Beijing

As I begin the installment of Chinese Budlight I shall diverge for a moment and explain the 2 week delay in posting. The last 2 weeks have been packed with excitement and plenty of material to include in a blog - Like Chris singing Karoke - but occasionally computer glitches, camera problems, all sort of things come up. I persevere. I do not give up and after so many tries, I think this entry may finally get uploaded.

After a few attempts and rewrites, the blog will be posted. You see my father has finally seen and read the blog. He resents the fact that I resent the fact that he is living in my house, has burned thru my 2 cords of wood and was instrumental in having a tree limb crush Chris's car. This would not be so bad, except that while I am in China being resentful, he is my house hosting a family from Delaware. Mother, father, sister, husband, two kids. Apparently, they bond so well over the blog and the fact that they have children in China. They bond so well, that that they forget they have children in China. That is not really fair, my father did call to tell me he resents that fact the I refer to him as the man in my house.

Let's say there is this lady from Delaware that has been married to the same man for 44 years. Let's even say that they have a son. This son and his family are living in China. This son and his family go out of the way to set up online accounts, local phone numbers, everything , so that people can contact them. Well this lady was able to contact the family to ask if she could stay in their house - but once at the house, no Christmas call, no New Years call, no how are you and the kids call. Now lets say that this lady married to this man for 44 years does not even think to mention to this man not to mention the blog to the father. I know, the blog is public domain. Anyone can read it. It would have gone over so much easier, if I showed it to my father, if he stumbled upon it himself, anything other than this man that has been married to this lady for 44 years pointing out the blog to him.

I guess I should thank them though. They brought their other two grandchildren with them. You knows the ones that got wished a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Well one of these two grandchildren left a Thomas the train tank engine in my father's shoe. First it was nothing. then it was a bloody mess, then it required a podiatrist and antibiotics. Well now I find out that it requires surgery. They can't do surgery until his circulation improves and the medicine he is on is changed. What will things be like when I return. I guess the good thing is at least that guy in my house is talking to me again. Dad - I did not refer to you as the guy living in my house this time.

As of today, we leave China and hui jia mei gua - head homeward to America - in 3 weeks!!! It's hard to believe that our time is almost up. It is with such mixed emotions that we prepare to leave. Even Jackson said, "mom part of me want to stay and the other part really wants to go home." I just told him that it is a good thing that the decision is not ours to make. Would we actually go home right about now, or would wait until the whole toe saga is over?

Picking up where I last left off.....the day after Christmas we get up bright and early and catch a plane to Beijing. We are checked into a hotel and Chris is off at work by 9am. Our Beijing host arranged for a walking tour of Beijing for me and the children, so we head into the city. We walk over to Tienanmen Square and the Mao Mosuleum. Then we head into the Forbidden City. This tour guide knew everything and anything you could imagine about Beijing History, the forbidden city, the Qing dynasty and the Ming dynasty. He also did not understand a word of the Chinese I spoke. Apparently I speak Chinese with a Qingdao accent and mispronounced everything. I tried to tell him that I mispronounce everything in Qingdao as well, but they still understand me!!!

Beijing is a much bigger city then Qingdao. 18 million compared to 7 million. Needless to say that there were also many more Westerners, so at least we did not stick out like sore thumbs. At least that is what I thought until we got to the Birds Nest stadium where Jackson charged everyone 10RMB to pose for a picture with them. He earned our entrance fees!!! Next year in school Denali will study China, so she made the guide repeat everything like 5 times. If I hear one more word about mythical creatures, you know those fictitious animals that are all around the palaces, I may scream. That mythical creature is a dragon in a turtle shell and that one is a phoenix and the number of mythical creatures upon the roof of the buildings indicate how close the family that lived there is to the emperor. Wait...I need to type s-l-o-w-e-r so that Denali can write each word for school. M y t h i c a l.....McKinley and Jackson are sick and tired of walking at this point and want to go home. We have been walking for more the 4 hours and are just getting to the far end of the forbidden city.

I convince the guide that we do not need to walk back thru the forbidden city and can leave the back gate. "But, But you have not finished counting mythical creatures". Oh yes I have. We get into a taxi and take a driving tour of the other side of the forbidden city. This is were actual people actually live. Inside the wall of the forbidden City Suddenly the kids see a frozen lake. The once tired and drained of all energy children are out of the cab and running on the lake. I rent two carts for them to scoot around on. I know, I should have rented three - but they were 2 seaters. McKinley refused to share hers, no surprise there. Jackson just wanted to sit and Denali wanted to push a cart and run around like a maniac. No surprises there either. I thought the arrangement was fine and headed up off the ice. OMG - I can't leave me kids alone on the ice - they may get hurt. Believe me, they may get hurt even if I am there. My tour guide tells me I am a brave mother, it is brave not to be so overprotective - i tell him my favorite quote - There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. We leave and the guide stuffs us into a taxi and tells the taxi driver to take us back to our hotel. I get that feeling again....

....I just started getting comfortable in Qingdao taxi's, now I am in Beijing. This cab driver is not happy about something. Not that I could understand him, but he was gesticulating wildly and kept pointing to his clock. We stop at a red light and he jumps out of the cab. OMG. The light turns green, horns are honking, McKinley is screaming and Jackson and Denali and fighting!!! I look out the back window and see our cab driver giving the cab driver behind us some money. We are then ushered out of his cab and into the cab behind us. I don't have a lifeline, I don't have a hotel card, I don't have any idea where I am. Did I mention that my cell phone is dead!!!! There must have been a hint of panic on my face - you think- because this cab driver seemed to take pity on me. Either that, or he really wanted to practice his English.

Between his English and my Chinese, we actually communicated rather well. I think they call what we were speaking Chinglish. This driver gets us safely back to our hotel. It is 6pm by now. Do you think Chris was at the hotel waiting for or worried about us - no he is still off playing with his friends.

The next day the company driver picks us up and we are off to the Birds Nest stadium and the Summer palace. Truly amazing. Not only do we have a driver, but we have Kelly with us. Kelly speaks very good English. Her job with Paragon is as a translator. Chris does not understand why things so hard for me in China. Everything so easy for him. It has nothing to do with the fact that he goes everywhere with a driver and translator, while the four of us are left on own. We make the mistake of driving past the frozen lake again - can you tell the kids are from NH - and everyone jumps out of the car and goes running down to the lake. That is everyone except the driver, Chris and Kelly. I eventually convince the driver that he and Kelly can leave, but they must not take Chris with them!!! Guess who won that battle. I rent two more carts.

Things not go so well this time. Apparently, a catastrophic event on the ice caused Jackson to run for shelter behind my leg. Out of pure hatred Denali returns her cart to punish herself. McKinley not wanting to be left on the ice alone returns her cart. This made no sense to me, because McKinley was ignoring her brother and sister anyway. At this precise moment Denali decides her punishment is over and want to go back on the ice. Both carts were returned - she is SOL. The tears, the screams...what to do. We head off walking and find a Reggae Bar - yes, a reggae bar in China!!! Bob Marley, cervesca, dread locks!!!! Things really get rocking as we are the only costumers.

It's getting late so we decide to head back to the hotel in as much as we have to catch a train in the morning. Only where to find a taxi, where is our hotel, what to do - sound familiar? Everything so easy for Chris in China - I leave this up to him. We end up walking thru alleys, thru backlots, stuck in dead ends, thru dark streets of Beijing - McKinley is crying again why we always lost mommy, why? I see a cab, no lights, but it is a cab. He off duty. I talk Chinese to him, make him laugh. Jackson pours on the charm......he will take us to the hotel. Chris is saved once again.

The next day we catch the high speed train from Beijing to Qingdao. Nice train, nice train station, nice people, but the bathrooms were bad. I mean they triggered my gag reflex. We finally make it back to Qingdao - it's good to be home - hey this isn't home. Here is a final pic of us arriving in Qingdao and heading home. Next installment - Xin Nian Hoa - Happy new Year