Kid's Town

It's been raining on and off here STILL so Sydney and I went to an indoor playroom called Kid's Town that is popular with the Moms here. It's a big room with toys set up in vignettes. There's a barber shop for kids to primp in, a hospital room, a room for blocks, a firehouse, a grocery store, a room with toy cars and trains, etc. There's an art room for kids to paint to their heart's content. There is a room decorated to look like outside with a dog house and a stuffed dog inside, and a mail box. I'm not sure what the kids are supposed to do in there. Sydney's favorite rooms were the barber shop (she loves to brush her hair and put clips in it, especially when I'm trying to do it) and the train room, and playing with the toy cars where she can climb in and push around like Fred Flinstone.

You can buy snacks here for kids and there's a magazine room for Moms to hang out while their kids play. I was surprised at how happy I was to see US Weekly and People Magazine in the magazine room. There are many ayis walking around, picking up after the kids and babysitters to watch the kids if you wanted them to. You pay the equivalent of US$17 and you can come and go as you wish for an entire day. We stayed for 1 1/2 hours and Sydney was so over it that we didn't need to come back.

A Year Ago Today

I adopted Sydney exactly a year ago today. It's funny that I haven't thought about the adoption ceremony at all in the past year, but I woke up this morning remembering every detail about it. I've been teary-eyed on and off all day, as I am now. I wanted to share these pictures with you.

This was taken last summer at the orphanage

This was taken this morning

First Day of School

Today was Sydney's first day at the Yew Chung International School of Shanghai. The school is based on the British school system, and caters to kids from 12 months through 12th grade. There are even dorm rooms for boarding kids. The school is hidden behind a huge fence so that you cannot see the school grounds from the street. To enter the campus, you have to enter through the security door where there are always 3 security people there to check people in and out and to make sure that there are no unauthorized people on campus.

I had forgotten how much time it took to get a toddler up, fed, washed, combed and dressed in the morning. Since we didn't have our driver, I had to factor in the time it took to get a taxi, and I wanted to get to school early so Sydney would have a bit of time to get adjusted before the other kids arrived and there is too much going on. As I result, I only had time to throw on some clothes and brushed my teeth before heading out the door. While I made sure that we had all of our required supplies, Sydney made sure that we didn't leave without her "baby doll".

There are 7 kids in her class from different nationalities - American, French, Spanish, Korean and Chinese. As it turned out, I wasn't the only one who wanted to show up to school a little early. It's always nice to know that I'm not the only anal one in the room. She has 2 Chinese teachers who speak perfect English and an ayi who sets up activities, keeps the room clean and clean off the kids as needed. Her teachers are very nice and seem to really enjoy being around kids.

Sydney and I went to the school's orientation yesterday so that she could meet her teachers and get familiar with her classroom. She was very overstimulated as soon as she walked in, not knowing what to touch first. It is a very fun room, full of color, toys, stuff animals and various textures to handle. The main area is the free for all area where any toy can be pulled down and played with. And there are various areas designated for certain activities.

where some of the toys are stored

this is the reading room where storytime is held

play area with food items and kitchen appliances

general play area

Upon arrival, we put our stuff in Sydney's cubbyhole and she wasted no time at all getting into the toys. I think that going to orientation the day before helped because Sydney went straight for the toys that she liked to play with the day before, especially the painting table. They had paint and animal shaped sponges out and ready for kids to play with during free play. Just like yesterday, Sydney headed straight for the paint table and painted on evertything she could find -- paper, table, chair, her dress, her Mommy, her arm, her indoor shoes. They have smocks for kids to put on but Sydney wouldn't put it on. The paint was washable so I didn't care whether she wore it or not. But this time, I was smart enough not to take her to school in my work clothes. The school was considerate enough to save Sydney's masterpieces for me.

There is a schedule to Sydney's day but it's just different forms of play time --- storytime, music time, etc. Twice a day, Sydney's class goes outside to play. There are several playgrounds on campus, catering to the various age groups. Sydney's playground is right outside her class room. There is also an indoor playground in case the weather is not conducive to being outside. She also has a snack in the morning, lunch and then "afternoon tea" (like I said, it is based on the British system). Lunch is a Western entree, a Chinese entree, 2 veggies and a bowl of fruit. The Western entree wasn't as healthy as I would like for it to be but atleast they make Sydney's food fresh every day --- nothing frozen and nothing from a can. The teachers talk to the students in Chinese and English but on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, they focus more on Chinese. Sydney already knows 2 Chinese words (thanks to her ayi) so I hope she'll pick it up quickly at school.

As you would expect, Sydney came home exhausted today. But, as I also expected, the excitement of the day caught up with her tonight and she had a really rough time going to sleep. I stayed with her at the school for a couple of hours in the morning and stopped by during lunch time. Yes, I'm THAT mom. She was doing great and her teachers said that she didn't cry at all. But I know it was probably scary for her to suddenly wake up and spend the day with people she didn't know, in an environment that she wasn't familiar with, even though it's a fun environment. It wasn't that long ago that she woke up to find herself in China, away from people she knew and her familiar environment. As with all new changes, it will take a bit of time for her to get used to the new routine.

I Tried, I Really, Really Tried

I only lasted 3 days as a vegetarian. There is just so many ways that I can stir-fry vegetables before it becomes same-o, same-o. I have tofu coming out of my ears. And I have been very cranky the last couple of days. It takes all my will power to not end every sentence in my emails at work with "dumbass". So tonight I had pork spare ribs. Blue-eared pigs or not, I can't stay away from it. I owe it to Sydney and everyone that comes across my path to eat meat. I'm a carnivore, and I can't pretend otherwise. I told a friend of mine at work that and he took 2 steps back. I then had to explain the difference between "carnivore" and "cannibal". I can see how it would be confusing since both words start with "ca" (dumbass). I was hoping that the vegetarian thing would help me lose weight. I've gained ALOT of weight since I've moved to Shanghai. There is a reason why you haven't seen any pictures of me on this blog. I know what you're thinking, if so much of the food in China is tainted, how can you possibly gain weight? Here's how: pasta, rice, noodles, cheese, bread, Kit Kats (mmmmm....Kit Kats....). And lots of it. It doesn't help that Sydney laughs when I change clothes in front of her. Hi, my name is Jackie and I'm addicted to carbs. Sydney is continuing to be a vegetarian since she doesn't seem to mind it. She gets her protein from tofu, eggs and beans. I wonder how long it will take before she starts to throw tofu at me.

Only in China Stories

Here are a couple of stories from this week's "Sh" magazine:

• Xuzhou, a city in Jiangsu province, temporarily lost power earlier this week as police tried to coax a deaf woman down from an electricity tower. It took 8 hours in order to do so. Police learned that the woman fled her house because her mother and stepfather tried to force her into marrying someone she did not want to. As an act of protest against her parents, she climbed up the tower. (Couldn't she just run up her parent's credit cards like other kids???)
• a restaurant in Beijing has expanded its location to add 3 "abreaction rooms" where customers may release emotional tension caused by a traumatic experience. There are silhouettes of a man and woman painted on the wall in these rooms. Customers then choose from a selection of plates or porcelain bowls to hurl at the silhouettes. The dishware ranges in price between 10RMB and 200RMB. Some residents in Beijing think that the restaurant is encouraging violence and are boycotting the restaurant. Others are staying away because they feel that their safety is at risk.

Looking for Culture

Sydney and I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art on Sunday because they have an exhibit of Antonin Gaudi's work. My favorite experience in Barcelona was walking around the city, looking at Gaudi's buildings so I was very excited to go to MOCA. I was extremely disappointed. They only had 6 pieces of Gaudi's work (all wooden chairs) and a movie showing pictures of the various Gaudi buildings in Barcelona. That was actually enjoyable because it brought back good memories of a fun trip.

My colleague here tells me that I won't be able to find a more extensive collection of European art here because the Chinese government expects the European museums to pay for all costs of having the exhibit in China, including insurance coverage for the works of art while in China. The Chinese goverment's view is that it is a privilege to show the art in China, and as such, the foreign museums should cover all costs. Apparently, the foreign museums have a contrary view.

The MOCA is tucked inside a pretty park, but unfortunately it rained on Sunday so we were not able to play in the park. So we walked next door and hung out at a Starbuck's instead, and met a nice Chinese couple who just returned to Shanghai after living in the UK for 3 years. She works for KPMG and he works for EDS. They both hope to be able to transfer to the US to work for a couple of years. While the adults were chatting, Sydney busied herself by hamming it up for all the patrons in Starbuck's, including wiping their tables for them. Alas, no one tipped her.

We finished the day at Gymboree. Sydney doesn't really participate in the organized activities. She usually does her own thing, which is fine with me. The motor skills that they are trying to develop Sydney (and most of the kids in class) have already mastered, thanks to the playground in our complex. The real value to the class is that she has an indoor playground catered to her age group. The indoor playground in our complex is too advanced for her, other than the pool of balls. I also worry about her being knocked around by the older kids in there. And the class is at 5pm so it wears her out right before bedtime. For that alone, it is worth the money.

Goof Off Day

Sydney and I went to breakfast at Moon River this morning. We always order the same thing -- a yogurt and mixed berries smoothie and the Santa Anna (a breakfast burrito with eggs, green peppers, cheese, tomatoes and hash browns INSIDE the flour tortilla --- brilliant!! --- and topped with guacamole and sour cream, and fruit on the side).

I cancelled my Chinese lesson today to go shopping. Sydney is going through another growth spurt, which means she hasn't been sleeping well, which means that I haven't been sleeping well. I didn't have the energy to distinguish between 2nd tones and 3rd tones, and quite frankly I couldn't care less that "uan" changes to "yuan" after certain consonants. Plus, I needed to return Sydney's new shoes because they were too small. So in addition to exchanging it for a bigger size, I bought Sydney 2 more pairs. The kids' shoes at the Isetan department store are so cute. Sydney starts school on Wednesday and she needed a pair of "indoor" shoes, as required by the school. She only has 2 pairs of shoes now --- tennis shoes and sandals --- and she's been wearing them outside so they don't count as "indoor" shoes. (Michelle, Sydney has been wearing the tennis shoes that you got for her and she's been out running the boys on the playground in them).

Then Sydney and I went to a Book Fair today at the convention center. I thought it would be a good place for Sydney to run around and for me to buy more English books. There were THOUSANDS of people there. I had to hold Sydney the whole time so that she wouldn't be trampled. To compound the disappointment, I didn't find any books that I wanted to read.

We came home and I worked on my scrapbook while Sydney had a heated discussion with her Winnie the Pooh bear.

2nd Month Anniversary

Don't worry, I'm not going to note every monthly anniversary. I just went back and read my post at the 1 month mark, and I can't believe how much better the second month has been. I can get around a little bit by just telling the driver where I want to go in Chinese, instead of showing him pictures in my camera, writing it down or calling the store for directions. Although I still have those resources with me just in case. I'm no longer mocked by the taxi driver when I tell him that my building number is 16 in Chinese. Some things haven't changed though --- I still hate the F-ing Office and my upstairs neighbors are way too loud at night. I am starting to feel homesick though. I REALLY miss Vietnamese food. I made a big pot of Pho tonight but it doesn't taste the same as it does in the US because I had to use canned beef broth instead of making my own broth. Luckily, my sister Cassi is coming to visit in a couple of weeks. We are going to Beijing for a couple of days, Xi'an for a couple of days to see the terracotta warriors and hang out here in Shanghai for a couple of days. YEA!

Blue-ear Pig Disease

There is a new virus coming out of China that is infecting and killing tens of millions of pigs. You can get the entire story in the New York Times. Apparently, this virus has been around for a while in various parts of the world but it has never killed the pig. So the experts think that the virus has mutated to a virulent strain. There is no report as of yet of the virus infecting humans. But the virus is now in 25 of 33 provinces in China. And of course, China won't provide samples to international health organizations. This is very disappointing because all we eat are pork. We buy our meats from a private company that delivers to our apartment. And they sell organic pork. Of course there is no way to know for sure whether it is organic, but it tastes just like pork does in the US and there has been no complaints in the expat community. And trust me, this is a community that likes to complain. We don't eat much beef because it tastes different here, and not in a good way. We only eat salmon because they are all imported from Australia. We shy away from chicken because there is still remnants of the bird flu in Southeast Asia. So now we are becoming vegetarians. Not that it is a bad thing. Anyone has a good recipe for tofu??

We are Keeping Our Ayi

I had decided to get a new ayi after ours took Sydney outside when she had bronchitis. It wasn't just that, she's driving me crazy on several fronts. But she does a great job with Sydney and the apartment, so I've been vacillating between keeping her and not keeping her.

But the more that I talk to other people and read on the Shanghai Expat chatroom about what horrible things the other ayis are doing, it makes me appreciate our ayi more. Here are some of the stories:

• ayis stealing money
• ayi does her grocery shopping out of her employer's refrigerator. They found out when she dropped her tote bag on the way out of the door and the food items rolled out
• ayi and her husband move into her employers' apartment while they are away in Thailand and use it as a hotel. The employers found out about it from the concierge guy
• ayi dragging kids around on the playground by their ears
• ayi dragging a 7 year old kid up the stairs by his leg, while he's screaming, crying and banging his head on the stairs. Mom came home to see it and when asked what was going on, the ayi said that the kid wouldn't let her do her work so she wanted to take him upstairs
• ayis asking for loans, help with visas (if they are not Chinese), and other favors
• ayi caught watching tv while kid sits and tears paper

Never in a million years would our ayi do any of these things. I've intentionally left money on the counter or dresser before and they were always there when I arrived home. Our ayi even presented me with a 100RMB that she found in the washer, which must have fallen out of one of my pockets. She has even told me that I have paid her with counterfeit money 2x now but she wouldn't let me replace the bills because it wasn't my fault that I was given counterfeit money. My friends here unanimously find this dubious. No one turns down money, especially here in China when she probably needs the money and I'm a Westerner on an expat package. But at the same time, they couldn't come up with a possible motive for our ayi to lie about it. I hope I leave China before I become that cynical.

Weekend Recap

We didn't do much this weekend. We had breakfast at our usual place Saturday morning. And then I found a grocery store nearby the cafe called "City Shop" and it almost felt like shopping at Kroger's at home. I was able to find most of the ingredients for the recipes that I received from people. And they sell salmon imported from Australia. I haven't been eating fish or any other seafood here, knowing how polluted the waters are in China. And they have a wide range of organic products, including organic milk and eggs. The best part is that it's not too crowded on the weekends like Carrefour is so we don't have to get up early to go before the crowds show up. Sydney is about to be in for a culinary treat -- no more mac n' cheese, no more fried rice with ham, no more spaghetti. We had pan fried salmon with thyme and steamed carrots and green beans for dinner last night. She was falling asleep in her high chair but would not let me get her down because she wanted to continue eating. She was probably afraid that I would eat the rest of it and then she'd have to go back to eating mac n' cheese.

I took Sydney to the Kid's Discovery Museum on Sunday, which was terribly disappointing. There was a play area, which was also lame, but there were other kids there so Sydney wanted to hang out and run around. It only costs US$4 to get in so it was worth it for the hour that we were there.

It has been raining on and off all weekend so we spent the rest of the weekend indoors, putting blocks in a bag and then taking them out, and then putting them back in the bag to take to another room, and then taking them out and them putting them back....you get the idea.

Language Issues

I had my second lesson today, and luckily, I have not made any other embarrassing mistakes addressing people. However, for 7 weeks now, when I walk into a store, I've thought that I heard people say "morning" regardless of what time it is here. Sometimes I say "morning" back and giggle in my head. Well, the joke is on me because they are not saying "morning," they are saying the word meaning "spirited greeting" and sounds like "morning". Sam clued me in and I've checked with other people, and it's true, I am an idiot. In my defense though, Chinese adaption of American and other Western slang, interpretation, etc are pretty bad.

My English has gotten pretty bad too. I use very basic, one-syllable English words because about 1/2 of the people I deal with, even at work, know very basic English. And with my ayi, all sentences are noun and verb --- "Sydney eat?" "Sydney sleep?" Her sentences aren't that remedial but when I use more than 2 or 3 words, she doesn't understand me. Also, I find myself grasping for words when I talk to Sam or to fluent English speakers. I'm also passing my bad English along to Sydney. I find myself saying these things all too frequently --"Sydney no eat" (transalation: that's not something that you should eat), "Sydney no touch," "Sydney touch and big trouble!" "Bowl finished" (translation: there' s no food left in the bowl). So when we get back to the states and Sydney is in remedial classes, you'll know why.

Good News, Bad News

• Good news - My friend Sam is leaving for the US for a 2 week vacation; Bad news - I 'm losing my translator

• Bad news - My friend Sam is leaving for the US for a 2 week vacation; Good news - he's going to bring me back some things that I need and can't find here

• Good news - Got over being an overachiever and took a very long lunch to goof off with a friend; Bad news - Got a guilt trip over very long lunch and worked last night

• Good news - Received the new Harry Potter book; Bad news - worked last night so didn't get to read it

• Good news - Sydney is over her bronchitis; Bad news - tired from running after an active 14 month old

• Good news - finally got my membership card for the club house (a very long story with many curse words); Bad news - will now need to go to the gym

• Good news - found a laundry place that picks up and deliver; Bad news - charging me US$60 for approximately 3 loads of clothes (1/2 of which are Sydney's) (that's 3 loads in a US machine, 9 loads in a Chinese machine) so it is not a viable option

• Good news - found toaster oven-sized bakeware at IKEA; Bad news - addicted to IKEA and want to go every day

• Good news - realized that my posts are all running together as one long paragraph instead of separate paragraphs the way I've typed it; Bad news - don't know how to insert paragraph breaks

Recipes Needed

It's been difficult cooking at home here since the stores here do not sell alot of ingredients that I need to cook the usual meals that I cook at home. And then there's the anxiety about using local products. We eat alot of pasta dishes (I brought pastas and spaghetti sauce from home) and stir fry. Outside of that, it's been meat loaf and mac n' cheese. Sydney's been rolling her eyes when it's dinner time. And the ayi has been more vocal about the lack of variety in my cooking --- I can't prove it but I think Sydney is putting her up to it. If Sydney can make the ayi take her outside, she's capable of anything.

The other problem is that the beef here doesn't taste the same as in the US so unless it is cooked with a lot of seasoning, it doesn't taste very good. We could never have a steak or burger at home. The biggest limitation is actually not having a full size oven to cook in. I'm using the toaster oven to do all of the baking so none of my casserole dishes will fit. I plan to make a trip to IKEA this week to see if I can find smaller baking dishes. If you have an easy recipe that requires only common ingredients (like ingredients that you can find at a 7-11), please send it to me. You can send them to me at the yahoo account if you don't want to post them here. My email is JackieHNguyen@Yahoo.com.

Week Recap

It was a busy week last week. Here's a recap:

• Monday - I returned from Phuket late because our flight was delayed

• Tuesday - had a crazy catch up day at work; argued with work administrators because they are crazy; Internet not working; called apartment management to send worker to fix it; argued with management because they are crazy

• Wednesday - flew to Taipei, Taiwan for work via Hong Kong; enjoyed being in Hong Kong's airport; arrived in Taipei at 8pm; called ayi to find out Sydney had dinner and is sleeping and that management worker fixed Internet; worked like a insane lawyer until 11:30pm; walked down the street to catch the last showing of the new Harry Potter movie; walked back to hotel at 2am; stayed up worrying if Sydney is ok with ayi staying over night

• Thursday - had meetings from 9am-noon; had lunch with a colleague and returned to the airport at 1pm; had a layover in Hong Kong; still loving Hong Kong airport; bought English books at Relay; arrived home at 10pm; Sydney is sleeping in crib; apartment in one piece; all furniture accounted for

• Friday - Sydney developed a fever and runny nose; Internet still not working; thinking management worker is an idiot

• Saturday - dealing with a cranky Sydney who didn't nap; had first Chinese tutor lesson, learned that "si fu" is the title you use with professional help like my driver; been calling him "dai fu" which means "husband"; embarassed about the snafu, but confused and creeped out that he has not corrected me; Sydney and I only slept 2 hours at night

• Sunday - Sydney woke up with fever again; took Sydney to the doctor's office and found out that she has bronchitis; researched medicine prescribed by doctor on the Internet; left message for Dallas pediatrician to discuss medication; fought with ayi who took Sydney to the playground after I told her not to because doc said that bronchitis was going around and that Sydney was infectious; ayi's excuse was that Sydney made her; will fire ayi soon; called Greek Squad at Best Buy to come fix Internet on Tues

Only in China

There is a weekly publication here called "Sh" and it contains news about what to do in Shanghai and where to go. There's a column in the magazine that recaps funny stories in the news -- now keep in mind that this is a Chinese publication so I don't attest to the veracity of these stories. Though they are worth a chuckle.

1. A man was out with his dog when it was attacked by another dog. The man ended up killing the offending dog. The report that he gave to the local police was that he choked the offending dog to death. BUT forensics show otherwise. It turns out that he bit the offending dog to death. Apparently, he has a penchant for biting during fights, which is well known among his friends and opponents. As you can imagine, this brings a considerable amount of shame to the family, who pleaded with the newspaper to not publish the biting part of the story.

2. A young man loves his girlfriend very much and wanted very desperately to buy her something nice and expensive to show his affection. However, the poor sap is unemployed and without much resources. So, he did what any love sick puppy would do. He took her bank card and, knowing the security code, he withdrew 50K RMB (approximately, US$7K) and bought her an expensive piece of jewlery. Of course, she found out about it, and now he is in need of a girlfriend as well as a job.