Wow! What timing. Jane and I have received quite a few questions in our emails, so I was planning on answering some of those questions tonight. Just before starting this post, PaPa sent an email asking when he was going to see a penguin feeding. It just so happens that we went out for a walk today and Dan fed one of the little guys. Here is Danny with his bad-breathed buddy.
The picture was taken at about 5 p.m. today as we were on our way out for an evening walk after an early dinner. Jane made Thai Peanut Pasta which was quite good. We were given primitive maps of the town from school, and based on our previous walks, I thought there was a park that was in another direction in which we had not yet gone. We headed that way, and we found a lot of new things. Jane was probably the most excited, because at the entrance of the park, there was a huge Starbucks. I am sure she will be a frequent visitor.
The park was really neat. It was very large, with its own lake with small paddle boats, which I assume were rentable. The park consisted of many gardens and stone, brick and wood walkways. It seemed much like a Japanese Tea Garden, though as I write this, I realize I have never been to a Japanese Tea Garden, but I am sure this is what they look like. Also, throughout the park, there were little posts, similar to lightposts, but instead of putting off light, the played soft classical music. We continued along and found a playground, a picture of which is attached above (I still cant figure out how to put pictures alongside the text). The playground was huge, and it cost money, which Jane says was expected of most parks in China. I guess, with all of the people, there would be chaos without the regulation. However, we went after hours, and after it had been raining all day, we had the place pretty much to ourselves. Dan even found a buddy, with whom he did the teeter-totter. The boy's aunt was with him, and she spoke a bit of English. Jane spoke with her and got her phone number, which was 11 digits long, as are they all. No one had a pen, so Jane had to remember the first five numbers and I remembered the last six.
We continued along our park walk and ran into a woman who said, "What country do you come from?" When we said America, she said that her daughter worked in Los Angeles. She was nice, and she said. "We shall become very good friends, yes?" Jane said sure, and the woman began giving us her phone number. We were not quite ready for more memorization, so Jane went with her to a nearby restaurant to get it written down. It started getting dark, so we headed home, but we stopped by a Kedi, much like a 7-11, for some ice cream cones. Not able to eat ice cream, Evelyn got something called Pea Snack (quite a good tradeoff, huh). Actually, the Pea Snack was quite good, it tasted a lot like Funyuns, the puffed onion snack, only with snow peas.
Attached as well is a picture of Evelyn eating spicy potato chips. Overall, Evelyn has been a pretty picky eater, choosing not to eat rice, which she always use to love. She has been getting plenty of shrimp, ham, and sausages, as well as these puffed rice cake snacks. They are little bite sized snacks, and they are actually pretty spicy, but she loves them. If she had her choice, it is safe to say that she would eat 5 bags per day.
Our apartment building has a security gate and a guard shack out front. When we were getting close to the gate, a family with two young kids saw us (when I say family, I do not mean mom/dad/kids; instead it includes grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc.). We got in the gate and there were about 8 people there. The old men, just as in the Mega Mart previously, were the ones most animated towards the kids. An older guy took the child, about 3 years old, and held him up to Dan. He had the two shake hands, and the put their heads together for them to kiss (I guess). Dan did not pucker up, but rather rubbed foreheads with the kid. The guy then did the same thing with Evelyn, who again, tolerated it, to my amazement. We then headed into the apartment, and the girls, Jane included, headed down for bed. I am writing this and Dan is watching cartoons from the 1950s on our portable DVD player. Thankfully we brought the thing, it has been a lifesaver, especially with Evelyn.
Now onto answering some questions in emails:
Q. You mention a water tank. What is this for?
A. Yes, we have a water tank, much like the office water cooler. It is the drinking water. The water that comes out of the faucet is for bathing and cleaning. No one in China, or at least this area, drinks water out of the fountain, not even native Chinese. We have had to keep a close eye on the kids during bath time to make sure they drink no water, but otherwise it has not been an issue.
Q. Are the beds normal size?
A. I would say that the beds are normal size, or if they are smaller, they are only smaller by a bit. There are actually plenty of tall people in China; Jane and I do not stand out as much as many people thought we would have (based on our heights). There are two things that make me feel tall. One are the trees along the sidewalks. Many sidewalks are lined with trees that completely cover the sidewalks overhead, but the limbs are only about 5 feet off the ground. Your really have to slouch to go underneath them. The other difference is our kitchen countertops. They seem to be about 4-6 inches lower than normal. You can really feel it in your back after a half hour of cooking or washing dishes. Above is Jane preparing the Thai Peanut.
One thing about the beds, though, is that they are rock hard; it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between the mattress and the box springs. Evelyn caught a break: when we switched apartments, she got a new mattress, so it is as if she is sleeping on comfy cardboard instead of concrete. (Evelyn is sleeping on a twin mattress directly on the floor, and she is doing well. Etain is in a crib that we bought, but it is more like a tent. A picture of Evelyn and Etain's room is attached.
Q. Do you have any knowledge of things going on in America?
A. No, but that is simply because we are too busy. However, American news is at our disposal. Yahoo.com is our internet homepage, and they had plenty of info on the Democratic Convention the past few days. We just havent had time to read it. The other day, when we were at breakfast at 7 a.m., on a television in the restaurant was a live speech being given at the Convention, roughly 13 hours after us. Newspapers and everything else are also available online. I have not noticed any differences.
Q. How is nanny search going?
A. It is not really going right now. The school is still doing a lot of last minute work on the schedules, as far as when Jane and I will be teaching and on what days. Nanny agencies have been asking how many hours a day they would be needed, which we have not been able to tell them. Without the information from the school, everything has been put on hold. However, everyone knows that we aint leaving our kids with a nanny without getting to know one quite well, and it doesn't seem to be a pressing issue for anyone.
Q. What is on television?
A. How should I know, I don't speak Chinese. We have about 25 channels, and my naive understanding of the shows breaks the programs into three categories: soap operas, infomercials and replays of the Olympics. There is actually a channel called CSPN, which I guess is the Chinese version of ESPN. They have been showing the Olympics non-stop, highlighting all of the Chinese victories. There has been plenty of table tennis and badmitton on the tube. We pretty much have stuck to our portable DVD player, watching Lady and the Tramp, Fox and Hound, and Star Wars.
Q. Is it hard to understand people?
A. Yes, it is impossible (but Jane has been pretty impressive).
Good night.
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