All Things Wisconsin

Having been a Wisconsinite 2 years now, I am coming to understand traditions run thick and deep in this part of the U.S. of A. People live and die by their Packers, cheese and cabin "up north". And beer and cheese and cabin "up north". When we first arrived in 2007 we were quickly introduced to the concept of the weekly Friday Fish Fry. A tradition so tried and true, no outsider would dare have the audacity to question it. Very soon after (and largely against our better judgement) the words "Culvers" and "Butterburger" worked their way into our vocabulary.

I clearly remember driving past Culvers in those early weeks and laughing at their signboards each Friday night. As weeks have turned into months, and now years, I recently realized those same signboards barely cause me to blink any longer. Culvers regularly offers frozen custard in vanilla and chocolate plus the "Flavor of the Day". Therefore, on any given Friday, your tastebuds can be tempted with magnificent tantilizing treats such as: Peanut Butter Cup & Walleye; Reese's Pieces & Shrimp; Snicker Swirl & Cod Dinners. Oh yeh, "Hit the brakes, Honey! We're goin' in!!!"

Tonight I saw it again, for the first time. Feast your eyes, it's Friday in Wisconsin!!!

The Big Day

Lydia has been anticipating this day for a very, very long time! Time to go to kindergarten. Last night she went to bed all smiles, and woke up with the same permanent smile on her face. After a special breakfast of pancakes and scrambled eggs, we were ready just as the bus pulled up outside. She climbed onto the bus and took her seat right in front. What a brave, excited, big girl!

Now I'm off to bake up some chocolate chip cookies before she returns home. You know it must be a special day! I haven't baked cookies since....uh...1998 or so.

Left Behind

"Hmmmm.... I know I really like yellow school buses, but I'm not sure I like the looks of this!"

What else we've been up to.....

So many squirrels. So many walnut remnants. So little time.

(Family vacation photos to come soon!)

I say "dinner", you say "playtime".

I was at the grocery store this week and needed to pick up some rice for dinner. While I was perusing the endless varieties of flavored rice products, desperately searching out plain ol' brown rice, Marcus' sweet voice finally seeped through my bewilderment and into my awareness. He had been repeatedly asking "Can I play with it?". "Can I play with it?".

It took me a moment to figure "it" out and then it hit me: My boy will never view rice in the same way again.

"Oh, no, Marcus. You can't play with this... it's for dinner."

I'd love to know what thoughts ran through the mind of that unsuspecting shopper who shared the aisle with us.

Yes, living internationally has a profound and lasting effect on children.

Alive. Barely.

I can't believe it has been nearly 2 weeks since we've been back in the States. It feels like an eternity and already I have to ask myself "did we really go to China for 2 months, or was that just a dream?" It has been a tough 12 days and I, for one, am completely exhausted.

Right off the bat, we extended Lydia's 5th birthday with one more party. Or two. As it stands, 'five years old' will live in infamy as the longest celebration ever.

I'm still wrapping my mind around our China experience and trying to determine my Top 10 takeaways ... in time, I hope to verbalize it well.

For now, I really need to get to bed and get a GOOD night of sleep. It's 9:26, so I am officially 'pathetic'.

One Brave Chick

I received a package this week from my MOPS group back home. They each took the time to write a note of encouragement and then an extra bonus was this SUPER cool shirt from the website www.onebravechick.com. The card inside read:

"Welcome to the world of one brave chick..... You are receiving this bravery kit today because someone believes that you are one brave chick!"

Now, after going to the website and reading the stories of many truly brave chicks and their battles with cancer, illness or tragedy either for themselves or family members, I'm not sure I truly deserve the title "One Brave Chick". Although it DID take a complete surrendering of my will and heart and an extreme amount of courage for me to agree to follow my husband's job to China with our two small children.

In honor of my dear MOPS friends: Pam, Carol, Brooke, Tricia, Michele, Liz, Julie, Mandi, Sarah, and Anna.... Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be One Brave Chick's spokesperson in China. Here's to you!
Why the "V" symbol? The Chinese have a practice of compulsively doing this gesture EVERY single time they take a picture. We Americans are unsure of the reasoning behind it and find it quite perplexing, yet humorous. So, when in China..........

Day before the day before we leave

I decided to keep Lydia home from school today so that we could have a morning of special fun before we leave China. We met up with my friend, Chana, so we could hit the tucked away English book seller for some airplane entertainment for the kids.

After purchasing way too many sticker activity books, we headed to the big empty concrete laden communist-esque plaza near Chana's house because two random guys have set up a bouncy castle there. It was intriguing, because during our time there our kids were the only ones jumping. Several other Chinese mothers/grandmothers stopped by but they seemed to be more interested in observing (and taking photos) of our four little white kids jumping inside. They watched for several minutes, tried to force their children to take photos with our children, resorted to just taking photos of our kids and then left without letting their kids experience the joys of bouncing around on huge inflated objects. Odd.

"Doesn't that look like fun, Son? Well you aren't going inside...you just stand there and look while I take a few pictures of those little white kids bouncing around."

After lunch, I took Lydia to a little nail salon, where we both had manicures (Lydia's first), and Lydia also had her toes painted. Marcus patiently watched Cars on the portable DVD player and made goofy faces at girls working in the salon. The price was supposed to be 90RMB, but somehow ended up increasing to 120RMB by the time all was said and done. Still, $17 total isn't too bad for this:

Countdown

We are down to our final days in China. We will fly out at noon on Saturday. I am surprised to admit that I have strangely mixed emotions.

On one hand I can not wait to get back to my "normal" life... Sleeping in my own bed sounds divine. Driving my own car will be incredibly freeing. Enjoying coffee with my dear friends will warm my heart. Both Brandon and I are salivating at the thought of a huge spinach salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing. (As 'visitors' to China, it is safest for us to avoid raw vegetables and salads).

On the other hand, I have had the opportunity to meet some very lovely people. So many times I have been taken aback by the kindness and generosity of people that I have only know for a few weeks. There is something so unique about the international lifestyle... there is an instant connection point upon finding yourself in this overwhelming foreign life. As a result, people are much more willing to invite near strangers into their home for playdates. Friendships and english conversation are never taken for granted. We have been so blessed by:

Frankie, who has invited the kids and I over for several playdates. Her daughter, Pascale, even gave Lydia a birthday gift.

Kate, who lent us the beloved bike and has planned a dinner in my 'honor' tonight. Imagine, a farewell party for me and I've only been here 7 weeks! Her son, Josh, also remembered Lydia's birthday with a gift.

Katie and her husband David, who drove us to church our first Sunday here, invited us out for dinner afterwards and became dear friends very quickly. I only wish we had more time.

Jen, who lent us loads of toys and books, bought me coffee 'just because', met us for playdates when the days were rough, and helped me navigate the streets of Shenzhen on many occasions. Many 'bad days' were turned around with her help.

Chana, who let us borrow her spare coffee pot (AMEN!) as well as more books and puzzles... all this after only knowing her for a few hours.

We were never treated as if we weren't worthy of the time and effort to befriend because we would be here for such a short time. Instead, people cared for us and spent time with us as if we would be here for years. It has reminded me and prodded me to watch for needs in the people that surround me. And to actually ACT on those needs. Quickly. Not just when it's convenient for me.

And of course, there's Kenny. He loves the kids and told me on Monday how much he's going to miss them. Every day he goes home he tells his wife about Marcus and Lydia. I have not encountered another Chinese driver that speaks English as well as him. God truly intersected our paths that day on January 8th, 2009. Kenny came to church with us a couple of weeks ago. It was probably curiosity that brought him, but what an exciting first step! We will be praying for him. I have no doubt that our last ride with him on Friday will be a tearful one.

I am humbled to admit that some good has come from our time here. I came with a pretty poor attitude and grumbling all the way. But God has been with us each moment. Lydia absolutely loves her school. We have managed to stay healthy the entire time (a major source of fear for me before coming). To be sure, there have been a fair amount of difficult days, moments of crying and intense frustration. But we have encountered another culture, both the negatives and the positives, and will return to America changed because of it.

Oh, and 80 degrees and sunny ain't all that bad either. Lydia reminds me on a daily basis that she is not happy about exchanging that for snow boots and winter coats once again. I have to agree 100%.

Marketing Genius

Will someone please give a raise to the marketing guru who came up with this? A bit wordier than "No one can eat just one"... but every bit as compelling, don't you think?

It reads:
"The temptable food is one part of your essential need while travelling"
"Absolutely you can not resist such a palatable food"

Looking for another cash source

Darn! My morning plans to rob the armored truck were foiled once again... Are these guys intimidating or what?!?



In case you missed it here's a closer view. I know that I almost didn't see these guys! With their camouflage helmets and all, they practically blend right in to the... ummm... concrete.

And yes, he's pointing at me... (Something tells me he didn't like having his picture taken.)

Magical

Before we left for China, we attempted to add a silver lining to the "adventure" by suggesting to Lydia that maybe we could visit Hong Kong Disneyland. Word of advice: Avoid making vague promises to a child with the memory of an elephant. Don't kid yourself; She will NOT forget.

So, as a final China hurrah, and a pseudo birthday celebration we booked a night at the Disney Hollywood Hotel and left Shekou for 2 days in magical Disneyland. Granted, the park is a mere fraction of the Florida version... but our little princess doesn't know any different, and our little prince is certainly oblivious to all things Disney. Although the park was relatively small, it was the perfect size for us since we only had Saturday and Sunday to visit.

Lydia's already asking if we can go back "someday". I don't think she understands that Hong Kong is just a wee bit far away from Wisconsin!!!

Princess Treatment

What do you get when your blonde haired, blue-eyed daughter is waiting in the garden when the princesses come out to say "hello"? Lots and lots of royal attention! Wow, did Lydia ever win the award for one-on-one time with the princesses!!! At times, it was a little embarrassing and I started to feel bad for the multitudes of little Chinese kids that had to wait while Lydia carried on lengthy conversations with Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty and even a stroll with Buzz Lightyear. (Is it always bad to play the race card?) Seriously. In America we would've never garnered so much attention. Lydia would've been just another little white girl in a multitude of little white girls wearing princess costumes.

The most amazing interaction was with Cinderella. She took Lydia's hand and walked with her to "Cinderella's Carousel". The employees cleared the ride, let Lydia board first with Cinderella and they rode together, chatting the entire time! The look in Lydia's eyes was completely priceless.

After the ride, Lydia could only recall a few details of their conversation... but she did tell me that princesses talk with squeaky voices.

Curtsy lessons from Sleeping Beauty.

A princess kiss

Twirling with Belle




A stroll through the park with Buzz

Through a boy's eyes

Marcus' favorite part of Disney by far: Orange popsicles.


Followed closely by "touch the water".

Hmmmm.... come to think of it, we could've saved a few bucks if we just stayed home, bought a box of popsicles, and set a bucket of water on the balcony. Hindsight is always 20/20, isnt' it?

Paprazzi

Lydia again had more photo requests than we can count. For the most part, she willingly played along, striking her best princess pose and flashing her sweetest princess smile. She only turned down the first request when we arrived our first day. Not to worry... they found us again later in the day while waiting in line for Winnie the Pooh's Hunny Pot adventure. The second time, Lydia granted their wish.

9 out of 10 requests were by Chinese women, age 20-50. Followed closely by children, unwittingly forced by their parents to share the camera with Lydia. By far, the most hilarious photo op we had was this one:

Look! It's Aladdin... all grown up.

Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

Show 'n Tell

Mrs. Kenny (aka "Lily") teaches four year olds at a Chinese kindergarten. Ever since we met Kenny, he's been telling me she'd like Lydia to visit her school one day. We finally did that this week.

It was a surprisingly large school, with about 200 kids ages 2-6. Lily's classroom has about 30 kids in it, with only one teacher and one helper. Kenny tells us that it gets so loud in the classroom that Lily has to yell almost the whole day to be heard over the kids. Then she comes home and she keeps yelling so Kenny has to ask her to please stop yelling, she's not in kindergarten anymore.

When we came to the doorway, all focus was on Lydia and Marcus. A very sweet little girl came outside and gave a stuffed kangaroo to both Lydia and Marcus and then Lily and her assistant quickly ushered both Lydia and Marcus inside. I was surprised at how willingly they entered. It's quite intimidating to enter a room of 30 Chinese kids, all speaking in Chinese and staring at you! Especially for a two and five year old...

Lily told her class a lot of things in Chinese, they asked me to take a picture and then we left. Kenny told me afterwards that one of the girls said Lydia's hair must be fake. I'm not sure what else came out of the childrens' mouths that day. Maybe it's good thing we don't understand the language sometimes.

And there you have it. Lydia's first show n tell.

Letter to my little girl

Dear Lydia,
Five years old! What a wonderful age to be! The smile on your face when you woke up this morning melted my heart. Your eyes were so full of excitement; so full of wonder. You knew that you had gone to bed the night before as a four-year old. And with the morning sun, you threw off your blankets and emerged a grown up little five year old. Beautiful butterfly. You were so proud to proclaim that you will "never be four again!"

Your mind is dreaming today of all that the magical age of "five" entails: of losing your teeth; and going to kindergarten; reading books; and learning to ride your bike with out training wheels.

We've spent the past six weeks in China and during our time here you have amazed me. We have left all that is comfortable in your life and exchanged it for a place that is very different. I am so proud of your ability to take it all in, embrace it, and take flight. Your first day in your new school you confidently walked in without knowing a single person and when I picked you up four hours later, you had a roomful of new friends. When so many Chinese people wanted to take your picture, just because you have blonde hair, you never complained. You just stopped what you were doing to smile sweetly, tilt your head ever so slightly and make their day. I don't know if I would have handled it with such grace.

You are such a brave little girl. I pray that you will always take hold of the adventure of life; that you will love Jesus and befriend the people that he made, no matter the color of their skin, their hair, or if they speak English; and that you will always let your little light shine... wherever you may go.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl.
Love,
Mommy

Culinary Pioneer

Bravely going where neither parent has ever considered going before! Why this girl refuses to eat tomatoes, pickles or lettuce I'll never know. She also insists that she does not like chicken whenever I prepare it for dinner. The following video took place by Lydia's own volition, with absolutely no prompting from her parents.

Caution! Don't watch if you: are in your 1st trimester of pregnancy, ate at Taco Bell after midnight last night, are coming down with the stomach flu, recently competed in a local all-you-can-eat hot dog contest, are a lifetime member of PETA, or have any past history of a weak stomach. Consider yourself warned.

Evergreen Resort

This weekend, a Chinese man that Brandon worked with at Black and Decker and his wife and daughter flew up to Shenzhen to visit us. Earlier in the week, Marcus and I had visited a park call "Evergreen Resort" with some friends. I knew it was a must-see for Lydia so we made plans to return with our out of town guests. It is an amazing place with a butterfly house, an Amazon rainforest complete with mist, rain, huge dinosaurs and gigantic Amazon fish. There are lots and lots of never-before-seen-in-America-because-the-mere-sight-would-lead-to-a-lawsuit rope and bamboo bridges. Lydia, of course, tackled them all with ease. Marcus also made some valiant attempts. So much fun! I wish I could pack this park up in my pocket and take it with me to Wisconsin.



Friends Alan, baby Hannah and Eleanor

Rainforest explorers

Safety schmafety!

And what outing would be complete without the obligatory "photo of my Chinese kid with your tall blonde one"? Lydia is such a good sport about it.... I am confident that I would not be handling it as well!

It's so much more friendly with two. -Winnie the Pooh

Two days after we arrived in China, Lydia, Marcus and I had the pleasure of meeting Jen (who Brandon knew through work) and her children Myles and Brigid. Myles and Lydia were like two peas in a pod from the moment they met. Watching them you would've thought they'd known each other for a lifetime rather than 6 short weeks. Each time they got together, they picked right up where they left off with their common wacky imaginations and matching levels of energy. Jen also quickly became my most significant source of survival in China. Having lived here for a few years, she has acquired a wealth of survival tips and techniques as well as an impressive grasp of the language. Jen was often there for me at a moments notice, usually with a Starbucks pick-my-up to boot!

This weekend we had to say good-bye to them because they are moving to Beijing with a new job. Even though we are returning to the States ourselves in only 2 weeks, Lydia was crushed when I told her the news. She wants to have playdates with Myles "every day". So thank you Jen and Myles for being such wonderful friends, for understanding our difficult days, for seeing our needs and acting on them, and for making us feel like we "belonged".

On Friday night, our families went out together for dinner one last time. (Brandon still works with Jen's husband, Randy). They introduced us to Northern Chinese food at a place that Jen refers to as T.G.I.Fridays of China (in a very loose sense of the word). It was a lot of fun and I have to say Jen did a great job selecting and ordering the food in Chinese! (I will now also sheepishly admit it was only my second taste of Chinese food during our time here!)


Our dinner concluded with Lydia's Happy Birthday Serenade. See? Just like T.G.I.Fridays... except, well, with some slightly intimidating shouting and no flaming birthday "brownie obsession".

Lost in Translation, Part II

On a lighter note, following yesterday's nitty gritty dose of reality, another fun look at English as a second language....

"No Roasting". Seen at the dolphin show. We have no idea what this could possibly mean. Don't cook the dolphins?? Or perhaps don't cook yourself by sitting in the sun without your sun shield??

Good Advice: Slip and fall down carefully (Falling down is a given. How carefully you fall is your choice.)

Please look after the good old man, kid. (Respect your elders? Watch out for old people?)

"Investments havent the risk. Quickly allies!" (huh?!?!?)

The newest craze to sweep the nation: Unrecycling!

Hypothetically aghast

By far the most bizarre thing I have witnessed is a phenomenon in Chinese babywear known as "open crotch pants". Two days after we arrived in China my friend, Jenn, mentioned the existance of such a garment and enlightened me on the purpose as well. I thought she was joking.

She was not.


The ease of bodily fluid elimination that these trousers enable is a bit disconcerting. I mean, hypothetically, a mother (sensing that her one year old needs to urinate), could hypothetically squat down near some shopping carts inside a store, allowing her child to urinate directly on the floor, without even needing to pull the child's pants down. This, of couse, would never happen. Ever. Because that would be just disgusting! And even if that did hypothetically happen just as I was exiting the escalator my jaw most certainly would drop open and my eyes would pop out of my head. I would be so appalled by what I had just witnessed that I would contemplate taking a picture. I would decide against the Kodak moment and instead send a quick text message to my husband and my friend proclaiming my disgust. And then the parents might think it's strange that I'm staring at them and give me the evil eye as if I'm the one that's doing something out of the ordinary.

And I also suppose that hypothetically later that same day, I could be inside a children's toy and clothing store and there could be another child sporting open-crotch pants. And I suppose that it is hypothetically possible that this child also embraced the call of nature right there on the floor in the middle of the clothing racks and his parents continued shopping while the shop assistant reached around the corner for a mop to clean it up. Because I suppose hypothetically this sort of thing could happen on a regular basis every day if kids wore pants with an open crotch. It could hypothetically happen on the sidewalks, near the playground, in the shops. And then those open crotch pants babes could hypothetically sit with their bare butts (and more) right on the same McDonald's table bench for lunch or carousel horse orWal-mart shopping cart as my child does.

It could happen. Hypothetically.

Tigrons and ligers and bears... Oh my!

On Saturday, we ventured out to the Shenzhen zoo with one of Brandon's Chinese collegues and his family. The weather was perfect and Lydia has had her heart set on personally viewing the famous Giant Panda. The zoo was quite large, which meant loads and loads of walking. But there was plenty to look at so the kids didn't complain too much.

Overall, I think our family would give the zoo a 6.1 / 10. For one, although the zoo is home to all the standard zoo fare (elephants, bears, camels, monkeys, etc)... the bird exhibits outnumbered the mammals 10 to 1. Maybe birds are cheap? Maybe Chinese just love birds. Monkeys were also quite plentiful and after awhile, they all kind of look the same.

Secondly, we went to the dolphin show. If you are ever in Shenzhen and are thinking about going to the dolphin show..... don't. At one point we did see 3 dolphins. They swam up to the edge of the pool. The rest of the show was filled with goofy Russian guys doing half-flip/dives off a high board while performing Stooge-like antics; Followed by a dance troupe of 10 Chinese girls dancing behind a sprinkler system; Concluded with the cursory acrobat in a hoop above the water. We have concluded that the "Dolphin Show" was actually a show FOR the dolphins.

Lastly, our zoo map touts the Shenzhen zoo as "the only wild zoo in the world which lives tiglons and ligers". We pushed our kids an extra 30 minutes for the opportunity to see these rare specimens. Just what could they be? Imagine our horror when we reached the exhibit and quickly got the message with this exhibit graphic:

Get it? Yikes! (Hint: lower left image). Now we know why this is the only zoo with such rare inhabitants. Granted, it was an extensive exhibit, but we have no proof that any tigron (or liger for that matter) is actually ...ahem... alive.

Thankfully this all went right over the kiddies' heads and all Lydia remembers is the baby elephant and silly monkey on "Long-armed Monkey Island Rock". Whew! Happy memories only.

Oh, and the giant panda? Not so giant. But Lydia still talks about him, so at least she got her panda fix.


I never knew baby elephants were so cute!


The infamous long-armed monkey, showing his stuff on Long-armed Monkey Island Rock.

"Doh. Does anyone know where to find a decent alpaca orthodontist? These teeth are really giving me trouble with the ladies..."