Summer recap, Part Two

After soaking up as much family love, clean air, blue skies, and good food as possible, we raced back to China so the kids could start school two days later. My parents and two brothers had been in Mongolia for a 11 day REI trip (which they report was amazing, btw). They then split up and arrived in Guangzhou on different days. Although the comings and goings were a little chaotic, it was nice to have time with each of them rather than all four at once. 

I took a day off and visited the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees for the first time with my parents. It was really quite lovely and peaceful. From there, we walked to the Museum of the Nanyue Kings, also a really interesting place and a decent walk, if it wasn't for the heat and humidity...

Poor Pop was dying in the humidity...but he was a trooper.

 Around the corner from the museum, we found an enormous Middle Eastern restaurant with no one inside it. We were intrigued and hot, though, so we ventured inside and had a delicious meal. My pop was so delighted to have an Egyptian dish that his grandmother used to make for him.

My parents left and my brothers arrived from Shanghai in the middle of the night, but they quickly caught up on sleep and were raring to go. We took them to Bingsheng too, because, seriously, the pork buns are out of this world. 

This is my baby brother. :) 

Below is a more accurate depiction of my brothers, although, strangely, the goofiest one is actually smiling normally here...

Me and my handsome brothers at the Mall of the World

We went to Macau with my brothers for about 36 hours (different blog post to come) and then they went to Hong Kong while we kept on with our normal life. They came back for one more night and then sadly flew home. 

It was hard to let my family leave, after a whole year of not seeing them and not knowing if it will be another year. I'm really hoping my mom and pop will come back. 

Summer recap, Part One

The last five months really flew by. But they were intense. I was tapped to lead the planning of the Consulate's July 4th event with ~500 guests, so from about March on, I was really busy. I was also working in adoptions, which was a longtime dream of mine and very rewarding. But it would have been better if those two didn't occur at the same time, as adoptions is also quite intense. For the last two months or so, I had to stop my Chinese lessons and stay late most days. It was hard on the family, as I often was not home in time to tuck in the kids, but at least I knew it would stop in July.

We were delighted to welcome D's father and his friend in April and his sister and her family in June. We had a lot of fun showing them our Guangzhou and were really touched that they made the trip all the way here to see us.

D's sister and family came all the way from Alaska and the Guangzhou humidity hit them hard! The teenager is smiling in these pictures but let's just say some of the time he was not feeling so smiley...

Shamian Island

Shamian Island

Siblings- aren't they cute?

Delicious dinner at Bingsheng with my SIL and BIL

Beautiful Oregon: Every year I fall a little more in love with you. 

In mid-July, D and the kids went to Oregon for about three weeks. I enjoyed some time alone and then met them for the last week. Due to our heavy visa demand in the summertime, each consular officer was only allowed to take 10 working days of vacation, which I do think is reasonable. However, since my parents were coming right after we returned to China, I had to save a few vacation days for them too...which meant I was in OR for only 9 days, plus travel days. I confess, I was worried it would not be worth it given the jet lag- SO RIDICULOUS. Oh, it was worth it. Every year we reunite with D's family in Sunriver, Oregon. We rent a gigantic house and spend our days bike riding, walking the trails, and swimming. It is truly idyllic and we all love this place.

Riding Cover Girl...

The kids loved fishing with Papa W...

 On my second day in the USA, we visited the Beaverton Farmers Market, which is pretty awesome to Oregonians too, but to a person just arrived from China, it is seriously HEAVEN. Look at all these Oregon berries! My sister in law and I ate a breakfast Mexican omelet and bought fresh produce and fruit to die for. I wish I were there right now.

My little riding buddy. This is one of my favorite places in the world- Sunriver, OR.

We held our second B family 5K, with t-shirts and course designed by our awesome niece and nephews. My kids really feel proud and excited about this event. Last time two years ago, my little L couldn't finish the course on her bike with training wheels. This year, she finished the 5K with no training wheels!

Looking at our photos and thinking back over the last few months makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about our R&R again. We are so lucky to have a home to return to (thanks Maga and Papa W!), family that loves us, and a beautiful state to visit every year! We love and miss you all!

Update on life in Guangzhou

Chinese NY decorations were awesome

I used to think about my blog all the time and compose blog posts in my head. Now weeks go by without my even thinking of it. But when I think about stopping blogging altogether, that doesn't feel ok. So I guess I should update it, with a post about real life, not just vacations!

We’ve been here almost ten months now. Life is kind of quiet and routine. Mostly, we spend our time in a small area of the city, going back and forth from work and school. Both D and I are working hard. He has a dozen projects and a lot of responsibility in the Management section. I am in the Immigrant Visa unit, which I like so much more than NIV. The pace is manageable- we actually have time to process our cases in the afternoons after interviewing in the morning. My biggest frustration continues to be the language. I am so used to being able to really communicate with immigrant visa applicants and understand their stories. We can use interpreters when we need them, thank goodness, but I so wish I were more competent in Chinese. I do see progress, but it’s slow.

She loved her Chinese NY dress

Speaking of Chinese, we've worked out a class schedule that seems to be working better for us. Two evenings a week, the kids and Daniel have Chinese tutoring at home. I have class at the Consulate at the same time. The earlier time works better in terms of my fatigue, and I use the classes to work on different aspects of the interview (e.g. wedding questions, employment visa questions, etc.). I'm so pleased with the kids' tutor- she uses games, incentives, and other tricks to help them learn. The other day I walked in and heard L speaking in entire paragraphs. It was pretty amazing. 

On the weekends, I wish I could say we explore the city, but the truth is we often stay close to home. M has soccer training (not exactly a team) on Saturday mornings at a nearby school. At the same time, L has gymnastics a little farther away, in a real neighborhood (the area where we live is newly built, and doesn't really feel like we're living in China). My friend recommended this school- although it's very Chinese, many American children also go there. The teacher speaks some English and it feels like a great cultural experience. Plus, L absolutely loves gymnastics!!

Entrance to gymnastics- doesn't get more authentic than this!

Now this is real China. 

We often take the bus home.

We recently purchased some bikes and have been really enjoying rides along the river. L finally learned to ride a bike- whew, parenting item checked off.  

Now only Daddy needs a bike! He is toying with the idea of an electric bike...

 We had a few gorgeous days recently that just begged us to go riding...

 

These bikes for rent are colorful and adorable, but not so easy to ride...

With a ten minute commute, a housekeeper making dinner, two nearby gyms, and a reasonable work schedule (Santo Domingo's schedule was 7am-4:30pm which left me wiped out at the end of the day), I no longer have any excuse to NOT exercise!! However, I have started exercising at home because the only time that works for me is in the morning before work. I have joined Team Beachbody and started out with 21 day fix, which I'm now doing again. I want to increase my stamina and strength and start being more active with the whole family! The truth is that many days here in Guangzhou are nice days to be outside. I have learned to check the pollution level in the morning, and if it’s low, we try to do something outside. Soon it will be unbearably hot, so I'm trying to take advantage now. 

We just had our first visitors, and we are looking forward to more this spring and summer.

St. Patty's Day!

On the one hand, we’re doing just fine. The kids like their school; we like our jobs; we have wonderful housing and a great lifestyle here. But the truth is that I miss home terribly and I know my husband does, too. Some days are harder than others. I know we signed up for this, but of course thinking about it and living it are different. 

It's not China's fault, though some of the cultural differences and challenges here do make it hard to adapt. But mostly I guess it's just that we are so far away and will only see our families once or twice during this 2 year tour. I think I went home four times from the D.R., and many family members came to visit. 

To visit the U.S. from China, we need thousands of dollars and at least a week of vacation, which isn't even enough due to jet lag. I'm anxiously looking forward to a week in Oregon this summer, but in a blink it will be over. So, we are thinking hard about going to D.C. next. 

Hanukkah and New Year's 2014

We had a busy holiday season this year! As the kids grow older, it feels more important to help them share their Jewish culture with others so that they don't feel alone in a sea of Christmas. Here in China, Christmas isn't as visible, but most of the other Consulate families celebrate it. So we volunteered to play the dreidel game at the Consulate holiday party, as well as each kid's class holiday party. We also volunteered to go to the kids' classes and briefly talk about Hanukkah.

We also invited all of the Consulate's Jews to a Hanukkah party, which included making latkes for the first time! I used an interesting recipe that involved mashing half of the potatoes and shredding the other half. It made substantial latkes with a yummy center. However, I was completely inept at frying them! They were either raw or burned- no middle ground. That was the first batch. So I asked my ayi to do the next batch, and she rocked them! Thank goodness, because I don't know that these folks would have forgiven me...

We also made Hanukkah cookies, a family tradition. I used this nice sugar cookie recipe recommended by a blogger friend. Now that I can make fairly decent cookie dough, it's time to tackle frosting. We just slather it on with a knife, but I think next year I'll get some of those doohickeys that help you apply the frosting more expertly. All these baking friends of mine are making me take things to the next level. :)

On Christmas Day, we got a kick out of choosing where to eat Chinese food,  since that's what good Jews do in America. As you can imagine, we had some great choices! We went to a nearby restaurant (Bing Sheng) that appears on all the 'best food in Guangzhou' lists, and it was delicious. The pork buns are seriously to die for. My son has become quite picky, and didn't eat much (it kills me). But my daughter is pretty great about trying things. 

 

I forgot to mention- someone lost her first tooth during Hanukkah!

We planned to do some sightseeing on Christmas Day, but the air wasn't great, so we stayed close to home, organizing and reading, for a few days. Honestly, it was great. Lots of rest and good food. Couldn't ask for more.

On New Year's we were invited to a delicious Turkish feast at the home of some lovely friends. We all have small kids, so we weren't sure we could make it to midnight. At around 11pm, everyone headed home, but my kids were determined to stay awake until 12. So we watched a movie and at five minutes before midnight, we went outside where the apartment complex was having a big party. We stood on the second floor overlook, counting down until midnight. It was the perfect night for 6 and 8 year old kids!

We are excited about a wonderful 2015!