Christmas!!!

We love Christmas at our house! Here is a glimpse of our little tree. This poor tree has been with us for 5 Christmases and is now held up underneath with duct tape and chopsticks. We are thankful it is going to make it another year!

I am also thankful for my sister-in-law who sent presents so I already have something to place under the tree....always makes the tree better,

Cereal Fun

We don't often eat cereal here because it is expensive and we don't really like the milk. However I have found some cheaper cereal online and we have gotten used to the milk.

Today we were eating our breakfast cereal and noticed that the boxes all have directions on them showing you how to eat cereal. Since we are professional cereal eaters we didn't need the directions, we just had a good laugh!

Funday in the Park

We don't often have beautiful days where we live, too hot or too humid or too cold but last Sunday was AMAZING!! So we packed up and went to the park for a great time together.

School Begins....again

I am pretty sure I blogged about school starting about a month ago, however for Hannah, school has started....again.

You see this year she is starting a modular school.  This means that one week a month she will leave us and travel about 2 hours away and do all of her English, Math, and Science.  She then returns home and does 3 weeks of homework, tests, and prepares for the next month.  This gives kids like mine, who have no other foreign kids their age in our town, a chance to interact and study with other kids their age, and be taught by other teachers who may teach higher math and sciences better then me. :)   Right now, the modular school is only for 7th and 8th graders, and it just so happens that this year they are all girls.  Super Fun!!

Last week was Hannah's first week to attend.  She was already good friends with most of the girls, so she was pretty excited about this opportunity.  There are two teachers who come and teach the girls for the week and they are full of energy and excitement and I think the girls really love them already.  There is also dorm mom each week who cooks for the girls and teachers all week long and is responsible for the girls in the evenings.  My turn will be in December so I am excited about that!!

The only downside is the 3 weeks worth of homework...at least today it is all piled high and seems a little mountainous. Hopefully Hannah will make a dent in it by the end of the week.

We sure did miss her around here while she was gone, though.  It was a terrible glimpse into what it will be like when she goes off to college....in a short 4 years, 8 months.....but who's counting?

Movin' up in the World

A few weekends ago we had to go to the provincial capital, where we lived the first few years we were here.  And we were amazed by the new development going on.  Mainly, the new mall.  This could probably seem silly to some people, but for us, it was quite exciting.

The first big attraction was the new ice skating rink.  My kids had never ice skated, and so it was quite fun for them to get a chance to try it, and they both loved it, wanting to do it again sometime, especially Hudson.

There are some Western clothing stores, like H&M and UniQlo that have also arrived in the mall which make Hannah and I very happy!!

But the best is the arrival of Dairy Queen and Starbucks! It really feels like we have "stepped up" in the world as we enjoy all the conveniences of the new mall!

When in Rome....

I find myself saying "when in Rome....." so many times to explain behavior I find myself doing that I would never do in America.  I would give you some examples, but my mom reads this, and she would call me, and I would get into trouble.

So I will tell you a story about Rob.  His mom reads this too, but she is used to his kind of trouble.

Last week Rob had to go into the provincial town for the day to take care of some things.  While he was there, he decided to take care of the yearly car inspection/registration things that must be done.  The previous week he had paid the insurance for another year on the car and found out in the process that he had some speeding tickets. Who knew?

Where we live there are cameras at random places that will just snap your picture, record your speed and send you a text message telling you of the ticket. Rob changed his phone number after registering a year ago, so he hadn't received any of these notifications.  Not good.

Rob found out he had SEVERAL tickets. So last week when he went to the provincial town to pay them he was told that he had 15 points on his driving record, and to keep driving he could only have 12.  The lady then asked him if he wanted to take his test again or did he have a friend he could give the points to? What? You can give your points away? Just like that? He told her he would be back.

In the parking lot he had noticed several men milling around his car and generally loitering in the parking lot.  He decided to find one of them and ask their advice.  The man he found looked at him and said, "Let's get in your car and talk." Two men jumped in the back seat and the conversation went something like this, "Pay us a fee of the tickets, plus a little bit more and we will get rid of your tickets, your record will be clean. Oh and we can take care of your inspection as well."

In a country where red tape is the norm and if you need to get anything done, you should plan for it to take days of running around for the right paperwork, fees, different offices, the right people not being in the office, etc.....Rob got the whole thing taken care of in 2 hours.  He was happy and pleased for the whole process to be finished. And he got the guy's card if any of my friends ever need any assistance.....

When in Rome.....

Shooting Range

I thought today I would share with you Hudson's favorite pastime of late.

Hudson has always enjoyed shooting his BB Gun, but the last month he has developed a shooting range on our rooftop.  He has purchased many bags of balloons, made targets out of boxes, paper cups, bottles, Styrofoam, paper targets, and anything I will let take out there.

Today he called me out to the balcony to show me what he had rigged up.

 He was laying prone under a wooden table and was going to shoot a balloon on the top of the wall. He made it.  I couldn't get both Hudson and the balloon in the same shot.

You can see if you look closely at the pictures, all the of the balloon pieces that are now littering my lovely rooftop as well as big lines of duck tape measuring distances from the target. Below is a short video we made this week showing his balloon gallery he made and then quickly shot up.

Overflowing

Yesterday at the grocery store as I was paying for my purchases I heard a massive waterfall sound. Hmmm, what could it be? I looked up and saw the A/C unit spewing water like a fountain down onto the ground.  As I approached the scene, it got a little comical.  Underneath the unit was a small bucket. Very small. It was way too small for the job. And as you can see from the pictures, was overflowing and spilling out all over the grocery store, making a lake out of the front of the store.  The best part were all the people/employees standing around doing nothing.  

I stopped, stared, then took a few pictures.  People were staring, wondering why I would take a picture of this. Why not? It's not every day you see a small lake in the grocery store. 

1st Day of School

School has arrived again.  Here are a few shots of the first day of school.  I should mention that instead of school starting right on time, we had the chance to skype with family who happened to all be together, so we had a delayed start.....but it was worth it!!

The students. 8th and 6th grade. 

 And a pic with the teacher. (Rob goes a tiny bit crazy with his picture taking at times)

 I think this is actually the real thing happening above....I repeat, this is not a staged photo.:)

Hannah and I discussing History.

Headless Hudson.  This picture is just funny.  Obviously too much light in the background, but He likes to say this is his "after Bible-reading look" 

Day in the Caves

It's summer. It's hot. Books have been read. Games have been played. Camp has come and gone. The kids are starting to get a little bored, only 2 more weeks until school.

My husband has the brilliant idea to go to a cave he saw last May.  Hannah had a friend staying with us for the weekend so we loaded everyone up in the car and away we went.  We traveled about an hour and a half away from our home, hoping to arrive in plenty of time.

You never really know what an outing will be like here, you just hope for the best.  The gate fee was a little pricier than we had hoped, but we convinced them to let us have half-price tickets for the 3 kids even though they are all as tall or taller than local adults, telling them that they were still kids, why penalize us for having tall children? They laughed, then agreed.

It was a beautiful display of Creation, and we even got a quick science review in as we walked around.  The cave was about 1 km so it took us a while to climb up and down.  We were very pleased with our little outing and had a great time together. Here is the group picture we took.

And my personal favorite.....emperor Hudson. He looks awfully small in that chair

Landlords and Renters

The last month has been a little bit of a roller coaster ride with our landlords.  August brings the end of a 2 yr contract on our apartment, so it was time to sign a new contract.  This is all fine and good, until the landlord calls and says she is raising the rent.....SIGNIFICANTLY.   And immediately tells us that there is someone else wanting to rent it at the new price so if we won't pay, someone's waiting in the wings.

As foreigners in a different culture, it is always so hard to know when you are getting played and when people are being honest with you.  Our culture says, "just shoot straight with me", "tell me you need more money because you can't pay your mortgage or the interest has gone up".  The culture here doesn't speak directly and you really aren't sure they aren't thinking "you have the money, you can pay more, so I am about to take advantage of you".  As Americans that feeling of being taken advantage of really makes us buck up and fight. We have found that most times here this culture will congratulate you for taking advantage of an opportunity to have the upper hand and fighting back and forth to the end.

As Believers, this situation can be a fine line to maneuver and come out still with your witness in tact.

After much thought we felt led to stay in this apartment, so the day of the contract signing arrived.  We prepared a new contract, with 2 requests of our own to counter the higher rent.  The first, we wanted a security gate on our back balcony and second, we wanted to move our office to our home meaning they would have to agree and give us a copy of their real estate contract, proving the house was theirs to rent.  Pretty fair, according to our local friends.

Our landlords have always been nice and good to us and we have had no problems since moving in and getting through the initial negotiation stage.  However, this day was different.  We anticipated about a 20 minute meeting in which we would sign papers and hand over 1 years worth of rent in cash.  Not so.  They had no problem agreeing to put up a security gate. Done. They had no problem allowing us to register this house as our office.  They did have a problem with us living here for another 2 years and giving us a copy of their real estate contract. So for 2 hours they procrastinated and stalled and picked at little things but wouldn't budge.  We were dumbfounded. It was a very tense 2 hours.

It came down to the fact that one of our landlords daughters may or may not move to our town for High School in another year.  If she does our landlord thinks our house is very comfortable and would like to have a place to come spend a weekend every once in a while, if her daughter does come to school here. However, their family owns multiple houses in this town and she could go to any one of those for the weekend.  But she likes ours. Finally her brother signed the 2 yr contract saying she could stay anywhere, which made her very mad at him and us. When he signed it he also agreed to the copy of the real estate contract. This made her mad times 2.

This event happened 3 weeks ago.  The importance of the real estate contract has to do with us renewing our visas, now expiring in 2 weeks.  And it wasn't until yesterday when Rob had to drive an hour away to confront them with threats of legal action (yikes) that they handed the copy of the contract over to us.  It has been a long 3 weeks of phone calls, giving us the wrong paperwork and acting like they didn't know what we or any of our local friends were talking about, and refusing to give us what they promised.  We were down to our last efforts yesterday, when suddenly they produced it without having to threaten, coerce or anything else.  We truly believe that through much prayer, Father changed their hearts and just at the right time!

The whole ordeal ended yesterday with kind words and maintaining a good relationship in the end.  Phew!

Passports, Typhoon,and Reagan

The end of July brought some friends from Tennessee to see us and that meant my brother, Reagan, came too.  It was so great to see him and spend some time hanging out in the hotel room every night.  We had a very sweaty week teaching English to 150 kids in a house, but it was a fun group of people to do it with!

The night before the group was to leave we received a phone call from a friend asking if we had seen the weather about Typhoon Vicente in Hong Kong. No, but we were all boarding planes in the morning heading to Hong Kong border cities.  Apparently the storm was beginning to hit those cities.  Our family got up the next morning and headed to the airport at 4am, hoping our flight wouldn't be delayed or cancelled. It wasn't, but we did have the ride of our life as the plane landed. Sadly, Reagan's team was delayed several hours, as they were on a different flight.  It made for an exciting beginning of the day.

Our next stop was the US Consulate.  I would like to say that at this stop it was very nice to be an American.  It was pouring rain and there was a HUGE, LONG, line. Once we arrived they ushered us past the line and right in to the office because we were passport holding Americans. YES!!   It seems the time has come for our kids to get new passports as theirs expire in a few months.  One of the things you have to do in getting new children's passports is present the old one and show facial changes over the last 5 years.  This was rather interesting and like watching time pass in front of your eyes.  I had printed a paper for each child showing them each year, and it was really amazing how much they had changed in the last 5 years.  And there it was, in proof, right in front of me, my kids had grown up. *Side note, it is a lot easier and faster to get a passport overseas then in America.

After lunch with great friends heading back to America for a few months, we headed to Hong Kong to meet up with Reagan's group again.  Due to the typhoon and following rain, it was a wet few days.  We decided to take a trip on the cable cars across to the largest sitting Buddha and for lunch and shopping.  I don't really care for being suspended for 25 minutes in a cable car crossing mountains and such, but this is my 3rd time to do it.  The view is always worth it, and I enjoy it on the way back much more than going.  However, driving wind a rain were a factor.

 In the words of my niece, Ainsley, "I really didn't love it," and neither did Hudson. But we got some cool pictures. 

 The view in front of us....flying into the abyss.

Looking down at the trees below us.

 Safely on land again!!

 Hudson, enjoying the bathroom signs, letting you know inside is a squatty, not a toilet seat.

 On the way back I was feeling better about the ride as it had cleared up and the rain had almost stopped. I sure do love this guy!

We were so happy and blessed  to have a chance to spend some quality time with Reagan.  Thanks, Brother,  for spending the extra days with us!! 

Odd thoughts

After living here for 4+ years, I am realizing some of the ways we are different from what we might have been if we had spent the last 4 years in America.  Being an expat (someone living outside their home country) has some strange benefits and some interesting consequences. I thought today I would share a few I have noticed or overheard lately.  Some of you that read this and are also expats feel free to share yours in the comments!

• Hannah told me that recently while at camp with other expat kids, some of her friends were talking about having their own home someday.  Hannah said, "Sometimes I think of all the products that I will always have stocked in my kitchen, you know, the ones you can't find here."  Her friends piped up and said, "Me too!!" Then they began a list of things they would have because you can't get them here in this country.   You know, things like cheese, junk food, chips, marshmallows, Dr. Pepper, chocolate, cookie dough, strawberries, graham crackers....

• This weekend Hudson told me he had dreamed that we saw our friends, the K Family, in America. Then he said, "Isn't it interesting that we have never lived in America at the same time as the K Fam?"  To which Hannah replied, "Sure we did, we all lived in America before we moved here."   This conversation caused me to think about all the wonderful friends we have here and how they are close like family.....but would it be wierd if we were all in America together?

• I am pretty sure I will always struggle filling a glass with tap water then drinking it!

• The modes of transportation that we have become accustomed to, from overnight train, to overnight bus, to hard seat, soft seat, to 3-wheel cart is lost on most people.  I was telling someone recently about our trip to camp and how when we came home we rode a bus 8 hours through the mountains, then caught an overnight train, then drove two hours more just to get home. They were amazed at how far it was and how many modes of transportation we had taken. For someone living here, that is just what you do.

• I will never be able to wear shoes inside of a house again.

• While riding in a cab the other day I was talking with the lady driver who has become a friend of mine.  In a quiet part of the conversation, Hudson told me that he didn't have to translate any of what we said into English, in fact he didn't even think of the English words as he listened.  Then he asked me, "How and when did that happen?"

• Cereal has become a luxury item.

• Sight-seeing on vacation anywhere now ALWAYS includes a tour of the local grocery store to check out what they have that we can't get! 

Things I have learned this month

About ants
This month we have seen an increase in ants in our kitchen.  Increase as in from 0 ants to ants on the counters.....gross.  I have cleaned out all of the cabinets and double-checked every place there could be open food containers.  I was relating this to my house helper and trying to impose upon her how much I didn't want ants in the kitchen when she looked at me and said, "Don't worry, it rained. " "What?", I replied.   "Well,the ants have come in to get out of the rain. They will leave again."  And they have.

About wasps
We have what we like to call our "working balcony".  This is where our big fridge/freezer is located as well as our washer and dryer. It is just outside our kitchen.  Our helper is out there often with laundry and such.  We heard her screaming out there one day last week.  Rob and I both ran out to see what was the matter.  A wasp's nest had been formed in the outside dust pan.  She had gone to move it when a swarm of wasps came out. Thankfully she wasn't stung.  Rob was going to chunk the wasp's nest over the balcony.....which she wisely told him not to do as it might land on someone else's balcony. :)  As the three of us stood on the balcony deciding what to do, a lady from an apartment across from ours had been watching and began asking what was wrong.  Our helper began to yell across to her the situation, when a few other neighbors stuck their heads out on their balconies to listen. Quickly, everyone was yelling advice on how to deal with the nest now laying on our balcony and the wasps who were mad and looking for their home.  Suddenly she grabbed the end of the broom and some paper and burned the wasp's nest up right there on my balcony, and said, "OK....no more wasps."  The neighbors were appeased and wasps have disbanded, except for the stray wasps who show up now and again looking for their home.  We truly live in community.

About  delivery guys
When a friend is moving and asks if she can ship 3 HUGE boxes of her stuff to you until she returns, and the delivery guy says he doesn't want to bring it up the 6 flights of stairs......you simply say, "I can't carry 3 huge boxes up the stairs and my husband isn't home." As he hesitates I tell him I will pay him.....he agrees but says he won't take my money!  Guess he is supposed to deliver to the door.

About being famous
I never have to identify myself when I call people in my town.  For example, when I call for water to be delivered to my house, I only have to say, "Could you bring me two tanks of water".  And the lady says they will be right over.  Never do I say who it is or where I live.  The same applies to my local grocery store, when I call for them to deliver eggs or drinks or milk....I never have to give my address, they already know.  These are some of the perks of being the only foreign wife in town.  Interestingly enough, sometimes my helper (she seems to be the star of this blog post) will call the store for me and just say, "I am callling from the foreigner's house", and that is enough.

About myself
At the first of this month we were at camp for a week about 14 hours from where we live now.  I found mice droppings in my room where I was going to sleep the first night. I was very distressed and I discovered/remembered how much I do not like mice.  The only way I could sleep the first night was with the covers pulled completely over my head.  I am really really glad I live on the 6th floor of my apartment.

About my kids
I really like having "big kids".  They are both seriously funny.  Tonight at the dinner table they were keeping me in stitches.  And they are so funny debating back and forth about whatever topic they are discussing. I would give you a details about their conversation, but in order to share anything about them on the blog these days I have to have a signed and notarized authorization and likely royalties paid to them on a daily basis, so you will just have to trust me that it was funny.

About Rob
Rob is gone for 9 days right now.  The house is so quiet without him here and a life just isn't as sweet when he is not around.

Camp Z 2012

If you think back to jr high.....painful, I know....and even high school, and what if you lived out where you didn't have the opportunity to have many friends, go to a youth group, and the only friends you did have didn't speak English and continually asked you why you are homeschooled and continually wondered what you eat to get so tall, then switch to a third language, which you haven't learned yet, to discuss our answers and what to ask you next.  If you are anything like our kids.....then you would look forward to CAMP!!!

We have been to camp.

I can't tell you how much it means to our kids as well as many others who look forward to this week more than any other of the year.  There are many AMAZING people who work very hard to make sure this happens for our kids.  From the family who opens up their mountains to us, to the chef who pays his way from TN to cook American food (hamburgers, hot dogs, fajitas, chocolate chip pancakes and brownies), to the lady who coordinates travel and logistics for 100+ people and then the guys who do all the rec in the mud, rain, and filth that follows rain.

Here is a Top 10 of things we LOVED about Camp Z this year!!

10. My sweet cabin of 5th gr girls.....the LOUD ROCKIN' SIRENS!!

9. The chance to spin pottery on a real wheel in a local pottery village.  Way cool!!

8.  Lots and lots of rain and mud and dirt!! (these are hudson's legs)

7. Really good food!! Look I was there!!

6.  Silly games where you get to roll around in the mud.

5. Fun times with the girls!

4. Winning the jr. high side of the Basketball tournament with your best buds.

3. For me, I love watching this guy do what he has done for so many years.

2. Spending a week with some of the greatest kids in the whole world!!

1. Spending a week with friends who you love and don't get to see enough!