Most Recent Happenings!

It's been almost a week since I last posted, which is rare, but I have a very good excuse! I've been sucked into the Twilight saga and I can't stop! My mom is very smart and knows me oh so well that she basically forbid me to begin reading the books this summer. I am obsessive when I find a series I enjoy and I don't stop reading until I am finished. Thus far I have completed the first two books and I am going to try to take a break until next week when Danny is in the US! I'm sure the third book will keep me busy for a couple of days and sleepless nights!!

Here are some of our most recent tales...

I ended last week with a stye in one eye and a nasty sinus infection, and then was lucky enough to have a cold sore pop up on Sunday - it always happens at once!!

Ellie and Coop both have colds due to the changing seasons!

The weather has changed here - the humidity is nearly gone!! Yippee!! We are still enjoying very warm days (almost 90 today), but it is dry heat so I can handle it!!

Eensie is beginning to read - I honestly cannot believe it!! This was one of my favorites things to witness when Ellie was in kindergarten - the process is truly amazing and this time around it is even better. Ethan's teachers are pros at their job and they seem to know when to push and when to pull back. Eens loves books and reads at least 2 emergent reader books to me nightly! I am so excited for him!!

Coop has two "best" friends at school. After going through last year spending most of his time worrying about when mommy was picking him up, it is a welcome change to kiss his excited face in the morning when he is going to school!!

Ellie has discovered an addiction to the internet (hmmm...I'm thinking she may have her mommy's obsessive issues). She spends most of her time composing e-mails on her new account!! I have to admit that I love waking up every morning to read her sweet notes! Then this afternoon I was talking to her about barbie.com and she mentions that she has friends on there - needless to say, she doesn't anymore. I spent a good chunk of my afternoon going over internet safety with her. I can't believe I have to be worried about that at the age of 7, but it looks like I do!

Danny and I spent our first night out since we returned, at the European Chamber dinner on Friday night. It was an interesting night with a bit of dancing and lots of laughs!!

On Saturday my neighbor and I had to march right over to the Sheraton when a guest at a wedding being held in the garden decided that our pathway would make a good restroom. All of our kids thought it was hilarious - all of the adults thought quite differently! Once again, a bathroom was available less than 100 yards away!!

It is amazing to me how different we perceive "normal" this year - our daily lives are now our "normal", which unfortunately means I miss some of the cultural differences that amazed or terrified (take your pick!) me last year!!

It's Starting Already...

Yesterday we received word from very good friends that they will be finishing their assignment in December - 6 months earlier than planned. I was not prepared by the wave of emotion that struck me by the news. I knew coming into this year that we would have a lot of good-byes to say at the end of the year due to the "3 year cycle" and the fact that a lot of our friends were on year two last year. However, I was not prepared to be so upset by our friends leaving.

When we first decided to come on an expat assignment I thought privately in my mind that I would spend three years enjoying my family, travelling, learning another language, and meeting people from all over the world. I did not envision deep friendships as part of the equation. I just assumed that because I knew this was "temporary" I would save myself from the pain of eventually saying good-bye. I've had to do that too many times. For those of you who know me well, you probably aren't surprised that deep friendships have become one of the most important parts of this experience for me. A really good massage would not be nearly as fun if I didn't have someone to tell about it, and who wants to go haggle your way through the silk market alone, and who else understands this crazy, backwards country that we are living in better than our dear friends. I now realize how deep I already am in my friendships here, so this year I plan on loving, supporting, and celebrating these friends and our time here in China!

I am blessed and I am thankful for the friends we have in our life, and instead of good-bye, we will use, until we meet again!!!

Winnie the Pooh in Chinese

On Saturday we took advantage of some quality theater here in Tianjin by taking the kids to see Winnie the Pooh Live! I had a hunch that it would probably be in Mandarin, but when we got to the theater I had a bit of hope that just maybe it would be in English when I saw that it was a "real" Disney production and that some of the actors on stage were foreigners! My hopes were diminished when Mickey and Minnie came out speaking the sweetest Mandarin I have heard!! Thankfully we are 14 months into our time here (not that we're counting - hehe) because if this had been last year, we would have left - there would have been no point staying because we wouldn't have understood a thing! This year, thanks to Danny's intense Chinese studying, we got the gist of the show and I could even translate some of it for the kids! I can listen and understand much better than I can speak!

The kids loved eating popcorn and cotton candy. I even got over the fact that I could only understand every other word and was enjoying myself until I got pulled back to reality that yes, we were still in China. About halfway through the first part of the show, a mother or grandma lifted up her little girl and took her down the aisle where no one was sitting and allowed her to squat and relieve herself right in the theater. Dan and I both looked at each other and hoped she was squatting to look for something. Immediately when the lights went on during intermission, I had to have a look for myself. Sure enough, there was a puddle right there on the nice floor where everyone could walk through it. There are a few things that cross my mind when I see things like this, especially when there is a very clean restroom less than 50 yards away.

We didn't tell the kids about the little incident, but we were very clear that shoes must come off immediately when walking through the door!!

Open House

This morning our school had an open house for nursery through grade 5! It was held in the morning, which was very different than what we are used to in the US. Even though Danny couldn't go, I thought it was well attended and very organized. Because it was during the day, it seemed more natural for the kids - they are used to being there, the only difference was there were a lot of parents walking around! Also, I think because most of us rely on drivers and live about 20 - 30 minutes from the school, nighttime activities are not very easy to participate in - this was much easier! I love every opportunity I get to go to school and be with El, Eens, and Coop - I am always overwhelmed with pride and grateful that we have such a wonderful school available to us!

We began the morning with a short assembly. Our director gave us a brief update on new swine flu procedures, which are basically what I put in a previous post. He also informed us that a 7 day mandatory home quarantine may be in place when we all return from October holiday. This basically means that my kids will miss 8 school days because we are already planning on pulling them out for 4 days to extend our holiday! Eeeee...that'a a lot of school to miss, but I keep telling myself that part of the reason we wanted to go overseas was to allow the children to experience different cultures. How can I deny them a beach vacation in a different county??!!!

After he spoke, our principal introduced all of the elementary teachers and support staff. It was amazing to look around and see how many teachers are necessary to run an international school. We have our Chinese teachers and aides in each class, we also have a French and German teacher, and then we have many teachers who support the ESL program because many students come to school speaking very little, if any English! I have been amazed to talk to some of the kids this year that did not speak any English when they arrived last year, and now they are little motor mouths - it is a wonderful reflection of our teachers!

After the assembly I went to El's room where she was armed and ready with her checklist in hand. She took me around her classroom and showed me what she is working on. Since they have only had 2 weeks of school, there really wasn't that much to see, but I could tell she enjoyed showing me her new room!

El and I then went to Eensie's room. That boy can concentrate so well - there were a lot of people walking around his room, but he was completely focused on cutting out his ants, he didn't even realize El and I were there!! His Chinese teacher complimented him on how mature and focused he was for being in kindergarten - I wish he could be that way at home! Eens totally took control of our tour. He took us through his classroom and then all over the school. I can tell that he feels like a big boy!

Cooper was next on the list, and in true Coop fashion, he was the last one at the table finishing his snack. I'm beginning to think that he thinks it is a requirement to eat everything in his snack bag and lunch box. I keep adding more food thinking he cannot possibly finish it, but everyday all containers are empty!! Apparently he is a growing boy! In Coop's room I played with him a little and he made me a delicious sand hamburger and pink lemonade! When it was time for me to leave, he went off on his taxi (aka tricycle)!

Bye, bye mommy! Have fun at your 3 hour lunch with your girlfriends!!

Following in mommy's footsteps...

I was so proud when I came up to the boys' room tonight and saw this...

Ellie loves to read to the boys and lately she has wanted to pretend to be the teacher! Tonight Eens got a bit of homework..."If you get a free minute, you might want to look this book over again and study the picture clues!"!!

Back to school again!

We basically started from square one on Tuesday when our school was permitted to reopen the doors after 10 days (including weekends) off for the H1N1 flu. They have placed a few more precautions in place to help curb another outbreak from occurring. Everyone coming into the school will continue to have their temperatures checked upon entering and then they must use hand sanitizer. The school has also purchased thermometers for every student and two more temperature checks are performed during the day and reported. If at any time a student is discovered to have a fever at school, they are sent home and may not return to school for a mandatory 7 days. I have packed hand sanitizer in my kids bookbags and their lunch boxes to help remind them to wash their hands!!

El, Eens, and Coop were eager to go back to school, but it truly did feel like day 1! El forgot all of her homework that she had worked so hard on during the time off, Eens hesitated at his classroom and gave me the sad eyes, and Coop just let it all go with a kicking and screaming fit (which was all for mommy because the minute I was gone, he was off playing with his friends)!! I missed them terribly the first day back. Although it was hard work, I liked being directly involved in their education and I think in a way it was a very positive thing. I've noticed this week that I can ask specific questions about what they are learning because I have a better understanding of what the teachers are trying to teach right now. So, although many people might think that it was a wasted week, I would beg to differ, I loved the time with my kids and I feel much more involved than I ever have in their schoolwork.

This was an interesting article I ran across this morning regarding schools and H1N1...
China to Punish School Officials Over Swine Flu
http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1047004&lang=eng_news

They take the swine flu very seriously here and many locals continue to be extremely scared. On Tuesday all my ayi could talk about was SARS and how scared she was about that. Thankfully H1N1 does not seem to be nearly as bad as the SARS outbreak, but I can understand how after living through that fear, you automatically think it is going to happen again. Also, I learned this week that although the government is allowing most foreigners to quarantine themselves at home if they test positive, the locals continue to be quarantined in the hospital for 7 days, another reason to be scared.

Renovated Water Park

On Sunday Dan and I took the kids to the "renovated" Water Park in Tianjin. Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for the renovation - it had been done rather quickly, but we were pleasantly surprised. We had taken the kids to the park on the Saturday after we arrived last year and it was pretty dirty. This year, it was clean, vibrant colors were everywhere, and it was so nice to see loads of people enjoying this lovely outdoor space! The only problem I found with the park was that none of the water features or fountains were working...oh well, one step at a time!!

One of my favorite things to do when we were out and about is to observe the locals. This gentleman was leading a small group of instruments and some singers. It seemed rather impromptu, which made it all the more amazing because they were really good and very flexible! We also watched a bit of dancing during our visit.

Eens continues to want to ride in one of these paddleboats. I'm really hoping that these are the next thing to get a little renovating!