Appliances

I thought I had found a flawless path around the blogger blocking, only to find that I can't post pictures from the abbreviated version of blogger editor that was able to load with my proxy. So back to email posting.

The picture here is Milan showing off his drawing of a horse. He has been a very prolific artist the past couple of weeks with his drawing board, paints, markers, stamps, and colored pencils.

I wanted to share my favorite thing in my tiny kitchen: our new pressure cooker. Yes, that scary contraption that builds up enormous amounts of pressure and makes all that noise on top of the stove. I thought it was crazy too until a friend made the most delicious lamb at a dinner party before we left DC. So far we have made beef stew, chicken tomato stew, apple sauce, mashed potatoes, pork and veggies, and mung beans (ndengu, for you Kenya folks) all in a matter of MINUTES! Also thanks to our new Chinese rice cooker which cooks rice faster than I can chop and prepare everything and cook it in the pressure cooker. Seriously, you have go tot try it. I don't know how I have lived without one for so long.

Another new appliance that takes up precious counter space is our new oven. Yes, it is an over-sized toaster oven, but prepare to be amazed. So far it has only been used to heat up frozen waffles, which is a very noble cause around our house. I hope it lives up to all of my visions of small cakes, muffins, cookies, and maybe a pie. I even had pie-crust making lessons from Tim's Mom before we left, so I am ready to bake! Now all I need are some pans to bake stuff in.

Have a great weekend!

Out and about

We have had a couple successful outings this week. I don't know about Milan, but I feel like a rock star. Yesterday we went to the community center and tried out the swimming pool without any major faux pas (that I know of) or incidents. Everyone who goes to the pool has to wear a swim cap. And I mean everyone, including 2-year old little boys. I knew about the swim-cap rule and bought one for myself but assumed that little kids with hardly any hair wouldn't need one. Wrong. Luckily the guy at the sign-in counter had one Milan could borrow. Since I hadn't prepared him for this new wardrobe accessory, I was worried he'd refuse to wear it. But when he saw how awesome I looked in my smart blue head-covering he get into the spirit. It was hard to get him to give it back when we were done; he might have worn it for the rest of the day if we could have taken it home. The pool itself is very nice, clean, and warm. There is even a baby pool with giant mushroom sculptures. Milan handled it quite well when two 8-ish year-old girls crowded him and tried to hug him and pick him up in the baby pool - he did his best to ignore them and stay attached to mommy. Once we got into the big pool he relaxed and climbed out and jumped in a dozen times and had a great time. From what I've heard this will be a summer-only activity, unfortunately, since the Chinese government forbids the heating of any swimming pools (energy saving tactic?). So even this indoor pool will be too cold in the winter. We live just down the street from a brand new Olympic training center for the Chinese Olympic team which has a heated pool, but I'm not sure if Milan and I splashing in the shallow end will qualify for the Olympics this year.

This morning we made our first trip using the public buses, with a vague idea that the number 703 bus would take us to somewhere near the fruit and veggie market. Luckily we sat in front of another mom and little boy on the bus who spoke very good English and happens to live in our apartment community. She told us where to get off and we wandered in the right direction and found the market. Hooray for us! We celebrated by buying some live shrimp to cook for dinner along with our veggies. Milan is excited that we bought them since he loves watching them jump and wiggle every time we go to the market. He has also taken an interest in the pigs feet and chicken feet that we see in the grocery store and wants me to learn how to cook these delicacies so we can take them home. We'll see how the shrimp turn out tonight.

Busy Town

We suddenly have more social invitations and activities than we know what to do with! I met another newly-arrived mom who has kids at the school and a son Milan's age. Both boys were happy to have someone to play with the past two days. Now that school is in full swing we are meeting more families outside of the teacher population. I think we will soon have a full play group, once everyone gets settled and schedules even out.

This past weekend we did more shopping and got really hot. The shopping never ends as we try to fill the house with all of the stuff that we wrote down on "the list". Since we are comfortable and quite happy at home now, I imagine some of these items will fall off the list, either because we will never find them or because it takes too much effort to go looking for them. But little by little we come home with more stuff. On Saturday we took a walk looking for a playground that we had seen not too far from our house. It turned out to be a collection of exercise equipment for adults (many of which we couldn't figure out how to use ourselves). It might be a fun place for Milan and I to play around if it wasn't so very hot. We just about melted on the way there. But, since we were more than half way to the Carrefour shopping center (a large French-owned wal-mart-ish place), we pushed more water on Milan and went for an authentic Chinese restaurant experience at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Whatever, it was AC and cold drinks we were after. There was even a little slide and play area upstairs for Milan. There was only one other kid playing there, and Milan refused to take off his shoes to go play until that boy was finished. Shoes-off is common here for the indoor play areas we've seen so far, but apparently bare-bottoms are okay. As we were leaving the play area, up toddled a little boy with no diaper, no split pants, just letting it all hang out there in KFC, headed for some fun on the slide. Tim went a did some more shopping (and is very pleased to see that Carrefour stocks tequila) and Milan and I ended up walking back home since we couldn't find a bike taxi to take us home. Hot hot hot. But I did spot another potential playground on the way home. Sunday we shopped for bikes and thoroughly confused the store clerks with our pantomime questions about which bikes can fit a baby seat and where we can buy a baby seat (I see them on bikes all over town, they've got to sell them somewhere!). The bike and bike seat quest will continue this week.

Many of you have asked how communication is going and if many people here speak English. With our very limited 10-weeks of studying Mandarin before we left I think I have been able to say about one thing on the spot: when a kid in the playground asked "where are you from" in English, I answered "Mei Guo" and he understood me. Other than that it has been alot of gesturing and fingers and pointing and shoulder shrugging. I have done pretty well with my numbers while vegetable shopping, though. We're hoping to start some Mandarin tutoring ASAP. Very few people speak any English, so it will be a great place to learn Mandarin.

Another exciting development this weekend was that Tim figured out how to get around the Great Firewall and access some Facebook and my blog. So I could finally read the comments from all of you and get my fix of FB updates. I'm not sure how long that will last before the proxy gets shut down, but it's been nice for a few days. I still can't edit from blogger, so email-posting continues. Thanks for all the comments - keep 'em coming!

Dragon Dancing

School started yesterday and we got to see the Dragon Dance opening ceremony in the morning. Milan was completely enthralled and enjoyed every second of it. The performers were so well choreographed and athletic, it was not just a bunch of guys running around with a dragon on a stick.

Tim says the first day went well. He is up to a total of 11 students from 10 different countries. They look like a good bunch of kids and Tim, of course, wowed them with an awesome demo on the first day.

Now that we feel more comfortable and are getting into a routine, I am noticing how similar it is living here compared to our life in MD. Most of my time is spent at home with Milan, except for 2 or 3 times a week when we'll have activities planned with other people. We do our crafts, cooking, playing, house work, go for walks. I am frustrated with his naps this week, but that is nothing new. I look forward to getting a bike so we can be a little more mobile around the neighborhood, but dealing with transportation issues isn't new either.

This morning Milan and I went to the fruit and vegetable market with another one of the new American residents here. We took a bicycle taxi (three wheeled bike with a large seat behind the driver) and loaded up on, you guessed it, fruit and veggies. Unfortunately, I realized after I paid that I had bought plums imported from the USA! But Milan has been crazy for plums, and that was the only kind I saw.

Speaking of food, last night we went out to eat at one of the local restaurants near home. Milan ordered his rice himself in Chinese and insisted on trying some of the eggplant dish that Tim and I were devouring with great speed and much ooohing and ahhhing. It was fish-fragrant eggplant, one that I remembered reading about in Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fucia Dunlop. So we did our best to ask the 5 waitresses who were watching our every move (and cooing and taking pictures of Milan with their camera phones) if the dish contained sesame oil*. They were very confused, and our Mandarin skills didn't help clear up any of the confusion. The allergy cards that explain Milan's allergies in Mandarin did help, and they eventually decided that it did not have any sesame oil. We gave him a few bites and not only did he survive, he really liked it. It's a good thing because we'll probably order it every time we go out to eat for the rest of our lives.

Pictures of the apartment are up on Flickr - take a peek!

[* For those of you who don't know the latest, Milan is allergic to milk, eggs, banana, sesame, and tree nuts (but NOT peanuts, as he will proudly point out if you ask him).]

Playland!

We found an indoor play area today, not far from our house in the shopping mall of the RT Mart Superstore. We bought a 10-use pass because I know we'll be back. Milan was very serious and only cracked a smile once or twice, but I know he'll warm up to it. He even made a nice friend who helped him navigate the toddler obstacle course of tunnels, slides, and ball pits. Check out the cool socks - required footwear for those without socks (Mommies included). Unlike the Wheaton Mall play area, it doesn't smell like funky foot, so I am all for the cool socks.

School starts tomorrow and Tim is almost ready for his....drum-roll....8 students. Total. In the two classes he teaches, there are 5 + 3 students. I can't wait to go to the opening day ceremonies tomorrow. There will be a dragon dance and Milan has been waiting since Chinese New Year at the Silver Spring Library to see another dragon dance!

Up Side Forwards

Milan was playing recently with one of his toys that was up-side-down. He turned it over and declared "up-side-forwards!" Which pretty much sums up how we are feeling these days: back on our feet and moving forward. We had a couple low-key days at home with normal naps and no crazy running around town and the temper tantrums are back under control. It was nice to have a weekend free from schedules and work. We make pancakes for breakfast and tried out our new pressure cooker to make beef stew for dinner. We sucessfully made waffles last week with our new waffle iron and imported flax and baking powder. Milan is eating great now that we can do some real cooking at home. For awhile there it was only saltines and raisins.

We even got out to do some sight seeing this weekend. We went to Hill Park, a beautiful garden area with two (empty) temples. We can't find any information on the history of this area or the park. The large one at the base of the cliff is now the entrance to a huge cavernous bomb shelter that is carved into the mountain. It is all finished inside with tiles and pipes and electricity. There were a few people down there enjoying the cool air, drinking tea and smoking in the first couple rooms that were open, and then a gate blocking off a seemingly endless corridor of more and more rooms. At the top of the hill was another temple, abandoned, empty, but in nice shape with a great view of the city. I wish we knew more about it, but for now it was a nice morning and Milan even found some swings.

Students are back to school on Wednesday so we'll get into a normal schedule before we know it.

Some adjustments

We moved into our new apartment on Monday after one night in a hotel. The apartment is really nice, probably (definitely) the nicest apartment we have ever lived in, with the smallest kitchen. We are still trying to organize and pick up the clutter since we moved in and promptly dumped the contents of all nine checked bags and three carry-ons all over the place. The school has been keeping us so busy that we have hardly had time to put things in their proper places or even talk to each other much. The director, principle,and many staff members of the school have been very accommodating, helpful, and will bend over backwards to do anything we need. So much so that we feel a little sheltered. I have yet to leave the apartment complex on my own without being driven by one of the drivers in one of the school minivans.

We keep comparing this move-in experience to our experience of arriving and getting settled in Kenya, which is to say, it is completely different. I remember our first evening at the training center on our second or third night in Kenya when another, more experienced volunteer said he would walk us down to town. At the last minute he decided he'd rather stay home and told us to just go down the road, turn left and wander into town by ourselves. It was one of the most terrifying experiences and I remember it clearly, the first impressions of wandering around on our own in Kenya. After an hour or two the Peace Corps van drove through town and gathered us up since we couldn't find our way back home. I laugh now because Naivasha is such a little tiny town that it would be impossible for me to feel lost there even a couple weeks later, but at the time it seemed like miles and miles of unfamiliarity.

So, I have not had that sort of experience here yet. Instead we are having the very different experience of moving into a brand new apartment, complete with washing machine, microwave (which is possessed and beeps incessantly at all hours of the day and night and is currently unplugged), fridge, two bathrooms, one of the best showers I have ever had, and AC throughout. There is even an appliance that was a complete mystery to me: a sort of dish dryer/sterilizer where you put in washed and rinsed dishes and a UV light turns on to finish off the job. I'm trying it out on some of Milan's cups and bowls and things since I am so paranoid about him getting any tap water and getting sick.

The apartment is fully furnished with really nice, brand new furniture. We have never had a place that looks so pro, with all matching furniture and clean new walls. I know in a short while it will look more like home with toys all over the place and our books and things, but for now it seems pretty sterile. I'm hesitant to put holes in the walls and move stuff around, thinking the people who really live here will need it back any day now.

Milan is adjusting fairly well, but it has been a tough few days. The jet lag was really rough and he was major cranky-pants for much of the time so far. Today he actually slept a full night (me, not so lucky) and is having a regular nap, so he is in much better spirits. But he is definitely expressing some of his anxiety and discomfort the only way a 2-year old can: tantrums. He is not enjoying his celebrity status here, where every time we are out someone comes up and wants him to jump into their arms. Milan has taken on the habit of waving his hand at them and saying "bye bye" (which they think is super cute and only eggs them on) or clutching his hands to his chest and turning to me and crying "mommy mommy" (which people also think is pretty cute). And then he'll totally loose his cool over something small when the heat and exhaustion and culture shock get the best of him, like today in the vegetable market when he dropped the little lychee fruit that someone had given him as a present into the mud. He was inconsolable until a man came up to him, talking in Chinese very loudly, and made a little shrimp walk up to him and kiss his arm. That caught his attention for a minute, and then he started crying again. People mean well and are so curious and friendly to him and he just wants to be left alone.

He was in better spirits yesterday evening when we went for a walk around the apartment complex. Many of the residents here in this community of 15+ apartment buildings go out walking as a family in the evenings, and Milan was so thrilled to be catching the little frogs that live in the river and ponds behind our building and running around in the cooler air that he even greeted a few people in Chinese after Tim and I did. There is a toad in the school courtyard that we have caught and released everyday so far, and hundreds of little frogs, so he is in heaven. We went to the school playground today (which Milan insisted on calling Getty Park, you Wheaton Moms will appreciate that), and ended up in the indoor (read: air conditioned) playroom for the kidergarten and pre-school kids, since the students aren't back yet. I think we'll be spending alot of time hanging around those play areas! There is another new teacher and his wife here with a 1-year old, so I'm sure we'll be getting together often, as well as another teacher's wife who is not working at the school who I can't wait to get to know better.

Because I have to get in the habit of posting pictures, I'll attach one of the plane ride. This is Milan, hour 13 of a 14-hour flight, listening to Baby Beluga on continuous loop and watching the video announcement warning about H1N1 flu symptoms. We made it.

I'll post more pictures on Flickr.

We're in China!

We made it here safe and sound and sane. We are in a hotel tonight and are enjoying being taken care of by the school staff. Milan did amazing on the flights. I know you won't believe me, but it was relatively easy. Not that I want to do it again tomorrow, but it was definitely not the horror show that I had anticipated.

Bad news is I can't access Facebook or my blog directly, so I'm glad I know how to post from my email.

Pictures and stories to follow!

One more really long catch-all post before we leave the country at midnight tonight!

I'm back to finish up this summer of fun before we get on the plane. The flight leaves at midnight tonight. We have a layover in Hong Kong after that, but I can't think beyond the first 14 hours.

Better to think about the summer of fun and share some more pictures. Before we left New England we took a quick trip to New York City to see friends. First on the list, the beautiful new Sofia and her rockstar mom, Amanda:

We had a nice picnic in Central Park...

and a quick trip to the roof-top sculpture at the Met

and then we headed to Queens to see Matt and Maggie and play at the awesome playground near their house. We were having so much fun we somehow managed to leave without taking a picture with them. Thanks for a great visit!

On to Colorado! We spent a fun weekend in Denver at our friends Ben and Kelley's house, the same two who visited us in DC before we left. The Denver zoo was top on the list of things to do while we were there.

There were even giraffes - this is for you, Mom!

Another mini-High School reunion, thanks to the miracle of Facebook! We met up with Kyle in Denver who was in elementary through high school with Tim. It was great to see him again.

Kid time at the park and fountain. I couldn't get over how sunny and hot it was without the huge shade trees of the east coast. I guess I am no longer a Colorado native.

The we drove east to Tim's Mom's home in Eastern Colorado. There were alot of cows:

and not many people:

But we did find these nice people!

Tim's Mom and her cousin Karen and Richard visiting from Indiana.

Eating at the restaurant (yes, THE only restaurant in town) with Tim's Grandmother

Visiting Papa Joe's farm (agricultural research station where we got to see corn, canola, safflower, wheat, and peas all in one area).

There was also the county fair to keep us busy:

View from the Ferris Wheel
The family photo with four generations

From there we went to Ft Collins and stayed with our good friend Sally. We reminisced and visited all the old childhood and high school hang-outs and even found a few new ones. Like Odell's Brewery, my new favorite place in Fort Collins. And Taqueria los Comales, my new favorite restaurant.

Okay, we leave for the airport in about 4 hours, so I need to wrap this up. Here are a few token pictures form Ft Fun and the many friends who we saw while there:

The train at City Park with Sally

Perkins with Mr McNeal, Ellen, and Vicky (behind the camera). Mr McNeal was my High School orchestra director, another mini reunion made possible by Facebook.

Picnic in Poudre Canyon with Tim's Grandmother, Aunt, and Uncle.
Beautiful mountains!

Fountain in Oak Street Plaza with Ellen

at Vicky and Ellen's house

Dinner with Tim's brother, Tom and his family

Visit with Albert and Denise

Blast from the past with Heather

Harper, Sally's amazing Frisbee-catching wonder dog!

Last but not least, we came to California, where we are now, to see Tim's sister and her family. Milan has had a great time getting to know his cousins, playing at the beach, and playing with the new puppy, Blu.

Tina, Todd, TJ, and Chris

One last trip to IKEA (until Shanghai!) - spinning through the aisles with Daddy and cousin TJ

Milan and Blu, hangin' out at the doggy restaurant

I think thats all, folks. Lesson learned - don't put off blogging until the day before you fly across the planet. Gotta go finish packing, and if anyone actually gets through this long post, be sure to leave a message or drop an email to say hi! We'll see you on the other side!

One last really big catch-all final post before we move

I had the best intentions to post regularly all summer with updates of our 5-weeks of travel before moving to China. I hope once we are settled in our new home and have a routine I will do a better job getting the pictures off my camera. But, for now, I'll try to catch up on all the summer fun, visits and goodbyes that we have enjoyed before we leave.

Before we left DC we threw ourselves a going away party at the zoo. Since Milan likes to call himself "zookeeper" and it was a good central location for our many far-flung DC-area friends, we took over one of the picnic pavilions one afternoon and had a great visit with many friends from different corners of our life. There were plenty of kids who came and ran around like monkeys, so we didn't have to leave the party to go visit the zoo animals. More time to talk to friends and catch up.

First we had to make chocolate cupcakes:
And Milan wore his new custom-made capybara t-shirt:
And here is a sample of the many wonderful friends who came to see us. Sorry I didn't get a picture of each and every one of you!



Next up, our Colorado friends came for a visit and to help move heavy furniture. Milan had a blast with two full-time playmates at the house everyday, and we even got out to see some fun stuff before the Metro accident closed down the Red line.

Nice hat!

National Building Museum

More hats

Chomping the plants in the back yard

This is the catbird in her nest in our garden. I was so excited to see the babies before we moved out. The babies hatched just in time and were very cool:
Until 3 days later when they became someone's lunch. I was somewhat relieved to leave this beautiful little garden where I felt responsible for each life and subsequent death.

On our last day in Maryland Milan's playgroup and their awesome moms had a little party/babysitting so we could finish packing.
We couldn't have done it without you! Thank you!!

On to the trip. When we left Maryland we spent 2 weeks in Massachusetts at my parents' house. Milan had a blast with Meme (my Mom) and Vovo (my Dad), and even Bastette (our cat) eventually adjusted to life in the new house.

First up, a visit to the local zoo:

Feeding the llamas

Bristol, R.I. 4th of July parade

Milan and his cousins, enjoying the cannon at the parade.


Up in the Ferris Wheel

First in a series of mini High School reunions this summer! We met up with my friend Jacy in Massachusetts

...and her cute son Fionn

Uncle Roger visits from Florida

At the Boston harbor with Beth and Brianna

Getting wet in the fountain in Boston

A nice visit with Alis' parents outside of Boston

And then my parents hosted the biggest family reunion/going away party/birthday celebration on their patio. It was great to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and even some relatives who I hadn't seen in years!

The grill master

Meme getting soaked by the sprinkler runners

With cousin Peter

Birthday cake

Beth and Brandon

It was so nice to have Beth and Brianna there for the weekend. We had fun launching rockets...
And eating lobsters

Wow, that was a very photo-intensive post. I am exhausted and I haven't even reached the half-way point of the trip. I'm going to take a break here and continue tomorrow with the rest of the trip. To be continued...