Insert chattering teeth here...and here...

Harbin is located in northeast China and is home to the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival - even before we came to China I had seen the amazing pictures that someone had put together in a slideshow and then forwarded to the masses. It's only about an hour and a half plane ride from Dalian and there was no doubt - we must go! So now it is checked off our list...shivered there...froze that...got the pictures to prove it.

It really was a great weekend with lots of memories and beautiful pictures. We started our Saturday with a trip to the Siberian Tiger Park. Only in China can you board a small bus and ride into the frozen tundra where tigers are roaming.

One side of the window could open so you could get clear pictures - it had bars though, so no worries! Here is Emma, enjoying the view...

When a tiger walked right up to our window and started licking we screamed with excitement, with a bit of fear...telling Emma to keep her fingers inside...it was CRAZY! The tiger in question then turned, fluffed up his tail and SPRAYED our window... Let us not forget that Emma was standing - face pressed up to the bars on the open window. We will be forever grateful to that tiger for spraying the closed side, mere inches away from where we could have had a very different outcome. We just kept thinking, "What if Emma had gotten sprayed? Her face, her coat, her hair...!"

We got off the bus and walked to where the tigers were caged and you could pay 50RMB (about $7US) for a live chicken and feed it to the tigers piñata style. Mike was all over this...it was actually rather disturbing...

The pipes are in the way but trust me on this - there was a blindingly fast grab and one little chicken was devoured.

Mike and I with our travel buddies, Damon and Yukiko in front of a really impressive snow sculpture.

We toured the snow sculptures for awhile and Emma rode on a snow scooter (?).

Erin had had enough at this point and was in full whine mode - this meant that I also had had enough!

I can't really describe the Ice Festival itself because it is beauty and skill that reaches beyond mere words. Something else that can't be described? The cold...and the dilemma of Erin needing to pee - she was wearing four layers top and bottom and the only choice would be a squatty port-a-potty. Not going to happen, folks...she was crying but I was willing to risk an accident. (FYI, we did make it back to the hotel in time but it wasn't my finest parenting moment).

Here are a few pictures...

That's me in the back, in case you're wondering about the giant ninja :)

Emma on the ice slide.

Here's our travel group enjoying some shelter and some REALLY BAD hot cocoa.

Our final adventure led us to the local river...froze over of course, but with a giant hole cut into it so the locals (or "locos" if you will) can swim. Now that's entertainment!

Simply unbelievable...good thing he has on his swimming gloves!

Before the swimmers came out, Emma and Erin were the main attraction.

I shall leave you with this last photo, just because it's one of my favorites!

There are more pictures and updates on our website - December and January have been updated! web.me.com/fendog

Just to hold you over...like a snack...

Bu hao yisi...(pronounced "boo how eesa")...it means: sorry...so embarrassed...oops... Bu hao yisi! Can't believe I haven't blogged in so long! I am going to get back on track with sharing the goings on in our world - but not today! Today is just a quick update and next week I will start where I left off (back to Thanksgiving I think!).

Since my last blog in mid-November: it turned cold...we went to Shanghai for Thanksgiving...it got colder...we went to Arizona for Christmas and New Year's...it was a blissful 75 degrees...we came back to China...it has graduated to "freakin' freezing"...and this weekend we are going to the famous Harbin Ice Festival where temps will top out at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. So there you you have it!

Yes, it IS cold, but really, that is not what dominates my every thought - maybe every other thought. Here is a little funny from yesterday morning (a windy, snowy, 16 degree Fahrenheit morning): When I was bundling the girls up for school Erin said, "I just want to wear my coat hat!" So I got out the cute little pink beanie that goes with her coat but..."No! I want my coat hat!" After a moment of confusion, I realized what she meant was HER HOOD. Yes, I still have desert darlings who apparently don't know the word for the hangy-down-head-cover-thing attached to a coat!

Here are a few photos to help you feel the cold...

One of the bus drivers for the school made this adorable snowman - this is quite an achievement considering that the snow is VERY dry - not good for snowballs or snowmen!

This is the day we returned from sunny Arizona - while I was inside putting on my fleece, the girls were thoroughly enjoying the snow.

They put these "windshields" up all over the place to protect the trees...brrr...lots of wind here.

The view from our balcony at the beginning of January. It was the biggest snowfall here in something like 20 years.

No, my daughters are not looking Chinese (yet). Just an image of how the locals bundle up their kids - face masks like this are a must, and they all wear at least two layers of pants (often three - and they are thick and wooly!)

Look closely...this is a winter-equipped motorcycle taxi (aka - suicide on two wheels). Notice the furry seat and the oven mitt-like gloves attached to the handlebars. Believe it or not you can fit a family of four on one of these + the driver!

Geneal Sounds Off...Winter, Starbucks, and Chinese Haircuts

Ah...winter...it has arrived in northeast China! Temps topped out at about 38 degrees today and the locals here don't really get it when I tell them that in my home state, our lows rarely drop to 38 and it is unthinkable as a high! In the first few days of cold, Emma and Erin would be ready to head to school in long-sleeved shirts and sweaters. Poor little things...they have entered a new world of layers topped off with heavy jackets, hats, and gloves. If you happen to be from a cold climate, you are probably scoffing at me and that's okay...I know how pathetic I must sound. And if you happen to be from Arizona, you are smirking because you think I have this coming to me because I may have made a comment or two about our 85 degree days on the beach in July while you were roasting in the Arizona oven (anyone remember my comment about searching out the twigs of shade in the parking lot?). And so it is...soup for dinner, Michelin Man jackets, and the discovery of a couple of yummy, hot drinks from Starbucks.

How about that segue to Starbucks? Read on...I have discovered two new loves: caramel macchiatos and toffee nut lattes. Unfortunately on the long list of things you can get mega-cheap in China (name-brand knock off purses, custom made cashmere jackets, produce, etc.), Starbucks is nowhere on that list. My new drinks of choice cost 33 RMB each - about $5 US. And...unfortunately there is only one - count 'em ONE - Starbucks in our area. And by "our area", I mean 30 minutes away. If cost and lack of convenience isn't reason enough to avoid Xing Ba Ke (that's Starbucks in Chinese), then the parking lot is a definite deal breaker. The Starbucks in question is located in a mall and although there is something like a kagillion people here, there are only about 40 parking spaces and ABSOLUTELY NO logic as to how people drive - head-on with no room on either side to veer is common OR park - wherever the hell they want including blocking the one and only end so you can't loop around but rather have to back up to exit the single car exit which also happens to serve as the single car entrance. Among my many "China experiences", sitting in a van while it makes a 27-point turn is on the list (somewhere between using a squatty potty and seeing men pee along the side of the road on a daily basis). I am quite certain that making my driver take me to Starbucks has shaved years off his life. Does that mean I will give up my latte? Nah, I just told him today that next time he can drop me off along the road and I will walk in from there. My wonderfully-sweet, super-protective, and ultra-professional driver responded, "Good idea, Geneal!" Just imagine him saying that with his thick Chinese accent and it's very cute and quite telling about how he feels about the situation.

And lastly, I have overcome one of my biggest fears about living in China and here's the bottom line: it's not awful...but...

I had my first haircut in China yesterday and the good news is I will not have to wear a hat every day for the next month. The bad news is I have come to terms with the fact that I spend a lot of energy and drama on what is my HAIR. Many of you empathize with me on the sensitive subject of hair and many of you probably want me to shut up already! However, the topic is in my title so I will sound off and then be done with it. Here it is: I decided in September when we were in the states that I had had enough of the long (long for me) hair and had it cut to my preferred short style. This means more maintenance but it was worth it and I was ready to be brave in China. So, I went (alone) to a salon in a hotel that a few of the teachers had spoken highly of. Lily is the stylist's American name (also my niece's name so it was fate...right?). She doesn't speak English so we did some pointing, some finger measuring, and some nodding...it was all good, no miscommunication there! Then I got to experience my first "dry wash" which involves her putting a giant blob of shampoo on my dry hair while sitting up in the chair. She then rubs a little, sprays a little, rubs a little, sprays a little - you see how this goes. I did get a normal rinse and while lying there I considered making a break for it. Wet hair and a windy, 40 degree day just seemed more risky to me than just getting on with the haircut. She began to snip and snip and snip with no apparent focus or direction. I'm pretty sure I didn't breathe for the duration. She then proceeded to 'thin' every inch of my hair - the bangs I was growing out? Well, I'll be starting over. Anyway, it's way too late to make this long story short so I will just say that my friend had to trim a few strays when I got home (thanks Yukiko!) but today when I styled it, I realized (with enormous relief) that it's not that bad. I can live with it...hopefully until December when I can visit Andra and sit back and enjoy my time in the styling chair; relaxed, breathing easily, chatting away, no Kung Fu grip on the arms of the chair...

Thanks for reading! And today if you're in Arizona, open your windows and enjoy the warm sun on your face. And if you're in the mood for Starbucks drive on in and park without anxiety or the urge to go monster trucking over a row of cars. And next time you're off to the salon to see your beloved hair stylist, give them a hug.

Happy Halloween!

Where can you fully embrace Halloween for what it is (or what it should be): a child-centered excuse for playing dress-up, going door-to-door essentially begging for sweets, leading to what can only be described as blissful, massive, candy-consumption? Where can you enjoy all that Halloween has to offer without cowering under an umbrella of "political correctness" or fearing that you may offend someone, somewhere...CHINA, that's where! The girls' school spent an entire afternoon enjoying festivities - Halloween-themed games (ghost bowling, anyone?) in each classroom and a costume parade. Then we went over to Campus Village - where we live - and had more games, a petting zoo and hayride, a kids buffet of Halloweenish foods, and a costume contest (Erin won a free smoothie from the cafe!) Here are a few photos of our celebration...

I helped in the second grade station - ghost bowling! Good times...

My little "Super Girl" in the mummy wrapping station.

My little "USA Diva" in the costume parade. She is following her teacher - all of the teachers dressed up too. What fun!

Here is Emma on the hayride. They rode all around the neighborhood (she was itchy and cold but had a great time).

Erin is with her friends - they always divide everything by age groups here. Fine in theory, but it makes it hard to take pictures when the kids are split up.

They even made homemade piñatas!

There were about 100 kids trick-or-treating in our community. The girls received lots of Chinese candy (yuck) and some candy brought from the states - thank goodness for the "parent tax"!

Fortunately all Halloween activities were on Friday, a crisp, clear fall evening, because on Saturday we were hit with middle-of-winter type temperatures. It lasted through the beginning of the week. When we walked to school Monday, it was 27 degrees!

If you haven't checked our website in a while, go there now! (web.me.com/fendog) There are pictures from September (the girls in a Chinese wedding and our trip to Dandong) and from October (our trip to Beijing and more Halloween).

What a Life...

While zipping around a lake in the Hutong area of Beijing at a break-neck speed of 8mph, I realized two things: 1) my children have accrued many airplane hours in the last 6 months - I know this because as Mike was driving the boat, Emma and Erin recited the customary flight attendant speech: "...the captain has turned on the seatbelt sign...please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts low and tight across your waist..." This rendition includes hand gestures, perfect posture, and what I may describe as a rather "uppity tone" AND 2) even in the open waters of a lake, in a battery powered boat, there is no common sense nor etiquette in Chinese driving.

Here is Emma in "flight attendant mode" on our rickety little boat. Both girls got to drive - it was definitely one of their favorite Beijing moments.

Our near head-on collision with a fellow boater in the tunnel - we were in the tunnel first! After some bumping and scraping we came out the other side unscathed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We returned to our China home in early October after a wonderful visit to the states - it was two weeks of family, food, shopping, food, friends, food, laughter, and...did I mention food? Life is good in the states! Everything is accessible (food, clothing) and clean (bathrooms, restaurants). On our last leg of the trip to the US, Erin asked who our driver would be in Arizona - how soon they have forgotten about life pre-China! While I was sad to leave Arizona, getting back here has been good too. As mentioned above, we took a weekend trip to Beijing and had a great time. Here are some highlights:

Here we are at the Forbidden City where we hired an English-speaking guide. There is endless symbolism and legend in Chinese culture (colors, dragons, numbers), she explained a lot and made the tour much more meaningful for us. And she took our picture!

We toured Beijing's Hutongs - these are very old villages located around the Forbidden City. Lots of culture and history to be seen (if you want to know more about the Hutongs: http://www.chinavista.com/experience/hutong/hutong.html). We traveled as a family in a rickshaw - our driver sure earned his money!

Here are the girls with our rickshaw driver - he was wonderful - he was very friendly and spoke a little English.

I just love this picture of Emma! Every time the girls broke into a fight or whined about something, Mike would tell them that he would leave them in Beijing to drive a rickshaw or hawk t-shirts at The Great Wall.

Ah yes, we DID ride the Beijing subway at 5:00 on a Friday...it is not for the faint-hearted! Mike and I had to plant ourselves around the girls so they wouldn't get squished (literally).

We rode the cable car up to The Great Wall. Seeing it go on and on in both directions is breathtaking. The Beijing haze was present but otherwise, it was a beautiful day.

(Note: When all was said and done, in three days we had traveled by plane, taxi, bus, van, subway, rickshaw, and cable car).

Mike and his girls with an incredible backdrop, don't ya think?

After a gloriously non-Chinese dinner at The Outback with our friends, we hit an international bookstore and the night market. This is where you can get anything on a stick (chicken hearts, sheep testicles, baby shark, for example). We settled for strawberries deep-fried in sugar - yum!

Erin in the middle of the walking street (no cars allowed). She had just enjoyed a Starbucks hot chocolate and taken a few photos with some locals. Too bad she's not having any fun!

Next stop: Shanghai for Thanksgiving! Crazy life, huh?

If you haven't visited our website to see our September pictures, go now! web.me.com/fendog

Check next week for our October pictures - more from Beijing and Halloween!

Sweet September

As we look forward to our first home leave since we arrived in May, I look back on what has really been a terrific September for us.  The weather is fantastic and we have settled into a busy, fun routine.  Mike may beg to differ since his routine involves long hours at work but I know that he is happy when his girls are happy.  I have added hosting a "lunch club" to my weekly schedule - this involves me playing movement games with nine pre-K to first graders. Today was a success! You simply can't go wrong with the Hokey Pokey and Duck Duck Goose! Emma is now taking gymnastics one day after school and Erin has ballet and tennis!  Our ultimate highlight for the month will be our trip home to Arizona on Saturday but here are some of our September highlights from our China home...

 A Chinese Wedding

Going to a Chinese wedding is among the many things I knew I would like to do while we are living here. We got the opportunity when we received an invitation from Mike's co-worker to her wedding.  We received the invitation only eight days before the event.  I guess this is normal - no two month notice like we're used to.  Even more exciting (or stress-inducing) was she wanted Emma and Erin to be IN the wedding.  After a few moments of panic - what will they wear?  do they rehearse their parts?  will they actually do it when it's such an unknown environment? - I was put at ease by fellow ex-pats who have been there.  All I had to do was dress them in something pretty and show up - not too difficult.  

Erin carried the rings down the aisle (yes, she is wearing angel wings).  She nearly lost it but kept it together and was a hit.

I love this picture...

Emma carried a candle and it was used to light a unity candle.  She loved this experience and said she felt "very important".

The ceremony was officiated by an MC and at times it felt a bit like a game show.   We understood about 2% (that might be generous) of what was said but it was fun.  

We arrived at the restaurant about 30 minutes before the wedding - most guests arrived about 30 seconds before...

The ceremony, dinner, etc. was all held in a restaurant and we think that approximately 20 dishes were served.  We recognized only some of it but tried most of it.  Thank goodness the girls aren't picky eaters!

Our Visit to Dandong, China

This past weekend we visited Dandong, a city about 3 hours north of us.  The city borders North Korea and is home to the eastern end of the Great Wall.  We had a great time and really enjoyed experiencing a little more of what China had to offer.  I will post more pictures on my Facebook page and Mike will put lots on our webpage.  Here is a sample...

This is the view of North Korea from the other side of the Yalu River.  We walked out on the bridge that the US bombed at the start of the Korean War.  We were a spectacle too, of course, lots of photo ops for the girls and for me, a disappointing but not surprising realization of my 'barely there' Chinese skills. Notice the ferris wheel in the background...all part of the facade to make it look like a normal, fun place to live.  It's all very mysterious and creepy.

Here we are at the Great Wall of China...everyone should see it...

Erin and Emma amazed me with their climbing skills.  Many of the steps were like this - knee high for Erin and steep!  I followed the girls example and didn't whine even once!

Yep, we made it up and over the hill!  The weather was overcast and cool and the landscape was breathtaking (or was that the thousands of steps we climbed?).

We didn't whine, but we did take a few breaks!

Here is the view looking down once we made it to the top.  I can guarantee you that I was more nervous than the girls...the handrail is my friend.

We had heard that if you could make it all the way, there was a boat to take you back to the beginning...the locals pointed this way and so we went...  There is a "look" that I give Mike in moments like this...his reply is always the same, "It's all part of the adventure!"  That it is!

And just in case we hadn't had enough adventure, here is the luxury liner that returned us to the entrance...if only you could see it up close...again, I gave 'the look' and Mike added to the usual reply by saying, "It's no big deal, you know how to swim!"

Just for Fun

As for the normal, day to day stuff that makes up our life here in the PRC, here are a few fun pictures...

Emma saved some money and pitched in to buy herself a new bike.  Here she is ready to ride home after school.

Erin is taking ballet after school (the dance room is in the school).  I almost thought she wouldn't make the cut because she had to be tall enough to get her leg on top of the bar.  It's a stretch, but she can do it!

Ugh...this is a loooong blog...but there is so much I want to share! Check Facebook and our website in the coming week to see more pictures.  We will be home for a quick 2-week visit on Saturday and hope to see many of you!  If we can't see you this time, we will be home for a longer visit in December and we will get together then!

A Little of This...A Little of That

Emma and Erin have settled into school and are enjoying the many benefits that come with super-small classes, gifted teachers, and truly diverse peers.  Erin has made friends with a sweet little girl from Korea.  She doesn't speak much English but according to Erin, she is teaching her some every day.  The little girl just recently showed up to school with adorable curls in her chin-length hair.  I asked Erin about the curls and she said, "She has a permanent.  I really want a permanent too!"  Erin is already blessed with a little curl in her hair so that was pretty much the end of the discussion - just kinda funny that my 4-year-old now knows about perms.  I just want to know how she got a perm everywhere except her bangs.  I remember having that argument with my mom and the hair stylist.  I just wanted my bangs left alone but NOOOO...I suffered with the poodle bangs for a couple of weeks (a giant curling iron and some mega-hold hairspray helped too).  Wow, that was a little (somewhat traumatic) stroll down memory lane!

I am keeping busy even with the girls at school all day.  I have been reading, working out, Facebooking, shopping (although only for food/household stuff - not purses or custom made clothing yet).  I have been helping Emma's teacher with some administrative tasks which is actually kind of fun when it's not for my own classroom and when I can do it while watching my Two and a Half Men DVD.  I spent a couple of hours in the classroom this week and in the teacher's words, "It is teaching heaven".  ELEVEN STUDENTS... even at their noisiest it wouldn't qualify for noisy.  She never has to raise her voice and she has the time to make each child feel as though they are capable, wonderful, and worthy.  I remember at the end of some of my teaching days that I would feel sad that I didn't even get to chat with some students...they would get no personal attention because I was pulled in a million other directions.  Teacher friends...can you relate?  If you've ever thought of teaching abroad, I would recommend it although do your research - I'm sure they are not all like our school.

Speaking of teaching...I have been doing a little of that lately!  I am teaching English to newly hired Intel employees (20-somethings, just out of college).  They are learning through phonics so it is very basic but they are eager and fun to work with.  It makes me feel like I have purpose in my new life.  At the end of class they have a chance to ask me questions and today they asked about the phrases, "Who cares?" and "Who knows?"  They wanted to know in what type of situations were those appropriate to say.  Hmmmm...I did my best to keep the explanation brief and to the point - probably not a good idea to say them in a work setting.   I see now that pronunciation and explanation of English words is likely just as difficult for them as Chinese is for me.  Although we don't have the tones...what's with the tones?  Ugh!

The weather here is cooling down and fall is on its way.  You probably don't want to hear this, but I would say we really only had two, maybe three weeks when it was really hot.  Even then, it was only in the 90s but super humid.  Today it is overcast and rain is forecasted for the weekend.  I am still an Arizonan at heart because I actually like the clouds and rain!

Well, not the most exciting blog but well, life, even in China, isn't all that exciting.  We are going to a Chinese wedding tomorrow so I am sure there will be a blog for that!  Mike has updated our website with the August photos (although he left off the kids first day of school). There is also a link on the web that says "Good Luck Uncle Neal".  The girls put on their own muscle show to support my brother who will be competing on Saturday - wish we could be there!

21 DAYS UNTIL WE BEGIN OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS AMERICAN SOIL. GOD BLESS AMERICA!