by Kevin
Ruth, Juliana and Candy are here. All napping, as they should be after 37 hours of travel (about 24 of those spent in the air). It is good to have them back. They are understandably exhausted, but Ruth said the baby rested alot, so that is a blessing.
I really have nothing to complain about, but I thought I would share an interesting cultural experience on the way to pick them up.
The school sent the van to pick me up at 8 a.m., 4 hours before the flight was to land, because we needed to go to Xi'an to pick up some health documents and for the new Japanese teacher to pick up his "luggage." Naturally, the driver came more than a half hour late because he needed to get "oil" (or gas?) for the van, which required him to drive all the way across town (apparently the closest gas station). Thankfully, this is a small town.
The school won't let any of the foreigners go to Xi'an on our own, at least for a couple of weeks. There have been reports of anti-Japan rallies in Xi'an, in which thousands of students carried anti-Japan banners and handed anti-Japanese slogans for awhile, until finally taking out their frustrations on Japanese cars and stores selling Japanese-banded electronics both of the last two weekends, so the school asked us not to go and now sends a security guard to escort the Japanese teachers anytime they want or need to leave the campus. (Thankfully this policy was implemented 2-3 hours AFTER I got to Xi'an last weekend for team leader meetings). Sometimes this sort of thing can get out of hand and spread to ANY foreigner, so I can understand the school's fears. Anyway, this meant that our trip would be more than just a jaunt to the airport. The new Japanese teacher has actually lived in Xi'an for 5 years and speaks excellent Chinese. He is currently finishing a master's degree in the city, which explains why he has an apartment there. It also explains why it took more than an hour and a half for him to get his "luggage" loaded into the van.
As we pulled up to the apartment building, he explained that his girlfriend, a Chinese woman, lives in the apartment. He hadn't seen her in almost three months. When we arrived, none of his things were packed. He'd simply left his belongings behind and went home to Japan for the summer. So, as his girlfriend served tea and chocolates, the school official and I sipped and watched the two frantically pack several boxes full of books and clothing and assorted other things. Suddenly, a half-hour into our stay, the school official suggested that perhaps she could retrieve the documents now instead of waiting until after the packing was done -- or worse -- after the plane arrived. The government office wasn't far away, so she made it back before the packing was done.
Thankfully, that meant that we made it to the airport just as the plane landed. As we waited, several of the tallest Chinese men I'd ever seen sauntered through the airport. I wonder if they are part of the Chinese basketball team, set to play the American team on the 31st at the arena adjacent to our school. Can't seem to find any info apart from the big banners near the street and in the park. Could be interesting.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Have Baby, Will Travel
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| Juliana, already an expert with chopsticks, is all ready for China. |
The other day we calculated that the total trip will take about 37 hours. 37 hours! Assuming there are no delays. I'm used to long trips, but that's a really long trip. With an infant. And three hundred baby things. How many diapers does one need for 37 hours? How many changes of clothes - for baby and for you, after she spits up and/or poops on you three hours into the trip? I am not looking forward to this. I am really glad my mom is going to be there too. I can't imagine trying to do it by myself. Yikes.
Hopefully Juliana will be a good traveler. If she's not, the next...oh...rest of her life...are not going to be fun. Actually, this might be the easiest trip we take with her for a long time, while she is still unable to get around on her own. She does like lots of noise and movement, so hopefully she will be lulled by airplane. And the jetlag might not be as bad for either of us, since she still hasn't quite figured out night and day. Besides, we will be so dead exhausted that time itself will probably have very little meaning.
Kevin has already been back in China for a week and a half or so. I know he misses Juliana. He has gotten to talk with her several times on video Skype. When she hears her daddy's disembodied voice, she turns and looks perplexedly toward the camera, and then amuses him by going through her series of funny expressions. The wide-eyed shocked face. The yawn. The concentrated stare. The sleepy-grin. And my favorite: the shiny eyed, open mouthed, delighted-to-see-you smile.
Juliana continues to get cuter every day. You wouldn't think it possible, yet somehow it happens. She has started having longer periods of being awake (some of them even during the day...), and most of the time she is quite happy. She still loves to be held about 22 hours a day, but she has also been spending some happy time lying on a blanket on the floor, looking around and wiggling her legs and watching me pack. When she wakes up at night, she loves to stare at the patterns on the ceiling made by beside lamp. During the day, she especially likes to rock on the front porch swing (like a true Southern girl), look at the books in the library (a good sign for her literary future), and snuggle up with anyone willing to hold her. And with the progression of visitors - first her Nana and Gramps and great-grandfather from California and then all her aunts - there have been plenty of people eager for a turn.
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| All the sisters |
Tomorrow Juliana goes to the doctor for her one month checkup. She is already one month old! And still smaller than a lot of babies are when they are born. She has grown, though, and is fitting much better into her newborn clothes. She is already changing too - eating better, becoming more sociable, sometimes sleeping longer (4 hours a couple of times! Incredible!), getting more expressive, and yes, even cuter.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Fun with names
by Kevin
Sometimes you just wonder what these students are thinking. I've been back in Weinan for about three days now and have already taught three slightly jetlagged classes and managed to have both computers here breakdown.
But one thing that always brightens my day at the beginning of a new semester is seeing and hearing the English names my students have chosen. Usually, I pass around a list on the first day of class and encourage them to take their pick. But since I wasn't here for their first lesson this year, the students had already made their choices. In addition to normal everyday names like Mike and Sam and Victor and Amy and Sally and Lisa, I always wind up with a handful of oddball names.
For example, I asked if my class yesterday had selected a monitor yet. The girl shyly stood up. "Do you have an English name yet?"
"Yes," she said, sheepishly. "Leaves-a."
"Lisa?" I asked, not sure if I heard her right?
"No, Leaves-a," she said. It hit me that she was adding an extra syllable onto the end of her name, as Chinese students often do.
"I've never heard someone use that as a name," I told her.
Usually I encourage them to change them because no native speaker would take you seriously if you introduced yourself as "Leaves." Probably not even if you were wearing tie-dye.
But hers was only one of many strange names that showed up when I asked students to list their English names.
Some, I can't help but wonder if they are misspellings. There's YaLianna, but maybe she just has a hard time saying Lilian or Lianna. There's Buluce (Bruce?), Mria or Mvia (I couldn't quite read her handwriting, but perhaps she meant Mia or Maria? Lijaky (Leejay?), Selar (Stella/Star?), Shasha ("Sasha?) Aileen (Eileen?), Kaia (Kayla/Kay?), Kathyria (Kathryn?), Felice (Felicia?), Sunna (Sunny?).
In one class, I was scanning the list and found a Shannor. I figured that surely she meant Shannon, until I went further down the list and found another girl named Shannon (we try to encourage students to not choose the same name as a classmate).
Others like Still , Lemon, Tiramisu, Fantasy, Lucky, Delta, Cherry and Willow are at least words, even if their usefulness as names is a bit questionable. If only a few had chosen pronouns, prepositions or conjunctions as names, you could make sentences just from their names they choose.
Lenka Hopes that Milo Still likes Tiramisu, Coco and Candy, but Cher's Fantasy is to eat Lemons and Cherries with Bella under the Willows on the Delta in the Summer under the Starrs.
The upside of these names is they're a lot easier to remember than Vivian, Ann, Sarah and Amy (Almost every class tends to have at least one of these). So now the decision, should
Sometimes you just wonder what these students are thinking. I've been back in Weinan for about three days now and have already taught three slightly jetlagged classes and managed to have both computers here breakdown.
But one thing that always brightens my day at the beginning of a new semester is seeing and hearing the English names my students have chosen. Usually, I pass around a list on the first day of class and encourage them to take their pick. But since I wasn't here for their first lesson this year, the students had already made their choices. In addition to normal everyday names like Mike and Sam and Victor and Amy and Sally and Lisa, I always wind up with a handful of oddball names.
For example, I asked if my class yesterday had selected a monitor yet. The girl shyly stood up. "Do you have an English name yet?"
"Yes," she said, sheepishly. "Leaves-a."
"Lisa?" I asked, not sure if I heard her right?
"No, Leaves-a," she said. It hit me that she was adding an extra syllable onto the end of her name, as Chinese students often do.
"I've never heard someone use that as a name," I told her.
Usually I encourage them to change them because no native speaker would take you seriously if you introduced yourself as "Leaves." Probably not even if you were wearing tie-dye.
But hers was only one of many strange names that showed up when I asked students to list their English names.
Some, I can't help but wonder if they are misspellings. There's YaLianna, but maybe she just has a hard time saying Lilian or Lianna. There's Buluce (Bruce?), Mria or Mvia (I couldn't quite read her handwriting, but perhaps she meant Mia or Maria? Lijaky (Leejay?), Selar (Stella/Star?), Shasha ("Sasha?) Aileen (Eileen?), Kaia (Kayla/Kay?), Kathyria (Kathryn?), Felice (Felicia?), Sunna (Sunny?).
In one class, I was scanning the list and found a Shannor. I figured that surely she meant Shannon, until I went further down the list and found another girl named Shannon (we try to encourage students to not choose the same name as a classmate).
Others like Still , Lemon, Tiramisu, Fantasy, Lucky, Delta, Cherry and Willow are at least words, even if their usefulness as names is a bit questionable. If only a few had chosen pronouns, prepositions or conjunctions as names, you could make sentences just from their names they choose.
Lenka Hopes that Milo Still likes Tiramisu, Coco and Candy, but Cher's Fantasy is to eat Lemons and Cherries with Bella under the Willows on the Delta in the Summer under the Starrs.
The upside of these names is they're a lot easier to remember than Vivian, Ann, Sarah and Amy (Almost every class tends to have at least one of these). So now the decision, should
Monday, October 4, 2010
Holiday in China
This week is National Holiday in China. On Saturday, 122,000 people attempted to visit the Forbidden City. Just think, this could be you.
They should really make a "Where's Waldo?" China edition.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Baby's got a Passport!
At 10 days old, baby has her first passport. Probably the first of many. The funny thing is, when we went to the post office last week to apply (at 5 days old), they said she was not the youngest! The guy said he's had a 2-3 day old before. A bit of a disappointment. I'd like to know what that baby was doing breaking our record.Seriously though, how did they do that? We were still in the hospital at that point. And getting the passport is a bit of a process. First, you have to make sure the hospital files the birth certificate information right away. The day after we got home from the hospital, Kevin went downtown to get authenticated copies of the birth certificate. The next day, we headed to the post office. But still - 5 days. Apparently we're slackers.
Oh, and in the middle of that were a lot of attempts to get a baby passport photo. How hard is it to get a newborn to lie on a white background with head straight and eyes open? Very difficult. Especially when she's still at the point of opening her eyes about 5 minutes a day. And then there filling out the forms and decisions like eye color, hair color. All rather relative. By the time the passport expires at age 5, I think she'll look pretty different from five days old.
So baby's first non-medical outing was to the post office to apply for a passport. Sounds appropriate. Other monumental events in the first two weeks include a first real bath a few days ago. Juliana was surprisingly chill through the whole thing, at least until it was time to get out. She's gotten to hang out with Aunt Becky and Aunt Anna and meet her great-grandmother.And later today, she will get to meet her second set of grandparents and great-grandfather for the first time! Other than that, it's just been lots of eating and pooping and sleeping, with a healthy dose of fussing and a few fun smiles mixed in.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Our New Baby Girl!
by Ruth
As many of you have probably heard from email, facebook, or excited friends and family, our newest little family member has arrived!
Juliana (ju-li-ah-na) Grace
Born Sunday, September 19
6lb 13oz, 19.75in
She is absolutely beautiful. Of course I would think that because she is my baby, but really, she is surprisingly beautiful. I would think she was beautiful even if I didn't know her. Everyone says she's beautiful (of course they would say that anyway, but they're actually telling the truth). We're not sure if she looks more like mommy or daddy (One friend said, "I'm not sure who she looks like. Would you mind putting a beard on her and taking a few more shots?"). She seems to have Kevin's nose, a little cleft chin, and lots of hair. Other than the cleft, her chin looks more like mine, and she definitely has my super long fingers (she has already shown some interest in the harp, so maybe she's got a musical future). All in all, she seems to have gotten a combination of our best characteristics, because while I'm not saying we don't look incredibly attractive ourselves, she has definitely got us beat.
The labor ended up being pretty difficult. It was about 15.5 hours, which I guess is about average for the first time. The first part wasn't bad. I mean, I wouldn't want to do it every day, but it was definitely manageable. The breathing and relaxation practice from our childbirth classes really came in handy. Things got substantially more difficult though because the baby turned to the face up position, putting her full force on my back (ouch!) and got stuck. Then she turned and got stuck with her head twisted around to the side. The general gist is lots of pain and no progress. I hadn't wanted an epidural, but at this point I was feeling like I couldn't keep it up. I was on a preparatory IV with the anesthesiologist on the way when the midwife checked me once more and said, "I don't think you want this epidural - you're ready to push!" After just about 40 minutes of pushing, Juliana was born and immediately started yelling at the world. A bunch of doctors and nurses were waiting to check her out, since they had a few concerns, but she was perfectly healthy.
In the middle of the worst part, I just wanted to get this baby out, however it ended up happening. It would have been fine if I had had a epidural - I wouldn't feel like any less of a person, or whatever. But I'm glad I was able to do it without one. It's kind of neat to look back and see that I was able to survive and go on for much longer than I thought I could. It was terrible in some ways...but at the same time I'm really glad I experienced it. And of course, it was worth it!
I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without a lot of awesome support. Kevin was really actively involved in the whole thing. He spent hours in all manner of incredibly uncomfortable positions so he could be there to put pressure on my back, help me to relax, guide me in breathing through contractions, and tell me I was doing great. It's strange how an experience that was so difficult (and not exactly something I'd like to repeat anytime soon) was also so meaningful. I thought (not at the time -when I wasn't thinking much of anything- but later), surely this is the essence of marriage. Connected, laboring together (literally), breathing together even, profound pain matched with unbelievable reward.
My cousin, who gave birth almost exactly a year ago, was also the most incredible support a person could get. I don't think she woke up that morning thinking, "Maybe I'll help bring a baby into the world," but that's what she did. She stayed right beside me during all the difficult hours, holding my hand, feeding me ice chips, reminding me to breathe, assuring me I could do it. I know that without having her and Kevin there as such constant support, I would have given out long beforehand. I told her she should consider an alternate career as a doula because I think it would be hard to find a better one.
My midwife, who I really loved, was out of town, but a different midwife was there, and she was also great. She was very supportive and knew what she was doing. She kept trying different things to get the baby to turn and for the labor to progress, rather than just insisting on a c-section. She quasi-tricked me into persevering (a lot of "Just five more minutes, you can do it for five more minutes"...with each 5 minutes turning into 20) and tried to postpone the epidural as much as possible - but she also didn't try to prevent me from getting it. She gave the firm encouragement that I needed, completely confident that I could make it when I was just about sure that I couldn't.
Juliana had to spend an extra night in the hospital because of elevated bilirubin levels. She had to be on a little 'grow light' all the time except when feeding. She wasn't a big fan, and it was hard to not be able to hold her at all, but now her levels have dropped, her coloring is improving a lot, and she is getting all the holding and snuggling that she first missed out on. The jaundice just makes her super sleepy. She sleeps all the time (which might make many people with new babies quite jealous!), so she's had a hard time with nursing, but that's been getting better as well.
I look at her sometimes and just can't believe she's really mine. She's so perfect! I love those few times a day when she actually opens her eyes and looks around. I always think she can't get any cuter and then she does. I love when she snuggles up next to me and gets all calm because she knows who I am. I don't really love the lack of sleep, but I'm surprised by how how happy I can still be (with the possible exception of 2am when she's screaming bloody murder) even when I'm too tired to quite see straight. When I get worn down by the tiredness and discomfort and what feels like constant feedings, she opens her eyes or yawns a huge yawn or makes her little squeaky noises, and I remember that my life is simply amazing!
As many of you have probably heard from email, facebook, or excited friends and family, our newest little family member has arrived!
Juliana (ju-li-ah-na) Grace
Born Sunday, September 19
6lb 13oz, 19.75in
She is absolutely beautiful. Of course I would think that because she is my baby, but really, she is surprisingly beautiful. I would think she was beautiful even if I didn't know her. Everyone says she's beautiful (of course they would say that anyway, but they're actually telling the truth). We're not sure if she looks more like mommy or daddy (One friend said, "I'm not sure who she looks like. Would you mind putting a beard on her and taking a few more shots?"). She seems to have Kevin's nose, a little cleft chin, and lots of hair. Other than the cleft, her chin looks more like mine, and she definitely has my super long fingers (she has already shown some interest in the harp, so maybe she's got a musical future). All in all, she seems to have gotten a combination of our best characteristics, because while I'm not saying we don't look incredibly attractive ourselves, she has definitely got us beat.
The labor ended up being pretty difficult. It was about 15.5 hours, which I guess is about average for the first time. The first part wasn't bad. I mean, I wouldn't want to do it every day, but it was definitely manageable. The breathing and relaxation practice from our childbirth classes really came in handy. Things got substantially more difficult though because the baby turned to the face up position, putting her full force on my back (ouch!) and got stuck. Then she turned and got stuck with her head twisted around to the side. The general gist is lots of pain and no progress. I hadn't wanted an epidural, but at this point I was feeling like I couldn't keep it up. I was on a preparatory IV with the anesthesiologist on the way when the midwife checked me once more and said, "I don't think you want this epidural - you're ready to push!" After just about 40 minutes of pushing, Juliana was born and immediately started yelling at the world. A bunch of doctors and nurses were waiting to check her out, since they had a few concerns, but she was perfectly healthy.
In the middle of the worst part, I just wanted to get this baby out, however it ended up happening. It would have been fine if I had had a epidural - I wouldn't feel like any less of a person, or whatever. But I'm glad I was able to do it without one. It's kind of neat to look back and see that I was able to survive and go on for much longer than I thought I could. It was terrible in some ways...but at the same time I'm really glad I experienced it. And of course, it was worth it!
I definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without a lot of awesome support. Kevin was really actively involved in the whole thing. He spent hours in all manner of incredibly uncomfortable positions so he could be there to put pressure on my back, help me to relax, guide me in breathing through contractions, and tell me I was doing great. It's strange how an experience that was so difficult (and not exactly something I'd like to repeat anytime soon) was also so meaningful. I thought (not at the time -when I wasn't thinking much of anything- but later), surely this is the essence of marriage. Connected, laboring together (literally), breathing together even, profound pain matched with unbelievable reward.
My cousin, who gave birth almost exactly a year ago, was also the most incredible support a person could get. I don't think she woke up that morning thinking, "Maybe I'll help bring a baby into the world," but that's what she did. She stayed right beside me during all the difficult hours, holding my hand, feeding me ice chips, reminding me to breathe, assuring me I could do it. I know that without having her and Kevin there as such constant support, I would have given out long beforehand. I told her she should consider an alternate career as a doula because I think it would be hard to find a better one.
My midwife, who I really loved, was out of town, but a different midwife was there, and she was also great. She was very supportive and knew what she was doing. She kept trying different things to get the baby to turn and for the labor to progress, rather than just insisting on a c-section. She quasi-tricked me into persevering (a lot of "Just five more minutes, you can do it for five more minutes"...with each 5 minutes turning into 20) and tried to postpone the epidural as much as possible - but she also didn't try to prevent me from getting it. She gave the firm encouragement that I needed, completely confident that I could make it when I was just about sure that I couldn't.
Juliana had to spend an extra night in the hospital because of elevated bilirubin levels. She had to be on a little 'grow light' all the time except when feeding. She wasn't a big fan, and it was hard to not be able to hold her at all, but now her levels have dropped, her coloring is improving a lot, and she is getting all the holding and snuggling that she first missed out on. The jaundice just makes her super sleepy. She sleeps all the time (which might make many people with new babies quite jealous!), so she's had a hard time with nursing, but that's been getting better as well.
I look at her sometimes and just can't believe she's really mine. She's so perfect! I love those few times a day when she actually opens her eyes and looks around. I always think she can't get any cuter and then she does. I love when she snuggles up next to me and gets all calm because she knows who I am. I don't really love the lack of sleep, but I'm surprised by how how happy I can still be (with the possible exception of 2am when she's screaming bloody murder) even when I'm too tired to quite see straight. When I get worn down by the tiredness and discomfort and what feels like constant feedings, she opens her eyes or yawns a huge yawn or makes her little squeaky noises, and I remember that my life is simply amazing!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Waiting Place
by Ruth
So far as I know, nobody has ever been eternally pregnant. Eventually, one way or another, the baby always comes out. But I bet that most pregnant woman, by the time they get to those last weeks, have the sneaking suspicion they are going to be the first to break the rule.
About 6 times a day I am convinced that Ruvina is just not going to be born. She seems to be totally content with her living quarters, just hanging out and experimenting with the power of her muscles and newly ossified bones on my insides. A few months ago I pictured her as a tiny superhero, ready to burst out with fist in the air. Now I picture her lounging back, thumb in mouth, thinking, "Why spoil a good thing? I think this whole birth deal is overrated." She's never coming out!
And it's still a week till the due date! Imagine how I will feel if I'm still sitting here just as pregnant in another week or even--the HORROR--two weeks.
All this waiting.
It's like being engaged. I didn't like that very much either - I just wanted to get on with it and get married. But at least I knew when it was going to happen. There was no, "maybe it will happen tomorrow...maybe in a couple more weeks."
It's like sitting in the airport waiting for a flight that keeps being delayed. You're just waiting. Watching the board. Listening for another announcement. They can't come out and tell you, "We're sorry, this flight will be delayed 5 hours." Instead it's 15 minutes and another 15 minutes, each time giving you a false hope that maybe this time we'll actually get on the plane.
Do you get the sense I'm feeling impatient?
RUVINA...I just want to meet you. Everyone wants to meet you. You will be a star. We will dress you in soft, cute clothes. You will have plenty of room to kick around, but we can wrap you up tight if that would make you feel more at home, too. We'll take care of you and be really, really nice to you. It's not a bad world out here. Don't you want to give it a try? (Today is an awfully nice looking day, by the way.)
So far as I know, nobody has ever been eternally pregnant. Eventually, one way or another, the baby always comes out. But I bet that most pregnant woman, by the time they get to those last weeks, have the sneaking suspicion they are going to be the first to break the rule.
About 6 times a day I am convinced that Ruvina is just not going to be born. She seems to be totally content with her living quarters, just hanging out and experimenting with the power of her muscles and newly ossified bones on my insides. A few months ago I pictured her as a tiny superhero, ready to burst out with fist in the air. Now I picture her lounging back, thumb in mouth, thinking, "Why spoil a good thing? I think this whole birth deal is overrated." She's never coming out!
And it's still a week till the due date! Imagine how I will feel if I'm still sitting here just as pregnant in another week or even--the HORROR--two weeks.
All this waiting.
It's like being engaged. I didn't like that very much either - I just wanted to get on with it and get married. But at least I knew when it was going to happen. There was no, "maybe it will happen tomorrow...maybe in a couple more weeks."
It's like sitting in the airport waiting for a flight that keeps being delayed. You're just waiting. Watching the board. Listening for another announcement. They can't come out and tell you, "We're sorry, this flight will be delayed 5 hours." Instead it's 15 minutes and another 15 minutes, each time giving you a false hope that maybe this time we'll actually get on the plane.
Do you get the sense I'm feeling impatient?
RUVINA...I just want to meet you. Everyone wants to meet you. You will be a star. We will dress you in soft, cute clothes. You will have plenty of room to kick around, but we can wrap you up tight if that would make you feel more at home, too. We'll take care of you and be really, really nice to you. It's not a bad world out here. Don't you want to give it a try? (Today is an awfully nice looking day, by the way.)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Blog Recommendation
by Ruth
I am excited because this year, some of my good friends from college have started teaching in China! Chip spent one year in China just after graduating, but this is Mallary's first time. They aren't exactly close to us but if you live in China, just having someone in the same country is a good deal, even if they are an overnight train ride away.
Chip and Mallary have started a blog, and I thought you might want to check it out. So far they have been updating it very regularly as they get settled in. Chip also includes some interesting little facts and news about China. The things they share will probably have a lot of similarities to our lives as well, since they're doing very similar things, just at a different school.
In the next few months I'm guessing our lives will get pretty busy, and we might not be updating quite as regularly. So if you want to supplement your blog reading (say, you like to read blogs when you are procrastinating), I would suggest you check theirs out!
I am excited because this year, some of my good friends from college have started teaching in China! Chip spent one year in China just after graduating, but this is Mallary's first time. They aren't exactly close to us but if you live in China, just having someone in the same country is a good deal, even if they are an overnight train ride away.
Chip and Mallary have started a blog, and I thought you might want to check it out. So far they have been updating it very regularly as they get settled in. Chip also includes some interesting little facts and news about China. The things they share will probably have a lot of similarities to our lives as well, since they're doing very similar things, just at a different school.
In the next few months I'm guessing our lives will get pretty busy, and we might not be updating quite as regularly. So if you want to supplement your blog reading (say, you like to read blogs when you are procrastinating), I would suggest you check theirs out!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Still Here
By Ruth
All the other teachers have returned to China. Our teammates are back in Weinan, our students are starting back to classes, and it's already almost September! It's a bit strange to know I'll still be in America for another two months! We're not used to being around when the summer is ending. I know it doesn't officially end yet, but I am seeing the first signs that fall is approaching. School buses are back in route. The weather has actually been almost cool (meaning not unbearably hot) these past days. And I have seen two flocks of Canadian geese. Neither of them were in a hurry to get anywhere. One flock was leisurely strolling single-file across a parking lot. So I haven't yet heard the pleasant honking sounds as they fly overhead, something I have really missed in past years, but all of this is a sign of things to come. By the end of October, when I finally do return to China, fall really will be here! If I'm awake enough to notice.
I have gotten several sweet/funny emails from students expressing their excitement about the coming baby and wondering when we'll be coming back. I told one student about how we had received so many baby gifts, and she responded with, "I'm so excited that your baby has become wealthy!" I can't email students too often though, because they continually remind me that using the computer is bad when you are pregnant. I don't want to worry them needlessly.
In other news...yeah, there really isn't any other news. But we'll keep you posted...
All the other teachers have returned to China. Our teammates are back in Weinan, our students are starting back to classes, and it's already almost September! It's a bit strange to know I'll still be in America for another two months! We're not used to being around when the summer is ending. I know it doesn't officially end yet, but I am seeing the first signs that fall is approaching. School buses are back in route. The weather has actually been almost cool (meaning not unbearably hot) these past days. And I have seen two flocks of Canadian geese. Neither of them were in a hurry to get anywhere. One flock was leisurely strolling single-file across a parking lot. So I haven't yet heard the pleasant honking sounds as they fly overhead, something I have really missed in past years, but all of this is a sign of things to come. By the end of October, when I finally do return to China, fall really will be here! If I'm awake enough to notice.
I have gotten several sweet/funny emails from students expressing their excitement about the coming baby and wondering when we'll be coming back. I told one student about how we had received so many baby gifts, and she responded with, "I'm so excited that your baby has become wealthy!" I can't email students too often though, because they continually remind me that using the computer is bad when you are pregnant. I don't want to worry them needlessly.
In other news...yeah, there really isn't any other news. But we'll keep you posted...
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The Summer of the Flood
By Kevin
All summer long, flooding has ravaged the world. Within the last couple weeks alone, thousands have died and millions people have been displaced in places like Pakistan, central China (including Sichuan, Gansu and Weinan) and northeast China and North Korea (along the Yalu River very close to Tonghua, where I used to live). Floodings apparently followed us home this summer.
As troubling as those floods are, this story isn't about the kind of real life-threatening floods that kill people and ruin lives. This is about the kind of floods that comes from pipes. More of an inconvenience than anything.
Four times in the last few months, we've had to deal with our own floods. Call it the Summer of the Flood.
Flood #1:
It all started in China. As you may remember, Ruth posted about me waking up in the middle of the night wet because water was dripping from the ceiling onto my bed. We were afraid there was a huge water leak, but we discovered that it was due to a leaky hose on Christina's washing machine, which had been pouring water into her laundry porch, then seeping into the floorboards right above our ceiling and percolating down through cracks in our ceiling. Thankfully it was an easy fix and as soon as she replaced the hose, the dripping went away.
Apparently the water troubles followed us home this summer: three times in the last three weeks, we've spent hours trying to get water out of the basement here in Georiga.
Flood #2:
First, the washing machine flooded. Anna had gone down to move her laundry into the dryer and came rushing back upstairs shouting, "the basement is flooded!" The water was a couple inches deep in places, and covered about one-third of the basement floor, but we were able to get it all out with a few hours of sweeping, squeegeeing and Shop-Vacking the soapy floors. When Ruth's Dad got home from work, he figured out what had happened: Apparently a mouse had chewed its way through a plastic hose, making the washing machine unable to shut itself off. He fixed the hose, so we figured that the problem would go away. It didn't.
Flood #3:
A few days later, the washer flooded again. Apparently mice like to eat plastic hoses. I recalled my Honda Civic, which I just sold last month right as we were leaving California (thank you Craigslist). While we were away in China, mice had eaten through the plastic windshield wiper fluid container, prompting my Dad to leave rat poison in a tray under the hood, next to the replacement. This Georgia mouse ate through his second hose in less than a week.
Thankfully, we'd honed the cleanup process a bit, and since most of the boxes in the garage were still displaced from the previous flood, we got the majority of the water out within an hour or so. Washing machine hoses have been replaced with something more indestructible, but a washing machine watch has come into effect any time a load of laundry needs to be done. An exterminator came and trapped the culprits. Ruth's parents decided now's the time to buy a new washing machine. Ruth's mother and sister even went and rescued a cat from a couple on Craigslist looking for a good home for their pet (the local animal shelter apparently only had two waiting for homes, so they branched out) hoping to keep the mice away. If only she'd leave the friendly confines of the carpeted upstairs climb downstairs onto the slippery hardwood floors once in a while, she might drive away the mice. Then again, she might see a mouse and get so frightened that she'd dart right back upstairs. She's still a bit jumpy.
Flood #4:
The fourth incident came last night. It was late and I couldn't sleep. So, after an hour of tossing and turning, somewhere around 1 a.m., I decided to go into the other room to read a bit. The refrigerator was making some strange sounds, but I figured that it was just the ice maker, since it sometimes emits some strange groans and Ruth's Dad had just fixed a problem with it last week.
An hour later, when I figured I was finally tired enough to get some sleep, I made my way through the kitchen and found myself sloshing through water. I rushed and turned on the light. Water was seeping out from under the fridge. A huge puddle had formed in front of it. I didn't want to wake everyone else, so I grabbed some towels and sopped up the mess so the hardwood floors wouldn't be ruined. Then I realized that water was still coming out. I rushed down to the basement, looking for a shutoff valve to turn off the water (keep in mind, this is Ruth's parent's home, so I don't know where these valves are).
Flipping on the light and turning the corner, I couldn't believe my eyes.
The floor was flooded. Again. I stared in dismay. Water was seeping through the ceiling. At least this time the washing machine wasn't the culprit.
I woke up Ruth and she awakened her parents. We repeated the same process as with the washing machine in hopes of saving the basement from mold damage. Thankfully, the water was only an inch deep and limited thus far to about a quarter of the basement, but it was the same part as had flooded before. We realized that water was seeping into the fuse box, so we turned off the power to that section of the basement so we wouldn't get electrocuted. Ruth's father sopped out the water and covered it. We set to work on moving work benches, covering tools and squeegeeing the water out. Candy kept saying, "You're never going to want to come home again."
By 3:30 a.m., we had turned on the dehumidifier (something I never would have dreamed of, coming from dry Southern California, where we use swamp coolers to ADD humidity to the air), dried up the rest of the water under the fridge, and gone back to bed.
For the first time I can remember, it was a blessing that I couldn't sleep. I can't imagine how flooded the basement would have been in the morning otherwise, considering this was probably less than an hour's worth of flooding. But now we can't help but wonder, when will it happen again? What other appliance will fall apart and flood the basement? It's gotten to the point where, when Ruth's Mom calls home, she starts by asking, "Has anything else gone wrong?"
All summer long, flooding has ravaged the world. Within the last couple weeks alone, thousands have died and millions people have been displaced in places like Pakistan, central China (including Sichuan, Gansu and Weinan) and northeast China and North Korea (along the Yalu River very close to Tonghua, where I used to live). Floodings apparently followed us home this summer.
As troubling as those floods are, this story isn't about the kind of real life-threatening floods that kill people and ruin lives. This is about the kind of floods that comes from pipes. More of an inconvenience than anything.
Four times in the last few months, we've had to deal with our own floods. Call it the Summer of the Flood.
Flood #1:
It all started in China. As you may remember, Ruth posted about me waking up in the middle of the night wet because water was dripping from the ceiling onto my bed. We were afraid there was a huge water leak, but we discovered that it was due to a leaky hose on Christina's washing machine, which had been pouring water into her laundry porch, then seeping into the floorboards right above our ceiling and percolating down through cracks in our ceiling. Thankfully it was an easy fix and as soon as she replaced the hose, the dripping went away.
Apparently the water troubles followed us home this summer: three times in the last three weeks, we've spent hours trying to get water out of the basement here in Georiga.
Flood #2:
First, the washing machine flooded. Anna had gone down to move her laundry into the dryer and came rushing back upstairs shouting, "the basement is flooded!" The water was a couple inches deep in places, and covered about one-third of the basement floor, but we were able to get it all out with a few hours of sweeping, squeegeeing and Shop-Vacking the soapy floors. When Ruth's Dad got home from work, he figured out what had happened: Apparently a mouse had chewed its way through a plastic hose, making the washing machine unable to shut itself off. He fixed the hose, so we figured that the problem would go away. It didn't.
Flood #3:
A few days later, the washer flooded again. Apparently mice like to eat plastic hoses. I recalled my Honda Civic, which I just sold last month right as we were leaving California (thank you Craigslist). While we were away in China, mice had eaten through the plastic windshield wiper fluid container, prompting my Dad to leave rat poison in a tray under the hood, next to the replacement. This Georgia mouse ate through his second hose in less than a week.
Thankfully, we'd honed the cleanup process a bit, and since most of the boxes in the garage were still displaced from the previous flood, we got the majority of the water out within an hour or so. Washing machine hoses have been replaced with something more indestructible, but a washing machine watch has come into effect any time a load of laundry needs to be done. An exterminator came and trapped the culprits. Ruth's parents decided now's the time to buy a new washing machine. Ruth's mother and sister even went and rescued a cat from a couple on Craigslist looking for a good home for their pet (the local animal shelter apparently only had two waiting for homes, so they branched out) hoping to keep the mice away. If only she'd leave the friendly confines of the carpeted upstairs climb downstairs onto the slippery hardwood floors once in a while, she might drive away the mice. Then again, she might see a mouse and get so frightened that she'd dart right back upstairs. She's still a bit jumpy.
Flood #4:
The fourth incident came last night. It was late and I couldn't sleep. So, after an hour of tossing and turning, somewhere around 1 a.m., I decided to go into the other room to read a bit. The refrigerator was making some strange sounds, but I figured that it was just the ice maker, since it sometimes emits some strange groans and Ruth's Dad had just fixed a problem with it last week.
An hour later, when I figured I was finally tired enough to get some sleep, I made my way through the kitchen and found myself sloshing through water. I rushed and turned on the light. Water was seeping out from under the fridge. A huge puddle had formed in front of it. I didn't want to wake everyone else, so I grabbed some towels and sopped up the mess so the hardwood floors wouldn't be ruined. Then I realized that water was still coming out. I rushed down to the basement, looking for a shutoff valve to turn off the water (keep in mind, this is Ruth's parent's home, so I don't know where these valves are).
Flipping on the light and turning the corner, I couldn't believe my eyes.
The floor was flooded. Again. I stared in dismay. Water was seeping through the ceiling. At least this time the washing machine wasn't the culprit.
I woke up Ruth and she awakened her parents. We repeated the same process as with the washing machine in hopes of saving the basement from mold damage. Thankfully, the water was only an inch deep and limited thus far to about a quarter of the basement, but it was the same part as had flooded before. We realized that water was seeping into the fuse box, so we turned off the power to that section of the basement so we wouldn't get electrocuted. Ruth's father sopped out the water and covered it. We set to work on moving work benches, covering tools and squeegeeing the water out. Candy kept saying, "You're never going to want to come home again."
By 3:30 a.m., we had turned on the dehumidifier (something I never would have dreamed of, coming from dry Southern California, where we use swamp coolers to ADD humidity to the air), dried up the rest of the water under the fridge, and gone back to bed.
For the first time I can remember, it was a blessing that I couldn't sleep. I can't imagine how flooded the basement would have been in the morning otherwise, considering this was probably less than an hour's worth of flooding. But now we can't help but wonder, when will it happen again? What other appliance will fall apart and flood the basement? It's gotten to the point where, when Ruth's Mom calls home, she starts by asking, "Has anything else gone wrong?"
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