Routines

We've settled into our new home and it's hard to believe it's been two weeks already. The boxes were unpacked and everything was put away in record time...three days. Matthew has settled into his routine of commuting to and from the bus stop for the remainder of his commute to Pudong. He leaves at 6:10 in the morning and takes his scooter to the bus stop. It's actually quite cute to see him riding away to the bus stop. Tony and I have started our morning routine when Matthew leaves for school...we head to the gym. It's very nice that the gym opens at 5:30 in the morning. This allows us to get the work out done before the start of the day.

I've adjusted to living in the suburbs. I've taken the shuttle bus to the downtown area and schedule my appointments accordingly. I'm getting to know the neighborhood (not much here...trust me) and will probably continue to run my errands in the city as needed. Tony's commute to work has increased drastically. It can take anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours to get to work depending on the traffic. A major increase from the 30 minutes he had from the old home.

We'll be getting ready to leave next week for our return trip home. Matthew has been winding down at school. The last of the exams have been administered and now it's just pure playtime for the kids.

We've started to schedule our days to see family and friends. I've scheduled a lot of doctor's appointments and we'll be pretty busy catching up with everyone. The calendar is already getting filled and we haven't arrived yet. It's good to know that somethings just never change!

Home Sweet Home

We've officially moved into our new home. We arrived on Thursday afternoon with close to 150 boxes. As of Saturday night, everything has been unpacked and put away. Not bad for three days. All the pictures have been hung up and it feels as if we've lived here for the past year. Strange how quickly we settled in.

Matthew's been enjoying the ammenities. He's been bike riding, hanging out at the club house, swimming and finding his way around the grounds. I give him about a week and he'll be good to go with new friends.

He's been a good sport about going to the gate to pick up the school bus to Pudong. To ensure that he arrives on time, he takes his scooter in the morning and rides down to the gatehouse. There are quite a few kids who live on this side that commute all the way to Pudong. He'll be transferring so this commute routine will be a thing of the past.

Ina and her family came today by to see the new crib. We grabbed lunch at the club house and then the kids went to the pool while we hung out on the deck. They found their way back and even played catch and soccer. That's something that Matthew hasn't done in a very long time in the comfort of his own home. Watching the kids play, reminded me of our back yard in Connecticut. Now all we need is to buy a grill and then we're all set.

Now that everything has found a place, we'll be getting ready for our trip home soon. I just have to start the packing process soon.

There Goes The Neighborhood

Well, we stopped by our new home at the Shanghai Racquet Club for an inspection yesterday. The workers were busy cleaning and most of the furniture had been delivered. We're missing some things but, we took the time to rearrange the items that were there. For one, Tony and I gave up the television in the master bedroom to Matthew. The motivation for this was totally selfish. Finally, we can watch something other than the Cartoon Network. We know that it sounds dangerous. However, Matthew has already been warned that school comes first otherwise, the television will return to it's original setting (which is down the hall from his room).

Our new home is a duplex on the ground floor. We have two patio decks and the nice thing is Matthew can run out and play in the yard through the deck. The new place is smaller than our current home that we've lived in for the past year. Though I will be missing the downtown area, there are a lot of positive things about moving. The major one being, Matthew's commute to school will be shortened from three hours a day to twenty minutes a day. We've gained yard space, a back deck to sit out and enjoy, we can grill, larger size dishwasher, washer and dryer and most of all, we now have ample closet and storage space. You can probably tell what was the selling point for me right? Yard for Matthew, larger laundry room and what woman doesn't want more closet space? I'm trying to figure out how I can put Tony's clothes on a stick somewhere and take over all the closets. There is some benefit for being a full time "homemaker" while he's on the road living out of a suitcase. Why does he need a closet right?

The new home has four bedrooms and we have plenty of room for visitors. We've converted one bedroom into an office so Tony can work and take his conference calls in peace.

We were surprised to find out that less than 15 feet from the back deck, there was a jacquzzi and pool. Who knew? This is in addition to the two pools in the club house. I have a funny suspicion that Tony will be hanging out there most nights after work or, when he returns from his business trips.

We're excited about this move. We have a lot to do before we leave to return to the US in June for vacation. Seems like we did this same thing last year, oh, wait, we did.

Scared Straight

For those of you that know Susan, you understand that she can be a little intense at times. Especially, when she is angry, frightened or sick, kind of like a trapped animal. During this last nose bleed incident, she was all three which made for a very scared doctor.

I'm being serious when I tell you that the man was shaking in his boots at every checkup. It got to the point that after the operation Dr. Fei was afraid that he was going to get an harrasment call from Susan in the middle of the night telling him that her nose started bleeding again and that she was going to kill him. He even tried the "No talking will help your nose heal better" scam but to no avail. Apparently, he did not know who he was dealing with. Actually, I think the fear of death motivated the doctor to take extra care in the surgery so he would not have to suffer the wrath of Susan if things went wrong.

We went for her post operative check up today. The doctor was visibly nervous. He only started breathing again after the examination went well. He actually told Susan "Wo xi huan ni dan wo bu xi huan zai kan ni." Which means, "I don't want to see you ever again." No kidding he actually said that. I'm sure he meant that he hopes she will never have this problem again but, I'm not exactly sure. Anyway, he'll probably post her picture in the hospital warning the other doctors.

Of course, I am exercising my creative license here but not by much. The surgery seems to have been successful and the doctor gets to live for another day.

The Evil Empire

I've been remiss lately in making entries into the blog but frankly, I haven't had anything that I've felt inspired enough to write about until yesterday.

Yet another American icon has made it's way into China, Walmart, actually, a SUPERCENTER WALMART! I always feel like I'm in a Fallini movie whenever I encounter a very American thing in China like Buicks, Starbucks, McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken everywhere, it is definitely a surreal experience. Susan and I spent a couple of hours yesterday roaming around this enormous Walmart. It was just like the Walmarts back home except you can buy live frogs and fish (for eating not petting) and of course, the ever delectable chickens feet in the meat market (yummy). This is, afterall, still China.

The import section was stocked with things like Delmonte Ketchup and Orville Redenbacher popcorn, it's backasswards. There are Chinese twists to the American items like crab flavored Pringles, banana flavored popcorn and seaweed flavored saltine crackers (what's that all about? That sounds more like an accident than a food item).

The reason why I call it the Evil Empire is because Walmart has made it's fortune by strong arming manufacturers to reduce their price while Walmart maximizes its profits. For example, they would sell Duracell batteries for $1 and make a 60% profit. If you can't do the math, basically, Walmart makes more money on Duracell batteries than Duracell. It looks like they don't have this leverage in China. The prices are no better at Walmart than at a high end foreign market but it was packed with local Chinese. So, they must be doing something right. We just can't figure out what it is.

This is a bitter sweet experience for me because I like to see American items in China to boost the American economy but at the same time, I really don't like Walmart, such is life.

Priceless

The cost of a bus ride: 2 RMB ($.25), start of a taxi meter 11 RMB for first 3 kilometers ($1.42), cost of emergency endoscopic surgery: priceless.

Two years ago, I suffered a severe nasal hemorrhage while on a business trip. I returned home and had to undergo a rather unpleasant experience with my ENT doctor. It took over two weeks to recuperate and I was hoping never to have to go through that again. Fast forward, a year later, four months into our residence in Shanghai, and it happened again to me. I landed at the emergency room one weekend in November. Luckily, it was a very good expatriate hospital. This is where I meet Dr. Gang Fei. ENT Specialist and someone, I've spent more time with than I care to admit.

Last week, I suffered another nasal hemorrhage. Tony was away on a business trip (as usual) and I had to get Ina to come and stay with Matthew. I returned to the emergency room. Dr. Fei was contacted and his first response: "It can't be the same Susan." He walks in, and there I was. Waving "Hello" to Dr. Fei. He takes a look and tells me "Don't worry. I will take care of this. I will feel better sending you home after this." So, I returned home and stayed home like a good girl. Tony returned from his business trip and we went back to see Dr. Fei on Saturday. Dr. Fei informs me, "You can't have the packing removed yet. You need it for a few more days." Meanwhile, I've been on every antibiotic, antihistamine and what not known to man. The doctor tells me to rest and "No talking. It will be better for you." I don't know if he was advocating for me to shut up on Matthew and Tony's behalf. For those who know me, you know that I don't do the "shutting up" thing. Needless to say, 45 minutes later, I was back at the hospital again.

After a rather unpleasant weekend of on and off bleeding, I return to see Dr. Fei on Monday. After telling him all the unpleasant events, he looks at me and says "You need emergency endoscopic surgery. I must perform it this afternoon. Please return to the hospital by 2:00PM. You will have to stay overnight." OK. Emergency surgery wasn't exactly high on my list of things to do. I ran home, packed an overnight bag and returned to the hospital.

I had to endure the MOST painful procedure under LOCAL ANESTHESIA. I have a very high tolerance for pain. For me to say next time, (let's hope there won't be a next time), the procedure will be done under general anesthesia, will give you a general sense of what I'm talking about. Meanwhile, Dr. Fei was chattering away in Mandarin with me during the procedure and he tells me "I know you hate me. It's part of the job." My response- "I am way past hating you at this moment. You have no idea what thoughts are running through my head." He laughs and tells the nurse, "I like Susan, she has a good sense of humor!" I told him, in my broken Mandarin, laced with Cantonese and English..."I am not kidding."

The procedure was supposed to take 30 minutes. A little over an hour later, I am back in my room. Tony and Matthew check on me and they go home. Nurses were great. They were checking on me every hour. I checked out of the hospital yesterday and received the bill for my emergency surgery. The total cost for this "party", complete with medicine, nursing care, cost of the room, food and what not: 32,687.09 RMB ($4,245.00). Priceless.

Who said that things in China are cheap? Luckily, it wasn't an appendix operation. Do you know how much damage I could do at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman's with $4,000? I would be parading up and down Fifth Avenue with shopping bags galore.

Let's hope that I won't have to go through that all over again. I hope the next time I see Dr. Fei, it will be under better circumstances- like at a social event with a glass of wine.

Why I Refuse To Drive In This Town

I was getting breakfast ready for Matthew. I hear a fight coming in very loud and very clear from my kitchen window. The curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to open the patio door to see what the ruckus was all about. I look across the street and spot a woman. She's sitting on the curb, her little scooter is on the ground and the taxi driver is screaming and another scooter is sidelined. Obviously, the taxi driver hit the scooter and is now embroiled in an intense argument with the woman. Screaming, more screaming, some finger pointing and then a crowd starts to appear. Normal, typical day in Shanghai. The people who ride around on the scooters, mopeds and bicycles feel that they don't have to stop for any red lights. They just keep going. It's an incredible sight when you see it happening. I was in a taxi one time when a scooter cut in front of the taxi that had the green light. The taxi came to a screeching halt and the driver of the scooter, turned around and gave the taxi driver a dirty look. Unbelievable! The drivers of the scooters and bicycles, if they see a pedestrian, they will lean on their horns or they will scream "WEI" (which means "Hey") or they won't stop and they will MOW YOU DOWN.

I'm not kidding. Vehicles are allowed to make a right on red. Technically (on paper that is), the vehicles are supposed to stop at the cross walk first, see if any oncoming traffic is coming and then proceed. It's not enforced. Pedestrians in the crosswalk, extra bonus points if you can get them to stop dead in their tracks for you. Those who know me, know that I am the ultimate New Yorker. So, when the cars are coming, I tend to be a bit defiant and I will walk in front of the taxi or the car at a snail's pace. The driver will lean on his horn. I just shoot him a death defying look. I know, I am basically playing chicken with a two ton vehicle. I can't help myself.

Today's scene, happened at about 5:40 AM. It's still going on as I am writing this entry. The cops are now involved. The locals are screaming at one another. I am guessing from the scene- the two scooters tried to cut in front of the taxi. The taxi took one out and almost took the other one out. The one who got hit is screaming bloody murder. Her friend who missed getting hit is screaming on her friend's behalf as well. Oh, I guess I should let you know that you can operate an electrical scooter without a drivers license. If you drive a gas powered one, you need a driver's license. Go figure. The two that were sidelined were electric scooters. Meanwhile, there's more screaming. Some shoving and the police are just standing between the two watching. Are you kidding? The police aren't even attempting to stop any of the shoving and screaming. So, why are the police even involved?

Now you know why I refuse to drive in this town. Though I will admit, I can get pretty hot and heavy with my screaming. I am no match with the local Shanghainese. They can scream and they can rant. Mostly done in the local Shanghainese dialect. The minute they figure out I am a foreigner, it's going to be "Pay day to feed the village". I don't know what the process for insurance here is. In the States, you have an accident, you call the police, they come, they complete a report, you submit it to insurance and all is taken care here. Here, I've seen taxi's that have hit bicycles. There's screaming involved, the one who has gotten hit- the bicyclist will demand money. The taxi driver will take out a wad of cash from his wallet and then they're off. When it's two vehicles involved, I've seen the same thing. An exchange of cash and each goes off.

Don't think that'll work for me. I would pull out my license and it clearly states- US citizen. You can just imagine what would be going through people's minds. They would be screaming "Foreigner hit me." I'd have to deal with the sterotype that foreigners have deep pockets and would have to negotiate a fair settlement. No thank you. So, I won't be driving anytime soon in Shanghai. I will stick to the bus, trains, taxi and walking. Thank you very much.

We're Moving

It's official. We're moving out of our apartment in the downtown area to be closer to Matthew's school. He's going to be transferred from the Pudong campus to the Puxi campus effective August. The poor kid has had to endure a three hour commute (on a good day) for almost a year. We've had him on the transfer list since the day he started school. The school offered a seat to him in January. I decided it would be horrible to pull him out of the environment where he's made friends and adjusted. The school agreed to keep him on the transfer list. In March, we received official notification that he'll be transferred to the Puxi campus for the Fall semester.

So, though the school's on the same side of town where we live, the commute going to the Puxi campus can be just as bad. At a minimum, it will be an hour and a half each day. Tony thought it would be better if we moved further into the Puxi area to be closer to the school. We looked around and found an apartment at the Shanghai Racquet Club. The school is literally 10 minutes away by foot, 5 minutes by bus. Now, when Matthew wants to participate in the after school activities, he'll be home at a reasonable hour. Currently, he's participating in after school soccer. He doesn't get off the bus that drops off at a central location until 7pm. Take into account the commute back to home, dinner, homework and any studying for exams into the equation and you have a pretty good idea what a bad night it can turn into.

Matthew's very excited about the move. Compared to where we currently live, the new place is like Disney for kids. It's a full service compound with outdoor pool, tennis courts, basketball courts and tons of kids. Did I say kids? Yes. Where we currently live, is a small apartment building. Fifteen apartments in total. No kids. Well, there aren't any kids Matthew's age. The ones that are here are either toddlers or teenagers. When we were out on the house hunting trip, the minute we drove into the compound, we saw tons of kids all over the place. Matthew said "Ok- we're moving here." Wait a minute, we didn't even see the place yet. Nope. He was emphatic. All it took was to see the kids swarming by the tennis courts, basketball courts and the community club house. The community club house is a popular destination for the kids because there's a snack bar. We were told all the kids go to the snack bar after school to chat with their friends and hang out before they go home. It was nice to see the ammenities offered and it was a done deal for Matthew.

Every apartment we looked at, he automatically picked out his new room. Ok- let me clarify that. When we were looking at the apartments, he would claim the Master bedroom as his new room. We had to bring him back to Earth and tell him the Master Bedroom is off limits. He's lucky he's getting his own room (just kidding).

The new place is WAY OUT in the suburbs. It's in a newly developed area called the Minhang District. The Minhang District doesn't have a whole heck of a lot to offer. In fact, there is hardly anything there. The only selling point is it's very close to the American, British, Singapore, French, German and Korean schools. That's the only reason you find families out there. Other than that, you need to go into the downtown area for anything else. The new apartment offers a hourly shuttle bus service that goes into the downtown area. I can hop the shuttle bus into the downtown area and make my way around by foot, subway or taxi. It all depends on where I have to be and how much time I'd have before Matthew gets home from school. Tony's commute to the office will be much longer. As a parent, you do what's best for your children.

So, I got the call from Tony's company that the lease has been signed off. The movers will come over tomorrow afternoon to assess the packing needs and we'll be moving in less than three weeks. Things are falling into place.

We'll be moving into our new home on Thursday, May 17th. Matthew will have less than three weeks of commuting left. Which means, I'll have that much time to get the place settled before we leave for our trip back to the States.

Achievements

Hard to believe that we've been living in China almost a year. Tony's one year anniversary is just around the corner. A lot has happened to us this past year. I often think of all the milestones that we've managed to hit. I've managed to master the train system and am often riding it from the Puxi side of town over to the Pudong side of town. I walk around town quite a bit and have found the shortcuts to different areas and will often walk to the stores to pick things up. I know where to find the things that we need and can navigate my way through the bargaining system here. Most of all, I can actually communicate in Mandarin now. I can actually understand when people speak to me in Mandarin. I no longer get the "Shen me?" (which means "What?") look when I get into a taxi and can give directions when needed.

When we first arrived, Tony, Matthew and I really couldn't speak Mandarin at all. I recall a meeting with Matthew's Chinese language teacher and the conversations were completely in English peppered with spatterings of Cantonese. Fast forward nine months later, she gives me updates on Matthew's progress in Chinese class and it's conducted completely in Mandarin. I can respond to her and write notes to her in Chinese as well. Matthew is doing very well in Chinese. He can read the characters and translate the words into English. He can communicate when he wants to. He just tends to be lazy and rely on me.

Tony, on the other hand, has given up on the language completely. He's on the road so much, that it's a major chore to give up six hours on a weekend for the language classes. I think he took about eighteen hours of language. I have now inherited the balance of his lesson time. So, I've resume my language lessons. This time, I'm not being as aggressive as I was when I first arrived. In the beginning, I was in class eight hours a day, five days a week. It got to the point that I needed to give myself a break. I took off for four months and have recently resumed my lessons in March. Now, I am only scheduled for six hours a week over a three day period. Much better. I often convey some of the every day words to Tony to help him along. He tells me "Why do I need to learn it? I have you with me." True, although I must say, if something would ever happen to me, he would just turn to Matthew and have him translate.

We've adapted to life in Shanghai. I must admit, this town has grown on me. I get a great sense of accomplishment when I read the bus signs and figure out the destinations. I know which buses to hop on in order to get across town. Tony's mortified that I take the bus. First, let me tell you that I don't mind riding the bus. Hey, it's cheap. Really cheap. 2RMB (which is $.25) and I can get all over the place. Taking the bus has actually allowed me to see parts of the town that I would never have an opportunity to come across. I'm on the bus with all the locals. So, as they say in New York, I'm hanging out with my "peeps!"

One year has practically flown by. I've managed to get around, not get arrested for voicing my opinion and can communicate. I say that's a major achievement!

Terra Cotta Warrior Dig

Matthew's school sponsored a Terra Cotta Warrior Dig. The fourth graders are learning about the different Chinese Dynasties. I am ashamed to say that Matthew knows more about the Chinese dynasties than I do. He explained to me that Shihuangdi, the first emperor from China was buried with over 7,000 soliders to guard him on his way to Heaven. The warriors are life size and each has a different expression. No two look alike. The warriors are actual clay versions of the real person. Many of the warriors carry real weapons and the tomb was booby trapped to deter robbers. If you made your way into the tomb, there was no way you would make it out. The tomb was found in Xi'an, China in 1974 and is a major tourist attraction.



The kids from the first and second grades painted the terra cotta warriors and kids from the third grade got to break the warriors. It was then buried in dirt and the fourth graders had to be the archaelogists and dig for it. It was very exciting for the kids. Everyone got dirty. I got to supervise a group of kids and subsequently got burned with the hot glue gun. I wasn't the only casualty, I took about three kids with me. It was nice to watch the kids as they would run to the table. They would brush off the dirt off their piece and try to piece it together. At one point, two girls were brushing Matthew off as if he were a "find."

So, I'll need to read up on all the different Chinese dynasties. It's not a good thing when your kid knows more than you.

Soccer Day

Well, we spent the day on the soccer field. It was Soccer Day. All the international schools participate in this event. Each grade level gets a designated week. Today, it was the fourth grade tournament. All the kids meet on the soccer field and compete against one another. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today. I got to hang out on the sidelines and cheer the team with the other moms. Pizza and drinks were delivered. You can imagine what it's like to have very hungry fourth graders trample towards you. I felt like the image of the steak in the "Bugs Bunny" cartoon with the two shipwrecked people on the island. Bugs Bunny was the "steak". That's what I felt like when the kids were pawing at me to pass out the pizza. The pizza went faster than anyone can imagine. The kids were fueled up and ready to go again.

Some of the kids got hurt during the game. It's a part of the process. You can't avoid it. Some kids were hobbling off to the sidelines to sit out for a few minutes. They were raring to go again once they felt a little better. It's funny with the sport. You learn good sportsmanship. Some teams, which shall remain nameless, exhibited horrible sportsmanship. Cursing and name calling would be heard. I wasn't the only mother who heard it. The kids from Matthew's school were complaining about how the other teams would get upset and curse at them. The teachers and parents present had to tell them that you have to ignore that type of behavior. Although, I must say, it wasn't just the kids who would be cursing when a goal wasn't scored. The parents from the other schools would do the same. This takes the sport to a whole different level. The purpose of the game is to play and have fun. Some people just take the game way too seriously.

After spending several long hours on the field, the games were over. The teams congratulated one another. We piled into the school bus and we were on our way back to school. Matthew had after school soccer as well. I gave him the choice to leave and go home. He wanted to stay for the after school soccer. SOOOO, I got to sit on the sidelines again and watch another round of soccer. This time, it was kids from his school. No cursing, no yelling, no name calling. It was much more civilized.

Mrs. Deborah

Mrs. Deborah is a former colleague of mine from International Paper. Often times, Matthew would often make special guest appearances at the office and I would always find him sitting in Deborah's office chatting with her for a long time. She's in town for business and we got to spend some time with her. She arrived into Shanghai late Saturday night and we arranged to see her on Sunday at noon. We had to give her time to adjust to the time difference. Matthew of course, had a difficult time understanding why she would need time to adjust. Ok- he hasn't figured out that we don't have the energy or the stamina of a 10 year old anymore. It takes me about 1 week to get over jet lag.

We arrived to pick Deborah up at her hotel. Matthew was very happy to see Deborah. We decide on the itinerary for the day and off we went. We took her over to the Jin Mao Tower for a view of Shanghai. Unfortunately, it was pretty hazy that day. We headed over to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. Matthew was leading the tour through the museum. I'm not exactly sure if she really got to see anything. While at the museum, we were at the human body exhibit. It's a 3D ride. We hopped into a car shaped like a melon and entered through the mouth. We got to experience what happens to food in the digestive system. So, if we entered through the mouth....you know where we exited from right? After that experience, we took Deborah over to the Bund and then had dinner at The Door. Diane Staab, another colleague from International Paper joined us for dinner.

I spent Monday with Deborah at the Shanghai Museum. She took a hair raising cab ride from Pudong to meet me at the museum which is on the Puxi side of town. Let's just say- she understands why I refuse to drive in Shanghai.

We toured the museum and then headed over to Xintiandi to get lunch. We had a classic Cantonese Dim Sum lunch where I must admit- I went a tad bit overboard when I ordered. She said we had two waiters running back and forth for us and that people were staring at us since they couldn't believe two women could polish off all that food. Ok- if you know me, you know that eating is a very serious thing for me. I can't help it if I enjoy good food and like to share it with my friends. After lunch, we made a pit stop at Haggen Daz. Then off we went to shop for pearls. Who can leave Shanghai without doing a little bit of shopping right?

Matthew returned home from school and Deborah joined us for dinner. Of course, it was something simple. Roasted chicken with risotto. Ok- so it wasn't Chinese. Then again, she'll be eating Chinese for a few more days before she leaves for Singapore. She'll have enough of Chinese. I figured a home cooked meal of a roasted chicken is something that anyone will enjoy. While I was preparing dinner, Deborah sat with Matthew and helped him with his homework. Thanks Deborah!

Unfortunately, because we really overdid it at lunch, Deborah and I couldn't eat each much for dinner. So, Matthew will be taking leftovers for lunch tomorrow. What kid can say that he has risotto for lunch? The school menu certainly doesn't offer that.

We were happy to have this reunion with Deborah. Matthew's counting down the days when we're returning to the States and we'll see our friends and family. He's only got another 7 weeks of school left. Who's counting right?

Qingdao

Tony left Beijing to return to Shanghai, only to be shipped out on a business trip the next morning. Matthew and I continued our journey to Qingdao. Qingdao is a seaside city, located in the southeast part of the Shangdong province. Across the Yellow Sea is Korea and Japan. Qingdao is also the home of the beer- Tsingtao where it is manufactured. We arrived in Qingdao, early Tuesday evening. Liza picked us up and we went straight to dinner. We met with Bill, Brian and Tammy. Matthew was very excited to see Brian again. They haven't seen each other in two years. It's amazing how time quickly passes. Tammy is a very precocious 4 year old. Let's just say she was quite smitten with Matthew. She spent the entire dinner following him around and insisting on holding his hand.

We checked into the hotel and it wasn't exactly what we expected. I should have known something was wrong when we turned the lights on, the room was very dark. Let me explain, I saw the ad on the internet and it showed a completely different hotel. Unfortunately, it was too late to find anything for the night, so Matthew and I had to tough it out.

Wednesday
Ok- we had a bad night at the hotel. The walls were paper thin, there was a hole in the window and all the street noises came in and there was a rather strange odor emitting from the bathroom. At first daylight, I looked at the carpet and....it was absolutely filthy. Yes- I packed everything up and we checked out. Luckily, we found a room at the Best Western and it's a "5" star hotel. In comparison to where we stayed the night before, the Best Western was like staying at the Plaza Hotel. Matthew and I were a lot happier with our new accomodations. We left the hotel and found the weather to be quite foggy and dreary. We went over to the Qingdao Regatta Center where the Olympic Regatta Races will be held next year. It's quite a beautiful place. Originally, it was the site where boats were built. The government relocated the boat builders to a different location and converted the area into the regatta center. Though the weather wasn't cooperating, we did get a good view of the area.

We continued our tour at Laoshan. Laoshan soars 1133 meters above sea level and is the highest mountain along the Chinese coastline.
The mountains are breathtakingly beautiful. It was as if a picture had been painted in the background. The mineral water from Laoshan is used to make the Tsingtao beer. Laoshan is also home to a famous monastery with an active Taoist community. It has many ancient temples, monastaries and at it's height, there were 72 nunneries in total. We toured the area and saw many Taoist monks, a 1000 year old cypress tree, camellia and azalea trees that were over 500 years old. We did the usual tourist things...rubbing the rock for good luck, praying to the Gods for good health and fortune and most of all, feeling the spirit that lives in Laoshan.

Thursday
We started our tour at St. Michael's Cathederal. St. Michael's is a Roman Catholic church built in 1934 by German architects. When you stand in front of this building, you do not feel as if you are in China. You feel like you're in Germany. St. Michael's church was heavily damaged during the Cultural Revolution. At that time, many Buddhist temples were destroyed. The parishioners of St. Michael's removed the twin crosses from the peaks and protected them by burying it. The crosses were later recovered and reaffixed. The church had gone through a complete renovation and was reopened in 1981.

We continued onto Badaguan where a lot of the European style mansions and villas are situated. For thirty three years, up until 1949, Qingdao was a colony of Germany and Japan. It was home to a large expatriate community consisting of Russians, Germans, Greeks, English, French, Dutch, Spanish, Swiss, Japanese, Americans and Koreans. The old European style homes makes the atmosphere of Qingdao quite unique. I fell in love with a home overlooking the Number 2 Beach. Of course, the home isn't for sale and is quite expensive anyway. It was quite cold that day, but I can imagine how beautiful it is during the summer. Matthew and I would like to return when the weather is more favorable for a long weekend at the beach in Qingdao.

We ended our stay at Qingdao with a farewell dinner with Bill, Liza and the kids. Matthew will miss Brian very much. He'll miss Tammy too....though he won't admit it. I think deep down inside, Matthew was quite flattered to have Tammy swooning over him. We'll see how she feels about him 10 years from now.

Beijing

We're currently in Beijing. We arrived late Saturday morning. We checked into the hotel and decided to go over to the Temple of Heaven for our first sight. The Temple of Heaven was considered sacred ground and it was at this site that the emperor would perform major ceremonial rites. The most important ceremony of the year would be performed just before the winter solstice, when the emperor and his enormous entourage passed down Qianmen Dajie to the Imperial Vault of Heaven in total silence. Commoners were not allowed to view the ceremony and remained cloistered indoors. The procession included elephant and horse chariots and long lines of lancers, nobles, officials and musicians dressed in their finest with flags fluttering. The next day, the emperor would wait in a yellow silk tent at the southern gate while the officials would move the sacred tablets to the Round Altar, where prayers and sacrificial rituals took place. It was believed that this ritual would decide the nation's future. Therefore, any hitches would be considered a bad omen.

We had a great time there. While we were wandering, there was a tour group from Hong Kong. We would be walking beside them and I would listen to the descriptions and just translate it back to Tony and Matthew. At one point, while we were walking, a woman from Hong Kong made a statement in Cantonese. Tony turned around and translated it back to me. Correctly no less. I burst out laughing so hard, people turned around to see who was making all that noise. It was pretty funny that he doesn't understand a word of Mandarin but, can understand full blown Cantonese.

Later that evening, we went to see a play "The Legend of Kung Fu". Matthew absolutely loved the play. It was the story of Chun Yi and depicted life at a monastary. It was beautifully choreographed and we all had a great time.



Sunday
After breakfast, we walked over to Tiananmen Square and wandered over to the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was off limits to commoners for over 500 years. It was constructed between 1406 and 1420. It consists of over 800 buildings, 9,999 rooms and sits on 72,000 square meters. We spent hours roaming the place and still didn't see everything.

One major improvement since my visit to the Forbidden City in the late 1980's is the much improved public facilities. If you plan to visit China, I highly recommend that you look for signs that depict W.C. for Foreign Visitors or look for the four stars outside the toilets. Otherwise, you have NO IDEA what you're getting yourself into. Of course, I am known for refusing to use any public toilets. During my trip in the 1980's with my friend Margaret, my refusal to go earned me the nickname "The Camel". Believe me, you have no idea how strong your bladder can be when you were faced with horrible bathroom conditions. You too, would hold it in for 12 or more hours until you returned to your hotel room.

We wander out through the North entrance of the Forbidden City and walked over to Jingshan Park. It was created by all the earth excavated from the palace moat when the Forbidden City was being constructed. You have to climb the 198+ stairs (Matthew stopped counting) and it was Beijing's highest point during the Ming Dynasty. Once you reach the top (after stopping several times to catch your breath), you get a fantastic panorama view of the city and Forbidden City.

While at the top, we heard a loud chorus coming from somewhere. We didn't know where the music was coming from. As we began our descent down, the music was getting louder. As we were making our way out of the park, we stumbled upon a large group of middle-aged singers all clutching a lyric book and singing in unison. It was quite a sight to see on a Sunday afternoon. You had pockets of people singing, dancing or just performing by themselves.

We wandered across the way to Beihai Park. This park was the Imperial Playground of the emperors and sits on 169 acres of land. We wandered around the park and came across an area of the park where people practice their calligraphy with water brushes. Matthew proceeded to grab a brush and write his name in Chinese. I wrote my name in Chinese and Tony's name in Chinese as well. It was really a great way to "graffiti" the area and we could do it legally.

Monday
We took off early in the morning to join a tour. The tour consisted of a visit to Ming Tombs and the Great Wall. Both places are located about 2 hours outside of the center of Beijing. Ming Tombs is the final resting place of 13 of the 16 Ming emperors. We visited the Chang Ling tomb. This is the place where the emperor Yongle is buried. We saw the relics that were found in Yongle's tomb and is one of the better preserved tombs from the Ming Dynasty.

After lunch, we continued onto the Great Wall. The Great Wall is known as the "Ten Thousand Mile Wall" in Chinese. Let's just say that the Great Wall proved to be quite an aerobic workout. We took a bizarre single seat roller coaster up the side of the wall to reach the section of the wall known as Badaling. Many years ago when I was here, I had to literally climb up the mountain. The roller coaster ride wasn't installed until the early 1990's. Let's just say, the bizarre ride certainly took some of work out of it, but it was a bit hair raising.

We get dropped off and had to proceed to climb up to the top of the wall. The walk was on an incline. Matthew and Tony continued to the watchtower while, I was perched up against a railing trying to catch my breath. I don't get it. I walk over 20 miles a week in Shanghai and I can't climb up on an incline without wanting to pass out? How did the people who built the wall do it? Oh yeah, I forgot. Many died building the wall. Tony and Matthew had to scrape me off the side of the wall and help me back down. The ride going down the wall was different. This time, we had to sit in cars luge style. I kept thinking....."Thank goodness the life insurance policy has been paid this month."

We ended our tour with a stop at a tea house. We learned the proper etiquette on how to drink tea and....in some instances....loudly slurping the tea. Ok-we'll skip the slurping part. I just can't bring myself to do that.

We'll be leaving Beijing tomorrow. Tony will be returning to Shanghai. Matthew and I will continue our journey to Qingdao where we'll see Bill, Liza, Brian and Tammy. It'll be a great reunion to see everyone after two years.

Never Ending Birthday Party

Matthew celebrated his birthday again today. We headed over to Blue Frog- one of his favorite restaurants. It's very kid friendly, has a Little Blue Bar where all the kids wind up eating their dinners. The Little Blue Bar looks like a bar. It has a counter, bar stools and behind the bar, you'll find jars and jars of assorted candy, toys and other chotckies. There's a "bar tender" who watches over the kids and instead of ESPN playing on the television in the bar, it plays the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon or kid friendly movies. It gives the parents a chance to have a dinner without kids screaming...."Can we leave yet?", "I'm bored- are you done eating?" In fact, it's often the parents prying their kids out of the bar.

We had dinner with Ina and her family. While Rene and Matthew spent time at the bar eating their dinner and buying candy, we were able to enjoy our dinner with drinks and great conversation.

We ordered a birthday cake from Blue Frog- a chocolate on chocolate concoction that was loaded with just the right amount of sugar to send the kids bouncing off the walls. It was the weekend and it didn't matter if they didn't sleep until who knows when.

We'll be heading over to Beijing next weekend for a long weekend. Matthew has a term break and it'll be a great time to take him to see other parts of China. Tony will be joining us for a few days and then I'll head to Qingdao with Matthew to visit Liza and her family. Liza's son, Brian was a former classmate of Matthew's in Chinese school on Long Island. Those were the days when we used to drive Matthew every Sunday morning at 8:00 AM from Connecticut to Plainview, Long Island for Chinese school. Liza and her family live in China during the year and return to the US for the summer. It will be nice to have a little reunion with someone we know.

Matthew's Birthday

Well, it's official. Matthew is now 10 years old. We had a birthday celebration at school today. I made cupcakes and delivered it to school. I had the kids frost and decorate them. Matthew's job was to have his friends line up in an orderly fashion. After his classmates devoured the cupcakes and sang "Happy Birthday" to Matthew, he then took four of his closest buddies to deliver the balance of the cupcakes to the teachers on the floor. It was great that I didn't have to bring home anything except the containers.

Matthew received electronic cards and phone calls from all of our loved ones wishing him a Happy Birthday. He was busy chatting on the phone with everyone that called. In addition, Uncle Boris and Aunt Irina have sent a birthday gift through a colleague of Tony's from Duracell. Bill Wandelowski had a meeting with Tony in China and he was the designated "mule". Sorry Bill!

Meanwhile, Murphy's law was playing with Tony. He was desparately trying to return home from his business trip in order to celebrate Matthew's birthday. We ordered in Matthew's favorite, pizza and I made Matthew's favorite chocolate fudge cake. Of course, Tony's flight was delayed and he didn't return home from the airport until 8:30pm. Being a horrible mother, I fed my son chocolate fudge cake at 8:45 pm and immediately sent him off to bed. Who was I kidding? Did I really think he was going to fall asleep? All the sugar from the cupcakes and the chocolate fudge cake will probably have him bouncing off the wall until at least midnight. Next time, I'll try doing it sugar free.

We'll be celebrating again this Saturday night at Matthew's favorite restaurant-Blue Frog. Ina and her family will be there to help us celebrate. Of course, we'll celebrate again this Summer in the US when we return for our vacation with our families. Who said it isn't great to be a kid and get to celebrate your birthday over and over?? It's like the Willie Wonka Never Ending Gobstopper of birthdays!

Knight Rider

What a great day!! Matthew finally decided to learn how to ride a bike. We've been trying to get him on a bike for the last couple of years without success. Over the weekend, we went over to a friend's house. Her son, Rene was riding his bike all over the place and Matthew was trying to keep up with him on his scooter without success. I think this was the last straw for him. Uncle Tony bought him this cool bike that has been collecting dust for the past year. Luckily, we had the foresight to bring it with us. It was amazing to me how fired up he was to learn. We went to the local sports store and bought some accessories to "pimp his ride". Helmet on, I gave him the same instructions they told me when I took my motorcycle classes and off he went. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that he was riding on his own in 10 seconds- literally. Boy was he excited!! He told me it felt like flying. Something I totally understand having ridden a motorcycle for the past few years. I am so proud of him. I realize that he didn't win the Nobel Peace Prize, that's next week, but still the same it's an important milestone. I told him that you will never know if you can do something unless you try and if you fall down, you get back up and keep riding. Hopefully, this is a lesson that will carry over into everything else he does in life.

Century Park

We've been off this past week for Chinese New Year. In addition to listening to the NON-STOP fireworks (yes, I am serious, it's still going on), we actually found time to unwind and do the things we normally don't have a chance to do. We spent Friday at Century Park with Tony's colleage Ina. Ina, her husband Rainer and their son, Rene are from Germany and we're exploring the city together.

Century Park is located on the Pudong side of Shanghai. Pudong is the newer side of Shanghai. Up until about 15 years ago, it was farmland. Century Park sits on 347 acres and has a lot to offer. There are boat and bicycle rentals, mini-golf and an amusement park. Admission to the park is 10 RMB per person (about 1.25 USD) and you can stay until the park closes.

It's great that Rene is about the same age as Matthew and they get along well. Rene doesn't speak a lot of English. Matthew doesn't speak any German. The universal act of playing together doesn't require a lot of speaking. Just the signal- "Let's play and get into a lot of trouble!". The kids spent some time by the lake and fed the fish. It was more like tormenting the fish than feeding. We didn't have any fish food but the kids improvised by pulling down branches off the trees and tied grass to it. The fish were taking the bait and it was nice just to watch them hanging out together.

Chinese New Year

We just celebrated our first Chinese New Year in Shanghai. My cousin Stella and her daughter Susan, arrived from Hong Kong to celebrate the New Year with us. We took them to the usual tourist sights - Yu Yuan, Xintiandi and of course, what tour of Shanghai is complete without an eating excursion?

We experienced the Shanghai Soup Buns. The Soup Buns have a dumpling in the center and you have to drink the soup out with a straw. It was quite tasty and we even tried other local specialties.

The Chinese New Year celebrations started on Chinese New Years Eve- Saturday, February 17. At noon to be precise, we started to hear the fireworks go off. Let's just say, we thought that the Fourth of July fireworks were a big thing back in the States. That's nothing compared to what the locals do here. The fireworks were going on NON-STOP from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning, February 18 at 1:30 AM. When it was quiet enough, we were finally able to fall asleep. Only to be awaken at 5:20 AM by the sounds of more fireworks that continued on and off throughout the day. I suspect the fireworks will continue at least for a few more days. The fireworks are used to scare away the evil spirits. My feeling is, the locals not only scared away the evil spirits of this year, they probably scared away all the evil spirits for the next 10 years too. It sounds like we're living in a war zone. Words can't even describe the smoke conditions on Saturday evening when it was going on full blast.

Before my cousin and her daughter had to leave to return to Hong Kong, we had a chance to take them to Suzhou. Suzhou is located about an hour outside of Shanghai and is one of China's oldest cities. It dates back to 514 B.C. when King Helu of Wu settled there and dug numerous canals and began private gardens that earned Suzhou the title the "Venice of the East." We were able to take in the sights of the Humble Administrator's Garden that was built during the Ming Dynasty in 1509 A.D. It was quite strange to be walking through a place that was built over 450 years ago. I could actually envision the ladies sauntering through the gardens in their silk wardrobes and playing music in the various pavillons located on the estate.

We're now recovering from our eating and touring excursions and will rest up until our next guest arrives next month. My former colleague from International Paper, Deborah Haraldson, will be in Shanghai for business. Deborah is a fellow foodie and this will allow us to take her out and experience all the great food finds. Now, if I can just get a job as a food critic, then I would really have a great time here!

Rite of Passage

It is hard to believe that next month, my baby- Matthew will be ten years old. Yesterday, we went to the dentist and he received his palate expander. The device will help to expand his palate so that he won't have to wear braces for a very long period of time. It was odd to see him with the device in his mouth. At that moment, I had a very sad realization that Matthew is growing up too quickly for my taste. Seeing the device made it very real for me. The past ten years have passed so quickly that it's quite scary. I often look through the photo albums and remember every moment as if it just happened a few moments ago.

Today, I took him to get his haircut. He knew exactly how he wanted his hair cut. As I sat in the chair next to him and listened to him tell the hairdresser to cut his hair "spiky" so he can "gel it up high", I realized that Matthew is going through his rite of passage. The passage that will take him from childhood to teenager in just a few short years. I watched as he was getting his hair cut and remembered his first hair cut, his first dental appointment and all the first moments that we've shared together. I have a feeling that I am not going to handle the changes that are going to occur well. Then again, in my heart, he will always be my baby. The baby that made me declare to Tony- " I love him more than you". Tony thought I meant that he didn't love Matthew. I repeated my statement again. Tony understood what I meant. It's true though, your child will always take precedence over your spouse. I don't care what anyone says.

Mrs. B

We just had a visitor from the US. Our next door neighbor from the condo- Barbara (a/k/a Mrs. B). Barbara has known us for over ten years and she's an honorary Grandmother to Matthew. We've spent many times together in Stamford shopping and eating. Matthew used to go next door and stand on his tip toes to ring Barbara's bell. If he wasn't in the house, I knew he was next door with Barbara. When we were moving away from the condo, we had dinner together every night leading up to our move. Let me tell you a little bit about Barbara. Barbara is a Jewish woman who eats pork, loves Angels and would often be at our Christmas dinners. Do you get the picture? It was truly surreal to see Barbara in Shanghai, of all places!

Barbara was in Tokyo visiting her son Eric (a/k/a Renfield), daughter-in-law Hiroko and their first baby- the most adorable Miss Chikage. She decided to take advantage of the fact that she was in the "area" and come visit us in Shanghai as well. We took Barbara to all the usual tourist sights. Jin Mao Tower, The Pearl Tower, Xintiandi, the Shanghai Museum and Yu Yuen. It was a blend of the modern and the historic sides of Shanghai. Who would ever think that we would be able to lead a tour of Shanghai right?

Of course, those who know us, know that we will include a visit to the best restaurants as well. There were many to choose from. We took Barbara to KABB at Xintiandi, Moon River Diner for your typical American style breakfast and of course, The Door. The Door is an Asian fusion style restaurant that has Thai influence decor. Barbara chose the Osso Buco (see left) and it was an excellent choice. Tony had to keep reminding Barbara that we're in China because it felt like we were back in Stamford.

She left this morning to return to Tokyo and will be returning to the US soon. We'll see her again when we return to the States in June. Who's counting? ME!!! I am really looking forward to seeing our friends and family again. Matthew and I will be in the States for two months and it will allow us to see everyone we want.

We're expecting more visitors next week. My cousin Stella and her daughter Susan. They'll be coming from Hong Kong to celebrate the Chinese New Year with us. It's our first Chinese New Year away from home and it'll be interesting to see how the Shanghainese celebrate the New Year here.

Those who have celebrated the Chinese New Year with us in the past, know that we usually have a large dinner party at our home. It's a tradition to close out the old year and open the new year together as a family. My friends from IP were pretty familiar with the dinner preparation that I went through, since I would spend days running around town picking up all the ingredients that I needed.

This year, I made reservations, which is truly a first for me. Chinese New Year is a very important holiday to the Chinese. It's Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled up in one. Years ago, my father would tell me..."Dinner's at 6pm. If you're not home by 6:05 pm, you're disowned." Those were the days that I would make sure I left the office two hours ahead of time, in anticipation of any subway delays in New York. The last thing I needed was to be disowned by my father on Chinese New Year. I won't put any restrictions like that on my family. At least, not until Matthew's moved out of the house and is living away from us. Then I'll tell him....if he's not home for Chinese New Year dinner, he'll be disowned. Naah.

Bob-O-Meter

Well, I've just return from yet another business trip and I'm starting to feel like a nomad. I've slept in more hotel room beds than Heidi Fleiss and it's getting a bit old. Coming home seems like a vacation so hopefully, I'll be here a while.

There is a milestone that is rapidly approaching that saddens me. The retirement of a good friend, Bob Cz. Bob worked for me at Duracell and he was just one in a group of people that I considered my extended family. My crazy, illegitimate, cigarette smoking, mayonnaise eating, toothpick chomping Uncle, if you will, (he's the guy on the left of the picture). I care very deeply for my previous group and miss them all very much. I don't think that I will ever have the opportunity to work with such creative, funny, positively crazy people again. But I digress. Bob, you see, will retire soon. I found him living the good life in Florida when I hired him and now he wants to go back, what nerve! I'm sure I will not be the only one who will miss him. Bob is one of those guys that no matter how mad he got, and he had plenty of opportunities, would never curse. It drove me crazy. It got to the point where I would intentionally try to push him over the edge but he would never crack. He is also well like by everyone, incredibly knowledgeable and funny as hell.

The guys in Duracell created the Bob-O-Meter that is steadily counting down his remaining days. The last time I checked it read 47 work days, not that Bob is actually "working" these days. Maybe the meter should show the remaining "lounging around, doing nothing but smoking" days left. My biggest regret is that I won't be there to attend his retirement party and to say good bye to him in person. I may have to pay him a visit in Florida when I'm back in the US on business or vacation. He can never escape me!

The Giving Tree

During the holiday season, the international school community participated in The Giving Tree. The Giving Tree is an organization that was formed four years ago to help the underprivileged children of Shanghai and nearby provinces. When the organization was first formed, only thirty children were part of the gift program. This year, with the help of the international community, 2,700 children received gifts of new clothing, shoes and toys.

On Tuesday, Matthew's school and the children from the Yew Cheung International School attended the final distribution ceremony. We arrived at the Dong Jiao State Guest House to meet the children. We didn't expect a big elaborate affair. We were very surprised to find an agenda that included an opening speech by the director of the Giving Tree, the presentation of Recognition Certificates for the two international schools and song and dance performances by children from the recipient schools.

After all the formalities, it was time for the children to present their gifts. It was quite nice to watch the children line up to meet their Giving Tree donor. The gifts of clothing, shoes and toys will be used for the upcoming Chinese New Year when a new outfit and shoes are often purchased to usher in the New Year.

Often times, it saddens me to see the level of wealth and poverty in Shanghai. During my walking excursions, I see the two extremes. The extremely wealthy who are driving their BMW's, Porsches, Mercedes Benz and Ferrari's and the extremely poor who are riding their bicycle with a cart picking up things to turn into the recycling area, or sometimes, children begging on the streets for food or money.

It was nice to know that there are many in the international community who contribute to The Giving Tree. Tony and I have always contributed to charitable organizations. We have always supported the local food shelter, the battered woman's home and various children's programs. Over the years, we have taught Matthew the same principles. We felt it was important to continue this tradition while we're in Shanghai. Matthew realizes and understands that not all children are as fortunate as he is. Many times when he sees someone begging on the streets or on the train, he will give money from his pocket. This is something that we are really proud of.

Matthew and I will never forget the look of the little boy's face who received his bag. We hope that many will continue to give to this worthwhile organization to help the number of children in need.

Best Buy

Well, another American staple has shown up in Shanghai. Best Buy. We went by the other day and found it crawling with expatriates. We're thrilled that there is a place we can go to pick up the things we need....and most of all, they have a Return Policy!!!!

In China, anything you buy, is yours. Absolutely no returns. Exchanges - maybe...and only for the same exact item. When you buy something, you better make sure it's the right item. Otherwise, it'll wind up sitting in a closet, taking up space. This applies to everything.

We're so happy that there is a Best Buy here. It offered more selection than the local stores. About a month ago, we were looking into purchasing a DVD recorder. We went to Yolo, a local store that sells appliances, televisions and other household items. The selection was limited to two styles only by Philips. At Best Buy, there were about 20 different brands to choose from in all price ranges. That's what I call a selection!

So, we picked up a new computer at Best Buy because we figured, if there's a problem, I wouldn't have to deal with the local computer place. I can call Best Buy and they send the Geek Squad (yes, the Geek Squad is here in China too) to solve the problem. They even speak ENGLISH!!! Horray!!! This is definitely a major improvement to our lives.

The Holidays

Well, we're back from Hong Kong where we spent the Christmas holidays with members of my family and Tony's college buddy-Tony. Matthew had a wonderful reunion with Uncle Tony and it was great to see a familiar face. It was our first holiday away from home. Usually, we're the ones who are hosting the Christmas bash at our home in Connecticut. Last year, we were preparing dinner for 25 guests, complete with turkey and all the fixings. This year, we spent it in Hong Kong. The weather was beautiful- a fabulous 68-70 degrees and sunny. We spent several days at Disneyland (a very small version compared to the real thing in Orlando, Florida) but, Matthew managed to keep himself busy by hopping the rides several times.

We did the usual tourist things. We visited Ngong Ping Village, which is where the Big Budda is and watched Shao Lin Monks perform kung fu, rode the 360 Cable Tram (which is the longest cable tram in the world), visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, rode the tram to the Peak, visited Stanley Market, Repulse Bay and spent a day at Lamma Island.

Lamma Island is where my father grew up and some of my relatives still live there. Matthew got to see the house where my father was born and together, we paid our respects to my grandparents. Even with all the constant running around, endless breakfast, lunch and dinner dates, we managed to even find time to visit Macau. It was Matthew's first experience on a hydrofoil boat and he did really well. The boat trip out was very smooth but the return trip, was an entirely different story. We dubbed the ride The Vomit Comet because of the continuous vomiting of passengers due to the rough waters. Uncle Tony had to leave his seat because of all the vomiting and we weren't sure if he was going to toss his fortune cookies as well.

We ushered in the New Year on Nathan Road with thousands of others. I doubt very much Matthew will ever forget where he was on December 31, 2006. We spent New Year's Day with an old family friend and took a boat ride to Sok Ku Wan, a town on Lamma Island for a seafood dinner. Matthew even had a chance to drive the boat and he was pretty excited about that. We ended our evening by watching fireworks off Victoria Harbor from the boat.

The holidays drew to a close with a very sad farewell to Uncle Tony. We're really looking forward to seeing him again either in Shanghai or when we return to the United States for our home visit this summer. We returned to Shanghai reluctantly only to be welcomed back with a temperature of 45 degrees and rain. In fact, it's been raining every single day since we returned. Quite a change from what we had in Hong Kong. I'm now looking into our next getaway...... perhaps Sanya Bay. It's an island off of Guangzhou which is located in Southern China and close to Hong Kong. I heard it's quite beautiful and it's considered the Hawaii of the East. Surf's Up Big Kahuna!