One Week To Grandparents

Exactly ONE WEEK from tonight, on the evening of June 8th, my parents Mike & Jen are schedule to land at the Beijing airport! When I think about it my heart rate picks up a few bpm because I'm just jazzed! It's their first time to visit.

We're riding an overnight train to meet them in Beijing, and taking them to the Forbidden City (gigantic ancient palace for emperor) and the Great Wall. Just as they're getting over jet lag, we'll ride another overnight train back to our home in Changsha, where we'll basically stay put for the next five weeks. Yes -- they're here for FIVE WEEKS! It's going to be wonderful. Blissful. Extra special.

But not all roses. Mike & Jen get a package deal when they come to visit us. "Happy time with kids and grandkids, and we'll throw in some free culture shock!" Five weeks of not being able to communicate with the general populous, read anything, go anywhere or buy something by oneself. Five weeks of intermittent diarrhea, no personal space, nauseating smells, odd foods, peculiar behaviors, heatstroke, a grimy feeling, and lots of stress. My parents are excellent guests and very flexible, healthy and energetic, but this is the reality of culture shock! I know they'll do great, but uplift them.

I've got a verbal agreement from my mother that she's going to be a guest writer on this blog. You'll get to see and hear China through her eyes. You definitely want to be stopping by to read her posts in the month of June!

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Job Description: Steal, Kill, Destroy

Steal, kill, destroy. A very famous and very malevolent job description. Sadly but not surprisingly, the one who carries out this job has been on task.

Steal

My wallet, house key and cell phone were stolen out of my purse at the vegetable market on Friday. I wasn't careful and hung my purse on the back of Michael's stroller. Easy enough target if I turned aside for a moment select my green beans. There wasn't much money in there, but it's troublesome to get a new SIM card and phone. Oh, and my train tickets for the next day's trip to a friend's home in a nearby city. Aarg. I'd like to think that the thief needed to feed his baby or something, but he's just as likely a guy who wants to buy cigarettes. Either way, bitterness has got to go. After I discovered it was stolen, I paused in the midst of the hectic market and forced myself to release the betrayed feelings.

Kill

Drew applied to MBA programs at two universities: Wuhan University in Wuhan, and Central South University in Changsha, which is just across the river from our current location. A young lady was recently murdered at this university. She descended from her dormitory, and while exiting the building an older man killed her by slitting her throat. We heard that he was a deranged man who loved her, but she didn't love him. But that is hearsay. Whatever the details, a young lady has been killed.

Destroy

Earlier this week on our campus, a group of juniors went out to celebrate their friend's birthday. One of the guys got drunk and went to sleep it off in his room. Sometime during the night he got up, and in his inebriated condition, mistook his balcony for his bunk bed. He fell four stories and died at the hospital. Our university, playing the scapegoat, paid the family 80,000 yuan, which I've heard was actually a stingy bereavement. Most families have one child and this child's future job represents the income and social security his elderly parents. Our university did not hold a memorial service. There were meetings calling students to greater caution.

Well this post has been one of our most depressing ever. Face it, human hearts have a terrible problem with corruption.

Another job description: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

We need that.

Seven Dishes for Seven Friends

I know, there are only six friends in this picture. #7 arrived later.

Top left going clockwise:

1. Green beans stir-fried with pork and hot pepper flakes

2. Red peppers stir-fried with ginger, green onion and blackish bean thingies

3. Tofu slivers stir-fried with pork, green onion, celery and hot pepper flakes

4. Duck, corn and woodear mushroom soup topped with chives

5. Baked seasoned preserved pork stir-fried with garlic shoots

6. Cucumber stir-fried with ginger, garlic and vinegar

7. Bitter melon stir-fried with pork in sesame oil

Ta-da! It took about 40 minutes to buy the stuff (including walking time), two hours to wash and slice it all, and one hour to stir-fry it.

Sometimes our friends expect and want us to cook Western food; they enjoy the novelty of international cuisine but pick at it cautiously. In my experience, our friends are much happier when I prepare Chinese food (as long as I don't completely botch it). The familiarity puts our guests at ease, and they dig in!

Partygirl and Hotdate Drew

Partygirl lives somewhere deep inside Rachel Addington. We almost forgot she was there, then last Thursday night, she was let loose for two hours. Michael and Titus sleeping. Babysitter. Cute little dress. Peacock hair clip. Hotdate Drew. Friends with cigarettes and tattoos. Fishing poles, riverside karaoke.

Approaching the cigarette with confidence. Don't worry folks, I didn't inhale.

Little Sis, Big Sis --- Partygirl, Hotdate Drew

"Nice tattoo, is it a dragon?"

"No. It's the son of a dragon."

"Waaow."

Partygirl, like Cinderella, is called back to reality. Got to get home so the babysitter doesn't get locked out of her dormitory. Sigh. It's only ten o'clock. At least Cinderella got to stay out until midnight. Partygirl is locked up again -- the bonds of Responsibility.

I hope you can see the beauty of this night. We've got these great friends who only speak Chinese, no English, and have never had a foreign friend before. They let us come along to hang out and do the things they want to do. Their turf, their world, their language. Having a blast, laughing and joking around -- just being friends!

And when my parents come to visit in June, you can bet that Drew and Rachel are going to stay out past ten. Wild, I know.

Go Find Dirt?

Titus has a few things that he likes to ask for:

1. Buy ice cream?

2. Go Micah's house play?

3. I want Ke Zi-jun. (That's his friend)

4. Mai danta? (Buy an egg custard pie?)

5. Oatmeal, vitamin and sugar? (this comes at breakfast time)

6. Buy juice?

7. Wai-gong movie? (Grandpa Movie?)

8. Wo yao tang! (I want soup!)

9. Wo de shui qiang ne? (Where's my squirt gun?)

10. Ride my bike?

and

Go find dirt?

Mike is wearing split pants and this nice granny is helping him pee.

Ke Zi-jun.

Dirt.

"Hi Wai-po and Wai-gong, see you soon!"

Fashion FAIL

Titus has made more friends at school and his best buddy is Ke Zijun. Last week their class had a field trip to the park, and each child had a parent or (more likely) grandparent escort. Michael Addington was the only sibling in tow, of course, so I had my hands full with two little guys. Ke Zijun's mom and dad both came, and they very kindly helped me! Mr. Ke even took Titus on a spaceship merry-go-round. One thing we absolutely love about our present culture is how people, even strangers, support one another in childcare. Titus is very trusting of all the aunties and uncles in our community -- and that's a very safe and good thing.

Titus has been over to Ke Zijun's house a couple times for supper or lunch. Yesterday when we picked Titus up he was changed into a new outfit, some hand-me-downs from Ke Zijun. When we opened the door Drew and I had to stifle our giggles, well, see for yourself:

Little guys can wear hot pink in this culture, but it's still tickling to us! We laugh, yet in all sincerity appreciate the generosity and kindness of Ke Zijun's family.

Speaking of school, Mike and I went to spy on Titus this morning during the outdoor activity. Most mornings of the week all the students go outside to raise the flag and follow the teachers in a dance. Can you see Titus? There's a teacher in a black t-shirt at the right hand side of the entrance. Titus is standing directly below her.

Michael wasn't very impressed by the dancing. He fell asleep on our way from the outdoor market to the preschool.

Mothers

Drew and I have remarkable mothers. Here they are together on Titus' birthday. It was the day that I became a mother and they became grandmothers! I remember thinking how blessed it was that all three of us (plus the dads, grandpas, great-grandmothers, great-grandpa, uncles and aunts) could be together on that day! And we were all together again on Michael's birthday.

Back to our mothers. With all sincerity, they are remarkable.

Do-or-Die Then Party!

I meant to post pictures from our recent day trip to the countryside, but upon opening iPhoto I discovered these shots, which are from a couple weeks ago. So in order to chronologically document the life and times of Drew and Rachel, you get party first and countryside next time.

In April the sophomores take a do-or-die English proficiency test. It's a big deal. Lots of pressure. Freshman have already begun preparing for it..."just three hundred sixty-two days left to cram." Last year and again this year we threw them a big post-test party just to say "Love ya."

The Preparations:

(Days, and days, and lots of dollars. Keep in mind we did this with toaster ovens.)

The Chow-Down:

(Hundreds of chicken legs, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, hot pepper oil sauce, cookies, fruit and pop.)

The Dancing:

(Or, welcome back to 7th grade. But they loved it. Everybody likes the Macarena, Electric Slide and Chicken Dance the first time around.)

The Photo-Taking:

(By the way, I am squatting down. I'm actually a head taller than these boys who were my students last semester.)

The verdict: They liked it. Huge success.

We Lost Andy

Andy and all the Addingtons were out-n-about a couple weeks back. Somehow we got separated and Drew had Andy's cell phone so we couldn't get back in contact. We guessed correctly that Andy would just go back to our apartment at wait for us there, to eat lunch together. Anyway, we told Titus "We lost Andy" and the phrase became Titus' little joke.

Andy got his first real job and moved away last week. Drew feels the loss since Andy is his closest friend. Titus senses emotions very well and said, "We lost Andy" "Daddy's sad" and then suggested "Call him, Dad".

We lost another mainstay friend, Liu Ayi, our apartment building keeper -- she does all the custodial work and acts as the maintenance contact. She was at Titus' first birthday party and has been in our lives on a daily basis for the past two years. I've confided in her and looked to her for advice many times. On Monday we said goodbye as she moved back to her hometown to be closer to aging relatives and find a different job.

Watch Mike Grow

Michael Isaac is now a little over nine months old. These pictures are from February, March and April. Watch him grow! (Some shots of Titus in here too.)

According to Drew the little guy can take seven steps, mostly side-to-side.

Aunt Heather and Uncle Ethan heard him say "Mom" on skype.