Playdough Pals and Hot Pot

Monday it was back to school.  This is Abbey with her dear friends Mabel and Caelen.  Two of the sweetest children you could ever meet.  They've been kind enough to let Abbey run them up one side and down the other.  I teach these little ones in the afternoon and have really fallen in love with my class.  It will be hard to say goodbye.
Monday eve we had dinner with Gong Ping and Olivia (our former housemates) and Jim.  We had hot pot and it was great.  Thinly sliced pieces of beef and lamb are brought to you along with all kinds of veggies, noodles, seafood, and you boil them at your table and eat as you go.  There is a buffet of sauces and condiments - sesame, garlic, pepper, peanut sauce, cilantro, onions, etc. and you prepare little bowls to dip your food in.  There are several versions of hot pot in China, this was Beijing style.  We've also had shabu, shabu (Japanese style) at a friends house and it was great too.  It was very yummy and fun.  Afterward we went into the mall and sat in massage chairs.  They are very big here, everyone is into massage, and it's just like part of basic health care.  I am really going to miss my $8 hour long massages here.  They are so good at it too!

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Weekend Fun

I now have a way to post via email, even though I can't really get into my blog. I can't edit, as you've probably noticed, and I can't really organize photos and captions. When I finally have a moment to blog it's so overwhelming to know where to even begin, so I will just begin with the present and if I am able I'll slowly begin working back over the last several months. Please know that I am reading your blogs when I can every few weeks via pr*xies, but I can't leave comments : ( Online freedom may be one of the things I am looking forward to most.
So you already know we went ice-skating Saturday. Saturday night was a surprise party for my friend Katie. I've only been away from Abbey a couple of times here in China, and this was one of them. She had a blast playing princesses with her friends under the care of a wonderful ayi. The party was a the Red Rooster which is known to have the best hamburger in Shenzhen, but when I found out they had tacos it was all over. My first Mexican food in China. Okay, it was no where near Sharkey's, but still, it was a big treat. Of course there was some weird cartilage and things in the chicken, but lets not get into that. Sweet Chana made two beautiful pies (no small feat to do here) and Katie was totally surprised. She teaches at Shenzhen University and was really my first friend here in China. We are so grateful for our fun friends.
On Sunday we had lunch with our friend Lisa, the awesome cook. She made the most wonderful jiaoza and Abbey and Richard drew pictures and played super soakers. Lisa has taken me shopping every week for months and made my life so much easier! She has a car (big deal here) and takes me to Metro which is a French/Chinese version of Costco. Public transportation is great, but when it comes to groceries it's really hard. I cannot wait to drive my car to Vons!

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Disney Princess on Ice

When we first went to the malls around here I couldn't understand why they all had ice rinks.  Oh, I get it now.  One sure way to beat the heat is to head to a mall and stay there!  We are lovin' it.  We take a little orange bus from our apt and it costs 1 kuai for both of us (about 7 kuai to the dollar).  Abbey loves riding the bus and I do to, I don't know why, it's just fun.  We stop at Starbucks and I get a coffee light frap.  Abbey usually gets a little sumpin'sumpin too.  At the rink eveyone gwaks and stares at us, as usual, but even a little more so to see us out on the ice.  Somehow we always make friends with other little girls and end up all holding hands and skating together.  Everyone one seems puzzled about the laowei with all the Chinese girls.  I do a lap hugging the wall with Abbey and then she rests while a i do a couple of real skating laps on my own and then we start again.  We love hearing the music that reminds us of home and people are always so kind and friendly (in addition to staring).  Very fun!

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KFC

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing


Although a new KFC opens every day here in China, we've only been about 3 times in the year we've been here. WE stopped in recently after one of Abbey's choir performances at a mall. I didn't even know she knew the name of it. I haven't brought myself to eat anything there, but she was really happy about the mashed potatoes and the toy.

It's Over!

"Chord" that is.  Abbey was in a choir for several months which recently ended with performances for the Dragon Boat Festival and Children's Day.  I am really proud of her for sticking it out and sorry to say that she dreaded it more than enjoying it.  On an almost daily basis she would ask, "Is it chord?  Is it chord?"  She just couldn't seem to say choir and her Friday's became a mix of being thrilled for art class with teacher Amy and enduring choir practice. It was just 45 minutes, but for her it seemed really long. She did learn a lot of great music that I loved hearing and I will always remember these last few months full of her constantly singing this...

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,
Op'ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.

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Open, Open, Open

This will be a great solution if it works.  Due to the T. Square Ann*versary everything is blocked here.  So much I'd love to share with you all.  If this goes through I will start blogging again.  It takes me about 30 minutes to get to blogger right now (trying pages of fresh pr*xies), and once I do I can't leave comments on your blogs, but know that I am reading when I can and loving seeing your children and hearing about your lives.

Princess Zhuozhuo‏

Trying to see if this new pathway works to a get post and photo through. We miss our blog community!