It's Been a Tianjin 48 Hours!

My girlfriend Karen texted me the other day saying that she overslept and took her girls 1 hour late to school, her breadmaker broke, and she was still suffering jet lag - it was a Tianjin morning!! She has taught me that those days that just don't go as planned can simply be chalked up as a "Tianjin day". Well, I have now had a "Tianjin 48 Hours"!!! I'm hoping that as I type, some of the stress will fade away and I might just find some humor in the last 48 hours!!

It all started off with the piano. I thought for sure that when you make a large purchase, you should be able to use a credit card. Nope - cash or Chinese bank debit card only!! Okay, I knew we had about half of the amount of cash I needed in our safe, I would just need to take out the remaining from the ATM. No big deal, we have a daily limit of the amount of cash we can take out, but it is fairly high and I knew I would still have a teeny bit left over!! WRONG - when they sent me my new ATM card (after my wallet was stolen in November) they must not have increased the limit on the amount of cash I could take out in a day. No problem though, Danny will go and use his card and we will solve the problem. Well, apparently I can no longer add because when he came home with the max, I was still 300RMB short. Up to El's room I went to find her purse - yes, I took money out of my daughter's purse to help pay for the piano - she is the one taking lessons!!!! I found the amount I needed and told myself that it was no problem because the next day I would be able to take out more cash and all would be fine. Nope again - while in Beijing I went to 3 different banks/ATMs and all said that I had reached my daily limit of 0 RMB - well duh!!!! I kept my positive attitude and reminded myself that I could simply call the bank that night and have them fix the problem.

I have to add in here that before the dentist, we had dropped Danny off at the headquarters in Beijing and he was not coming home until Saturday. I must also remind you that all of these transactions and interactions with sales and service people have to be done in Chinese - which only adds to the frustration!!!!

Back in Tianjin, I tried one more time unsuccessfully to obtain money. All I needed was 10 measley RMB to pay for Coop's art supplies at Gymboree the next morning. I kept reminding myself I could call the bank at 9:30pm. I got home, continued to think positively, blogged, read, and at 9:30 I tried to log into Skype - no connection. Yes, my internet connection was down. Here I am, alone, in China, no money, no internet - I really wanted to cry!!! I never realized, until the internet was down for almost 24 hours, what a clutch it is for me. I can always look online and read the headlines, facebook, blog, e-mail, look at People.com, anything to make me feel a little closer to home - but I couldn't and I have to say I was a bit lost!! Thankfully, we sort of fixed the problem with the internet - no wireless at the moment, but that's not a big deal!!

Finally yesterday, I was able to obtain 1,000RMB (about $140) which is more than enough to sustain me until Danny gets home! What a hassle though!! Maybe we should just open a bank account here, but I really don't want to - lack of trust!!

It's funny how the internet and money can really mess up a day - I guess I can say having no money and no connection to the world (okay - I'm exagerating a bit) was a lesson in humility for me!

Also, in this time period, my toilet got clogged, there is now a hole in one of my walls, and my cell phone ran out of minutes so it is now dead - all this in 48 hours!! I'm ready to go to sleep and wake up to a wonderful day!! Oh, wait a minute - I have to take the kids to get shots at 9:00 in the morning! We may have to extend this to a Tainjin 72 hours!!

Miss you all greatly!! And truly we do have so much to be thankful for - we are together, safe and healthy, and we do have a new piano!!!

Beating the winter blues!

Yes, it is cold here - finally!! Up until now, I found the weather to be quite mild and warm actually for winter. Since we've returned from the US, it's been cold - a dry, windy, brutal cold. Danny informed me the other day that we are, according to the lunar calendar, in the coldest 9 days of the year. Ah yes, he has converted to the lunar calendar - his Chinese genes are shining through!! So, I guess in the next few days it should warm up - I'll let you know!!

Anyway, to beat the boredom of being stuck inside this month, we are all addicted to the Wii!! We particularly like Mario Kart!! Coop begs for it throughout the day, to the point where we now have restrictions for him on how much he can play. And no, I didn't just put the restrictions out there so he can't practice and beat me a few more times - it's for his own good, really!!!! Above you can see Coop during a practice session and then below, Eens is studying the instructions. They have been playing Uncle Michel wirelessly on the DS (we're a little addicted to that too - same game though!!) and they are all convinced he is cheating!!

Hope you are all staying warm!! It will eventually be spring!!!

Girl's Day!

Ellie and I had a rare treat today and spent the day together. I decided that she needed to go to the dentist because it was time for her six month visit and she has lost most of her baby teeth and her adult ones are starting to come in. I'm anal about teeth, so I decided that I should get a check up too! We drove with Danny to Beijing to go to a dentist I found through United Family Hospital, which is the hospital preferred by most expats in Beijing. Danny had to go to a meeting at headquarters, so we had a quick lunch with him and off we went to Sunyi, an expat area of Beijing. Of course, I organized this trip around going grocery shopping - how perfect, the dentist was right next to Jenny Lou's!!

The first thing El said when we parked in the strip mall was, "Mom, everything is written in English!!". I think it is surprising for El when she can actually read the signs and the store names. Most are written in Chinese, so we basically have no clue what lies behind the doors!! We went to the dentist office first and filled out a gajillion papers, and, just to make sure I understood, I signed "the I am financially responsible" paper about 10 times!! We were called back promptly at 1:00 and were happy that the room was clean and had modern equipment. The only real difference I found throughout both of our appointments was that the dentist actually did the cleaning! Ellie asked me to go first. They used that high pressure water cleaning device (have no idea what it is called, I just know I don't like it). I really don't like getting my teeth cleaned, so she sat there and watched me wince occassionally. By the time it was her turn, she started crying and begged the dentist not to use the sprayer - I don't blame her!! He said he doesn't use it on children and she ended up having a wonderful appointment. He was very gentle and explained everything he was going to do before he did it! My overall impression was that it was a very clean, professional office and we will definitely go back - next time with the whole family!!!

After our appointments, I tried with no luck to retrieve money from the ATM (I exceeded my limit yesterday buying the piano!!!). I was hoping that Jenny Lou's would accept my Visa, and thankfully, they did!! Ellie took forever picking out cereal - it was ALMOST like a US grocery store with half an aisle devoted to cereal! She is used to choosing between 2 or 3 different kinds, so imagine having about 30 in front of you! I splurged on Bounty paper towels - about $4 per roll, but so worth it!! We loaded up on snacks for our trip next week and for Ellie to eat on the way home! She was so cute, she kept asking how many minutes it had been since her flouride treatment. She knew she had to wait at least 30 minutes before she could eat!

I used my last bit of money (40 RMB) to buy a grande vanilla latte - I cannot leave "mini America" (as Jen calls it!) without a Starbucks!! We had a lovely ride home watching the sunset against a perfectly clear sky!! I know it was only a trip to the dentist and some grocery shopping, but I will take whatever alone time I can get with my daughter!!

I've got proof!!

Too funny - today as I was using the restroom (clean, "western style" restroom) at the dentist office, this sign was hanging up!! Perfect for the blog to prove to everyone that the post I wrote yesterday is in fact very true!! Hehe!!!

That's the way they do it!

In a previous post, I wrote about how I thought that the air pollution and the smoking would be the two things that would be most irritating to me while here in China! I've changed my mind after being here about six months...the two things that I find a bit difficult to digest are the driving (it has driven Eens to carsickness) and the toilets and bathrooms! Let me explain!!


The other day, I was with my ayi and driver on our way to the post office to pick up a package from my mom! The two of them got into a little tiff, while we were sitting in the middle of the road, about the best place to park, because neither of them think it is proper for me to walk more than two steps out of the car! In the meantime, I'm watching this car come directly at my side of the car at full speed. In the end, both cars honk at each other, pretending that they each had the right away and drive on as if nothing happened - I'm sitting in the back thinking I almost got crushed and no one really cared. Driving in China is dangerous, but what can we do.


There are also no seatbelt or carseat laws in China. We always use the carseats (unless on our way to Sunday lunch with Jen and Kevin) in our car, but when we are in the taxi, the kids have learned to sit without even seatbelts on. Of course now, the kids would much rather ride in a taxi than our car because they don't have to wear seatbelts!!! I love the US rules of the road!!! One year ago, I never would have allowed this...
Yes, there are 10 people in a minivan fit for 7!! Life in China....

My next complaint are the bathrooms and hygiene practices that are in place here. The bathrooms, you all know, usually contain a squat potty. You stand, there is no sitting and do your thing. Ellie and I continue to avoid public restrooms. The boys love the squat pottys and Coop gets mad when there is a regular potty. I have decided that this is one reason why God thought I should have the two boys - life is much easier in China with two boys going to the potty!!!

The next part about bathroom etiquette is a bit gross, so if you have a weak tummy, you may want to quit reading now!!

Most public toilets are unable to accept paper down the drain, due to the plumbing apparently, so the Chinese simply wipe and throw away the toilet paper in an open garbage can in the stall. It is really too much for me to handle - the smell, the sight, too much. So the other day, I was getting on Cooper about wiping his tushy when he went to the bathroom and he kept telling me he did wipe. I didn't see any toilet paper in the potty, instead, I found it in the garbage can beside the potty. He's apparently becoming a local!!!

Welcome, Our Newest Addition!!

It has been months in the making, but we finally have a wonderful seperate dryer in our laundry room!! Our ayi is so happy - imagine trying to wash a family of fives clothes, towels, sheets in a teeny washer/dryer where about 5 items fit and each load takes 2 hours. She spent all day attempting and usually failing to get the wash done! We are all happier and love the fact that we can now use dryer sheets!! It truly is the little things that make life a little easier here!!

A Thoughtful Gift

This year for Christmas, Danny and I decided not to exchange gifts, instead we decided to buy things in Hong Kong that we wanted! It's really difficult to find something here and it would take a lot of time to find something meaningful and special! Time, that I just didn't have this year. Apparently my sweet husband had a little extra time on his hands because he gave me this beautiful limian(inside) painting with the kids middle names on it. All of our kids have Chinese middle names...Ellie Ling(meaning tinkling pieces of jade), Ethan Wen(meaning cultured), and Cooper Li(meaning strength). Danny worked with his assistant to figure out the correct characters for each of their names! I know it took a lot of time and I am so thankful for this very special gift!