Daddy Daughter Dance

Last night was Natalie’s first formal, a Daddy Daughter Dance sponsored by the Girl Scouts. She and her dad had to get all dressed up. She looks grown up doesn’t she? I had bought a dress for her at the Nihong Children’s Market for 88 RMB, or about $12. The girls all earned a “night on the town” patch for the evening’s outing. They were told that they needed to take their Daddy’s around and introduce them to their friends and their Daddy’s. If you notice, I even got her up up into a decent looking bun! I had to watch a bunch of videos on the Internet to see how to do that. Hair styling is definitely NOT my forte!

It was funny to see how much Natalie’s expressions mimic Tom’s. The closer we got to leaving, the more anxious Natalie started to get. Tom said once they got there, Natalie was a bit shy. But she didn’t really want to dance to with him. She told him to “Go away!” Just like every other little girl. She did dance with her girlfriends though. Natalie told us that they played 3 High School Musical Songs, 2 Cheetah Girls songs, 1 Hannah Montana. And 3 songs she didn't know. Natalie felt that the dance was just ok. She is saying this morning that she did like it and dancing with her dad. Not sure she would want to do it again in the next few days though!

I uploaded all of the pictures to Shutterfly. There are some pretty

cute ones of Natalie with her Dad. Enjoy!

Harbin

We took a great family vacation to Harbin, which is in northern China. Four families went, the Bramer's, the Miller's, the Fansett's, and the Yuce's. So there were 8 adults and 5 kids (all girls!). Harbin is VERY cold we all had to buy lots of stuff before we went. We flew in on Friday morning and got to the hotel in time for lunch. We picked the Shangri-La as it is currently one of the few hotels with some western food. Plus it had a swimming pool (which I will get to later). After we loaded the kids with carbs from the lunch buffet, we all piled into taxis and headed across the river to our first ice park on Sun Island. The weather, while cold, was actually pretty good. The sky was clear and the sun was very bright. Of course many people took pictures of our kids, especially Grace Fanset and Natalie who attract a lot of attention due to their blonde hair! They had a replica of the Forbidden City that had four large ice slides on them. After negotating for about 10 minutes, the kids got to ride. Hannah didn't want to ride alone, so I volunteered to ride with her. The hard part was carrying the inner tubes up the steps! The ride down was fun. Even the two little ones, Grace and Natalie, went one time. As you can see, they were too busy having their pictures taken to be bothered with silly slides! After having some hot chocolate and peanut butter sandwiches we had brought with us, we had to head back to hotel. We found out AFTER we got there taht the park didn't have any night lights, it closed at 5pm. The funniest part of the day was trying to get taxis for all of us. A woman came up and offered us a "van" that would hold all 11 of us for only 40 RMB. We thought, "what a great deal" until we saw the "van". It looked like a clown car! But we decided to chance it, so we piled the moms in with the kids on top of us. the guys took the slightly larger seats near the front. It seemed like a lot longer ride to get back to the hotel than it did to get there! I am sure there were no shocks at all in that little van! So we took the kids back and took them swimming. Which was harder than you think. In the U.S. hotel, you could get the kids dressed and head down to the pool, no worries! But here, you had to sign in at the desk, buy swim caps for all who were getting in the water, go to the locker room and place your stuff into a huge locker with a key, then pass into the pool area. See, indoor swimming pools in China are really more for exercising as opposed to playing in. So the whole time that the parents were sitting at the tables watching the kids play, the girl who was mopping the floor was hovering around us, nervous because not all of us had on appropriate shoes (barefoot is bad). But we snuck in a few beers and the guys drank some Scotch anyway. After the swim, we got the pj's on the kids, piled them all into Bramer's room and ordered room service pizza. We put in a DVD on Tom's laptop and they all zoned out! The parents then headed down to the restaurant for some well deserved food and wine. [note that the we left Lauren in charge upstairs, she is eleven, very responsible, and had a cell phone ready to dial us if there was a problem. There was no problem!].

The next day we first headed to what is known as the "poor man's ice park". It was the old one at Zhaolin Park. The kids could ride many slides for free and play on a few of the sculptures. The park had advertised ice skating, but there was no skaiting to be found! But the kids had fun anyway. Again, hot chocolate and peanut butter sandwiches signaled the end of our playing.

Later that afternoon around 4pm we headed to the BIG park, also across the river, the Ice and Snow World. If you have seen pictures of Harbin, more than likely it came from this park. We got there early so as to not have to wait in line, whcih we heard happens at dusk. To call these building sculptures was a bit under describing. They were huge buildings made out of big locks of ice. At this point in the season, some of the sculptures were closed due to the fact that the ice just evaporates over time and is not so safe. But the kids didn't seem to care. This is one of my favorite shots of them, lined up in a row. Once it started to get dark, the lights came on. And it is very amazing. When the Chinese do something, they always do it BIGGER than anyone else. So while you might have been to an ice show in the U.S. or other country, I assure you that the scale of this one is much bigger! But it was also very cold. One by one, the families started heading back to the hotel. But first they got to hold Artic foxes, slide down a few slides, run through an ice maze, and eat frozen strawberries covered in frozen candy! Unfortunately the biggest slide, which you had to use a plastic sled for, was too big for the any of the kids to ride. Luckily we found that out before standing in line too long! All in all, a great park!

Once we headed back and again, got the kids ready for bed, we ordered hamburgers from room service for them and then the adults all headed back down. That night we all at in an Ice Bar, called the Ice Lantern Resteraunt. The table and chairs were in an igloo what was outside (though conncected to the hotel). We ate Hot Pot in -10C! We had to keep our hats, gloves, and boots on during the meal. It was pretty good (I am not the biggest hot pot fan) but not something you would want to do more than once a year! We had lots of laughs and generally enjoyed each other's company.

The next day, the women headed out for some shopping. Little did we realize that in being so close to Russia, the two things you could buy were Russian stacking dolls (very cheap) and plastic replicas of russian guns. Who knew? Literally there was nothing to buy. Not even the standard pashimas, bags, scarves, jewelry, etc. that you find here in Shanghai on every corner. But that was ok, we had a nice walk and spent no money. We all left for the airport around 1:30 and got home around 6:30 p.m.

Overall, this was a great short trip. Not sure I would want to go for more than two days as it is cold and just getting bundled up to go out takes 45 minutes. But the parks are worth it and it is a good vacastion for the kids as the iceparks are really all you can do up there. There is a Tiger Park that we opted out of as usually there are tourists who buy a chicken, a goat, or a cow to feed the tigers while your bus drives by. None of the girls were interested in seeing that!

We are now uploading many of pictures on Shutterfly. To check them all out from this trip use this link.

New Toy: Nikon D40x

This year I got a real surprise for Christmas. Tom was gracious enough to purchase me an awesome gift, a Nikon D40x SLR camera. Though frankly I know nothing about real photography! So, it is my new hobby. Or will be when I figure out enough to really do something with it. I thought I would blog some of my progress for both sharing with my friends who are helping me out with my education on photography (thanks Kathy K.!) and for those of you who have to hear me talk about it. Now you can see it and comment on it!

So everyone says to not be afraid and to just go out and play with it. So I did. First I captured some pictures of Natalie just out riding her scooter. I am using a zoom lens to really capture some detail. Nothing exciting here, though I love how the camera can focus on a single subject and "blur out" the rest of the picture. It really draws attention to the subject. See how much I have learned?

I also went across the street and took some pictures along one of the many canals that run

near our house. In the picture here on the left, you can see the JinMao off in the distance with the new even taller building to the left, the Shanghai World Financial Center. It is hard to see, but the Pearl Tower is visible right at the end of the canal in the skyline above it. It was pretty quiet out there as it was a Sunday as well as part of the New Year holiday still. As you can see, I really liked trying to capture the sun shining into the water. The water was pretty still and the reflections of the trees

made for an interesting subject. I took about 75 pictures while freezing my feet and hands off. I was trying to play with the light and I was amazed at how hard it was to get the picture focused correctly! I have a much greater appreciation for professionals or even amatuers who take good pictures. I hope some day to be there...

NiXīnnián Kuàilè! Gōngxǐ fācái...

Happy Chinese New Year! This holiday here makes the 4th of July look very small! I think there is a major difference in celebrating 230 years versus 3000 years. So first let me give you a bit of background on Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is the first day of the lunar calendar, so it is also called the Lunar New Year. And it is also referred to as the Spring Festival since it is the beginning of the Spring term, which is the first term of the 24 terms on the lunar calendar. The lunar calendar is represented by twelve animals. Each year is represented by one animal. This year is the year of the Rat. The 12 animals in order are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Oh, and if this is your lunar year (you were born in the Year of the Rat) then last night you

should have worn red underwear and today you wear red socks. Red symbolizes good luck. Last night (Feb 6) was the Day Before New Year. Traditionally it is usually a day reserved for family and socializing and big feasts. The firecrackers are to scare away all of the evil spirits. Today is the first official day of the Chinese New Year, Nian Chu Yi. According to tradition, most Chinese will spend this day with family. The literal translation of this day is something like "welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth". The 2nd day of CNY is typically spent visiting in-laws. The 3rd day is basically a stay at home day as it is considered unlucky to have visitors that day. The Chinese believe that on the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year it is not appropriate to visit family and friends, and call the day "chec hao", meaning "easy to get into arguments". On the 5th day, the god Cai Shen is welcomed as this is the day that businesses open back up and Cai Shen symbolizes prosperity. The seventh day traditionally is known as the common man's birthday, RenRi, the day when everyone grows one year older. The tradition calls for counting your age from this date. So, it is possible that you could be born in January and be two by the time February rolls through! The celebrations end on the important and colorful Lantern Festival, Yuan XiaoJie, on the evening of the 15th day of the month.

Yesterday, there were fireworks ALL day. Actually you can hear them several days before, but yesterday was unbelievable. We went to Deb & Tim Spofford's apartment at Shimao Riviera, which is down on the Hungpu river across from the Bund. What a great place to see the fireworks. None of the fireworks were "organized" like they are in the states. Basically people set them off outside on the sidewalk or just stop their car and light a box. And these are not little fireworks. These are huge boxes of great fireworks. Think of every neighbor you have letting of a 10 minute firework show right next to your house! And then multiply it by 100. In fact, you can not explain to anyone who has not been in China during this time what it really is like. Deb & Tim's son Tucker bought a few boxes and took them down to the street and set them off. Even though the boxes look big in the picture, the fireworks that came out were pretty small in comparison to the others around us. As Tom said, "It was like he felt when he took a shower with the Seniors in High School for the first time...". We had a good time last night watching the fireworks from above. Since we were on the 36th floor, some of the fireworks that were set off right below on the sidewalk actually cam up and exploded below us. What a great perspective. Also interesting to see all of the "strays" shooting off into the apartment complexes. We would be surprised to find out how many people are killed and injured during this holiday, but you don't really see anything about that side of it here! We didn't get in the taxi to come home until 1:20. Luckily there was little traffic and only a few fireworks to dodge! Natalie crashed 45 seconds after getting in the Taxi.

The pictures are from the party last night. I am using a new camera so I apologize that the night pictures are not great, but you can see how there are literally fireworks going off everywhere in the city. Amazing. I highly recommend experiencing this once in your lifetime!

Giants Win! Enjoying the SuperBowl in Shanghai

Monday morning we all got up early (ok, some of us earlier than others) to go to the Vizcaya Club house to see the SuperBowl. The party started at 7:00 a.m. They had a breakfast buffet and a Bloody Mary bar, but I will come back to that in a minute... Tom had volunteered to run the "gambling" for the game, he was up pretty late Sunday preparing a large paper with lots of boxes. You know, you pick a square and put your name in it, then he filled in the rows and columns with numbers. At the end of each quarter, the person whose name was in the square with the last digits of the score for each team won some money. He did a good job, of course! Kids won three of the payouts though. It was a different mix of fans I guess.


So it was interesting to see that there were a few die-hard Pats or Giants Fans, but for the most part it appeared that most attendees where just football fans. I would observe though that American's tend to not be as "outgoing" about wanting to know who all the other American's were at the Party. Obviously we knew quite a few people, but rarely did anyone approach to introduce themselves and find out where we were from. It is a major indicator of our American culture, the country of the Individual. Frankly I am not sure that other Americans's are all that intersted in knowing you just because you are American. Contrast that to Europeans and you see a major difference in how we integrate into another culture.


Oh, and one word on the inability of the Chinese to make a bloody mary. Anyone who knows me will tell you that it is one of my favorite drinks (especially if I am forced to drink before noon!) The tomato juice here is not useful in making them. The juice is sweetened and also very watery, so the texture of the drink is just not right. Also, these bloody mary's had a topping of tomato juice foam on the tom, caused I assume by the shaking of the drinks prior to putting into the glasses. So the drinks are bascially juice and vodka. And I am not sure that there was even real vodka in these. So alas, there are no good stories to tell about anyone at the party who drank too much! Ok, I feel better...

The broadcast we watched was on a satellite feed from Malaysia. So, we missed all of the commercials, which frankly was nice. Though we were able to see the same two commercials for "Alaska brand powdered milk" and JVC. I bet no one in the U.S. saw a commercial for powdered milk! And we got to see the whole half time show. Wow, Tom Petty is old, isn't he? Which means I am old... Natalie had met a friend from kindergarten at the party so she and the little girl's older sister played together most of the game. There were quite a few kids as most of the schools are out this week. Overall it was nice outing. And then we headed back home ate lunch and Tom headed back to work...

Let it Snow... Let is Snow... Let is Snow!

It has been "snowing" here in Shanghai for a few days now. This morning we have the most accumulation we have ever seen. They are saying that this is the coldest winter they have had in a long time. Of course that is our first winter here! And the summer was one of the hottest. Don't figure. Shanghhaiise are NOT adapted to this type of weather. The "snow" is actually more sleet than anything. It is pretty to see when you are encapsulated within the Villa environment. But I am sure that the view out on the street is a little less peaceful. Turns out that our driver is sick today, probably made him sick thinking about having to drive like a maniac out in this.

Unfortunately, Natalie is sick today and I have to take her to the Dr. So, we will have to go in a taxi. She has pink eye (we think) and will home all day! Ah well, the life of a Tai-Tia...

One Week Back - a Short Theosophy

So, one week back in Shanghai. Got to see most of my friends back here already. Natalie is finally adjusted to the time change. And I got to exercise again. Back to NORMAL? Maybe. I had intentionally scheduled this week with a lot of down time so I could take my time getting back into the rhythm of life here. But I really spent more time considering the pluses and minuses of my first home visit. I have talked a bit with my friends here and realize that when you go home, every one's lives, including your own, continue to move on. But the lives we chose to live here in another country seem to put us on a very different path. So when you go home you find that the commonality you had before is harder to re-establish. Don't get me wrong, it is wonderful to see your family and friends. Catching up is just a bit different when you know you will separate again to lead dissimilar lives.

Maybe that all sounds negative, but really it is not. It was just insightful to learn about what has happened to me over the past year. If I judge myself against who I used to be, then I feel that I have come quite far. I set some personal goals for myself before I came and I have realized many of them. Not ready to share them here, but hopefully if you know me it is noticeable!

Well, gotta get ready for Mandarin class. That is my latest focus. I want to try to get "Conversational"!

New recipe: Shelly's Shanghai Pork

Well, I have been spending a lot of time playing with recipes here in Shanghai. Due to some miscalculations cooking a different recipe, I came up with this recipe. I had to tweak it a few times to get it to come out right. I know some of you have misgivings about deep frying, buy trust me, if the temperature on the oil is right and you use fresh corn or vegetable oil, it primarily gives the pork a beautiful sheen and cooks it fast so it is extremely tender. I use this for group dinners as you can make quite a few pieces in a good size pork roast. I use the roast as it is slightly larger in circumference and the slices end up being a nicer size. But if you buy tenderloins, they will work too!
===============================================
SHELLY'S SHANGHAI PORK
1 lb Pork Loin or Pork roast, whole, unlaced
1/4 cup corn starch
cooking oil
Marinade:
3 TBS Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Dark Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp Coriander
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Sichuan oil (can substitute 1/4 tsp cayenne powder)


Slice pork into very thin slices, like you were slicing a roast. Slices will be rectangular in shape and only 1/8# thick. The trick is to use thin slices so they are very tender and cook quickly. After slicing, mix marinade together. Pour over pork and let marinade in fridge for at least two hours. Can leave overnight. An hour before ready to cook, mix wet pork mixture with corn starch. Use hands to mix thoroughly. When ready to cook, heat cooking oil in wok or pan. You should have at least an inch on the bottom. Heat to medium high. When ready, place pork slices into hot oil and cook quickly, about a minute for each slice, turning once. Adjust oil so that it doesn't cook too fast and brown too much. Place cooked pork slices on paper towels for draining. Can be served with rice or with bread for sandwiches. Enjoy!

Return to Reality OR Back in Shanghai

Natalie and I just returned from the U.S. What a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG trip! We arrived in Chicago on Dec 17 and left Tampa on Jan 17. I have decided NOT to blog the entire trip. It would take forever and probably not that interesting. However, I am going to hit the highlights (which sometimes are actually low lights). Oh, and one of my New Year's resolutions was to be a bit more timely on this blog, so please check back and send me an email if I don't keep that!

Trip Highlights

• After arriving in Chicago, we had to drive south on U.S. 41 to my parent's house in Indiana. The rental car was packed with luggage and poor Natalie had to sit in the backseat squished next to the bags that wouldn't fit into the trunk. And it was really cold. About 45 minutes into the drive Natalie started to complain about having a tummy ache. I finally climbed in back and held her on my lap (yes, we didn't have a cars seat). About 10 minutes later, she said "Mommy, I think I am going to throw up" and then immediately she threw up! Trying to help, I held my hand over her mouth to catch it and just ended up getting it all over her face. When we finally pulled over, Natalie and I had it all over us. But, we stripped her and got some clean clothes on her, cleaned the coat in the snow on the side of the road, and climbed into the front seat. Luckily I had grabbed a cloth bag and emptied it in case of another emergency, which came about 15 minutes later! Poor thing! But, she survived. We got her to my parents and cleaned up!
• I slept in 9 different locations in with 16 location changes (some were back and forth).
• We had a wonderful time with all of our family. Lots of time with friends too!
• Taco Bell, which I had been craving since before I left from Shanghai, was the biggest disappointment. I guess that is a good thing.
• The real Mexican food and Skyline were NOT disappointments!
• We played Wii for the first time. What a trip! Natalie one time bowled a 177. Tom knocked me out in boxing in about 30 seconds. Diane Schrimpf and I boxed until we were both totally sweating!
• Met some friends in Indy for a great one-night sleepover. Julie shared some GREAT news (sorry, not for public consumption) and had a great steak at St. Elmo's.
• Ended up with a dent in my rental car bumper. Never noticed until a day before I dropped it off. We think it happened while parked at a restaurant. Will have to wait and see what that ends up costing me!
• Took a trip to Sanibel Island in Florida with my girlfriends. What happens on Girl's Trip NEVER GETS BLOGGED...
• Natalie made a couple of snowmen in Indiana. Nice to see the snow!
• Everyone saw their doctors. All is good with all of us. Tom's physician was very proud of him for losing 43 lbs!
• Observed that the U.S. has much better looking military dudes!
• Spent New Year's with Natalie, Tom, and my parents at Hooter's!
• Natalie had three Christmas': One in West Lafayette, on in Fowler, and a final one here in Shanghai after we returned home last night.
• Helped my friend Julie paint at her new house. She had me working for my room and board. I stayed at her place while I was in Dayton.
• Went and saw the World Famous Lippizzaner Stallions
• And finally, we ended the trip the way it started. Natalie threw up on the airplane on the way home. Just before we landed. She was complaining about a sore tummy. Went to the bathroom three times, but then the fasten seat belt came on for our landing. So, she had to use a big Ziploc that I had packed (luckily) into my carry on. Again, poor thing! She said afterwards "I don't look like I throwed up, do I?"

So, that is it. I really missed Shanghai. I was glad to see everyone in the U.S., but we really have made this our home now. Oh, and sleeping in my own bed was a huge luxury last night!

Thanks in Shanghai

First of all, sorry this blog comes weeks after the event! But we are so busy here! Not enough time in the day... But we are getting ready to head home for the holidays and I thought I better get up to date if I could! So sit back and enjoy the story of a Little Shanghai Thanksgiving...

We celebrated Thanksgiving here in China, with Turkey, two different times. On Thanksgiving evening, we went up to the clubhouse and ate turkey. You can see in the picture that we had turkey and all of the trimmings. Yummy! The turkey was very moist and the sides were really faboulous. Very good! Though it seemed weird since Natalie went to school that day and Tom went to work. But it was good to have real American Thanksgiving Day food. Natalie had fun until she spilled Sprite onto the table and her lap! Then she cried and snoozed on my shoulder for awhile. You know the kind of parents we are, take a picture of the kid when she is at her worst! We chatted quite a bit with a couple who had gone to Purdue. She was from Fort Wayne and he was from Lebanon. Such a small world!

Saturday we went Ceyda's for a carry-in. Many of our good friends here made it so it really did seem like family. Of course we had lots of food and ate WAY too much. Ceyda's husband Haken made the turkey, which he marinated for 24 hours before cooking so it was marvelous!

You can see that we all had a great time and the men looked especially hungry before eating!!! We also had a lovely day and a few of them even took out the football and tossed it. Of course you can see that most of the kids enjoyed the day watching videos downstairs.

So what to be thankful for? Lots of things.

• Thanks to Tom for letting his wife de-stress and adding years to the end of her life
• Thanks to our family for understanding why we have to be so far away for so long
• Thanks to my friends in the U.S. for making me feel less lonely
• Thanks to my sisters for chatting at weird hours to accomodate us!
• Thanks to our daughter for making our lives complete (even with the tears!)
• Thanks to ASC for delivering wine to my house (don't worry, it is just a coping mechansism!)
• Thanks to the Fansets for the 3 seasons of House (isn't House just a wee bit HOT?)
• Thanks to my friends here in Shanghai for making this adventure much more than just an experience and for making the Holiday's wonderful!