Chinese New Year--the Adventure Continues!

Everyone said, "You'll want to be here for at least one Chinese New Year, but once will be enough."

So we arrived here on Saturday evening, and New Year's eve was on Sunday. 

We observed the commencement of  festivities on Sunday morning on our way to church--

small clusters of people were setting off fireworks as the sun came over the horizon.

The reduction of traffic was very noticeable.  It was great!  (And has been all week!)

The Taiwanese in our branch only stayed for sacrament meeting and

we began to understand how big a day this is to them.

One of them was hosting a big gathering in the evening for anyone who wished to come--

food, fireworks, games.

We were too jet-lagged to want to go.  It was hard enough staying awake for church--my body kept telling me it was really night-time and I should be sound asleep.

Back at our apartment in the afternoon, we did get a nap,

in-between the pops and booms of intermittent fireworks.

Once dark descended, the din became more constant, building and building

until finally, Kevin and I decided to go out and see for ourselves, just before midnight.  

(The girls were too tired and tried ear plugs, but ended up with intermittent dozing).

We had been able to look out from our deck and count 6 or 7 different "shows",

just looking to the south.  These are fireworks purchased privately, 

though they are the same kind as displayed by cities back in the U.S.  

They don't seem to have the same safety precautions here.

(This was a string of firecrackers)

 One group was lighting fireworks right outside our building.   (No wonder we couldn't sleep!)

The colorful sparks were bouncing off the side of the high-rise buildings, and 

we were glad those buildings are cement stucco!

As we walked out to the street, it sounded like a battle zone. Seriously! 

Doing a 360-degree turn, fireworks were exploding in every direction.

 It was cold, so I had ear muffs on, and ended up putting my gloved hands 

over my ears as well because it was so LOUD!

The air was filled with smoke and the smell of sulfur and gun powder.

My heart pounded like we were under attack.  (And it took a while to calm down, which

made me wonder how I would handle it if it really were a dangerous situation.)

And the fun has continued all week long.

One morning, as Alice and I walked to the hotel to go swimming, firecrackers

started popping.  It was a string about 20 feet long, set off by the housekeepers. I know they are quite inexpensive--3000 firecrackers cost about $15. 

But then, many of the workers only make $500 a month, so they save up for this.

We used one day of this week-long vacation to go into Tianjin, to the drum tower street.

(That's the drum tower, behind A & E).  And it is appropriate that Ellie is covered by

the cotton-candy.  Somehow, she manages to get some on just about every outing.

We took the opportunity to sample a sugar-glazed red date treat from a vendor and found out the truth.

It looks better than it tastes.

The red dates were old--about the texture (and taste) of old crab apples

left on the tree over winter.  Only the birds appreciate them! 

 And I include the last picture as a snapshot of the China of today, in mid-winter--

• lots of high-rises under construction
• nearly-dead grass and dusty, dusty, dirty!
• hokey celebration pictures along with the traditional red lanterns (lots of red and gold at this time of year!)
• and a family of Americans wandering the streets.

It's good to be back!

Happy New Year!

A New Year and We're in America

January 10:  Two weeks here in America, and I have ambivalent feelings.  

I can't believe how easy it is to shop;  Hobby Lobby, JoAnne Fabrics,

WalMart, Albertsons.  You can find everything you need so quickly. 

 I wish I could take several suitcases with all the things

I might need--chocolate chips, maple syrup, etc.

So where does the ambivalence come in?  I miss China!  I miss walking 

to the places I need to go (except when it's really cold and then I use the driver).

I miss daily exercising and swimming.  I really miss being with the Chinese people.

How I love being able to drive my own car!  To be able to go wherever I want to

at the moment I decide to, is a special freedom.

I've loved being able to see all the grandchildren.  

(This picture is from last summer, and doesn't include the two youngest).

At first we all over-indulged in all the Christmas sweets and

good food--and felt physically terrible.  After 5 months with much less sugar in our diet

we've found that sugar isn't all that great.

We enjoyed a trip to Logan to visit Justin and Darcy,

spending New Year's Eve watching movies, snacking and putting together a puzzle,

after fulfilling one of Ellie's wishes--eating at Panda Express.  (For "real" Chinese food!)  We also had
the breakfast at Kneader's--all-you-can-eat pancakes or french toast with a caramel
syrup.  Sugar overload!  But the experience was worth it!

We drove (road-trip!) to Fort Collins to visit Ryan and his family.  The weather was very cooperative, with clear skies for driving--no mountain snow storms this time--and pleasant temperatures for outdoor activities.  How fast the days whiz by with little children around to read stories to and play with. 

Fort Collins is such a fun little town.  Pianos on the sidewalk to play with.

 And a fun ice-skating rink (and a $3 skate rental).  I worried about breaking a bone
or something, but enjoyed it.  Nothing like playing outdoors when you don't
have to wear coats or gloves.

We even had a bike ride and picnic in the park.  In January!

 And to prove that I was along with them, you have "The Shadow".

 

Ryan had a little accident while his family was visiting in Arizona.  While doing target shooting,

a fragment ricocheted and hit him in the neck.  Doctors determined it was too close to the artery to let it stay so he had surgery, and now has a nice 3-inch scar on his neck.  

We are all grateful it didn't penetrate the artery, and his life was spared!

After driving back from Colorado, Kevin had to leave to go back to
China--somebody in this family has to work, after all.

And we still have a few more days in the States.

It's a phone conspiracy...

Tuesday morning, 4 AM.  Soundly sleeping towards the 4:45 alarm for Kevin to get up and go exercise.  My alarm goes off at 5:30, but I'm usually just dosing after he gets up.

My phone is sitting on the desk, and a text comes in.  Chime!  I come up out of the fog of sleep--did my phone go off?  Then comes the reminder chime.  Yup.  it did, and it's just one of those Chinese ads that come and I can't even read.  That was the end of sleep for the morning.  Now the phone gets turned off at night!  Take that, China Unicom!

Wednesday morning, 1 AM.  The phone from the U.S. rings.  It's an unrecognizable area code, and a wrong number.  Okay, that's forgivable... sinking back into sleep when 10 minutes later it rings again.  Same person.  Now sleep is really gone.  I guess we'll just have to shut off the internet router when we go to bed.  I do not like ruining a night's sleep!  And two nights in a row has to be a conspiracy!

And Basketball Continues...

Recently, on the way to watch Ellie's basketball game, we drove through downtown Tianjin.

And yes, that is a Ferris Wheel--the world's largest that is built on a bridge.

We've not ridden it yet, and I don't know that I want to,

but the view would be great, on one of the 10 days each year when there is no smog.

 Ellie's team is doing well this season.  They've won all games except

one.  Last weekend in Beijing they had an overnight trip, playing one game on Friday evening

and one on Saturday morning.  They lost the evening game.

They play other international schools--BIS (Beijing Int. Sch), BISS (Beijing Int. Sch-Singapore; there were several Muslim girls on their team with long-sleeved shirts and leggings);

THIS (I never did find out the actual name, but it is a Chinese international school for the 

kids of the wealthy or government officials), and there are British schools, German schools, etc.

I had no idea how complex the international school scene is!

 Our school, Tianjin Int. (TIS), doesn't have a gym, so they contract with a nearby

Chinese school to use their gym.  The facilities are adequate, but there is hardly any heat, which the players don't mind, but the girls sitting on the bench wear their coats,

as do the sprinkling of parents who come to watch.

 And meet Mr. Zhang, our driver.   

 TIS won this game, in their typical manner.  By halftime, the score is 20-5, and 

the second string gets to play almost the whole second half,

with the final score 28 to 18 or so.  

Ellie pulls down rebounds.  She has shot a couple of 3-pointers.

She's scrappy on defense, getting some steals

or at least tying up the ball and getting a jump ball.

It's been fun to watch her develop, and

it's interesting that if she hadn't been required to take the extra PE credit

she would never have known how much she likes basketball.

Sometimes what looks like a setback turns out to be a blessing.

Something New (to us)

One great part of this Chinese Adventure is trying new fruit.

At least it is new to us.  I don't care for the dragon fruit.

But we have all decided that pomelos are a new favorite.

Maybe it's because they are so big--just like a grapefruit but huge, right?

 Not quite.  

The fruit is dense, and you peel it and eat it with your fingers.

Less juicy, but sweeter. We were SO surprised!

We are working our way through the several varieties, seeing what 

the difference in taste is, because the price runs from 50 cents a pound

to $2 a pound (in converted money and measurements).

So far, we can't tell much difference.

 Then, on the other end of the scale, are these little, tiny oranges.  I'm not sure what they are called, but they are cheap (this basketful cost less than a dollar), and so sweet.  Maybe they are the true "mandarin" oranges.  Except they are smaller than what I've seen in the cans.  They peel easily, with a very thin peel, and then the fruit is just a bite.  We love them!

 They go fast!

Cure for the Christmas Rush... Move to China

    Since we’ve moved to China I have the curious feeling that I’m on vacation.  I guess with my location being so different, it just feels like “vacation” is the right way to handle things.  Except I’m not, really.  I do have a church calling, but it doesn’t take as much time as my previous callings did.  I do have a family to take care of, but I have an ayi who does all the cleaning, washing, ironing, bed-making, bathroom cleaning, and keeping the place looking spotless, except on the weekends.  I do get to cook.  My days are pretty free, which is nice because it seems that there are frequents lunches to get to know someone who has just moved in or say goodbye to someone moving home.  So my stress levels are pretty low, and I have only had one minor migraine since moving here.  

Hmmm.  Maybe they WERE caused by stress.

     I have had a harder time getting caught up in the Christmas rush this year, and that’s good… and bad.

     Again, I don’t feel stressed—that’s good.  But I’m also not getting things done, and that’s bad.  No Christmas cards done, no shopping done (but there are some reasons for that—our internet has been abysmally slow the past half month and most of what I need needs to be done on the internet); no holiday baking, no bustle and rush, and although each year I decry the pace and wish to just slow down and enjoy it, somehow it just isn’t the same.  No “25 Days of Christmas” programming on TV to flip on and have a sappy Christmas movie going on in the background as I finish up a project or wrap gifts. 

    But I did get some baking done—almost by accident.  On Monday, I suddenly realized we ALWAYS do baking on the first Monday in December (if not before) in order to have goodies to take visiting teaching or to neighbors.  So just after the ayi finished cleaning the kitchen in the morning I got out the KitchenAid, plugged in the transformer (so I don’t burn out my machine on the Chinese electricity), and set about making Christmas cookies.  Our oven is small, but I’m not complaining (too much!) because most Chinese homes do not even have ovens—they do not bake anything.  So, it only fits one cookie sheet at a time, and baking two batches of cookies takes at least a movie to finish.  (I brought out my laptop, set it on the counter and put on a DVD). 

Then in the evening after the girls got home, we did the frosting.  Ellie had too much homework so she just listened in, and Kevin was in India on a business trip.   We watched the First Presidency’s Christmas Devotional on the internet as we decorated and added sprinkles.

They looked “just like home” and taste just as good.  (Alice took some to the Korean student she is tutoring and she thought they were too sweet).

Yup, that’s what the Chinese think of American cookies. They don’t like them because of the sweetness—and I have to admit, they are REALLY sweet.

 For the first time in many years, I made candy cane cookies.  It had seemed before that the two colors (made in separate ropes, then twisted together) easily broke apart and were less than satisfactory.  I accidentally solved that problem.  After the twist is made, roll the entwined rope again—the two colors adhere to each other better and form a smooth cookie.  And then, since we Americans like our cookies SWEET, we piped some frosting to outline. 

 I even made some chocolate Christmas molds.  In our shipment were some bars of really good chocolate--but being in a hot metal container in July just murdered them.  The chocolate is whitish and crumbly.  I experimented with the bar of orange pecan chocolate. I melted it with a tablespoon or two of butter, and it reconstituted beautifully! Then I put it in the molds to harden in the fridge. 

 Smooth and delicious!  

I'm glad to know all that chocolate isn't worthless after all.