Shanghai Children's Home

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Matthew and eight of his classmates worked at the Community Service Store. The goal that weekend was to raise enough money for a child to receive a cleft palate operation. The weekend was a phenomenal success. The kids raised enough money for two children to receive the operation. It was a tremendous feeling to see Matthew donate his time to the community and we were very proud of him.

Today, Matthew and his classmates went to the Shanghai Children's Home (a local orphanage) to present the Shanghai Children's Home with supplies and 13,000 RMB (equivalent to almost $2,000 US Dollars). We had an opportunity to spend some time with the toddlers and of course, I and the other three mothers were busy holding the kids. Most of the children who reside there are girls but, there were two boys as well. In China, a boy is desired because of old tradition. It is very rare to find a boy in an orphanage. Both of the boys have heart problems and were abandoned by their families. It was extremely heartbreaking for me to see this.

One of the boys became very attached to me and wouldn't let me go. I fed him and had to resist the urge to walk out with him. A lot of these children are waiting to be adopted by a family. They are in need of a home and because of the fact that they were either born a girl or with a medical condition, they have been left to be raised at the facility. I hope that each of the children will find a loving home and a chance to experience love and security.

A....A....Chooo

Well, Fall is here and that means cold and flu season. As people sneeze all over the place in Shanghai, I come to a realization that there is no equivalent Chinese expression for "God Bless You". No "Gesunheit", no "Cheers" or "Salute". Nothing. People don't even look at you. I found this to be very disturbing. I've always been told to say "God Bless You" after someone sneezes. In fact, I don't think I can stop myself from saying it. It's become instinctive and impulsive, who am I the Pope? How did this come to be? Why do we say it and the Chinese don't? Well, I did some investigation and found that those expressions were a result of the black plague in Europe. Apparently, a sneeze was the first sign that you were getting the plague and you know what that meant. So we say "God Bless You" or "Gesunheit", which means good health.

Okay, so my driver, a nice guy but not the most hygienic guy in the world, is constantly sneezing. Of course, he doesn't cover his mouth when he sneezes, which produce a lovely spray of bodily fluids. An aurora Borealis, if you will, of snot, spit, bits of food and whatever else is in someone's mouth. Of course, this happens in the car so I have no escape. Being a nice guy, he rolls down the window so the sneeze can escape. Instead, air rockets this spray to the back of the car, blanketing me in a cocoon of germs, not to mention the most vial smell I've ever had the misfortune to ingest. I wonder if he notices that I am not breathing or better yet, trying to breath through by shirt sleeve. Luckily, he is facing the other way and can't see me, I think?

There are definitely cultural differences here in China. Spitting is acceptable, small children peeing and pooping on the street, no problem. Picking their nose with the most determination if ever seen is okay. Burping, farting and a bunch of other disgusting noises all seems acceptable. So it gives me the dry heaves every once in a while but, I'm getting used to it. My fear is that when I return to the US after my expat assignment, I will be doing the same things, nah.

Winter Holiday Concert

We're getting ready for the Christmas holiday. The weather is certainly cold enough in Shanghai, but it lacks the same holiday feeling we get from the United States. The stores are decorated for Christmas but, the locals do not celebrate Christmas here. It's more of a commercial holiday than a religious one here. Normally, this time of year, our home in Connecticut is fully decorated for the holidays. We always go and pick out a live tree and spend a weekend decorating it. Here, it's just not the same. We don't have a tree, the house isn't fully decorated and we haven't been feeling very holiday like.

The other day, Matthew's school hosted a Winter Holiday Recital. All the kids in school had to perform. Matthew and his classmates performed "The Holly and the Ivy" on the recorder and sang "Santa's Job is a Snap". It was a wonderful recital and it really helped to get us into the holiday spirit.

We'll be spending the Christmas holiday in Hong Kong with family and friends. Tony Sung (one of Tony's best friends from college) is currently in Hong Kong and will be there until January 6th. Matthew's very excited that we'll be seeing him very soon.

We've been feeling pretty homesick recently. We've been told that this is always the hardest time of the year for those who are on expatriate assignments. So, we're really looking forward to seeing familiar faces in Hong Kong and spending the holidays with them.