Christmas in Qingdao

Christmas has come and gone. All I have to say, is that this Christmas will go down in History as one of the strangest. Not that strange is a bad thing. We started the holiday off with a Christmas party in Laoshan park. It was wonderful. There were 50 families. We were all there for a scavenger hunt, bird release, monkey feed, lunch and a show. In as much as I understand even less Chinese then I attempt to speak, I really had no idea what was going on most of the time. We followed the group around most of the time. Everyone was given a bird to release and then we got to go inside the monkey house. I thought they food they were giving out were snacks until the monkeys grabbed them. I am known in China for eating animal food.

The show was a group of Chinese children performing Scooby Doo in English. It was very entertaining. The kids had memorized all their lines, but didn't really know what they were saying. Denali pointed that out to me because the character of Shaggy said like for every other like work, you know what I like mean. Whenever he said like he like uh lacked that dazed look and just said like, like it was another word. Denali said, "I don't think he like gets it." Next the called all foreigners on stage to sing a Christmas song in their native language. I had a very hard time convincing my children that they were the foreigners. Jackson never made it on stage, because he is not a foreigner. Denali refused to let me sing, I embarrass her enough just by existing.

After the party, we went home and got ready for Christmas Eve mass. It was way at the other end of town, so we took a taxi. The Catholic church here in Qingdao is Korean, so guess what, mass was in Korean. The church is huge and of course it is not heated. Jackson was able to get the lady next to him to share her blanket with him, the rest of us, we froze. I am not sure of the age that children here make their first communion, but it must be older then 8. I say that because, they did not give McKinley communion. She stood there defiantly, but in the end returned to her seat without it. I told her it tasted like fish and she was OK. After mass we walked around trying to find a cab, or a bus. We ended up finding a family restaurant. lots and lots of kids that have never seen people that look like us before. We tried to hide in a corner, bu they kept staring anyway. I still don't know what happened, but that meal was in the top 3 worst food experiences we have had in China. I guess Medium Well in this restaurant means make sure it is dead. We see a store, buy a few bottles of wine and a few bags of chocolate and home. Thank god for chocolate and wine.

Christmas morning was great. Nice, quiet. Well the wii saga continues. Santa brought a remote sensor, guitar hero, and many new games. Nothing worked, I mean nothing. Why would I think anything would work. Apparently the wii is not programed to work in China. How does the wii even know that I am in China. So we head off to Jimo Lu with the wii. By this time my wii is in pieces and they are soldering it back together!!!! I should have taken a picture of that.


After they are done working on my wii we head off to Tai Dong Lu for Mexican Food. Tai Dong Lu is what I always imagined China to look like. Bright lights, millions of people, outside escalators, and vendors covering every inch of the sidewalk. Yes, we went out for Mexican food on Christmas night. After a couple of beers, Chris decides to get his hair cut in the shop next door. I bring out Chris's ipod and a picture of Tony Stark (Iron Man). I thought I told the stylist that I want my husband to look like this picture, but I think I told the stylist that I want Tony Stark for my husband, because he was extra nice to Chris. I mean this haircut lasted forever. We all know about Chris's patience, but even mine had run out. Chris rips off that cover thing they use and then gestures a neck slicing motion and tries to leave. So, they wash his hair again thinking he is itchy!!! The haircut is done, he looks great, not like Tony Stark, but it is passable. We decide to head home.....

It is freezing, it is rush area, we have to go the bathroom and we can't get a cab. Chris decides to get on the first bus that comes by to warm up. This bus is a bus number I haven't seen in my 2 months in Qingdao. It's warm, What can the harm be? So we get on the bus and the bus goes and goes and goes. I have no idea where I am, I see no land marks, I don't even know what direction we have been heading in, when suddenly the bus stops and everyone is kicked off the bus!!! Jackson and McKinley were asleep!!! The bus is pulling into the terminal..Last stop. There is nothing around. Can you hear Chris now, welcoming me to the underbelly of China......Christmas luck did not fail us. Within 10 minutes of walking a taxi stops. I tell the driver where I want to go. I'm pretty sure that he was telling me that he is not going to drive that far, but I tell everyone to get in anyway. I pretend to know nothing except my address. That's all I would say, and eventually we mad it to familiar territory.

Now, the story should end here, but it doesn't. I gave the girls these hairclips for Christmas. When you buy these particular hair clips, you can bring them back to the shop anytime and get your hair done. They just had to use the Christmas present. I may have also told McKinley that I would take her to get her hair done when we made it out of where ever we were just to get her to stop. So we get out of the taxi and go get our hair braided. A huge crowd gathers round to watch the girls get their hair done. Chris is holding out his hat to collect money!!! By this time it is rather late and we must go straight home because we leave for Beijing at 6am. Can you guess the topic of my next blog??

Events of the Last Week.

I agree, it has been way to long since my last blog. I do not even know where to start. I keep this running list going in the front of my Necessary Chinese Commonplace Book. A Commonplace book, for those of you that have not read any of Lemony Snickets Series of Unfortunate Events, is a book you carry with you every where you go. In my commonplace book, I write down phrases, words, bus routes, stores, anything I may need to recollect at a later time and especially, material I may want to include in a future blog. Well this blog list is so big right now I do not no where to start...So, I have chosen to go with an EVENT THEME as many of the events occur concurrently.


Major Events listed on page 1 of my Commonplace Book:

1. Leak in the apartment


2. Move into a hotel


3. Tree branch smashes Chris's car


4. Tae Kwon Do evaluation


5. Wii

I think I need to start with the Wii. This has been a saga since we arrived in China. We brought our Wii to China with us from the US. I brought the remotes, the nunchucks, the games, the console, the adapters....Well we move in and wait a week to set it up. Only within the first week the TV dies. It takes 10 days to get the TV fixed, but hey it works now. So I plug in my Wii A\C Adapter and poof...all the circuit breakers blow. I reset them and replug in the Wii to a power strip. POOF, it explodes!!! I scream, it smells terrible. Obviously it is a 110V Adapter and the power here in China is 220V. Why would I check, they AC adapters on the computers work fine. Thank God. I now have a project - find a new Wii AC adapter. I search high and low. I mean I had to get Chris to get the company driver, car and translator and spend 8 hours driving around Qingdao, stopping at every place that look promising and begging. Hell, we even tried an electronic parts market to see if they could build us one. I gave up. Then I met Debbie. Debbie casually mentions that on Jimo Lu you can get any Wii game you want. My eyes bug, my heart skips a beat, dare I ask? Well I ask and we head off to Jimo Lu. I buy a Wii adapter and return home. Chris comes home the very same day with guess what - yeah an AC adapter for the Wii!!! Apparently his translator is a miracle worker too. Now, we plug in the Wii. Set up the remotes, start up a game and...and...and nothing happens. Chris asks if I had connected the remote sensor. What!! I never packed a remote sensor. What is a remote sensor? You mean I need a REMOTE SENSOR! So, the Wii saga continues. I will return to Jimo Lu, where they sell the cutest puppies on earth for $15, attempt to return the AC adapter and get a remote sensor.

Now, for the leak in the apartment. Last Saturday morning our downstairs neighbor came up to visit. Well his English is just a bit worse then Chris's Chinese, so the conversation was going nowhere. I happen to overhear a couple of words that I recognize: water and down. So I ask, "Oh is it raining?" Chris immediately looks at me like I am a complete idiot and says, "No, there's a leak." I am truly impressed at Chris's understanding. Can you see the stooge slap coming? The guys comes in and we make a call. Plumbers on the way. Apparently, there is a leak from our apartment into his. The plumbers start in a closet with a hammer and Chisel. 10 hours later, we ask them to leave. They return the next day with a jackhammer. They start in the closet and then move to the bathroom. By this time we have no hot water and the apartment is covered in white dust. They are about to move into the hallway, so I am about to move into a hotel. This is an oversimplification, but you get where I am going.

Meanwhile, there is a terrible ice storm in the North East. My father, you know the guy living in my house, calls to tell me that there is no power and that a tree branch has fallen and smashed Chris's car. The first thought to enter my mind is how did that branch get all the way over the van and land on Chris's car. You see, before we left NH, we strategically parked the new car on the other side of the old van so it would not get damaged. Ignoring the Tolfree (my dad) exaggeration factor I begin to investigate why the car was moved. Get this. It's my fault. Yeah, that's right, I apparently told my father that I wanted him to have the driveway to himself. I told him that I want my cars parked under a giant pine tree that looses branches every winter so that he can have the driveway to himself. That sound so much like me. Not only do I want him to have the driveway to himself, but I have no resentment that he is living in my house. Finally, he says, that it is not his fault that there is an ice storm came and a branch fell. What can I say, he has me there. If he thinks he is getting power of attorney to repair the car, I think Judas Priest sang this for me, He's gotta another thing comin!!

This very same week we had to go to Tae kwon Do every night so that the kids could prepare for a show and their testing evaluation to move up to the next color belt. Well here it is, evaluation day. Talk about cultural experiences. It is a packed theatre. All door locked except for the main entrance. 100 kids sitting on the floor in front of the stage. Tripods set up in all the aisles. Yes, we were the only westerners in the room!!! The show starts off with the National Anthem. It Chinese, so Jackson wants to way its not he one he usually hears in America. Our Tae Kwon Do Master is Koren, so next they play the Korean national Anthem. I guess all the people that sit down must be Chinese. The show open with some traditional music and dance and the cheering squad from Qingdao University perform. Finally the kids are on stage and the exam starts. McKinley has a higher number then Denali, so we are not off to a good start. They all successfully complete the exam and break a piece of wood with there fists. That is all except Jackson. He thinks he is being demoted from a white belt to a rope. I wonder who put that idea in his head. he is done with Tae Kwon Do. He is mad at me for making him do this in the first place....Alas, they all get their yellow belts and peace is restored in the Smith Household!!! Belts were not given out until the following Tuesday, so it was a rough 2 days.

Everything seems back to normal. Or at least what the new normal is. We are back int he apartment, Chris's car is back on the other side of the van, the downstairs neighbor hasn't visited all week and the Wii saga continues!!

I can't seem to find the pictures on my hard drive, so we will have to wait for the visuals.

Dumpster Diving

We have been warning Denali since we came to China. not to wrap her retainers in a napkin. You see, she had her braces removed before we came to China and thus the retainers are a new thing. We have lost a retainer case on a bus, at the zoo and in the apartment, but so far so good, the retainers have survived! That is to say, the survived until Wednesday!!!

No to get ahead of myself, but my stay in China is progressing. We are getting into a routine and I am less nervous when I leave the house. I can actually get in a taxi now and tell the driver where I want to go and how to get there with them understanding me!!! I have also memorized 90% of the bus routes, so when all else fails, we just get on a bus. After all, how big can Qingdao be? Big enough to hold 7 million people!!!

Each Wednesday at noon there is lunch at various locations around Qingdao for expatriates. Me and the kids often go, because, not only do we get to talk in English, but we get a break from each other and meet some very nice people. Well that is where we were this Wednesday afternoon. I now travel with a backpack full of forks. Jackson refuses to eat unless there is a fork. He is all done with Chopsticks, so he tells me. I order sandwiches and of course thee is an egg on it - there is always an egg on everything, what was he expecting, CHEESE? I throw a bunch of forks at him - Fork You - and threaten him within an inch of his life. He happily eats the entire sandwich and ask for another. This whole fork thing will prove significant in a minute or two.

I brought a new friend Ruta from Lithuania to meet everyone. I introduce her to my knight in shining armour - Carla. I have a friend Jackie, who has a friend that lives in Shanghai (Tania), who has a friend that lives in Beijing, who has a friend that used to live in Qingdao (Rebecca), but now lives in Chicago. Rebecca's husband works for the same company as Carla's husband. Thru successive emails and facebook, I am electronically introduced to Carla. Carla has taken me around town so that now I know where to shop and she helped me buy my first map. (I now have 4.) I always call Carla when I am stuck, but not this Wednesday. As Carla, said, I pay it forward.

Me, Rita, Vicky and Carla

Now it is my turn to take Ruta around town and show her the places. So, lunch is finished and off we go. Ruta has a 3 and half year old little girl, Ada. This little girls speaks Lithuanian, but none the less is keen on holding Jack's hand as we walk around town. It was so cute.

Ada and Jack

We walk around for hours and find a Baskin & Robbins Ice-cream shop. We all stop to get a well deserved scoop of ice cream before I head off to Tae Kwon Do with the kids. Denali comes over and asks for a taste of my ice cream. I share, but ask her what she put her retainers to eat the ice cream. Ready, 1, 2, 3......Her face goes pale, she collapses to the ground and I think I am going to have to administer CPR. I know the answer, they are back in the restaurant that we left hours ago!!! I would like to say that most of her fear is resulting from the fact that Chris will have to pay for a new set, but it wasn't. She was afraid of me. McKinley immediates breaks down, "please don't kill her". I didn't yell - I was calm. this was so much more effective then yelling, why can't I use the approach more often.

We all go back to the restaurant and ask the waitress if she found the retainers. Guess what, they don't speak English. I can't even pretend to speak Chinese at this point. Gesturing, pulling on Denali's teeth, nothing gets thru. I have to use my lifeline. I call Sunny. Sunny is the first person I met in China and she is a very nice person. I frantically explain to Sunny what happened and hand the telephone over to the lady for Unny to explain the situation. The lady hangs up the phone and goes about her business. I call Sunny back, I go thru the whole story again and and hand the phone to the lady. The lady and Sunny go back and forth. It is obvious the lady does not want to go thru the garbage!. Sunny is quite the bargainer. She is persistent. The lady hands me phone, puts on gloves and heads out to the garbage.

Sunny & Hubby

I can't let her do that, so I take the gloves and go to the garbage. The whole time I am thinking to myself is this worth $500. It isn't even the money, it is getting new ones, and hoping that her teeth don't shift while we wait. So it is the money, but $5,000. I'll do. I start sifting, one handful at a time. I am trying very hard not to gag. Suddenly there in the garbage is pile of forks!!!!! Holy ------- I am in the right section!!!! I see a glimmer of hope and I feel something, yes, it is the top retainer. I scream in excitement - All the ladies come in and watch now. Now, my limited Chinese returns to me. I can tell them how much money the retainers are worth and they all put on gloves to help. That's it, the barrel is empty, and one retainer still misssing. I'm sweating, I pray to St. Anthony. One last reach into the soupy mix and I emerge victorious!!! I recovered the retainers and survived!!!

The retainers have been boiled and put back into use, so, here is to hoping Denali survives.

Visa Issues Solved

It's been a very busy week since the last posting. We actually all have our resident permits and not a day too soon. I was almost in danger of my 30 day visa expiring and having to go home. That would be great except for the fact that my father is living there and he changed all the locks and probably won't let me in!!! In fact, not only does my dog and snake now like him beter than me, but he assures me that the neighbors and town also prefer his company to mine. I really resent him living in my house. Have I mentioned that?


To get my resident permit I had to go have a physical. Blood drawn, EKG, ultrasound, everything. Well, here I am in top physical shape and I just go and fail my physical. They say I am anemic. At least that is how I understood the description of why I was not to receive my health certificate. A trip to the Chinese medicine store, a few glass vials of potion and a steak is all I needed to pass the test. Chris says it is a good thing that I studied!!!

Last Saturday we went on an adventure to find a German Chrismas market. We were so close, but never quite got there. We did find our way to the train station and some nice parks.

As we walked further and further into as Chris put it "the bowels of Qingdao, I begin to panic. I guess Chris was still upset over the fact that people were selling live turtles to appreciate my state of panic. After all, he will stop his car in the middle of a highway to help a turtle cross the road. That was it, I got on the next bus and I didn't care where it went.

We make it back into town where we find a new grocery store to try out. Jackson loved the seafood aisle!!

As we were taking a bus the other day in search of Mexican restaurant, Jackson claimed that all his hair is falling out from starvation. Denali quickly corrected him as she often does, and tells him that its not from starvation but rather from scurvey. Nobody will sit next to him now because he has scurvey. We found the Mexican Restaurant. It was great. They had Corona and Mckinley couldn't even finish her food she was still stuffed. We had a hard time explaining to the waitress why Jackson and Denali had to suck on the limes that came with the Corona. Limes cure scurvey and, as I mentioned in previous post, we are pirates!!!

Thanksgiving in Qingdao

Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was truly a day to remember.

The day started like any other day would start when you are living in China and everything you own and know is seven thousand five hundred and fifty-two miles away and your father is living in your house!!! Have I mentioned that I am not over the fact that my father is living in my house??

This day did have one big difference - Chris had the day off of work. So any of the best laid plans of mice and men are out the window. It is one of those days. My hair won't come out right, my clothes don't fit right, my eyes are puffy and OMG..I broke another fingernail. I so need to get my nails done, but Chris has the day off.

Here in China, Thanksgiving was just another day...so off we go to the Visa Entry and Exit Building once again to resolve our issues. Once again we leave the office with nothing more than we had when we arrived except for aggravation. The children are off to Tae Kwon Do and then we head home to change and get ready for dinner. After all, it is Thanksgiving.

So, even if I had an oven and could find a turkey to buy, it wasn't happening. We decide on an Indian restaurant. Yes, Indian. Indian food is the only food we unanimously agree upon (except for pizza, but who can afford pizza everyday in China). The kids like it because the Indian restaurant we eat in in Concord has the same food. Can you imagine that? Dinner was great, Jackson loved the shrimp - even with heads on!! I feel a new Smith family tradition has begun - Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan Bread.

The next day we headed out and about to the Qingdao Zoo. It was great. After consulting my 3 maps for about 30 minutes, I narrowed down our route to three possible bus lines: 321, 501 and the 311. I think we ended up on the 321 at rush hour...we made it to the right stop and found the Zoo. No thanks to Chris. He kept his I-pod on the entire time. I should have just gotten off the bus and left him on it. Someone outside the zoo was selling bags of puffy noodles - Cheese Doodles without the cheese. We buy a few bags and munch away. Little did we know that we were eating the animal feed!!! Maybe not, but were the strange looks because we look strange, because we were eating animal food, or was it a combination of the two? Jackson has to pose for hundreds of pictures, because, after all, he is the cutest 'animal" in the zoo.

We head back into town, where Jackson has to stop and get his hair cut. I think I am going to do it next. Seriously though, I need to go get my nails done!! Anyway, it really was a great day.

Pros and Cons

As we approach the 30 day visa expiration of my first entry into China....I have to decide if 1. I pay lot of money to extend the visa 2. Fly to Hong Kong and then re-enter for the next 30 days...or 3. just go home. So to help make the decision, I came up with a list of pros and cons. I am going to list them here and hope that me decision becomes clear....

Pro – We have a washing machine.
Con – No dryer. Nobody like to wear crunchy clothes, especially underwear. Jackson has the job of beating clothes to soften.

Pro – We have an electric toilet. It heats the seat, cleans, dries and auto flushes among other things.
Con – Every time it performs a function it beeps very, very loudly. Courtesy flushes are next to impossible.

Pro – Everyone has their own room
Con – Denali has the best room and the other two are afraid to sleep alone!!

Pro – I’m not living with my father for the moment
Con – My father is living in my house!

Pro – I have all day everyday with my children
Con – I have all day everyday with my children

Pro – Hundreds of face products to choose from
Con – All labels are in Chinese characters. Most skin products are whitening formula. I thought I was in toothpaste isle.

Pro – I found potato chips
Con – They come in meat or potato flavor?

Pro – We are learning the bus routes
Con – The buses are very crowded and the children like to stand and so who falls first.

Pro – Jackson said yesterday was the greatest day of his life
Con – It was the greatest day of his life because I found pizza for him to eat

Pro – We have a water cooler in the apartment.
Con – The delivery comes with two 20L bottles of water on his motorcycle. He will not leave without empties. I do not know this. After 10 minutes of gesturing and him refusing to leave – I got the point.

Pro – I can take a taxi anywhere in Qingdao, I am getting Pro at communicating.
Con – Every time I get in taxi, I panic – Will I make it to my destination? Where is my destination? OMG what did I do…I should just get out and get on a bus!!! No, I must remain calm; the kids are in the back.

Pro – The kids have started Tae Kwon Do and piano lessons. Both places were very accepting and welcoming. They kids are enjoying them.
Con – I have to leave the apartment and get in a cab or bus and hope I make it to my final destination - Oh no, did I tell the cab driver the wrong thing? Maybe I should just get out and

look at my map again

.

Out and About

Well we did it. We got a babysitter and went out for a night in Qingdao. How's this for a shocker, the sitter had such a fun time with my three kids that she didn't want Me to pay her. Imagine that, plus we got home at 12:30am and they were all still up.

I think my Chinese gets much better in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol I consume. I was fluent by the time we got home. The cab driver didn't understand me, but it was because he spoke a different dialect then I. You do believe me don't you?

The next day we woke up and decided to hike up Mt. Fushan. I have a hard time referring to it as Mt Fushan as shan means mountain and it is thus quite redundant. Here I am with my three maps, plotting the path of least resistance to find the park and the trail. I commit it to memory and know the bus system by heart, so we head out.

This is Chris's actual first time walking the streets of Qingdao with family in tow, so he is wondering why everybody is running to windows and staring at us. Welcome to our world. Of course my navigating skills are continuously questioned. The family is about to give up, but we are coaxed onward by all the locals. Alas we reach a trail and began to follow it. We make it halfway up the mountain and I innocently ask Chris if he thinks we found the trail. Honestly, it wasn't a wise crack. I was expecting to see a temple and a gate before me. Chris's legs are tired and he thought I was being sarcastic (since he doubted my navigating skills) so we head back down without making it to the top. Now we have something to do! We stop at a market and get some fresh strawberries. It is not odd to me that fruit and vegetables are sold from the back of a pick up, what is odd is that they use a digital scale and weigh to the hundredths of a kilo!!!!

On the way down I stop at the fitness club to take a Bodyjam class. The schedule was changed and I ended up taking a Belly Dancing class. All I can say is, it's a good thing I don't know anybody!!!

Until next time....

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Week two is drawing to a close and I must say that things do not appear as dismal as they did at the end of week one. The city of Qingdao is starting to appear "normal". The locals do not seem as shocked to see the four us walking down the street and we are getting used to the bus system. Yes, we still have to occasionally get off the bus to take a taxi because we are lost. Jackson has found a solution to this problem - every time we leave the apartment, we are pirates. Armed with our treasure maps(the English, Pinyin and Chinese character versions), we venture out into the wild blue sea (Qingdao city) in search of a treasure (our destination). Denali is not at all impressed with my navigating skills and McKinkley is constantly telling me to just give up and call David. David is our host and the guy my husbands works with. I'm sure he would just laugh at me (in fun of course). He seems to find great amusement in the trials and tribulations of an American Family in Qingdao. Then again, who doesn't?

The children started taking Tae Kwon Do. They are following a Korean Master and therefore need to speak Korean. The other children are Chinese and so it may be an even playing field since only the instructors speak Korean. I will have to take pictures of them in the oufits and post. The uniforms look great - very authentic. It turns out that the wife of the Tae Kwon Do Master is a gymnastics Coach. She is going to arrange for Denali to have private training sessions. Denali may get to keep up her skills after all!!! I think I actually saw her smile. We haven't told Chris yet, because he is hoping that this is the end of gymnastics!!!

I must say that I have met some very nice people. I need to thank everyone for all the support I am getting from back home as well as the help from the people in Qingdao. That is everyone except for my father, who is living the life of Reilly in my house. Did I mention that he is living in my house and I am in China???


We went to Polar World and had a great time. The Beluga Whale is so interactive. I am sure it could see us. The dolphin and sea lion show was exciting, too bad it wasn't in English. Imagine that...American indignation reared its ugly head...how dare they!!! As a snack, I ordered a hot dog. It came on a stick. Jackson thought that was the funniest thing he ever saw in his life. We then ended our afternoon at a KFC. Yes, a KFC. Popcorn chicken and french fires. McKinley was so happy she had tears in her eyes. Alas, the food comes.....nobody liked the chicken. I said, "dip it in ketchup, everything is better in ketchup". So McKinley dips. eats and finds her mouth on fire. The chicken is bloody spicy. I go get her a glass of water - water in China is served hot, boiling hot. She chugs, burns her mouth, spits it out, cries and screams she hates me. Luckily KFC is close to empty. I'm not sure if McKinley is just in physical pain or mental pain from not being able to eat the chicken. I bribe her with an extra box of french fries and we escape. I did not look back.

Onward we head into week 3.

When knowing just a little bit is too much

The day arrived. I could wait no longer. I had to get my nails done. For 3 years minimum now I have had pink and white acrylic overlay on my nails. The nails grew out so much that I needed a fill. I was ready. Armed with proper pronunciation, a vocabulary sheet and bravery...I ventured out to a nail salon. If you don't know acrylic nails are tough resin cured polymer with a UV cured top coat. To say the least, they are indestructible - At least so I thought!!

You see, in the States, to remove this coating one must soak their fingers in HOT acetone for 45 minutes and then have the nail technician file them off with a power sander - I kid you not.

So, its Sunday, my first day away from my wonderful children in 15 days 10 hours, 37 minutes and 10 seconds or was it a year. I am off to a Les Mills BodyCombat class. Sure its in Chinese, but I understand the universal language and manage to have a great workout. I change, and head on over to the mall and walk into the nail salon. Let me remind you that my favorite expression is, "There is a very fine line between bravery and stupidity"

I tell the nail lady that I need a fill. We seem to understand each other, I sit and she starts to work. She has no idea what is on my nails. I then make the mistake of saying in Chinese, Nail too long, please make shorter. Apparently that is not what I said, b/c next thing I knew all my nails were clipped off. Yes. I can now type 100 words per minute as I can use my fingertips for the first time in years. The expression of horror transcends many languages and my expression was understood. The tech got upset. After several phone calls and conference phone call with at least 5 people, we were able to agree on just removing what acrylic was left. Mind you, in the states, I said they use HOT acetone and a power sanding. Well this poor girls had to do all the filing by hand. I mean she went thru at least 6 nail files. White powder and 3 hours later, I have a little cut on my finger. The owner makes her discount the already ridiculous low price of 100RMB (about 6.8 USD). She doesn't want to. Can you blame her, she worked hard. Finally she does. I feel terrible, so I try to slip her a tip. That makes it worse. She starts to cry and runs in the bathroom.

Finally I agree not to tip and she finishes my nails with some new funky gradually shiny polish. Not bad really. Remeber, she speaks no English and any pretense I may have had of understanding her has flown right out the window. Here is a pic.

So for the first time since Jackson was born, I am down to my natural nail. I think I will go back next week for a new acrylic coat - that is if they let me in!

End of Week 1

We made it through our first week. It has been rough, but also exhilarating. Nothing is easy. It's a combination of not speaking the language, not knowing how to do things and not knowing where I am. Most people, except for a taxi driver here and there, are very helpful. I am actually starting to communicate to some extent.

We were able to get to a mall, do some shopping and get home with minor incident. I found and import store and bought some Mac and Cheese and microwave popcorn!!!! My husband told me that if I get stuck or lost I can call him and he will come help. Well, I called him and he was locked outside the apartment and wasn't able to help. McKinley, the sensitive one, started to cry, then it started to rain and the big giant Teddy bears we bought started to get wet!!! It was a busy Friday night and the buses were standing room only- No place for three kids with giant Teddy Bears!!! We went to a hotel , had some tea and waited for cab. My three children and their giant Teddy bears drinking Tea in Qingdao...I had to laugh. We had many people taking our pictures and watching.

The kids aren't quite hungry enough to start eating yet. They will eventually have to eat!!! We went to a Korean BBQ restaurant the other night, Hengboo. Not quite sue what we ate, but it was very tasty. Jackson had absolutely nothing, he actually fell asleep - must be lack of nutrition.

I am getting to the point where I can look at a map and figure things out. It takes three maps to navigate. One has the landmarks, the second is written in semi-English and the third has the necessary information, but is completely in Chinese. What, they didn't know I was coming and didn't have a map made for me.

I found a health club...downstairs from the Health Club I signed the kids up for Tae Kwon Do. I spend 8 hours driving around Qingdao looking for a place for Denali to gymnastics. We found some bars (outside) at the University and an area on the beach where she has been working her back tucks and front handsprings. She hates me. If you know Denali though, that is nothing new.

I've learned alot.. I am going to have personal business cards made up and I bought a business card portfolio. We get cards from every place we go so that we can get back there. Just show the card to the cab driver. Well, I am off to try my first Chinese Fitness Class...Wish me luck!!!

Tour of the Town

Today was a big day. We actually slept till 5 am so the jetlag maybe wearing off. We ventured into own by bus. It was the quite the site to see, the four of us on the bus. We ended up back were we started, so we got off the bus and hailed a cab. Yes...the bus did a loop.

I thought I was prepared for the cab ride, the address, the restaurant name, the phone number in my pocket. The lovely cab lady did not speak English and we all now how well my Chinese is progressing. I made the mistake of saying what little I knew in Chinese. She went off...we ended up at the wrong destintion. I had to dial the restaurnat's phone number and let her ask for directions. Obviuosly it was my fault, b/c I got punched.

The kids are in the back completely unaware and fist fighting. I couldn't break it up - I was in the front and a divider was between us. I think she told me that is why they only let you have one child in China.

We made it to the restaurant where we met some other expatriots from the States, New Zealand (yes, she has heard of Les Mills) and Germany.

They coined a term for me: TIC. When all also fails remember TIC - This Is China

Xia Jiang for now.

The Great Wall

As I walk along the Great Wall. My Cellphone unexpectedly rings. Alas, it is my father calling to let me know that he has procured vaccuum cleaner bags. Have I mentioned that he is living in my house??

4 days to go

Hello.

I guess the fact that my family is going to China came as a shock to some. That is everyone who did not know that my father moved in with me.

We are going to live in QingDao, China for business. Chris's company, Spaulding Composites is sending us over for 3 to 6 months. We will live in a condo overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I should be there just in time for the International Beer Festival. The Tsing Dao Brewery is located there. That is how I came up with the name for my blog.

You see the family was out for dinner at a Chnese restaurant and I ordered a Tsing Dao Beer. The waiter repeated, "Tsing Dao?" and my daughter says," Yeah, it's Chinese for Bud Light." I personally think its a better beer then bud light, but IOMO (it's only my oponion). Apperently in 1897 Qing Dao was ceded to the Germans and they built the brewery...who knew.

I will start packing tomorrow - I keep putting it off. I'll do it when we actually have a VISA and I believe that I am going. Have I mentioned that I am in denial. Denial is an anagram for Denali.

TTFN

6 days to departure

Alright, here goes my first attempt at blogging....

My family and I moving from New Hampshire, USA to Qing Dao, China. Originally we were leaving on 10/15 then it was 11/3. Now the departure has moved to 11/6. VISA issues and the fact that I am denial has prevented me from actually doing anything to prepare for the trip. This is my first step in preparation.

I bought 30 pounds of dog food today. My father moved in on Aug. 15. So we deided that we should move to China. Really. I also bought about 12 frozen mice for the snake. Did I mention that my father moved in on Aug 15. It is a small snake and a small dog, so they should be all set.

This will be father's first NH winter as he moved in on Aug. 15 from the NYC area. I think he is starting to panic as he realizes he may get snowed in. Chris told him to make sure he has his stroke outside so that the house doesn't get oo funky. That went over as well as expected.

I also started making piles. Everyone has a pile. A big huge pile of things that might get packed. The piles are stacke din the living room. I find some comfort in that. Chris says that the piles are just an excuse for me to not put any laundry away. He may be right, but did I tell that my father moved in. He (my father) had a hole in his pant pocket. I gave him a needle and thread, he said no thanks, "I just need some duct tape". QUACK