The Wedding

Nicole and Chris got married on December 6^th in the town of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. What a great time for all of us. Bill, Derek and I left China on December 2^nd. We left our apartment at 630am to catch the train from Nanjing to Shanghi. From the Shanghi station we had to taxi to the Pudong Airport which took two taxi’s to get us and our luggage. Bill seemed to think that it would only take one but the drivers had no interest in creative packing of our suitcase so two it was. No biggie. I didn’t double check all the flight information so we extremely early, Bill said the flight was United at 3pm. It was actually American at 6pm, we spent a long afternoon in the Shanghi Airport, advice to future travelers – don’t do this. Our flight was uneventful, a little sleep and a couple movies, 13 hours of dull. We arrived in Chicago at 500pm, but our bodies told us it was 7am in China, Dec. 3^rd – 24 hours of travel.

We had a 12 hour layover in Chicago were we meet up with Nicole and Chris, Warren and Teena, Jeanelle and Uncle Dicky, Andrew, Kimmers, plus Rob and Journey. It was a dinner at the hotel and a 330am wake up call. Into the freezing morning we all go – back to O’Hare, next flight to Miami. I am exhausted but excited about seeing Travis and his girlfriend, Areka. Land in Miami and find the rest of our traveling group. Danie and Chad, Travis, Areka, Scott, Patty, Lindsey and Kayla, the gang is all here. Quick snacks and then back into yet another plane, next stop, Punta Cana. I am a little delirious by this time, sleep deprivation and vodka does not mix. By the time we landed in the DR, my body clock was going on 48 hours of travel. I don’t know if I am coming or going.
Customs was a cake walk and the travel group met us at the airport, loaded us on to the bus, let the games really begin. The resort was beautiful. Lush and green, water features everywhere, statues of various Caribbean gods and goddess. I love this place, The Paradisus.
The next few days were filled with fun on the beach. The sun is blazing, the drinks are frosted and the food was great. It is so nice to sit on the beach beds, listen to the waves and just be in the moment. Derek got to do many of the things that he had requested parasailing, boogie boarding, golfing, speed boating. Some of the group went horseback riding, brave girls, lots of bruises but they all had fun.
Sat. was the wedding, what a perfect day. Weather was spot on, sunny and 80, the wedding started at 4 on the beach. Nicole wore a white dress in a Grecian/Roman style. The bridesmaids wore complementing styles in white and clover green. The groom wore white linen shirt in a panama cut over tan linen pants. The groom’s men wore sage green colored linen shirts over tan linen pants. All the party and guest were barefoot. Everyone looked great. The three piece band was softly playing in the background as the service begun, I was walked down the aisle by Derek, followed by Chris’s parents, then the bridesmaids, Journey, Kayla, Kim and followed, Lindsey, the matron of honor. Finally, our bride, Nicole was walked down by her father, Bill. Such a heartwarming site, the band played the bridal march as they entered through the gazebo to the beach. Teena, Nicole’s grandma, was the officiate to the service.
After the ceremony, snacks were served at the gazebo as the three piece band played for the guest. Photos were taken on the beach and I am most eager the see the results. Once photos were done we all loaded into the trams for a ride to the front for the bus that awaited us for the ride to the marina. The reception as on a two layered catamaran, the captain met us at the shore to ferry us to the boat, were the crew was eager to help us get settled for the wonderful meal they had prepared. The boat went out and cruised the coast line while dinner finished. The dinner was a surf and turf theme with lobster, prawns, mahi mahi, chicken and beef kabobs followed by the cutting of the cake, which was three tiered in white with tropical floors. Classic and beautiful. In addition to the wedding cake we had a second cake for the day was also Warren’s, Nicole’s grandfather, 70^th birthday. Happy Birthday Warren!
After dinner, the crew took a few moments to reorganize the lower level for dancing…..as they cruised us back to the shore. Everyone went to the lobby bar for drinks and more dancing. What a great way to finish a wonderful day.

More to come……..

Tradition: Stuck in Elevator or Not.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday. Our China Family spent a weekend trying to hold true to our stateside family traditions. However, living in China makes for more of a challange but I think overall we prevailed. Friday we followed Tammy's family tradition of heading out to the bar for pre-turkey cocktails. Tammy is from a small town in Wisconson, her clan typically would all arrive a the day before the holiday so going to the local supper club/bar was the town reunion. All those folks that you haven't seen since the previous holidays - classmates, cousins, teachers and preachers all would meet at the tavern to exchange stories, show of the new boyfriends/girlfriends and babies.
Bill and I are very familiar with this story as his family has some of the same traditions. Plus also keep in mind that that this time of year is mid-hunting season and deer camp is going strong. Most of the men folk will only come out of the woods to head to the tavern. Go figure.

Our friday night begun with a meeting at the Sheraton downtown. There is a nice Irish Pub on the fourth floor called Danny's. Tammy is married to Chris, who though born Dutche, was raised in the UK and also lived in the US. He seems more British than anything so we have labeled him - Our Token Brit. Catherine joined us there, she is from Austrilia, single and hilarious. Catherine is also the GM at the Sheraton, nice to have friends with good connections. She knows the best tailors, hair stylest, etc. Bill and I meet up with these folks for cocktails and munchies. The band started at 9 and the next thing you know it is midnight, the band was fun, the drinks were tasty and it was time to go. Bill, Chris, Tammy and I wander into the elevator and head down the main floor. The door opens and slams closed. Holy shit, we are stuck in the elevator.....

I kid you not. We are stuck in the elevator. I am cannot breathe. Not due to clastraphobia but due to laughing so hard I think I am going to pee my pants. We hit the buttons, nothing. Emergancy button, nothing. Oh my God. I am stuck with three very intoxicated friends. Still laughing. We call Catherine remember it is great to have good connections. Catherines reponse - yeah, I get right on that. Several minutes later - still in the elevator. Call Catherine again, we are on it......at this point all four of us are sprawled on the floor coming up with one liners.

I don't know how long we were in there. Felt like forever, reality was more like 10-15 minutes. The door is pried open and there stand four Chinamen. I would have gave anything to know what was going through their mind as they open the door to four whitie's reclining on the elevator floor, all but singing drunk.

Catherine is working to get me the security tape of the elevator - great connections and not going to put this down as a NEW TRADITION!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

I know that I have been absent. I apologize.
Live is hectic at the moment.
No holiday rush for us this year.
China not big on the whole Christmas Consumer Trauma.
Celebrations are in the mix though, Nicole and Chris are getting married soon.
The plans are complete.
The bags are being packed and the excitment is starting to buzz around us.
So thank you for your patience.
I promise big tales to come but right now my focus is on our daughter and her day.

The photo that accompanies this is from a town called Xibi or is it Xidi.
I will figure that out later. The community is near the Yellow Mountains.
Bill, Derek and I spent the weekend in that area a couple weeks ago.
Day of hiking in the Yellow Mountains was amazing. I have photos to post.
My legs were killing me the next couple days but worth every stab of pain.
The second day was spent traveling to two small communities. The first was quaint but
not awe inspiring like Xibi. This is a pond filled with the largest koi I have ever seen.
The pond is in the middle of the town with small channels feeding in and out of the area.
Like a mini Venice. I will post more photos of the area. It was a delight and has really made
me eager to see what more secrets China holds to discover. Oh, the filmed Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon here.

Winter is whispering to the folks of Nanjing.

We have had our first cold snap and it is invigorating. I love the crispness to the air, the kiss of the cold air on the tip of my nose. The air is clear for the first time since I arrived. Smog is gone and I can see for miles. Well, I could see for miles if not for the thousands of buildings in my way. With the weather being so inviting it was time for a long walk in our new city.

Bill and I went out all day Saturday strolling through the streets of a part of town we had not explored. This aimless wandering is becoming our favorite passage of time here in Nanjing. We take a taxi from our apartment to a familiar area and then strike out in one direction and see what we can find. Our journey this weekend started at Hunan Lu, a shopping district that leans toward the higher end and many restaurants representing many different cultures and nationalities. Typically we stay away from the retail areas as the true treasures and bargains are found the in small alley’s with the mom and pop stores.

One this crisp morning we first stumbled upon an open air market. Fresh takes on a whole new meaning here. The fish are not on ice they are alive and swimming in large buckets. Beside the fish you can find an assortment of other edible treats to include, bull frogs, eels, crabs, turtles, shrimp and mealworms. Normally next to the “seafood” is the poultry area; ducks, chickens of various breeds, dove and pigeons. I avoid this area as much as possible, I am not a vegetarian and I love me some fried chicken but I cannot stomach that area. Most food markets also have many stalls of processed meat. Most of the time you can see the cuts and recognize it for pork or lamb, however, a couple things that were not so easily categorized and I am pretty sure there was some canine on the menu. I was told that the Chinese do eat dog, no surprise there, however, they traditionally only eat it in the winter. Some mystical tale is that if you eat dog it will help keep you warm. Needless to say, I will not be trying out this form of winterization. The rest of the market was full of the most beautiful and perfect fruit and vegetables. Watermelon is grown yearly in hot houses, it is a staple for most Nanjingers. There are wonderful tangerines right now, honey pomalos (I am really addicted these), bananas, apples of every color, mangos, dragon fruit, grapes, many nuts and dried fruits. The veggies are wonderful and many I cannot even begin to identify. Onions, leeks, tomatoes of many sizes and colors, peppers, peppers, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, baby basha, kale, carrots and on and on. Mushrooms, dozens of types, the Chinese use mushrooms as a major source of protein, I am learning to use more than the shitake and portabello’s.

Bill and I wandered up and down the aisles saying hello to the vendors, buying a little of this and a little of that. We sampled some fruits that I weren’t sure what they were but most were amazing. It was a great morning that proceeded a fantastic afternoon. I love China.

Friends or Appetizers?

A Lost Ray of Soulshine, Joey

This past week I received a phone call from the states, Joey is gone. Gone as in not of this earth and my heart is breaking, again. For those of you that have no memories of Joey – allow me to tell you about a little dog that made everyone’s day a little brighter.

Joey was a rescue dog that rescued us more then we rescued him. A friend of mine is a vet in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and she got a call from an animal rescue group that had a number of dogs that they had taken from an elderly unstable woman in our area. I don’t recall the exact number of animals that they removed from her property but it was in the dozens. This friend of mine knew contacted me to tell me about the dogs and ask for some assistance in getting them cleaned and neutering assistance, something that I occasionally helped with in her small practice. Needless to say, I was in. Many of the dogs were ill and obviously in need of rescue, I will say this though, the woman loved these dogs, she just wasn’t able to care of them in a responsible manner. One of the puppies was this little guy that was so scared but had character. We thought the puppies were Yorkshire terrier; he sure looked like a Yorkie. My mother-in-law, Teena, had recently lost a Yorkie named Gimpy and she would love to have another. What better home for this little guy who needed a new family? I brought the puppy home and started working on his training. The plan, we all knows what happens to the best laid plans, was to get him housebroke and give him to Teena. We named him Joey, aka JoJo.
Joey did not do to well on the housebreaking. Bill referred to him as Shit for Brains more than once. Thing is that even with the occasional accident, JoJo’s want to please was so obvious that you just learned to deal with it. A few months pass and we gave JoJo to Teena. It was love at first sight. I cannot say the same for my father in law, Warren, but he came around eventually too.
Joey was great with everyone, human and animal. He loved his cats. Our family has always had several, house and barn cats to hang out with. He was great in the barn, didn’t roll in to cow poo as often as most of the dogs. He loved going for car rides and down to camp to swim in the Paint River with the kids. He just fit with this family of misfits. He would take the new animals under his paw and make them feel welcome. He was buddies to the occasional rabbit and liked to spend time with the guinea pig; never trying to harm any of them.
Several years ago, Joey found his true purpose in this world. Teena’s mother, Granny Mello, was admitted to a Senior Care Facility. Her mind was slipping and was unable to live unaccompanied. Teena, who has been a nurse for the State of Michigan most of her adult life, had a difficult time with the moving of her mother to this facility. To compound the move, Granny Mello’s brother, Unkie was also moved into the same facility due to medical/mental needs. Unkie passed some time there after and Granny was there alone. It was a several hour drive to and from the home but Teena went multiple times a week if needed or not. During one of these treks she decided to bring Joey too. What a trip….Joey was a star. It wasn’t often that Granny seemed to relax enough to exhale. She was always trying to figure out how to escape. She actually had some really good attempts on numerous occasions but when Joey was around she would exhale and just pet the dog. She talked to him, groomed him and followed him around the building pushing her wheelchair along behind him as he sucked up the attention like a sponge. The staff noticed how much she enjoyed the time and asked Teena to bring him to some of the other clients. From then on he was royalty. He would walk in the facility with his head up, tail wagging and make his rounds. He may have been small in stature but he was able to jump up and lay on clients beds for those that were bed bound, he would hitch a ride with those in the wheelchairs and seemed to know when he needed to move nice and slow for those that were in pain. Everyone had a better day when JoJo came to visit. Granny would even eat when he was beside her, something that she refused to do on bad days. Joey found his calling. Granny passed this past winter but I like to think that Joey made her final times warmer and brighter.
In addition to helping our seniors, Joey has also been helping the mentally disabled. There are a number of families in the community with children diagnosed with various challenges. Several of these kids fortunately able to spend time at Teena’s farm working with the sheep, rabbits and goats. Joey was the mascot to the farm. He spent many an hour following these young people around to keep an eye on them and his farm buddies. Again, he seemed to know when to be calm and available for the kids. Joey was an active member in the 4H club ran by Teena, Animal House. Kids, farm animals and Joey, another great combination.
Joey is gone. He will be buried on the family farm next to Shadow, Dobie and other members of our pet family. For some time I know that walking into the house will feel empty without him running to greet us, doing his dance of turning in circles, head on the ground with his butt in the air, happy dog, happy dog, happy dog. We will think of him and feel sad but take comfort in the knowledge that he doing what he did best which is sitting next to Granny Mello, getting her to eat, keeping her warm and finding the peace to exhale.

Grocery Shopping

I went to our local little grocery store to pick up items for dinner. I purchased all that is in the photo for 90 RMB. In US funds this is about $12.00.

There are four meats, one tofu, three packages of mixed veggies, three seasoning jars, two chocolates, a large juice, one package of coated peanuts, a watermelon and a honey pomalo fruit. All of this plus rice and you have three meals for a family of four plus leftovers for lunch. There is also three different baked goods that I trying for the first time. They have a name but I have no idea what it is or what they are - I am just trying a couple randomly. The baked goods are items that the chinese seem to enjoy for a meal. One of them has minced green onions in it, the other has a meat filling with an egg baked on the bottom of it and the third is something like a fried donut rolled in sugar. Not to bad for $12.00.

Ming Ruins

Bill had a week off of work for National Holiday (see prior blog entry). We spent a few days exploring more of our city. In the foot hills around Purple Mountain are a number of favorite tourist sites. Let me apologize for the sweaty photos. The weather had cooled off until the day that we decided to go hiking up several flights of stairs.

Our first stop was to the San Yat-sen Mausoleum. San Yat-sen is known as the father of modern China. The over the top design of his mausoleum is to show what China could have been had he lived long enough to assume power. I don't what the whole story is but the site is a big pilgramige for the people of Taiwan. San Yat-sen passed in 1925. Here is what I do know...there were a lot of freaking stairs. You pass through three levels to get to the main building.

The first level is at a gentle slope. The second is a normal stair incline. The third and by far most intense is the tiptoe climb to the main building. I am walking daily. Infact, I have lost several (10-12) in two months from the exercise and diet changes. I thought I was going to die. I am being passed by tiny old ladies. Women that saw WWII out their bedroom window are all but skipping up the stairway.

Me - I am grunting because I cannot breathe. My legs are burning and I think I am going to puke. Sweat is pouring off me like Niagra Falls. By the time I got to the top I was so disgusted with myself that I wasn't in the mood to hang around but I was dreading the walk back down. Now mind you, to get from one site to the next you have to hike. We did find out that there is a service for hire that will drive you to the sites but that was after the fact and to be honest. I need the exercise.

Our second stop was the Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty. More to come.....

Bridges and Eyewear

Happy National Day.

We are in the middle of a big holiday here in China. I don't know exactly what all of the hoopla is but here is the best summary I have to offer. National Day is comparable to our July 4th, Independence Day. Were we celebrate of freedom and well, independence. National Day is a celebration of the Communism. Bills coworkers opted to work the past Saturday and Sunday so that they could be off on all week. The actual holiday as appointed by the government is just Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. There were some fireworks to celebrate but overall it has been a quiet week. Next year will be a bigger celebration. Every five years the state sponsors fireworks for National Day. Again, I cannot give you the reasoning behind this just repeating what I have been told.

Also, this week was the 50th Anniversary of the First Nanjing Bridge over the Yangtze River. This is a big source of pride to the Chinese. In 1950's, the bridge was originally designed by a group of Soviet engineers but they left China in a politically motivated huff. (I am quoting a book on that one.) Then a group of American engineers reviewed the plans and told the Chinese that it couldn't be built. This is a huge river and it is a dual bridge; cars on the upper level and train tracks on the lower. The Americans left and a group of loyal Chinese engineers decided that they were going to do it and they did. It took reorganizing the entire Chinese steel industry but they successfully open the bridge in 1968.

Yesterday was the true 50th anniversary. We were going to the northside of the river to go look at eye glasses. One of the members of our Expat family was wanting to purchase new glass and Robin, a coworker said that he know the place to get the best deal. Well, the traffic to cross the bridge was insane. I think the normal 30 minute trip took close to two hours. Everyone was going to the bridge. It is a nice bridge with some great patriotic statues. It isn't like London Bridge or San Fransisco Bridge, it just looked like a bridge. Anyway, we saw the bridge, drove over the bridge and got to the optical area.
Yes, we are talking deals. I wish there was a way to get glasses for all of you and send them. The styles are by the thousands. Any color, shape, ornamentation you want - they got it. I bought a new pair of glasses because I just couldn't pass up the deal. I got single vision, anti-glare, non scratch surface with frames for.....wait for it....wait for it......$11.00 US. What is that?

Tomorrow we are going to the Ming Ruins at the base of Purple Mountain. More to come.

Knitting Kitty

Porche found a new hiding spot.
I spent the better part of an hour trying to find her this afternoon.
I finally gave up and decided to sit in my new chair from IKEA and work on some knitting.
I get comfy and lean over the reach in my knitting bag and "HELLO KITTY".

What are they doing to My Karma?

I have a question for you…what do you do when you are out to dinner with a couple and one of them is embarrassingly rude to the staff?

I guess I need to be a little more specific to help you answer that question.

The other evening, Bill and I went to dinner with a couple that has also relocated to China. They are not American; I say this because Americans get a lot of bad press outside of the US and this will be seen as negative press.

Chinese restaurants are different then American – Duh. When you go out to share a meal with someone you are not only sharing food, but you also are sharing your time and spirit. Meals are not only about nutrition and business but about friendship and enjoyment. They are a way of telling your fellow diner that you want to be with them and you value their presense in your life. Many of our group meals have lasted for a couple hours. They owners will never throw you out of their place even if it is after closing time or you have finished eating and are just sitting around talking. This would be extremely disrespectful and they just will not do it.

Sequence of the meal is also different then our normal. You typically will not order one plate for each person, you order a variety of foods and the meal is served in large plates to share with the whole table. You know "family style". Also, when you place your order, you need to be aware that the food will be served in the order you requested and rice is always served last, unless you tell the staff to bring it with the meat dishes. Sodas will be served cold but the Chinese do not use ice. You can ask for it but 50% of the time it is not available. Soda is usually served by the can with a glass and normally you can find Coca Cola or Sprite, only. Water is not recommended until a certain tolerance level is obtained - gastric issues. Tea is everywhere and it too can take some adjustment time (see: gastric issues) but for the most part is very good.

Those of us from the south, iced tea are not available in restaurants, however, bottled tea is at most stores and corner stands. It is green tea - a little different in taste, specially when you first start drinking it, somewhat like drinking perfume water.

Any of you have the grandma that put a drop of perfume in your tea to make you sweeter on the inside? Tastes like that. For those that I just freaked out a little, sorry, do some more research on southern folk practices. I digress.

Back to our dinner...

We went to a great Indian place that we only recently discovered. It has the best Vegetable Samaso I have tasted and the Mutton Tikka is divine. Bill got a bottle of wine and I ordered our food and our fellow diners ordered what they want. Oh, and Chinese don’t seem to get the concept of separate bills so typically we just divide the check or in the case with this couple they spend 15 minutes going through what they ordered and pay to the dime-most of the time.

Our food starts coming out, a plate at a time. The staff brings out one plate and then in about 10 minutes brings out a second, 10 minutes more a third. This goes on and on. Now my first two items ordered came out first. The next few dishes were stuff that they ordered – things that were cooked on a grill and are cooked all night, easy to get on the table stuff. Most Chinese places cook as ordered, the basic stock is there but the individual dishes are made when ordered, so you need to be prepared to sit and visit. No fast food here.

I had told the wait staff to bring our rice when they brought the mutton. No problem. Most of the other couples choices came out in the early stages of our evening minus the rice and a bread sandwich for their teenager. REMINDER: RICE IS SERVED LAST. The bread for the sandwich is called Naan. It is hot made on a clay oven and can also be time consuming to make. My bread had just come out minutes before the sandwich. So no worries right? Oh no, the couple were fidgeting and sighing and mumbling and I am thinking, OMG here we go again.

“I am not paying for that rice. mumble, mumble, mumble. If they wanted me to pay for it they should have brought it out when they brought my food.” he kept repeating. I suggested if they were ready to go, why don't they leave the money with there son and he can ride home with us when we are all finished. Nope. Didn't work. More mumbling. I am waiting for my tea, which I ordered at the end of the meal. Note to self, order at the beginning next time. The kid wraps his sandwich to go, I think he may have been a little embarrassed too. I know that my dad used to act like this and I would want to just crawl under the table.

The gal that has been waiting on us, very attentively I might add, comes over and I ask for the check. I make an attempt to get two bills since I know there is going to be a scene with the other party’s bill. She tried but the boss man just didn’t get it. So I pay for our food: One veggie dish, four meat dishes, two plain rice, one naan, two cokes, one bottle of wine and one pot of masala tea total bill: 445 Yuan or $65.00. (FYI, the wine was nearly half the bill, that is how reasonable prices are here. Can you imagine all that food for $30 in the US.)

The father is still mumbling to whomever is listening, “I cannot believe they would take so long on rice. They can just take it off of my bill.”

So I am waiting on my tea completly dreading the next 10 minutes of my life when it begins; the great debate on whether or not to pay for the rice. The girl did bring out the rice and pack it to go with the sandwich. But oh, no. Not good enough. After several minutes of back and forth – which I am sure felt like an eternity to Bill, because the whole time the dude was arguing I am whispering to Bill, “How much was the f’ing rice? I will pay for it. Just make him shut up.”

The girl kept saying, “You ordered it, you pay for it.” The Chinese don’t get the whole western thing.

You know what, this is THEIR country, and THEY are the home team. Not us. It is their rules, their space, and their culture. We are the interlopers.

The couple settles their bill, minus the rice and walk out.

I, being me, am still embarrassed. I am done, what is this doing to my Karma? I have to live in this town and I like the food there so no one is going to mess it up for me. I go to ask for a plastic cup for the remainder of my tea and I ask the girl how much was the rice? 30 RMB - $5. All that for five stinking bucks and they put it into a container to take home - lunch tomorrow, wake up people.

Jeez…I tell the gal to give me the rice and I hand her 30RMB. I tell her I am sorry and thank you for her kindness. She doesn’t know what to do…they are not used to people acting like these people did and definitely not used to someone stepping up to fix things. I tell her boss that I want the rice and sorry for the scene. He tells me thank you and they package my tea and rice and shake my hand with a polite little bow and I leave the restaurant.

I made right by the server and the owner but I am still pissed at the dude for acting like that. They have been in this country for 6 months – when are they going to learn respect. You know that we bitch in America about all the forgieners coming to our country and not learning our language or how to drive properly or maintain their yards, whatever. How can we bitch if we are not willing to show the same respect for a country that we are visiting or relocating too. The Mexicans want to come to America for more work and better pay, I get that. I get that most Americans refuse to do the work that the Mexicans are willing to do. I have no arguement with this except if you want to live in the US and get the benifits of being in the US then dammit someone better start speaking English.

It just amazed me that we are not talking about the wealthy French or Brazilians, not even snotty Americans, no and if they were it would be still not be acceptable. Ofcourse, my evil side is ranting...how would they like it if I was in their home country, in their restaurant and at the end of the meal - I demanded my burrito for free because it didn’t taste like the ones from Taco Bell or because the chili relleno was too spicy hot not like they make it in Michigan at La Senorita’s. Take that off my bill.

Purple Mountian

The previous weekend, Bill and I went up to Purple Mountain.

It is a large hill in the north east corner of Nanjing. There are a number of historical sites at the base of the mountain including some Ming ruins. However, for our first adventure to Purple Mountain, Bill and I chose to ride the cable car to the top of the mountain and wonder aimlessly (another words, we couldn’t read the signs and ended up on the wrong trail.) The weather was hot and the humidity was high so the haze was like a white out. The cable car was interesting and a little scary. The longest freaking cable car I have ever seen. We rode up and we rode down. We sweated. We enjoyed the sites and we went to lunch. Indian Food. Another perfect afternoon in the Land of Soulshine.

Here we go again

I talked to my Aunt Donna today and things are not well in south Louisiana. Hurricane Ike took his toll on those families living south of Highway 90 in Iberia Parish, which includes my grandfather’s house.

Ike hit southern Texas, west of Louisiana. For those that are not familiar with the all encompassing threat of a hurricane, where the eye (center) hits is where you will expect the most wind damage however it is the eastern side that receives the largest tidal surge. Imagine a hurricane as a really large pissed off tornado; it is a swirling mass of wind that can stretch for miles and miles, in the case of Ike, the storm was 100’s of miles wide. As the eye was passing over Texas, the outer bands stretched over all of the southern Louisiana coastline. One would think that once the eye passes the storm tapers down, in actuality the worst part of the storm is after the eye passes. The proverbial quiet before the storm.

As most of you have seen in the days after, Hurricane Ike traveled across the US causing damage from Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Tornado's, flooding and wind damage from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. Many of you know someone that knows someone that was and still is affected by this monster storm.

Once again, my PawPaw’s house has taken on water. Not as much as Hurricane Rita brought in 2005 but still enough to cause significant damage. The house is a few feet off the ground but the water crested above that, allowing approximately 6 or so inches into the house. Damaging the hardwood floors, drywall and furniture – AGAIN. Not only did the house take on water but so did the FEMA trailer that PawPaw has lived in since 2005. Don’t get me wrong, there are 100’s if not 1000’s that are in worse shape than my family. Thankfully, Aunt Donna was able to convince PawPaw to come stay at her house if for nothing else to protect the car. The water would have destroyed his car. The car would have been completely submerged.

PawPaw has not moved back into his home since the Hurricane Rita. I believe that amount of changes that had to occur after Hurricane Rita, altered his state of familiarity. It was no longer the house that he and MawMaw had built together and lived out the remainder of her life in. It was no longer the house that they together, decorated and filled with the memories of raising their children, spoiling their grandchildren and being a strong, united couple against the world. I don’t think PawPaw knows how to move back into the house that is no longer familiar. The floor plan is still the same but the spirit of the house is no more.

I am grateful to all that are working so hard to make this event bearable. I am thankful that my family is once again safe, a little more worn but safe. I wish all of you strength to deal with the seemingly insurmountable amount of red tape that once again – you will have to face and I hope that the remainder of the hurricane season stays silent.

Going Away Party

Dan and Kanako have lived in Nanjing for two years. They are moving back to the US this week. Last friday night, they had a number of us over to their place for a final BBQ. Everyone had a great time and we will definately miss their company.

Mia, Dan and Kanako's daughter was quite entertaining. She had no less than three costume changes throughout the evening. I made Black Russians for the girls. Most of them had never tasted anything beyond beer or wine. We also introduced them to Jaiger and Redbull. Bar-B-Que and cocktails. Poker for the guys and the girls learned to play Uno. Good tunes and a good evening.

We will miss you and hope to see you again.

Porche: New Addition to the Clan

Derek won. Despite my resolve not to add any more pets to our family, especially since we are out of country - I caved. Allow me to introduce to you, Porche, pronounced as Porcha. She is about 12 weeks old and we picked her up at a local street fair. She spent the first week in hiding. I think it may have been due to the daily baths and the flea treatment she received. She was one very unhappy kitty.

I couldn't get her to come out of hiding and she being so tiny found some really good hiding places. I tried all the normal kitty calling and finally had the revelation that kittens are not called kittens in Chinese. Kitten is an American word, duh! The Chinese word for cat is Mao and for kitten is Chao Mao. Forgive the misspellings for those that actually know the correct spelling. Point is that Chinese don't go around saying "kitty kitty kitty". I tried Mao Mao Mao but doesn't work either.

Porche has been with us for a bit over two weeks now and she is starting to interact with the family. She seems to enjoy bouncing off of Bill's head around 2am. Bill does not find this so amusing. Porche is the only cat I have seen that can purr and meow at the same time - must be a China thing. I am sure it doesn't need to be said but Derek named her - not me.

Chinese Wedding: Part Two

At 6pm Bill and I went down to the lobby to meet up with Mary and the other wedding guest. The ceremony/party was held in the same hotel. We walked through the lobby into the room. The Bride and Groom were in the lobby standing under the pink balloon arch with all the ribbons and flowers. There were also numerous photos of the couple taken for their engagement on tables around the arch.
During the day the couple did a more traditional marriage celebration of with the families. I don’t understand all of it but it involved going to both the parents homes and the grandparents homes and receiving their blessing and back and forth all day. From the summary I received from the bride’s cousin the bride had five clothing changes throughout the day.
I need to explain the whole Bill going to this wedding being a big deal. In China there is a huge honor system and having your boss, especially your American Boss, attend your wedding celebration is a HUGE DEAL. It has just been in the past 20 years that the Chinese have begun to incorporate western concepts into their wedding practices and they are very proud of their modernization and ability to provide the new generations this grand celebration. Bill had made the request to put us in the back of the room so that we wouldn’t be a disruption to the activities. After the paparazzi episode earlier that evening it was definitely possible for us to be a disruption.
The bride wanted to know if Bill would like to give a speech. NO, we haven’t even decided if Bill will be allowed to even give a speech at his own daughter’s wedding.
Bill and I are escorted into the banquet area and are lead to the front of the room, table to the right of the wedding party. OMG. We are front and center of the entire room. Let the games begin. In walks the MC for the evening, yes, weddings are MC’d like a fashion show. Our MC, I decided to call him Richard since he acted just like Richard Dawson from “Let’s Play Family Feud” fame. He walked the groom to the front of the room and had him stand on the stage. Yes, an actual stage. Richard started telling stories about the groom, all in Chinese so I don’t know what he was saying but the groom was a bit embarrassed so I am sure of the tone at least. The bride is now standing at the back of the room and all the lights go down, spotlight on bride. The groom walks half way down the aisle and the bride starts walking to meet him, off go the confetti and roman candles. I guess know one got the message that flying paper and fireworks were a fire hazard, fortunately no extinguishers needed. The bride and groom then go to the front of the room and light candles. The first set of candles were a regular pyramid shaped thing and then they couple said a small “prayer” to bless their union. The second candle was vessels in the shape of a heart, the liquid ran from cup to cup but the cool thing was the liquid was some neon glowing stuff that was pink. Pink and Red are popular colors for weddings in China. The couple kisses and the wedding portion of our evening is complete.
The couple disappears for a few minutes and then the bride and groom reappear and walk to the front about two thirds of the way the groom picks up the bride and carries her to the front of the room, as an alternative to carrying her over the threshold. Then something is said about the parents and the parents of the bride and groom join together on the stage. Richard does is saying something and more laughing from the audience. The Bride gives flowers to her in laws and the groom presents flowers to his in laws. Smile, picture ops and groom sits with the family at the table and the bride disappears for another costume change.
Then the food comes out. Oh my god, the food. Plate after plate of pork, fish, chicken, turtle soup, eel soup, rice dishes, duck, shrimp – it just kept coming and coming. I lost count around 18 different dishes. Most of it was very good – minus the chicken head that ended up on Bill’s plate or when the guy sitting next to me described the eel as snake. SNAKE. I am so not that girl. Problem with so much food is that when you find something you really enjoyed it was removed from the table to make room for more plates. Oh well. The over abundance of food was a way of the family showing the guest that they were financially well off and able to support the newlyweds.
I didn’t actually get to see the bride and groom get a chance to eat a thing during the evening. As soon as the bride appeared the couple went from table to table to thank everyone for attending their wedding. At each table a couple of toasts to their union were made and then they would be off to the next table. There were 400 guests at this wedding so that alone took the couple a considerable amount of time. When they arrived at our table Bill and I made our congratulations with a bow to the parents for allowing us to join them in their children’s celebration. A toast to the couple, a toast to the Americans, a toast to family.
While the wedding party was wondering the room the MC had started the games portion of our evening. Yes, games. All in Chinese so I am not sure what all them were about, I did get the one where one would say he could drink 3 shots of rice wine, another would shout out “4 shots”, next “6 shots” and on till an older guy (you know it probably was the crazy uncle, we all have one.) said 8 shots. A hush falls over the room and all you here is the whispered “ohhhhhh”. Crazy uncle comes the front of the stage and they bring out the 8 shots of rice wine, for those of you who have not sampled this delight my best comparison is one part lighter fluid, one part black licorice and one part Robostuin, the yucky yellow one not the grape flavored one. Yumm.
Crazy uncle starts drinking – the audience is counting and some gal in her early 20’s gets on stage and helps crazy uncle finish the shots. Everyone laughs and crazy uncle receives his prize of a stuffed HELLO KITTY which he gave to the girl that helped him finish the shots.
My Cajun side did come roaring to live when they were doing this little entertainment. How funny would it have been for the white chick to stand up and say, “Hang on Pops, I see your 8 shots and raise you 2!” For those of you that can remember my tequila years (damned if I can) you know I would have done it too.
The final game of the evening was picking a number; you either heard a happy noise or a bad noise. When you heard a happy noise - you won a stuffed animal. If you heard a bad noise you won a small stuffed animal. Carnival games at a wedding, Ok. Twenty or so numbers were on the screen when it was down to two numbers, Mr. MC approached Bill. I am frozen, my brain is screaming, keep walking, and don’t make eye contact – just keep moving Richard, nothing to see here. Nope, he B-lined straight to Bill -MC Richard says something which translated to something about picking a number. Bill, Mr. Sport, says a little too loudly, “Wu.” Number 5 – can we get a drum roll…..happy noise. Bill now is the proud owner of a large stuffed rabbit. YEAH. Now go away.
The evening has concluded, MC Richard is telling everyone thank you for coming and whatever, whatever. Bill presents the bunny to Mary, the coworker who traveled with us and helped with translation. This was her first wedding too. Mary is surprised but very grateful to have the bunny, the Chinese like the stuffed animals. Bill and I make our way out of the room where the bride and groom are standing with the parents. A second round of handshaking and bowing, I lean over to tell Yolanda that she looks lovely and we are so privileged to be able to join her and her family. Bill and I wonder across the street for a bottle of wine and retire to the room.
After a fitful night of sleep, the bed was like sleeping on a rock and the air conditioning was less than sufficient. The phone rang a little after 8am. Yolanda and her husband were outside of our room. Bill and scrambled for appropriate attire and greeted them at the door. They were stopping by to present us with a gift and to thank us for attending their wedding. It was a large box of breakfast biscuits that were a traditional food for the morning after celebration. They tell us again that our attending was big honor for both of their families and that they really appreciate our joining them.
How great are these people? How much can our families learn from these people about respect and appreciation of others? Yeah, I miss the US, I miss my kids and my family and friends but I am so glad to be able to see this country and have these experiences. Oh, the drive home was just Bill and I, we managed to miss an exit and ended up a couple hours in the wrong direction. Fortunately we can read a map, because we definitely were not getting home by the street signs.

Taixing: PreWedding Festivities

Bill and I received the honor of attending a Chinese wedding ceremony this past week. The bride was Yolanda, she working in HR at Summit Nanjing, the groom doesn’t have a western name and I honestly have no idea how to spell his name. We will refer to them as the Bride and Groom.
Bill, Mary – another Chinese coworker and I drove to the Bride and Grooms home town, Taixing, which is about 2 hours east of Nanjing. Bill drove, which went well, mainly interstate style driving. When we were on the outside of the town which we were told was a small town, we were met by Mary’s Uncle to escort us to the hotel. Uncle drove like a maniac. I believe he thought he was in a NASCAR race, zigzagging through the mopeds at a crazy speed. I held my breath as Bill tried to keep up with him. We nearly ran into a man on a tryke with a full load of bricks. Bill decided that we could find our way to the hotel at a much more reasonable pace and Mary called her Uncle to tell him to slow down.
Taixing is a smaller town then Nanjing however; it is not a small town. Shorter buildings, less cars but still a million people and most of them have scooters. The only thing I can compare it to is a flea infestation or a swarm of bees. Organized chaos. The other interesting component to Taixing is that foreigners are rarely seen in the area. It is not exactly a tourist mecca. After checking into the hotel which was nice by the way, Bill and I decided to take a walk to a grocery store to pick up snacks just on the off chance (see: more than likely) the wedding food was less than yummy. We picked up some drinks and crackers and paid the cashier. People were watching us, peeking around the shelves trying to see the crazy American people. When we walked out there was an older gentleman following us, he kept repeating something, not like I could understand but he was insistent. Bill finally picked up one word, Foreigner. The old guy wanted to know where we were from.
Bill replied, “USA.”
The old guy, “USA, USA, USA” as he danced around all but doing a jig in the middle of the food court outside the grocery store.
We just smiled and walked off. Since we had some time to kill before the wedding we decided to take a stroll down a few blocks to see what else the town had to offer. Not Much! However, while we were walking we passed a construction crew working on what I can only guess to be a sewer line. It stunk like poo. I was a little startled when one of the guys came running around us and stopped a few feet in front of us while messing with his phone.
He was taking our picture with his cell phone. I glance around and realize that he isn’t the only one. We got our own paparazzi. Bizarre. So Bill and I just smiled and waved and tried to keep walking. The Chinese are now required to take Basic English in school but in previous generations no English was taught so the only word they may know is Hi and Bye. Bill and I spent the next few minutes exchanging hellos and byes with several grown men and finally were able to return to the hotel as the sounds of men giggling faded in the background.

Hurricane Gustav

Many of you know that I claim south Louisiana as my home. I was born there, my family is there and it is the one place that has been a constant in my life. As a military brat, I lived wherever my father was assigned but New Iberia was always home. It is where most of my family still resides, Grandparent, Aunts, Uncles and a boat full of cousins.
As we are in the middle of hurricane season, always a stressful time of year for those in the south, watching the weather reports is a daily necessity. Hurricane Katrina put the fear of these massive storms into the forefront of people’s thoughts. Many from the north have no idea how devastating a storm can be to a community and Katrina with her wide sweeping destruction definitely made people more conscientious of the possibility for damage. Katrina’s legacy is also due to the failure of our government to protect its citizens. The levees failed. The Corp of Engineers was aware of a weakened levee system but little was done to re-enforce those weakness. I won’t get on my soapbox for it would change nothing that occurred in those days post Katrina.
The nation as a whole was so wrapped up in Katrina News that the second hurricane that hit Louisiana, Hurricane Rita, was just a small blurb in the press. Rita was just as much of a nightmare as Katrina. The souls lost were not as staggering but the damage was more widespread and truly a product of the hurricane not an engineering glitch. True wrath of God destruction.
Hurricane Rita caused a huge tidal surge that flooded my grandfather’s house. He built the house in the 1950’s in a small community south of I-90 called Lydia. It is a small town with no traffic lights and only one stop sign on the main road, right by the Catholic Church. There may be more now but only the one on my last visit. Not once since he built there has there been so much water. Yes, the ditches have filled and it had made it into the yard but never to the house. The house itself is built several feet off the ground; the water got up a couple feet into the house. The house has been repaired for the most part. It was habitable but not the same, it never will be. My grandfather still was living in his FEMA trailer as of this weekend when Hurricane Gustav took a turn for our state.
I am in China but I still watch the weather via the internet. This Sat. night for me is Sat. morning for the US. I start making call to the states to find out what my family is doing to prepare. Everyone is leaving. No messing around with this storm. Predictions were Cat.5 direct hit into the Point straight into PawPaw’s front yard, they were all leaving. Thank you Lord. Aunt Donna took a carload to Monroe to stay with family. Uncle Richard and Uncle Robert took their families to include PawPaw to a cabin in Alabama for an extended weekend. Still don’t know why Uncle Rob was mowing PawPaw’s grass hours before they evacuated but anyways, they left.

My friend and pillar of strength, Darla, who is in the Alexandria area starts zapping me emails to let me know that it didn’t look good but she was there for my family if needed and Rhonda, my other partner in crime, in Shreveport was already prepping her house for all of those that needed it. You two are the best of the best, no doubt. Thank you.

Gustav lost his ability and ended up being a Cat2 making landfall in Houma and cruising up I-90 into New Iberia and off to Alexandria. Yes, some of the family will have repairs to make and will be without power for an extended period but it wasn’t the Storm of Storms it was predicted to be and for that I am thankful. I just pray that the ones that are circling in the Atlantic as I type will continue the path of weakening and that no one has to experience the Storm of All Storms this year or in years to come. THAT SAID, let no one forget how bad even a medium graded storm can become if you are not prepared, best to leave.