Quick Trip to Beijing...

The trouble with pre-planning a weekend getaway?  Mother Nature often doesn't cooperate.

Recently, we had district conference to attend on Saturday afternoon, 

so we thought we'd throw in some sight-seeing in the morning. 

 Funny how Beijing, in traffic, in the rain, looks so much like Tianjin, in traffic, in the rain.  

 We brought one umbrella with us, just in case, 

but soon we had purchased 3 more, plus

two ponchos, from street vendors, as we entered the

Forbidden City.

I was impressed with how immense the place is, with courtyard after courtyard.

 Pretty amazing granite carvings.

Bright, intricate paint.

 And a light drizzle.

Papa Bailey and his ducklings...

 Boy was I surprised when we walked through one doorway

and into a forested garden. 

So beautiful.  So unexpected!

The path leads to a museum of porcelain

and we got to see Ming Dynasty stuff, etc.  

Now those names mean more to me.  Gorgeous vases, dishes, and statues!

 And just to prove that sometimes it stopped raining...

 And then it started again.

 I wonder if there is ever a time to see the Forbidden City without 2 million other people?

(And there were probably fewer people there than usual because of the rain.)

Or at least we'd like to go when our feet aren't cold and wet.

Pets. Etc.

When the pet discussion began, we knew dogs, cats, and any type of rodent (hamsters, gerbils, etc) were out.  Goldfish would be okay.

But suddenly, parakeets became the choice.

Especially when we learned that two birds, the cage and

the food came to just under $10.

 I'm okay with that.

They liven up the place, especially during the day when

I'm here by myself.

Even if they don't last, it has already been worth it.

 Etc.  

Ellie and Alice are going to a fall camp-out with their school; 

three days in the mountains.

Ellie came home with a bunch of old cardboard last week--

she'd volunteered to make the cue

cards for her group's skit.

Until I reminded her that we don't have our stuff--

what was she going to use for the lettering?

We brainstormed.  

Cut out paper letters and glue them on?

Wow, would that take a long time!

 We were going to Home Depot on Saturday anyway,

so we looked for paint.

No such thing as spray paint.

No pint or quart paint containers.

Only gallons--Behr Paint, $80.

Then I remembered that when we moved into the apartment,

there was a small plastic bucket with a brush in it, 

and something that looked like cream-colored paint--all wrapped up in 

an old grocery sack.  Yucky!

(They must have done some repainting in-between tenants.)

All we had to do was buy a 40-cent small brush.

And it worked well. 

 I was SO glad that I had resisted the urge to throw that messy bucket away (twice!).

Every once in awhile, my hoarding instincts actually pay off.

[And the weather this week has been clear, in the 70's, and the patio

has been a fun place to be!]

Getting to Know My Oven

With two international moves, and using two "foreign" ovens, I just have to ask the question,  is it really so hard to make an oven that heats to the temperature that it is supposed to?

At home (in Iowa), I let the bread raise in a warm oven, then

turn it up to 350, bake for 30 minutes, and the bread is perfectly done.

 China Bread attempt #1

 Golden brown on the outside, doughy in the middle.  Really, really doughy.

I ended up throwing it away.

Attempt # 2

 Someone lent me an oven thermometer.  

No wonder the bread wasn't baking right-- it was really only 250 degrees. 

(And yes, I did have the right conversion for Fahrenheit to Celsius.  180 C should be 350 F. 

 I have to set my oven at 200 C to achieve 350 F).

The oven takes 30 minutes to get up to 350 degrees.

And I should mention that working with a different yeast, I had put too much in.

It was too yeasty. I threw it away.

 Attempt #3

Right amount of yeast.

Finished raising the bread on the counter so the oven could preheat.

Got the temperature right.

And realized our oven bakes from the top.

The bread tasted good, but the top was too dark, with a thick crust.

 Attempt #4

Success!

Right amounts in the ingredients.

Put the baking shelf at the bottom of the oven.

Got the preheated oven just right.

And the family enjoyed fresh bread for dinner.

Now, I can't wait for my wheat mill for some 

whole wheat flour

and my own loaf tins! 

Spring Break, Texas-style

I was looking through my blog history and found several drafts that had never been published.  Don't know how that happened, but even though they had a date, they decided to act as if all were done today.
So I hope you don't mind a walk down memory lane!  

This is from Spring Break, March of 2010.

The memories are still great!

Alastair in Lily's kennel...

Soft, warm air so we can soak up the sunshine and enjoy Catherine's back yard.

Getting to know Dutch, the anxious dog (whom Lily did NOT like)..

And Catherine helping me figure out a cross-stitch pattern for our Young Women to use for a Virtue project...

It was a great spring break (though we missed Elizabeth, who was on a CRUISE to the Bahamas!)

Thanks for letting me walk through some memories.

It was a Happy Birthday!

November, 2006

Wow, another birthday has come and gone! We didn't even have birthday cake, because 1) I'd eat it--and I don't need to eat it and 2) wasn't it just 5 or 6 months ago the last time I had a birthday? That's what it seems like!

THANKS for all those cards and phone calls from around the world--it makes me feel special.


And thanks to my mom for a lovely blouse (faux brushed suede). How did she know I needed a solid-colored blouse for our choir number at stake conference?

Thanks, Catherine, for the fun DVD's (musicals + romance + comedy= my favorite genre!).

And a hug and kiss for Kevin for the under-the-cupboard CD player/radio. Now the big BLACK boombox can go elsewhere and not clutter up my countertop! I'm so happy!

Order! Order! Order!

Fall, 2009

I don't know what it is about fall that makes me want to declutter and organize, but for some reason I can be more ruthless right now in my decisions about what goes and what stays.

That faded, worn pillowcase set we've had since we were married? OUT!

And so on. Don't ask me to make these same kinds of decisions at other seasons of the year. That is when I turn into the hoarder... "but I might need these some day!" Or, "but they were given to me by one of my third graders back in 1976--I can't get rid of it!"

There you have proof that evolution is not true. If it were, I, like the squirrels and other animals, would prepare for winter by hoarding, not by taking sacks and sacks of things to Goodwill.

And oh, do my closets look nice!

Relaxation, Bailey-Style

Summer, 2008?

For some reason, sitting around and doing nothing has never been part of the Bailey lifestyle.

Volunteering at Tianjin International School...

A couple of weeks ago, I began volunteering at the girls' school, which has students K-12.

On Wednesday afternoons, the elementary students have "clubs" that they go to.  These are interest groups that enrich the school experience.  There might be a cooking class, or a science class,

or... a music club.

The only problem is, they didn't have a teacher for the music club.  The teacher is coming in January,

and the teacher filling in didn't know how to read music.

I just happened to be at the school when Diane found out about this need, 

and she volunteered on the spot, since she plays the piano.

Then she turned to me, and said, "you play too, don't you?  Let's do this together."

And so we have.

And we seem to make a good team.

 We work with the glockenspiel with the 2nd to 3rd graders.  

I've never done it before, but it wasn't hard and we've managed to keep the kids 

involved and happy.

 But then the 4th-5th graders wanted to do the hand bells.

I've SEEN hand bell choirs on TV.  That's as close as I've come.

So being handed several suitcases full of bells, with 

stickler rules about not touching the brass (hence the white gloves for everyone),

and we're working our way through learning 

how to use them.  It's tough when the 5th graders know more than I do about something, and they KNOW that they know more.   But we are actually making music.

And of course, there's no pressure. 

 Just a Christmas concert in December--but we only have to do one piece.

Another thing to mark in the category of "I never thought I'd be doing that..."

We're missing having a pet...

This move has been the hardest on Alice--at least as far as I can tell.  She was very attached to our dog Lily, hugging her as she fell asleep, talking to her when she had a problem, appreciating a little friend who was always there.

So it wasn't more than a week after our arrival when the questions began:  Can we get a pet of some kind?

What about a gerbil?  Or a rabbit?  A hamster?  A DOG????

In my travels around the city, I had come across a pet market--it happens to be part of the plant market as well, 

and it was the plants that I went looking for.

So, on a Saturday, we went to see it, and

 it was about as good as going to a zoo.

There were all kinds of puppies just wanting to be picked up and cuddled--but the shop keepers wouldn't let anyone not

 intending to buy to touch them.

There were cats and kittens, rabbits, hamsters, chickens, turtles--big and little, snakes, lizards--even a komodo dragon, baby alligators and tropical fish of every kind.

All the animals and reptiles were in small cages, and the fish were in dishpans on the ground.

Very chaotic but interesting!

And then we found the bird section.

 Whatever kind of bird you wanted, it was there.

Including the sparrows that looked like they'd just been captured, as

well as the magpies.  (Yes, there are magpies here in China.)

You can buy parrots and macaws, parakeets, love birds, canaries, ducks, geese, pheasants,...

And you can buy the food for them--

not some little pet store canister, but in bulk.  

Now the girls have their hearts set on getting a pair of parakeets. 

We're still thinking about this one.

We've a Holiday Today!

Today is a national Chinese holiday, Mid-autumn festival, a time to go out and look at the full moon with your family.  And of course, there are fireworks.  Any excuse is a good excuse to bring out the fireworks. 

We're just glad to have a day off from school and work.

  About a month ago, elaborate, expensive boxes started showing up in grocery store displays, and we were curious.  What are they, and what are they for?  The answer?  Moon Cakes.

 It is the tradition to give each other moon cakes for this holiday, and apparently, during the month leading up to the holiday.  

Our realtor gave us this box, containing 6 or 8 moon cakes.

(We later found out we should have turned in the gift to John Deere, since it is "influence".  Too late.  We'd already eaten them, or thrown them away.)

 Each cake is lovely to look at, but just about every cookie I've ever tried in my whole life is better than this,

including cheap store cookies.

The Chinese don't do dessert-type things very well.

The filling inside is typically red bean paste or a fruity paste (the type of fruit isn't really recognizable).

So moon cakes are really just the Chinese version of

fruit cake--looks a lot better than it tastes!

If I Only Lived Closer...

The chapel is located in a housing area originally built for Honeywell Corporation. 

 Individual 3-story houses.  Yards.  Space.

The yard for the house where we meet has been neglected.

Over the summer, most of the expats leave for home

and things kind of get left on their own.

What I wouldn't give for my own lawnmower, weed-whacker and some gardening tools!

Oh, and living closer would be nice.

And we just got word this morning that due to the typhoons over the past couple of weeks, our shipment is still out in the middle of the Pacific (hopefully still on the boat!),

and is due to arrive in port now on Sept 12.

But a friend just received their shipment this morning,

so I'm taking that as a good sign!

Meanwhile, every time I walk to the store, I

pick up a few more things to make life more comfortable.

Like some small rugs by the beds.  New plants to liven up the home.

Life is going well.

The Tianjin Expat Branch

The district presidency asked us to take some pictures on Sunday of our Tianjin congregation, to send in.  We were happy to oblige, because then we can have a record as well.  

Americans, Koreans, Taiwanese... all linked together 

by our membership in the LDS Church, and our foreign passports.

Our branch  (local congregation).

 The youth.  

I wonder what will happen next year when the 3 seniors leave for college?

 Our Primary.  

All the children are Korean, adorable, fairly loud during Sacrament meeting, 

and their English skills are limited at this point.

Our young single adults.  

There were two YSA sisters here, but they left a week ago.

 A couple of the men will only

 be here for another few months.  

The YSA tend to be here for education or to teach English,

as the four retired couples are here to do as well.

It is almost like a student ward, with a lot of people moving in and out,

 and only staying a semester or two. 

The branch presidency.

Kevin (2nd counselor), Pres. Baker, Bro. Ferrell (1st counselor), and Bro. Mower, clerk.

It is a good group and we are happy to be counted in!

Browser wars...

Last night, Kevin mentioned that when he read my blog on his computer, that the formatting was really strange--single letters down a column.  Catherine mentioned the same thing in her comment.  But when we opened my blog on my computer, the formatting was just fine.  Thanks, Justin, for alerting me to the fact that "Internet Explorer" views the blog differently than Chrome or Firefox.  I'm not sure how to fix the problem though.  I use Chrome for my browser.  

If one of you technologically advanced people wanted to help me out here, I'd be grateful for the info.  

Camp-out Cooking

September 5th.                                                  A date that has been circled on our calendars; the date that our shipment is supposed to arrive in port.  We keep finding out information that would have been helpful in the decisions we made before we left.  Like, the shipment isn't allowed to leave the U.S. until we have our residency visa, which is not to be confused with the entry visa.  In order to get the residency visa, you have to already be living here and have documents proving that, and I had to have a medical exam as well (it was a pretty easy one though--blood pressure, urine sample, eye chart, etc).  THEN, they send word that your stuff can begin the journey.  And we keep praying that everything will make it quickly through customs.  There are no guarantees as to when we'll get it.

In the meantime, we are learning to make do, and we purchase those things we really need to have.  Like spices.  Cooking is pretty difficult without something to add flavor.  So, although they were at least $4 a piece, they're worth it!   We've also bought a wok and a pot.  Somehow, we're able to do all our cooking in these two utensils. (And a tiny microwave oven).  I looked especially for a wok with a non-stick surface (it has to double as a fry pan for eggs and such), and one with a flattened area in the middle (for frying pancakes, tortillas, etc.)  And it has worked marvelously well!  It is a pan I will use even after our stuff gets here.  We've had a lot of wonderful stir-fry meals.  

One thing we're getting more used to is how eggs are purchased.  You can buy them  individually, in a plastic bag, just like apples or bananas, or you can buy them in a box, like the one above, and get 5 dozen at a time.  I chose the box.  I was walking home carrying the groceries, and didn't think many eggs would still be whole if I bought them in a sack.             Every day, I run into new things I can't do, or could do better if I had something out of our shipment.  I guess there really is a reason for shipping all that stuff!               

For instance, a rolling pin.  One day I thought to make burritos and had dough made for the tortillas when I realized I didn't have a rolling pin!  I don't have any round bottles.  No round glasses or cups, either.  Then I remembered the roll of plastic wrap I had bought--and had taken a frustrating half-hour to get the first usable piece off to cover a bowl of food.   Sure enough, it worked very well!  The cardboard tube inside is a very sturdy one, and the plastic wrap doesn't stick to the dough.  I might still use it even after our shipment comes!

And in the end, it's all about feeding my family and keeping them happy.

Success!  

A Clear Day

    We woke in the middle of the night yesterday to a powerful storm blowing through.  Lots of rain.  Lots of lightning and thunder.  And when morning came, the air was so clear and light.  The temperature was down to 63 degrees. That's the coolest we've experienced since arriving, and it felt SO nice.

     What a nice day to take some pictures of our view from our patio.

Lunch in Tianjin

     I have begun volunteering one afternoon a week at A & E's school.  Since it is a K-12 private school, they have need for helpers at all levels.  Another expat, Diane, lives in my same apartment complex and has a background in special ed; she will also be volunteering, even though she doesn't have children at the school.  (Hers are all grown up.) So we drive in together.
    Last week, as we met to discuss the different volunteer opportunities, a group of us went out to lunch, at "Aaron's".  Just walk down that sidewalk on the left, and there is a nice little restaurant that serves wonderful food.  The owner is Australian.  Some of the food is Thai. And some of the entrees have ingredients like SOUR CREAM--a commodity like most other dairy foods that is hard to come by here.  I had a noodle dish much like a stroganoff.  That was a pleasant surprise! (Sidenote:  not much milk here--cheese and butter are VERY expensive and sold only to foreigners.  But there is a LOT of yogurt--and it's really good--not as sweet as American yogurt.)

    The first three of us are John Deere wives, and live near each other. I'm the "youngest" one here, having been here only 1 month.  The fourth, Keli, has lived in China for 6 or 7 years, and lived in Sweden before that. She has a daughter Ellie's age who, although she is an American, has never lived in America.  She's not looking forward to the culture shock of living in her "home" country when she goes to college next year.
    We have found that so many of the expats living here have lived in another foreign land first.  I know I have found this culture easier to take since I had already learned to navigate amongst the French.
   I have really been grateful for the help the other women have offered who have been here longer.  There is a "we're all in this together" camaraderie, and I am enjoying it.