Thursday, November 27, 2008
Eli and I at Simitai!
If you've ever been away from home and have had visitors come and see you, then you may know the excitement that I felt in anticipation for Eli's visit. He's a good friend from just down the block back home, who was out here visiting his girlfriend Anna.
For the past three weeks, I had been getting ready to hang out with these guys. Last Saturday, we met at Forbidden City to check it out, as well as Tiananmen Square. The only problem is that I woke up that morning feeling like I'd been drug behind a truck from Kasson to Mantorville. Or, maybe I felt like I'd been out with McEldowney and Greene back in our glory days. Either way, I felt horrible.
I made my way there and had no trouble finding the six foot five friend of mine. I was struggling and took an early leave. And, for the next three days, I fought this flu bug and was mad for being a bad host.
But, it all changed on November 26th, my birthday....
I woke up and felt as good as I've felt since the previous week. Eli made it to my school where we met our driver Jeff. Jeff skillfully navigated his way up into the mountains to Simitai. This is where we would be dropped off and get on to the Great Wall. Jeff then drove to our pickup spot at Jinshanling, about a 4 hour hike away...
Eli and I enjoyed some local Chinese food, and humorous attempts at conversation with the gals who ran the restaurant. Good food that provided a perfect start to an amazing experience.
The day was crisp, and perfectly clear. The air felt great, tasted better, and was manna to our lungs. You may have, and in the future probably will, hear us talk about air quality in our posts. It may not mean much to you, unless you've been to Beijing. People talk about the air here in the same manner that they talk about the general weather back home... It's "that topic" that seems to always end up in conversation.
Anyways, we set off and climbed up to the wall and go on. For the next 4 hours, we enjoyed peace, great conversation, breathtaking scenery, and (for me anyway), personal moments of reflection and thanks.... I'll also add that this happened to be my 36th birthday. So, spending it at a place like the Great Wall, with a friend such as Eli, and having great weather, was a true blessing....
A frequent thought that I had revolved around questions... "How did they do this?" Also, "Was this really needed?" The wall is so massive and built in such desolate country, that I marvel at the expense of labor, material, planning, and actual exectution of such a huge project. I know that it was not all built at once, but it did end up creating quite a long fense by the time that it was all said and done...
The actual hiking, I might add, is a true workout. This part of the wall is not your typical touristy area. Mutianyu and Badaling are the parts of the wall to go to for that. I am sure that Simitai has been fixed up plenty in some spots. But, there are many that seem untouched by efforts to make the wall more "user friendly" as we now say. Add the steep slopes that cameras do not do justice to, and you get a good burn by the end of the trip. This forces you to stop, catch your breath, collect your thoughts, and behold the landscape that you are part of...
As I looked out, I couldn't help but notice the modernization that is creeping in. On either side of the wall, I could see a big highway that is being built. There are also bridges in the process of being made, and dammed up rivers. In the same view, I saw a local farmer following his herd of sheep as they foraged through the low mountains for food. He's walking on a path that may have been the same path his ancestors walked on hundreds of years ago... What does he think of all of this? What does he think of me when I yell "Ni Hau!" from the distance... He stops and looks at me, give a quick wave, and gets back to work...
There's also the terracing. In many of the places, the farmers have tried to carve out a life by terracing and creating farmland. The sweat equity invested over the years is mind boggling! These folks really have to work to scrape by...
Eli is the type of person who really loves adventures such as these. A person with broad horizons like him (and a friend to boot), always adds to experiences such as these. We had a great time and will talk about this in the future when we are partaking in different endeavors...
Tonight, after school, I embark on yet another of such. Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors...
I'll close and get ready for school. Last night, we had Thanksgiving dinner with some new dear friends the Merritts. Matt has quickly become a great friend who has been awesome to be around. We had a nice night, great food, and good fellowship. Of all the things to be thankful in life, I believe that the love of family and friends is at the top of my list. So, to all of you family and freinds who have toiled through my ramblings here, I thank God for the blessing of you in my life. And my family's life as well....
Love you all!
Riley and Fam...
For the past three weeks, I had been getting ready to hang out with these guys. Last Saturday, we met at Forbidden City to check it out, as well as Tiananmen Square. The only problem is that I woke up that morning feeling like I'd been drug behind a truck from Kasson to Mantorville. Or, maybe I felt like I'd been out with McEldowney and Greene back in our glory days. Either way, I felt horrible.
I made my way there and had no trouble finding the six foot five friend of mine. I was struggling and took an early leave. And, for the next three days, I fought this flu bug and was mad for being a bad host.
But, it all changed on November 26th, my birthday....
I woke up and felt as good as I've felt since the previous week. Eli made it to my school where we met our driver Jeff. Jeff skillfully navigated his way up into the mountains to Simitai. This is where we would be dropped off and get on to the Great Wall. Jeff then drove to our pickup spot at Jinshanling, about a 4 hour hike away...
Eli and I enjoyed some local Chinese food, and humorous attempts at conversation with the gals who ran the restaurant. Good food that provided a perfect start to an amazing experience.
The day was crisp, and perfectly clear. The air felt great, tasted better, and was manna to our lungs. You may have, and in the future probably will, hear us talk about air quality in our posts. It may not mean much to you, unless you've been to Beijing. People talk about the air here in the same manner that they talk about the general weather back home... It's "that topic" that seems to always end up in conversation.
Anyways, we set off and climbed up to the wall and go on. For the next 4 hours, we enjoyed peace, great conversation, breathtaking scenery, and (for me anyway), personal moments of reflection and thanks.... I'll also add that this happened to be my 36th birthday. So, spending it at a place like the Great Wall, with a friend such as Eli, and having great weather, was a true blessing....
A frequent thought that I had revolved around questions... "How did they do this?" Also, "Was this really needed?" The wall is so massive and built in such desolate country, that I marvel at the expense of labor, material, planning, and actual exectution of such a huge project. I know that it was not all built at once, but it did end up creating quite a long fense by the time that it was all said and done...
The actual hiking, I might add, is a true workout. This part of the wall is not your typical touristy area. Mutianyu and Badaling are the parts of the wall to go to for that. I am sure that Simitai has been fixed up plenty in some spots. But, there are many that seem untouched by efforts to make the wall more "user friendly" as we now say. Add the steep slopes that cameras do not do justice to, and you get a good burn by the end of the trip. This forces you to stop, catch your breath, collect your thoughts, and behold the landscape that you are part of...
As I looked out, I couldn't help but notice the modernization that is creeping in. On either side of the wall, I could see a big highway that is being built. There are also bridges in the process of being made, and dammed up rivers. In the same view, I saw a local farmer following his herd of sheep as they foraged through the low mountains for food. He's walking on a path that may have been the same path his ancestors walked on hundreds of years ago... What does he think of all of this? What does he think of me when I yell "Ni Hau!" from the distance... He stops and looks at me, give a quick wave, and gets back to work...
There's also the terracing. In many of the places, the farmers have tried to carve out a life by terracing and creating farmland. The sweat equity invested over the years is mind boggling! These folks really have to work to scrape by...
Eli is the type of person who really loves adventures such as these. A person with broad horizons like him (and a friend to boot), always adds to experiences such as these. We had a great time and will talk about this in the future when we are partaking in different endeavors...
Tonight, after school, I embark on yet another of such. Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warriors...
I'll close and get ready for school. Last night, we had Thanksgiving dinner with some new dear friends the Merritts. Matt has quickly become a great friend who has been awesome to be around. We had a nice night, great food, and good fellowship. Of all the things to be thankful in life, I believe that the love of family and friends is at the top of my list. So, to all of you family and freinds who have toiled through my ramblings here, I thank God for the blessing of you in my life. And my family's life as well....
Love you all!
Riley and Fam...
Tibetan experience
It's been a while.... Not due to a lack of action though... We've had a bug go through the boys, dad, and is suspected to be bugging momma's tummy right now. But, we've been busy none the less.
Last Friday, November 21st, I (Riley), joined a group of ISB teachers for a night at a warehouse that specializes in Tibetan-type furniture. Not really well versed in that culture, but I was interested and went. An experience is definately what this was.
After an hour and fifteen minutes in traffic, we arrived in a village-like place and were lead through a bunch of corridors. As they opened the gate to the warehouse, we were greeted by men who were dressed in thier native Tibetan garb. We knew then that this would be a big deal...
We were lead into one of the prettiest rooms I've ever been in. As soon as we got in there, a new scent entered my registry. Turns out that this would be yak milk.... This is a big part of their culture I guess. Yak sweets, yak milk tea, yak butter, yak everything.
Being someone who wants to try things and see what they're like, I tried things that they had laid out for us. The first was a sweet. It looked a bit like a spritz cookie, but smelled worse than a sweaty shoe... I tried it, and can confidently say that I will never eat anything like that unless I am about to pass out from starvation. For the rest of the night, I had this musty smell/taste in my mouth...
On to better things.... After our social hour and meeting our host, we were paraded through this massive storehouse to look at the pieces. Now, Tibetan furniture generally has a very rich red tone to it and may be brightly painted. In our case, we purchased sort of an end table that is beautifully painted on the front.
They also have a wide variety of rugs there. Piles and piles of them to overwhelm a person.... I went there thinking that I get a rug for our house, but gave up trying due to overload. With so many to choose from, I figured that I would ask Laurie to help sometime...
In the end, this was an awesome place to visit. Besides becoming an admirer of Tibetan furniture, I have made up my mind to steer clear of yak products... Been there done that I guess.
Last Friday, November 21st, I (Riley), joined a group of ISB teachers for a night at a warehouse that specializes in Tibetan-type furniture. Not really well versed in that culture, but I was interested and went. An experience is definately what this was.
After an hour and fifteen minutes in traffic, we arrived in a village-like place and were lead through a bunch of corridors. As they opened the gate to the warehouse, we were greeted by men who were dressed in thier native Tibetan garb. We knew then that this would be a big deal...
We were lead into one of the prettiest rooms I've ever been in. As soon as we got in there, a new scent entered my registry. Turns out that this would be yak milk.... This is a big part of their culture I guess. Yak sweets, yak milk tea, yak butter, yak everything.
Being someone who wants to try things and see what they're like, I tried things that they had laid out for us. The first was a sweet. It looked a bit like a spritz cookie, but smelled worse than a sweaty shoe... I tried it, and can confidently say that I will never eat anything like that unless I am about to pass out from starvation. For the rest of the night, I had this musty smell/taste in my mouth...
On to better things.... After our social hour and meeting our host, we were paraded through this massive storehouse to look at the pieces. Now, Tibetan furniture generally has a very rich red tone to it and may be brightly painted. In our case, we purchased sort of an end table that is beautifully painted on the front.
They also have a wide variety of rugs there. Piles and piles of them to overwhelm a person.... I went there thinking that I get a rug for our house, but gave up trying due to overload. With so many to choose from, I figured that I would ask Laurie to help sometime...
In the end, this was an awesome place to visit. Besides becoming an admirer of Tibetan furniture, I have made up my mind to steer clear of yak products... Been there done that I guess.
Friday, November 21, 2008
dressed and ready to go!
wednesday after school riley and i ventured with 2 other guys and a friend who speaks chinese to a local taylor...what an adventure! we climbed to the third floor of an apartment building and opened the door to an apartment turned business full of sewing machines and fabric! This particular day was the workers one day out of 2 weeks off so the machines were sitting idol. we went into one of the back rooms and started looking through books for pictures of tuxedos, suits and dresses. We were told that we could get clothes made here for a fraction of most of the taylors that expatriats go to. So we all ended up picking out fabric and getting measured for the big holiday part that our school puts on in december at a hotel downtown. we did get some pictures with somebody else's camera...we will have to try to get them on the blog soon. For around $200 TOTAL riley got a full suit including pants, jacket, shirt, vest, tie and laurie got a dress (that will expand if necessary since the party is 4 weeks away!). most of the places we looked at going to it would have cost about 200 bucks apiece for a dress and for a suit! so we are very happy to have saved money for outfits we won't wear very often. Riley's suit is very nice so he could definitely wear his again. he really wanted to get a chinese-style tuxedo but he went witha more traditional look-he will look sharp! we will have to take pictures of the results...it was quite an experience! we may try to go back and have some dress clothes made in the future.
I just finished 2 days worth of conferences. of my 90 kids, i had about 68 conferences packed into the two days thurs/fri. Conferences are scheduled every 10 minutes for math teachers b/c so many parents want to talk to them. The other teachers get a really good turnout as well but teachers don't feel quite the urgency to talk with them like they do with the math teachers. I learned a lot about the culture/expectations here during the two days. Many parents want to know exactly where their kid sits in the class as far as grades go, do they need a tutor (or in some cases another tutor), can they get more work for them, and many other interesting questions. All and all the conferences went very well and it was great to meet so many of my students parents. I gained much insight into many of my students' lives...where they have been...how often they have moved, how long they are planning on staying, their interests outside of school, etc. it was very exhausting from 10-5 both days, but nice to get most conferences out of the way. a few more conferences next week.
Riley is off this morning meeting up with Eli, a friend from kasson. His girlfriend is here working so he came for the week. Both boys (kieran and kellan) were sick with the stomach flu and diarrhea all week and riley said he thought he may be getting the bug.. he didn't look good but he was going to try to venture off to meet up with Eli and Anna at Tianamen Square and then to the Forbidden City. We are hopefully going to go off to a local chinese restaurant tonight after kieran and i go to yet another 4 year old birthday party!
all is well..we are getting anxious to come home. Will really miss everyone the next few days as we think of everyone gathering back home celebrating Thanksgiving! We are celebrating Thanksgiving with some friends Thursday night and then the boys and i iwll go to another set of friend's on Saturday night even though riley will be off on a trip to see the Terracotta WArriors (i know i murdered that spelling)
well...gotta go kellan is done with breakfast an i think we are going to head to the clubhouse to t he playland!
we miss you all!
The DuBois' Clan
I just finished 2 days worth of conferences. of my 90 kids, i had about 68 conferences packed into the two days thurs/fri. Conferences are scheduled every 10 minutes for math teachers b/c so many parents want to talk to them. The other teachers get a really good turnout as well but teachers don't feel quite the urgency to talk with them like they do with the math teachers. I learned a lot about the culture/expectations here during the two days. Many parents want to know exactly where their kid sits in the class as far as grades go, do they need a tutor (or in some cases another tutor), can they get more work for them, and many other interesting questions. All and all the conferences went very well and it was great to meet so many of my students parents. I gained much insight into many of my students' lives...where they have been...how often they have moved, how long they are planning on staying, their interests outside of school, etc. it was very exhausting from 10-5 both days, but nice to get most conferences out of the way. a few more conferences next week.
Riley is off this morning meeting up with Eli, a friend from kasson. His girlfriend is here working so he came for the week. Both boys (kieran and kellan) were sick with the stomach flu and diarrhea all week and riley said he thought he may be getting the bug.. he didn't look good but he was going to try to venture off to meet up with Eli and Anna at Tianamen Square and then to the Forbidden City. We are hopefully going to go off to a local chinese restaurant tonight after kieran and i go to yet another 4 year old birthday party!
all is well..we are getting anxious to come home. Will really miss everyone the next few days as we think of everyone gathering back home celebrating Thanksgiving! We are celebrating Thanksgiving with some friends Thursday night and then the boys and i iwll go to another set of friend's on Saturday night even though riley will be off on a trip to see the Terracotta WArriors (i know i murdered that spelling)
well...gotta go kellan is done with breakfast an i think we are going to head to the clubhouse to t he playland!
we miss you all!
The DuBois' Clan
Sunday, November 16, 2008
a couple quick pictures
Our ayi, Li Xien came over and babysat saturday night and brought her son with her. The boys treated themselves to a sucker and were mezmorized by some monkey show on tv.
The entire 8th grade went to the Ethnic Park (located next to the water cube and birds' nest). This is my homeroom class as we are getting ready to board the bus after spending the day at the park. GREAT KIDS...go 8-6!
Kellan is working on making a new animal species...a cross between a giraffe and a horse! THis is one of this favorite things to do is to stack animals in this position?!?!?!? He gets very frustrated dwhen they don't stay on top of each other. We thought this picture would make everyone laugh think....."and they wonder why they are pregnant...what are they teaching their kids!"ALL IS WELL.....
It has been quite some time since we last wrote...but all is well for the DuBois family here in China. Seems like we are becoming quite used to our routines here and all of the out-of-the-ordinary observations we made when we first arrived here are now somewhat normal to us. Life is certainly easier/more convenient now that we both have our license and can run little errands around the area when we need to. We had (actually riley had thought) that we would continue to ride our bikes to school through the winter even when we got our license...well we have been driving quite a bit (which i love....too cold in the morning!) I have to be nice to my husband though as i honestly have not driven a meter yet....i am a little concerned about my stick-shift driving ability. Riley's truck was a stick shift in college...and i drove it then...but that was how long ago? the IKEA crew was here delivering a couch and bunkbed a few days ago and i couldn't even move the darn jeep out of the driveway! (I killed it twice!) so one of the guys moved it for me!
so the last two weeks havve been pretty normal....last weekend riley and kieran scouted out a church for us...and we went there again this week. It was really nice to be in church again. I think we will continue to go there..they have a good program for the kids and the praise and worship is great! (not that i am singing---i would scare people away).
Yesterday we ventured to the pearl market to do some Christmas shopping. It was quite a successful trip as we got many people gifts to bring home. Last weekend we went to yashow to get kieran a few more long sleeve shirts and i ended up doing some bargaining for some christmas presents there as well. it is fun bargaining but a very tiring. you really learn from one little hut to the next how cheap you can get things...they won't sell it to you if they will lose money...but they also start about 5-6 times higher than what they are willing to take for it! it is quite comical. then they act like you are ruining their day when they decide they will give something to you for your price...and they still try to squeeze one or two quay (30 cents) out of you! anyway-i have had enough for a while. we may have to go back one more time to get a few last items...but we will see.
One of Riley's friends (Eli) is coming over to visit at the end of the week. His girlfriend Anna came over last night for a while. We went out to eat and then Anna and I went to the compound next door to get massages...it was nice! I know riley is getting anxious for Eli to get here. He will be here for a week. Riley is going to take next wednesday (his birthday!) off as a personal day so he and Eli can venture out. I am sure we will get together this weekend as well---i think Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City are on the agenda for Saturday?
School is good for all...riley had conferences last week and mine are this week. The kids are released early and then parents come for the middle school from 10-4:30. i guess for math EVERY SINGLE PARENT wants to see you! i used to enjoy parent conferences in Delano b/c it would be a time for me to get some work done....but it will be full steam ahead on thurs/fri. i can't even fit all myparents in in the 2 days scheduling them every 10 minutes...so it is first come first serve! i even had 2 parents at church today ask me about their child's grade! Should be interesting.
i think that is about all i can remember for now.....just wanted to update quick. we have taken some pictures but i really need to get some schoolwork done so i am not going to upload them now.
we hope all is well for everyone back home! We miss you all and are starting to count the days until we can see everyone!
Love
The DuBois Family
so the last two weeks havve been pretty normal....last weekend riley and kieran scouted out a church for us...and we went there again this week. It was really nice to be in church again. I think we will continue to go there..they have a good program for the kids and the praise and worship is great! (not that i am singing---i would scare people away).
Yesterday we ventured to the pearl market to do some Christmas shopping. It was quite a successful trip as we got many people gifts to bring home. Last weekend we went to yashow to get kieran a few more long sleeve shirts and i ended up doing some bargaining for some christmas presents there as well. it is fun bargaining but a very tiring. you really learn from one little hut to the next how cheap you can get things...they won't sell it to you if they will lose money...but they also start about 5-6 times higher than what they are willing to take for it! it is quite comical. then they act like you are ruining their day when they decide they will give something to you for your price...and they still try to squeeze one or two quay (30 cents) out of you! anyway-i have had enough for a while. we may have to go back one more time to get a few last items...but we will see.
One of Riley's friends (Eli) is coming over to visit at the end of the week. His girlfriend Anna came over last night for a while. We went out to eat and then Anna and I went to the compound next door to get massages...it was nice! I know riley is getting anxious for Eli to get here. He will be here for a week. Riley is going to take next wednesday (his birthday!) off as a personal day so he and Eli can venture out. I am sure we will get together this weekend as well---i think Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City are on the agenda for Saturday?
School is good for all...riley had conferences last week and mine are this week. The kids are released early and then parents come for the middle school from 10-4:30. i guess for math EVERY SINGLE PARENT wants to see you! i used to enjoy parent conferences in Delano b/c it would be a time for me to get some work done....but it will be full steam ahead on thurs/fri. i can't even fit all myparents in in the 2 days scheduling them every 10 minutes...so it is first come first serve! i even had 2 parents at church today ask me about their child's grade! Should be interesting.
i think that is about all i can remember for now.....just wanted to update quick. we have taken some pictures but i really need to get some schoolwork done so i am not going to upload them now.
we hope all is well for everyone back home! We miss you all and are starting to count the days until we can see everyone!
Love
The DuBois Family
Monday, November 3, 2008
A weekend full of adventure
Momma and her boys...
Kellan trying a Chinese version of candied apple (with Mandarin oranges). Tasted pretty good...Kieran is not quite sure about thos sharks...
With Halloween beginning our weekend with a bang, we didn't let up on either Saturday or Sunday... We are quickly learning that our firstborn, Kieran, is developing quite the social schedule. The past two Saturdays have had copious amounts of time budgeted in for his soccer as well as birthday parties. The difference this weekend though, is that his ol' man had his official Chinese drivers license and drove him to soccer. So, I can officially say that I've "joined the fray" out here. And I mean this when I say this... I've NEVER experienced anything like driving in China. You really must see it to believe it... I'll say no more.
After watching the 4 year olds run around chasing one another (and sometimes a ball), for an hour, we headed home for the birthday party. Kieran and Laurie attended this, while Kellan and I stayed home and napped... :) We had to prepare for our next adventure. Yashow market. Where you could buy the finest in imitation clothing, great souviners that are sure to break in less than a month, massages, and pedicures. All of this is in the same building too, I must add.
We headed to Yashow with the idea of getting the boys some clothes. Our first impression of this was similar to the other markets of this sort that we've visited. Many people, salesfolk who grab you and ask you the same questions.. "Hello friend, you want a shirt? Come have a look." Over and over again...
Laurie had some recommended places from other gals, so we bee-lined to the third floor. There, we haggled for 17 pieces of clothing that cost us around $100 American. Not bad...
By the time that we were done with the boys, they were done with Yashow. So, we headed out and calmed our tweaking nerve endings with some soothing Coldstone Ice Cream!!! My friend!!!
After we cabbed back to our home, we headed over to our friend and neighbor's home for dinner and fellowship. The kids played, we talked, and had a great, relaxing time...
Sunday, Laurie gave me the green light to go back to Yashow to look for a few long sleeve shirts that I could wear to school. I've never been much of a packer, and it definately shows... I have a ton of short sleeve shirts, but neglected to think that Beijing actually does get cool during the autumn and winter... So, I had to arm myself.
I've been reading an awesome memior that an American man wrote titled River Town. Peter Hessler recounted his two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the heart of Sichuan province on the Yangtze River. He writes of trying to see what living in China is really like. This has really helped me to open my eyes personally and come to grips with what I want for us while we are away from home. We're not some random visitors who are spending time visiting China. We're going to be living here for at least two years. Why not try and get the full flavor of this place.
With that said, when I set out for Yashow, I wanted to try and venture around a bit, try and talk to the native Chinese folks more, try to look at this place not as someone whose just visiting, but someone who is living here... Enter the Minnesota boy making a buffoon of himself..
Yashow is not the place to try and culture yourself. It's full of waiguoren (foreigners), like me who are looking for no more than a good deal... But, when I did begin to haggle with the salespeople, they always asked me "Where you from?" This opened the door, as I reciporcated the question. Not one of the workers in there was from Beijing. They most likely were from some rural area that I had never heard of... I also tried to throw in the few Chinese words that I knew whenever possible. This got them laughing alot, but showed them that I am trying... I've found that those whom I've tried to communicate with in Mandarin have been very patient. So, in the future, I'm going to continue to try and do this... It's the best way to improve.
After haggling for as long as I could stand it, I left Yashow and walked down to Workers Stadium. This is where I saw the US women play Japan in soccer during the Olympics. The stadium looks as if it had a quick coat of paint slapped on it. And, a pretty sculpture depicting a few people who could have been action figures, showed cracking and wear when I looked at them up close. Never the less, it was a beautiful day for a walk.
The other side of Workers Stadium was my destination. Here at the Blue Zoo, I'd meet Laurie and the boys. The Blue Zoo is and aquarium that seems to be under some river that goes through Beijing that actually was really cool. The boys loved it, and the visitors loved the boys. The stares and the attention that we have gotten are beginning to not feel so wierd anymore. But, consider walking down the street with a few handsome children along with you. 99% of everyone else looks strikingly different than you. As you walk by, many just stop and stare at you, often saying things to their buddy that you cannot even begin to comprehend. Or maybe a young lady will walk over to you and ask to have her picture taken with your son. This in turn, begins a crowd of curious onlookers possibly inspiring another person to ask for a picture with you boys... Very different, intense, and wierd when you are constantly the center of attention...
The trip that day was a complete success for all involved. We spent some great family time together, the weather was great, and Riley had a little time to try and taste true China. The only deviation that I made from this was a quick stop at KFC for some popcorn chicken and a Pepsi. But, even in there, everyting tastes a bit different. I'm not going to think about that anymore since I try not to analyze the food here too much.. It could lead to sickness... :)
We love and miss you all! Drop us a line when you have the time...
Until next time,
The DuBois'
Friday night--Happy Halloween!
We had an eventfilled weekend...so we will take it one day at a time.
Friday was Halloween. Kieran and Riley were not allowed to dress up for school...but the middle schoolers were not told they "couldn't" so quite a few kids got pretty into it. Even a few teachers showed their Halloween spirit. After school i went on a halloween bag/candy hunt since i am one of those mothers who leaves everything til the last minute. Luckily there were 4 pumpkin buckets left at the local grocery store....they were free as long as you bought candy. the candy here is very different than back home. This was good for me b/c most of the stuff here i am a little leary of...but back in the states i would have to "screen" kieran and kellan's candy for the ones I liked. Snickers and M & M's are about the only things i really recognized. Quite a bit of Chinese candy...and several people giving out single gummy worms...there were so many kids i think a lot of people either ran out or were trying to ration their candy!
So we had our Ayi, Li Xien, her son and nephew over. We had Papa John's pizza and then headed out for trick or treating about 5:45. It was a beautiful day....i made the boys wear sweatshirts unde r their costumes just to make sure they were warm enough...and they were plenty warm.
As you will see from the pictures.....kellan was a clown and kieran was of course spiderman. The two little boys that came with us were batman and spiderman...great kids...and they absolutely loved trick or treating. for one of them, it was his first time!
Once kellan figured out what was going on....he was leading the charge! he would run from house to house trying to be the first one to the door. Afer a while he lost interest and went on daddy's shoulders. There was one house...where one of my team teachers lives....where he sat outside of his house dressed up and scaring kids while handing out candy. Kieran wouldn't even go around the corner to see him he was so sccared. Riley made kellan go and get some candy and after leaving...kellan put his head on daddy's head and said "I'm scared."
After about 1 1/2 hours of trick or treating around the compound..kellan and i headed home to relieve our ayi who was there handing out candy. we must have had 200-300 kids at our place b/c we ened up having to go through kieran and kellan's candy and pulling out all the nasty chinese candy and we "re-gifted" that to those junior high kids who were still ringing the doorbell late! One of kieran's classmates (who is from America) took a bite of a chinese piece of candy last year at Halloween and ever since then....he doesn't eat anything except m & M's! Good way to discipline your kids...let them try (or give them) nasty candy so they get a bad association to candy.
We were all pretty shot by the end of the night and ready to hit the sack. We had lots of plans for saturday...which will be the next blog entry...until then...stay tuned!
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