Sounds of the City

So, I grew up in Philadelphia. That's a big city right? Well, it never prepared me for the size of the city we live in now. (But then I did grow up in NE Philly- not down town). The shear number of people out walking at any given moment just boggles my mind sometimes. There is so much going on that I often feel like I'm in sensory overload. I almost daily have to ask the children to speak louder as we walk to and from school because I can't hear them above the traffic (cars and people). Then there are the sales clerks in the store fronts that we pass on the way to school. They have their mega phones, loud speakers and radios blaring in hopes of catching your attention and drawing you in to their store. As we step onto campus the volume dies down considerably and we're able to hear the birds tweet, the roosters crow (is that what roosters do?- and I still can not figure out where someone hides a rooster in the middle of the city- I have yet to see the noisy fellow), and the never failing comments, "Look, that foreign lady has THREE children. Oh my!!! Aw, look how cute they are...". One of my most memorable moments... was when I finally figured out where the ice cream truck sounds were coming from. From early September on I could hear the song "Jingle Bells" playing on some type of vehicle in the vicinity. I never saw an ice cream truck but I always kept an eye out. About two months later when going to pick the kids up from school I saw the culprit... it was a large street cleaner with a tough looking driver in the front seat. I think I laughed out loud when I saw it. I was anticipating some cute little truck with a smiling face behind the front wheel. I giggled to think of what my husband would have said if he were told that he had to drive the street cleaning truck with Jingle Bells playing all day as he drove around town. It is always an adventure here!

What year are you?

Our family made yet another trip to the local park last weekend. While there we saw various animal statues representing the Chinese Zodiac calendar animals. If you have gone to a Chinese Restaurant in America they may have an explanation of the animals on a place mat or something else. We all had fun posing by 'our animal'.

Eliza- year of the pig

Mirsy- year of the chicken

CJ- year of the sheep

Karen- year of the cow

Chris- year of the tiger

Art in the Park

One of the things that our children really enjoy is going to the park and "doing an art project". We walk to a nearby park, ride a few small amusement rides and then our children usually choose a project to complete. (We already of a large assortment of sand art, home made window clings, and piggy banks in our home.) Here is just another little taste of culture for those that are curious about life on this side of the world.


I love the sights on the way to the park. Want a hair cut? Here is a barber that sets up on the stairs that lead down to a nearby railway.


Want a yummy treat? Our kids love the fresh pineapple that is prepared by men like this one. They cut outside layer of the pineapple, cut it in quarters and put it on a stick. Delicious.


Notice the folks watching? Yep, they stopped to watch the "little foreign kids" do an art project. :)

EASTER

We had a great day celebrating Easter. We rarely get to spend the entire day with English speaking friends- but this Easter we all enjoyed our Sunday time and afterwards some sweet fellowship. We enjoyed some yummy Mexican food- because everyone knows that Jesus is a Spanish name. :) Fajitas, chips and Queso, pico de gallo, fruit salad, Mexican rice, and chocolate cake. (Well, ok... maybe only the adults really appreciated the Mexican food. But the kids did have tons of candy to componsate for a meal that was not their favorite.) After a labor intensive meal (mostly just the tortilla making) we played some Wii and just hung out. It was a great day.

Final touches on the Living Room!

A few folks inquired about our place. Well, here is the living room after some recent work. We had the whole place painted a khaki color (with the exception of the kid's rooms). I had the zebra print sofas recovered, bought some IKEA furniture in a nearby city, and finally hung some art work on the walls.

As you enter our apartment you enter a small entry way that has a place for shoes and the stroller. Immediately on the left is the dining room table, home school room and kitchen. Turn 90 degrees to the right and this is what you see- the remainder of the house. (Living room to the immediate right, CJ's bedroom then the girls bedroom on left, master bedroom at far end on right side)


Left door: squatty potty bathroom Right door: CJ's bedroom


YEAH- no more zebra print sofa :) I would still like to find something to put above the sofa but that will come in time.


More shelves surrounding the TV...

Family Day Out!

Last Saturday, March 20th, the weather was gorgeous so we went out on the town with the kids. We went to an "old town" area of the city where you can check out how things may have looked like in our city in previous years. (I'm positive there are parts of China that still look like this but in our city they are building one high rise after another- pretty much only new construction around us).

A shot of the kids as we waited for our turn at the taxi stand. Buses on Saturdays are CRAZY crowded, so taxis are the preferred mode of transportation for this family!


While at the "old town" we saw a man doing some really neat stuff with cotton candy. CJ chose a multi colored flower. Miriam and space ship.




A picture of Eliza as she pollishes off her cotton candy.


Here is a picture of the walking street BEFORE it got crowded later that afternoon. It was fun to see the various little knick knacks that were sold in the shops on either side of the street. On the way out we could hardly move because of the crowd. (Note to self: make sure to visit this place again early in the morning or on a weekday).


I'm not really sure what type of food these two men were pounding with their mallets- it reminded me a bit of what a tortilla looks like. I didn't taste any- just thought it was fun to watch.


After walking a while we wandered to the back of the "old town". It was quiet and relaxing and a little more realistic of what life was probably like in these type of neighborhoods. There were lots of little shops that were connected to the families living quarters. One shop sold eggs, another sold tea, another shop various pig parts... you would look behind the counter and see a family enjoying their noon day meal. I loved that it was slow paced and informal. (Miriam is NOT wearing a helmet- she is wearing a new purchase- mask of a cartoon character).

St. Patrick's Day Fun!

Last weekend we had a couple of friends over to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It was a GREAT GREEN Day. The kids and I dressed in green (various shades), we made green shamrock cookies, played games and talked about the story of St. Patrick. It was a fun evening for all.
(You may notice the children holding up their fingers. It is not a special hand shake or anything like that. They are trying to be like our Chinese friends and hold up a "peace" symbol for the picture.)