese Flag Raising Ceremony. Of course, she was the only candidate for the job in her class. It was a cold, windy day, so they were in the large art room (thus the huge busts of world famous artists in the background) instead of the playground where students assemble in rows and columns. Their speeches were broadcast throughout the school on a PA system. When Saylor's class lined up to go to the art room, I noticed she had on somebody else's shoes. Apparently, she was supposed to be wearing white (not periwinkle) tennis shoes. I asked the teacher about it, embarrassed that she might have forced another student to put Saylor's shoes on, but didn't get a clear answer (she just said it didn't matter). Although Saylor had amazing stage presence (thanks KK), others weren't so lucky. As the principle was giving her long speech about doing your best work, several students said their stomachs didn't feel well and needed to be excused. At first, I thought there was a stomach flu that was rampant among the 5th graders, but then realized that each child was supposed to have a turn at the microphone talking about Spring. They all did a great job, and I was so proud of Saylor!