Today we went to the market and saw a ton of cool stuff. You could not bargin as well as in the other market in Beijing. I got a waist pocket thing to hold my money while people are paying to go in my jumping castle, some chop stick things for the little kids and an umbrella that looks like a Gus and when you pull the trigger it opens.
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Saturday, June 16, 2012
Hong Kong
Once upon a time there was a boy who was in a market he wanted to get a sword and a umbrella so he was looking for a sword and found a samurai sword for $25 but his father decided he couldn't get one then he decided to look for an umbrella and only found small pink ones until a girl from a shop grabbed him by the hand to show him an amazing umbrella it was an umbrella with a samurai sword handle the boy bought the sword-umbrella for $12.
- Based on a true story
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- Based on a true story
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Hong Kong
Monday, June 11, 2012
Caroline and the art of Zen
We met an amazing woman yesterday from England. She has a 12 year old adopted daughter from China who decided she would like to live in China, so they picked up and moved! They live here in Xian and Caroline teaches English. Cost of living here is much less than in Beijing. For example we fed 8 people at the restaurant for about 10 dollars. Caroline prefers to travel from England to China by train--the Mongolian transcontinental. The ride is about 10 days long and takes a person through China, Mongolia (which she loves) on to Russia and finally through Europe. Caroline likes the hard sleepers which are like big bunk rooms. She says you meet the most interesting people that way. I could tell she was fascinated by Andrea and I and our 11 kids and could not wrap her mind around how we fill the needs of that many children. I don't think she can understand the idea of a family and how other members of families can fill needs as well as, if not better than, the Mom.
Yesterday Tony, Cooper and Lily accompanied Naomi to the Home Depot for a few supplies. They got teak mats for the bathtub, magic erasers, soap dispensers and chips ahoy cookies. Tony loved the experience. Andrea and I spent the time cleaning the storage room and holding babies. The babies are so attached to their nannies, so well cared for. The kids all run around the house, just like at my home. At 4:00, if Chloe wears her glasses, they all get a boiled egg. They love it. Naomi is quite strict about treats, but it is a good thing, just like what a real mom does. She doesn't allow the, a bunch of processed foods.
Tony spent the evening having philosophical and spiritual discussions with a man who lives at the nursing home next door. He speaks beautiful English but is paralyzed as a result of a head injury. His name is Joseph.
Yesterday Wilson and Eli spent a good chunk of the day practicing Chinese with their homemade flash cards. I told Wilson if he would get good grades we would send him to Chinese camp at BYU. Whatever it takes.
Our breakfast situation has been a little dire. We bought some drinkable yogurts that gagged all of us except Wilson. Eli said they were both edible and drinkable which makes them "dread able" .
Today is our last day in Xian. We are going to go with our new friends this afternoon to the Muslim quarter for dinner and to see the city center. Our experience has been amazing. I am reminded over and over of how much bigger the world is than my little worries at home. I am also reminded over and over that happiness comes from living the gospel, and that good people everywhere are searching hard for something I have.
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Yesterday Tony, Cooper and Lily accompanied Naomi to the Home Depot for a few supplies. They got teak mats for the bathtub, magic erasers, soap dispensers and chips ahoy cookies. Tony loved the experience. Andrea and I spent the time cleaning the storage room and holding babies. The babies are so attached to their nannies, so well cared for. The kids all run around the house, just like at my home. At 4:00, if Chloe wears her glasses, they all get a boiled egg. They love it. Naomi is quite strict about treats, but it is a good thing, just like what a real mom does. She doesn't allow the, a bunch of processed foods.
Tony spent the evening having philosophical and spiritual discussions with a man who lives at the nursing home next door. He speaks beautiful English but is paralyzed as a result of a head injury. His name is Joseph.
Yesterday Wilson and Eli spent a good chunk of the day practicing Chinese with their homemade flash cards. I told Wilson if he would get good grades we would send him to Chinese camp at BYU. Whatever it takes.
Our breakfast situation has been a little dire. We bought some drinkable yogurts that gagged all of us except Wilson. Eli said they were both edible and drinkable which makes them "dread able" .
Today is our last day in Xian. We are going to go with our new friends this afternoon to the Muslim quarter for dinner and to see the city center. Our experience has been amazing. I am reminded over and over of how much bigger the world is than my little worries at home. I am also reminded over and over that happiness comes from living the gospel, and that good people everywhere are searching hard for something I have.
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Best noodles of my life
We left the train station today at 9:00 and drove to the beautiful city of Xian. Xian is known for their hot springs, 50 universities and of course the terra cotta warriors. The warriors were amazing and the farmer who discovered them was there signing books! Our lunch was incredible and we could not get enough of the homemade noodles.
We got to Starfish today about 3:00 and just jumped right in. We hung curtains, cleaned the storeroom and played with babies. We had dinner tonight at a local restaurant that was so cheap we couldn't believe it. More kung pow chicken, green beans, spiced tofu, tiny julienne potatoes and that wonderful eggplant dish.
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We got to Starfish today about 3:00 and just jumped right in. We hung curtains, cleaned the storeroom and played with babies. We had dinner tonight at a local restaurant that was so cheap we couldn't believe it. More kung pow chicken, green beans, spiced tofu, tiny julienne potatoes and that wonderful eggplant dish.
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Saturday, June 9, 2012
Learning to barter
When Tony and I first started our family we decided we would "homeschool the humanities". I could never guessed that we would someday be taking a field trip to the Forbidden City and Tienamen square as we study Chinese history. Our guide Snow did a wonderful job teaching us. I made up a quiz for the kids:
1. How many provinces are there in China
2. How many provinces does the Great Wall Pass through?
3. What three things did the Emperor standardize?
4. What is "fung
5. What is the Cultural revolution and what years did it span?
6. What is the PRC and what is it's symbol?
7. What do the 5 stars on the Chinese flag represent?
8. What are the names of 2 Chinese Dynasties?
9. What is the the Emperor's symbol?
After our visit to the Forbidden city we grabbed lunch at the Japanese equivalent of McDonalds. We all liked the rice bowls, but could not handle the steamed egg with chunks of fake crab. Lily really like the cold mashed potato salad with tuna!
We spent the afternoon at the pearl market where our boys became amazingly skilled at bartering. Tony had met a frequent Chinese visitor from Argentina and learned that it is appropriate to offer 10 percent of the named price. We thought 50 was good. The kids soon saw it as a game and drove some really hard bargains. I couldn't handle it, so Cooper did all my shopping. The boys were most excited about getting gifts for their siblings. We were so proud of Eli who carried out one transaction exclusively in Chinese--a fake Rolex of all things!
The most amazing part of our day was arriving at the train station in Beijing. The mass of humanity just blew me away. There were 16 train depots crammed full of people, enough people per depot to exceed capacity of a Stake Center.
In our depot,
we were the only non-Chinese people. Our little sleeping cabins can easily be described as cozy. There are four bunks and a narrow aisle where a small table sits. Andrea and her kids were in the cabin next door, but when a Chinese man filled the fourth bunk, we moved our boys next door and had she and Lily stay with us.
I am fascinated by scenes outside my window. It is the quintessential Chinese mix of modern and ancient. Nice new cars and basketball courts in the middle of very primitive housing. I also think my personal symbol of China is an empty building. China does such a better job of using space. Every corner is a garden in the country and every nook is a home in the city.
It is soothing to sleep on the train. Every time Tony turns over in the bunk above me it sounds like popcorn popping. Someone's is smoking and it is stinging our eyes. I want so badly to buy some fresh cherries from the vendor, but I don't want to get another illness. So far I have a cold and a bladder infection and a GI bug might put me over the edge. We are all hoping that we can figure out which train station we get off on.
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1. How many provinces are there in China
2. How many provinces does the Great Wall Pass through?
3. What three things did the Emperor standardize?
4. What is "fung
5. What is the Cultural revolution and what years did it span?
6. What is the PRC and what is it's symbol?
7. What do the 5 stars on the Chinese flag represent?
8. What are the names of 2 Chinese Dynasties?
9. What is the the Emperor's symbol?
After our visit to the Forbidden city we grabbed lunch at the Japanese equivalent of McDonalds. We all liked the rice bowls, but could not handle the steamed egg with chunks of fake crab. Lily really like the cold mashed potato salad with tuna!
We spent the afternoon at the pearl market where our boys became amazingly skilled at bartering. Tony had met a frequent Chinese visitor from Argentina and learned that it is appropriate to offer 10 percent of the named price. We thought 50 was good. The kids soon saw it as a game and drove some really hard bargains. I couldn't handle it, so Cooper did all my shopping. The boys were most excited about getting gifts for their siblings. We were so proud of Eli who carried out one transaction exclusively in Chinese--a fake Rolex of all things!
The most amazing part of our day was arriving at the train station in Beijing. The mass of humanity just blew me away. There were 16 train depots crammed full of people, enough people per depot to exceed capacity of a Stake Center.
I am fascinated by scenes outside my window. It is the quintessential Chinese mix of modern and ancient. Nice new cars and basketball courts in the middle of very primitive housing. I also think my personal symbol of China is an empty building. China does such a better job of using space. Every corner is a garden in the country and every nook is a home in the city.
It is soothing to sleep on the train. Every time Tony turns over in the bunk above me it sounds like popcorn popping. Someone's is smoking and it is stinging our eyes. I want so badly to buy some fresh cherries from the vendor, but I don't want to get another illness. So far I have a cold and a bladder infection and a GI bug might put me over the edge. We are all hoping that we can figure out which train station we get off on.
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Thursday, June 7, 2012
Great Wall Great Lunch
What a glorious day! If I ever write a book about amazing stairways of the world, The great Wall will be in the top three. By some miracle, the sky was blue and the breeze was blowing and we spent the morning walking up an incredible piece of history. We were all drenched in sweat after the climb, but our wonderful guide had a surprise for us. A mile long tobagon ride down the mountain. We had worked up a good appetite so lunch was delicious: BBQ trout, chicken and chestnuts, ribs and dried green beans, fried green beans and classic fried rice. After lunch we visited the Olympic park and the bird's nest. I have imprinted in my mind walking down the walkway with a Chinese boy band belting out love ballads and strings of kite's blowing in the breeze.
We ended the day with an amazing Chinese acrobat show. I couldn't watch some of the acts which were breaking all kinds of safety rules. The boys loved the motorcycles in the cage--8 at one time. Terrifying. As with the previous night, the exhaustion and jet leg hit at dinner and we were all too tired to chew our delicious noodles or eat our spinach and peanuts. We collapsed into bed and slept like the dead.
We learned
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We ended the day with an amazing Chinese acrobat show. I couldn't watch some of the acts which were breaking all kinds of safety rules. The boys loved the motorcycles in the cage--8 at one time. Terrifying. As with the previous night, the exhaustion and jet leg hit at dinner and we were all too tired to chew our delicious noodles or eat our spinach and peanuts. We collapsed into bed and slept like the dead.
We learned
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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