A Fisher out of Water: April 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Why I hate using the phone

Talking on the phone in Chinese is sort of challenging. I mean, it's entirely challenging. You don't realize how much you rely on body language, gestures, and facial expressions until all of those are gone. Plus we have terrible reception in our concrete-walled apartment.... Fun!

So I ordered another jacket to be tailor made.

Won't Chelsea look great in this one!

I originally got some grey wool fabric for it, but after I left the fabric market, I realized it wasn't what I wanted. I don't like wearing wool when it's not very cold, and this is going to be a spring/fall jacket. So I went back a couple days later and changed fabrics. Nothing too complicated.

Then a few days later I got a phone call from the tailor lady. "Hi, I'm the one making the jacket for you," she starts in Chinese.

"Oh hi!" So far, so good.

"So you know how we changed fabrics? Well, the lizi from last time, I don't think it's going to look very good with this material."
Me: "Huh?"
"Well, something something print fabric, plain fabric, blah blah blah. The new fabric has a print, and the lizi just won't work with it. Let's change it."
I'm scrambling here. Lizi, lizi, lizi.... For the life of me I don't know what she's talking about. Lizi as in example? The example picture I gave her doesn't look good with this new fabric? She wants to change it? What on earth is she going to change about it, and how are we going to decide on this over the phone? I LIKE the example picture I gave her! (See above!) I think it will look just fine with the printed fabric I chose. It will be gorgeous.
"Just keep it the same," I tell her. I don't want to make some major change over the phone.
"But with the printed fabric... The lizi... I just don't think it looks very good."
Oh dear! I really like it, so there! Just make it already! But all I say is, "Just keep it the same." (I'm nice in Chinese.)
We're both clear on the matter, and we finish our call
For the next few minutes, our phone conversation rattles around in my head, sort of like that screen saver where the words bounce around and hit the screen edge, change color, and float away in the other direction. She wanted to change the lizi because the one I'd chosen doesn't go well with the print? Lizi, lizi, lizi..... Then it dawns on me. Lizi means example, it also means pear, but it also means LINING! Aha!
We had had a conversation about the lining. I'd chosen a cool grey lining to go with the grey wool. It had funky grey circles on a shiny grey background. Yes, that would be ATROCIOUS with my knew paisley/floral patterned material. And I'd just told her to keep it the same. No wonder I could practically hear her eyes rolling over the phone!
I called her back. She'll pick a new lizi. I'm sure it will be marvelous. Either way, it will be better than the printed grey one I'd almost insisted on keeping.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Water park

Okay, I love how my last post was about how Shenyang's kind of crappy. And today it's just the opposite. Shenyang's awesome!!! Well, at least the water park is pretty much awesome.
The water park is about an hour away from downtown where we live, but luckily we live in a place where public transportation is ready and available. We just walk 5-10 minutes and hop on the Lei Feng Bus Line, and it takes us directly there. Why is it the Lei Feng Bus, you might ask. Well, good question; thanks for asking! Lei Feng was a communist soldier in the crazy 1960's, and after he died, his diary (or "diary" if you will) became a great piece of propaganda to propel Mao back into positive public sentiment. Lei Feng was real. All his boy-scout heroics may or may not have been. Same for his ardent fervor in praise of Chairman Mao.
But anyway... he died in Fuxun, which is just outside Shenyang-- past the water park. So we took the Lei Feng Bus Line, and the whole way there, we were treated to a movie playing a dramatization of Lei Feng's life, and a military awards ceremony in his honor. I felt very patriotic afterwards. Sort of.
Anyway. The Hawaii Water Park is pretty much the awesomest ever! It's all indoor, and they have a wave pool with real sand on the beach. There's a fountain and a splash park for kids, which is where we spent most of our time. One of my friends watched Meimei for a second while I went down one of the large slides. It was AMAZING! It was terrifying and invigorating... and then terrifying again. Right at the second I'm saying, "Wheee!" the little voice in my head is saying, "This ride was made in China with Chinese safety standards and maintenance." Apparently this made for a great face as I came down. If I get a copy, I'll post it.
Naomi slept on the Lei Feng Bus, which meant she was happy for the next few hours at the park-- while I held her the entire time, of course. Eventually she ate and then slept again on the sandy beach. So while I was scared I'd have to leave a couple hours after we got there to take my cranky kids back home, they held up just fine. It was awesome!
One cringe-worthy part: the hula show. I've seen some hula dancing before, and this was not it. Hula is beautiful. There is storytelling, beauty, and swaying hips. This one just had hip waggling, arm waving, and finger wiggling. It was pretty bad. But you can't expect good hula dancing in Middle-of-Nowhere, Northeast China. So it was okay. I tried not to visibly cringe.
The unsettling part was afterwards. Some girls came on the stage, like fashion models. They wore their bikinis and high heels. They stood on stage for about 60 seconds, then left. Half were Chinese, half looked Russian or something. I thought it was really strange and out-of-the-blue. But weird stuff happens in China. I'm usually used to it.
I talked to Kevin about the water park and how we HAVE to go back sometime. I also told him about the bikini models. That was weird, he agreed. Why would you have foreign models on staff if their only job was to go on stage for 60 seconds a day and then leave? Is that really their only job? Hmmmm..... ew! Ew ew ew! At the water park?!? And that was just an advertisement! How wrong is that!
I'm suddenly a little less enthusiastic about the water park.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Out on the streets of Shenyang

We went to Dalian this weekend. It rained the whole time, so we didn't get to go out and enjoy the beach, boardwalk, nature, trees, and mountains like we'd hoped. But it was still beautiful. I didn't take any pictures, but it was beautiful. It's a clean seaside city with tree-covered mountains encircling it. I hope to go back sometime before we leave-- hopefully when there are clear skies.

When we returned to Shenyang, I was reminded again what a hole it is. Don't get me wrong-- I love it here. I've made good friends. I've found some good places to eat, shop, walk, and hang out. It's home. But it's not pretty. It's dirty, inconvenient, polluted, noisy, and all torn up. Let me show you what I mean.

We live on one of the city's walking shopping streets-- basically like a plaza. But when we got here they had just started a major construction project of extending the underground shopping mall. This means that the entire street for 2 blocks in three directions was a 30-foot-deep construction pit. Eventually they covered it so you could walk there, but it's still a big construction mess.

Like this:

This series of pits was just in front of McDonald's and neighboring shops.
The dust and dirt is just normal for here.

Or this:

Good thing there are traffic cones-- sometimes.

And this one just REALLY gets me. There are practically no trees in Shenyang. From my window, if you squint, you can kind of see a tree about a mile away. And it's growing out of the top of a rundown building.

Here there was a row of trees, planted within the last year or two. They didn't give much shade yet, since they were so new. Then this spring, the city came by and dug them all up. They left big pits and bags of dirt, presumably to plant more trees, but still. Why? What are they thinking? Do they get communist brownie points for planting trees, even if they dig up existing trees to make room for them? Why does Shenyang hate everything green and alive? Why can't they just water the stupid existing trees and take care of them? Is that such a novel concept????

Ahem.

Tree-lined streets. It could have been....

So I do like it here because it's starting to feel like home, but I don't always get it, and I certainly don't always like it. Today, though, it rained pretty good all day, and this evening the air was fresh and clear. Best it's ever been. I like the spring here!

And just for randomness's sake, here is a want ad for a nearby hotel. They have some job openings. But when you have an applicant pool of 1.3 billion people, you have to be rather selective.

Front desk attendant: open to men or women 30 years old or younger. Men must be 1.72 meters or taller (5'8"), and women 1.62 meters or taller (5'4"). Good figure and fine manners. (No ugly short people!)

Sales director: must have 3+ years of star-rated hotel sales experience, must have definite customer resources (bring your contacts with you!), strong go-getter attitude.

Anyway... I just thought they were kind of fun.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Spring at last!

Spring is finally here! It's been pretending to come for a while now, but it's definitely here now. I know, because when I took my girls out today in just one layer of long sleeves and long pants, I didn't hear any exclamations of how cold they were, and I didn't see the scathing looks I usually get. It's warm, and winter is definitely over!

On an unrelated note, I just had a coat tailor made.

Based on this one:

Source: ebay.com.au via Chelsea on Pinterest

I noticed it looks a little bit different on the size 0 pink one in the picture. But I'm very happy with the blue one I got.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Preschool

Today our little Penny went to her first day of preschool.

Penny and her teacher-- wearing her school shoes

Honestly, preschool is not a high priority for my kids. I think kids learn a lot by spending time at home with their mom and, in our case, sister. We play, read, watch too much TV (that should change), go out and about, and also play with the other preschoolers in our building. Penny has several close friends, and she is developing her social skills with them. In general, I don't think preschool adds much more to this. I mean, forcing your 2-year-old to memorize academic facts at this age doesn't jump-start their academic success. It just takes time away from learning so many other things at this age. I mean, she could learn to spell C-U-P, or she could spend time using a cup, pouring water in and out of one, stacking them, throwing her milk (ugh... that's why we didn't take her to preschool yesterday), learning her parents' reactions from doing all of the above, etc. I'm a big fan of learning; I just don't think that it has to happen in preschool.

And yet, I'm sending my 2-year-old to preschool.

We've lived in China for about a year now. Penny can understand a lot of Chinese, especially since most of her friends' moms and Ayis are Chinese, and the rest of us speak Chinese. She's exposed to the language. But so far, she hasn't started speaking it very much. She'll say, "B'yao b'yao b'yao!" which is Chinese for "No, I don't want, I don't want, I don't want." One time when someone on the street stopped to goo-goo over Meimei, Penny poked her head out from the back of the stroller and told her, "Bu yao peng Meimei," or, "Don't touch Meimei!" She's learning Chinese slowly, but she doesn't use it much. I think taking her to preschool 2-3 mornings a week will help her. And that's a big reason we came to China in the first place.

I wonder how long it will take for her Chinese to be better than mine.

In her own words:

Meanwhile, Meimei and I had a great morning. She sang along with me to "Baa Baa Black Sheep," at least for the "baa baa" part. She was very happy, smiley, and ecstatic this morning. I think this one-on-one Meimei and Mommy time will be a wonderful thing. Plus, during her nap I get to do whatever I want. Wahoo!

(Not from today, but it could have been)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Tubs of white powder

Kevin made some cookies the other day. A German neighbor had given us the cookie mix as a gift (English gift, not German gift-- ha ha ha!). We tasted the first batch and realized they weren't very sweet. So Kevin added some sugar to the second batch-- and then threw them all in the trash. Yes, instead of sugar, Kevin had sweetened our cookies with salt.

Ha ha ha! I told our Ayi this story the next day, and after a brief chuckle, she told me, "Well you know, sometimes I have trouble deciphering what's what in your cupboards, too."
What? You mean I'm the only one who can tell the difference between my unmarked Tupperware containers of random white powders?

Ayi and I took a few minutes and labeled all my cooking powders, in English and Chinese, as sort of a celebration of our having lived in China almost a year. Hmm...

I think they look cute now, and Ayi and Kevin are just happy they can tell the difference between salt and sugar (and baking soda, powdered milk, corn starch, baking powder.... okay, I'm surprised no one's throttled me before now).

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Easter

We celebrated Easter last week. Unlike last year, I didn't see any Chinese-style Easter bunnies decorating the town... but there were a bunch of Chinese-style Easter dragons. And next year there will be Easter snakes. But it's all good, because I'm pretty sure they all come from eggs.

Penny really enjoyed the egg hunt, but Naomi didn't care much for it.

Penny got her face painted.

She actually sat still enough (sort of) to get both cheeks painted. When we got home, she kept running over to the mirror to see her face.

We love Naomi's hazel eyes. Her eyelashes are getting longer, and we think she's just getting cuter and cuter by the day.

We wore our matching Easter dresses to church on Sunday. True, while we were in Hawaii, they were our matching Hawaii dresses, and this summer they will at some point be our matching summer sun dresses. But we're happy they worked for Easter.

Kevin must have felt left out or something, because a couple days later, he changed from his work clothes into the same red/black ensemble his two little girls were wearing.

You can just pretend that everyone is sitting happily looking at the camera. I imagine that happening a lot more than it actually does. :)

Happy Easter! It's great to have a holiday to focus on Christ's resurrection.

I turn my head for one second...

Um, Mom...

I think we're out of electrical tape.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Easter

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Tourists

Last weekend we had a guest. Did you hear that? A guest! In Shenyang! Amazing!!

She is an English teacher from a nearby city who wanted to come down for the weekend and go to church with us. And for the special occasion, we decided to make a trip to Shenyang's touristy destinations (well, destination). We've lived here for almost a year now, and I have yet to make it over there.

Hey, I have good reasons. When we got here, I was pregnant-out-to-there. Then I had a newborn, and then it was winter. And let me remind you, those are all mighty fine reasons to stay home. But it's spring, the baby's bigger, and most importantly, we had a guest(!!).

So we went to Beiling Park, a.k.a. the Imperial Tombs from like 1600 or something. Once upon a time a long time ago, Shenyang was the capital of China. The emperor lived here, and this is his tomb. There's a palace in town, too, but we didn't want to do everything Shenyang has to offer all in one weekend. We'll spread it out a bit. Maybe next year we'll visit the palace.

The tombs are in the middle of a large park. There are trees and lakes, and it's actually quite beautiful-- for Shenyang. It's springtime and pretty sunny these days, but some of us were stupid and only wore light jackets. I think we were all freezing, but some of us complained more vocally than others. (Hey, it was cold, alright?!)

And now some pictures of our touristy adventure.

Here's the actual tomb, to the left. It's round to represent a pregnant belly and therefore rebirth. There's an elm tree growing out the top (not pictured), with tree of life imagery. Candace would make an excellent tour guide.

I like that picture, with the ancient buildings in the foreground and skyscrapers in the background.

Next we have some incense holders. Kevin told us about these.

One building had some Buddhist images, with Buddhas and Boddhisatvas. Each one was labeled with its name in Chinese and English.

This one must be a fairly new incarnation.

Penny and Candace inspected the dragon gargoyle water spout thingie.

Look, Penny! A horse! It's white!

I also have excellent tour guide skills. :O)

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Crochet

Back when I was little, my grandma taught us how to crochet. We were little, so she just taught us how to finger crochet a little chain. We thought it was the coolest thing ever! My mom gave us some beige yarn to make chains out of. We went to town! I remember Erik and I would crochet and crochet and crochet to make the longest chain in the world. We would measure it by running it up and down the stairs. I think it made it 4 or 5 times. To our tiny selves, this was incredibly long!

Crocheting was so cool. We could make so much stuff! I mean, not only could we run the chain up and down stairs, but we could also tie stuff up with it. Or we could wind it into a giant ball! The possibilities were endless... although I can't think of anything else we made with it.

My grandma saw us the next time and saw that we had gone completely crazy making crochet chains. She showed us how to use a hook and crochet back and forth, therefore making something useful or cute. Nah, we weren't interested. Using a hook was hard, and besides, it would distract us from the goal of creating the longest crochet chain in the world.

I was in second grade. Our class assignment was to share one of our hobbies. I had quite a time trying to think of a hobby. What did I spend my time doing? Um, playing. That's not exactly a hobby you can share with your class. I played the piano, but I wasn't any good, and it's not like I could bring my piano in to show and tell. So I was stumped. I didn't think of any hobbies, and I didn't do the assignment. I told my teacher I couldn't think of any hobbies, and since she'd already given me plenty of time and the project was due that day, she told me she'd just have to give me a zero.

But I enjoyed watching my friends' hobby presentations. Some of them had brought pictures or samples, and some even taught us how to do their hobby. I particularly remember that my friend Angelee brought in some string. Her grandma had taught her and her sisters how to finger crochet, and she gave everyone a string to teach us how to also finger crochet.

I was shocked. You mean crocheting is a hobby?! I had a hobby!

After the presentations that day, I remember going up to my teacher and telling her I had thought of something to present: my grandma taught me how to finger crochet, and that was my hobby too!

My teacher was a little exasperated as she explained to me that Angelee had already taught the class how to finger crochet, and it couldn't be my hobby too. I hadn't done the assignment, and I would just get a zero for a grade. I thought it was so unfair.

Ha ha ha! I was such a smart kid.