Eye on the Sparrow

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".