Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Arneberg pilgrims in the new land of China! As we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with our American neighbors, we are very mindful of how much we have to be thankful for, even as we look to the future with some uncertainty.

We have had some fun opportunities to share the meaning of Thanksgiving with our non-American friends. Rachel and I made gingerbread turkey-shaped cookies and we have shared them with friends. The obvious question is "why turkeys?" so we tell the story of the pilgrims arriving in America. (A neighbor girl thought they were peacocks!) Most other countries have no special day to give thanks. What a pity!

Levi and Grace say the kids at school are alittle envious of a day to eat! A British friend of Levi's said, "Now I know why there are so many fat Americans...you have a holiday to just eat!" I hope Levi set him straight on why we have a huge meal!

Unfortunately, today is just another day in China. Jim is at work and the kids are at school. I took the day off from my class to cook. We are having a meal with our American neighbors, each of us contributing some part of the meal. I'm in charge of pumpkin pies (with mostly imported ingredients) and corn and mashed potatoes. My friend is roasting the turkey--I think she paid over $5/pound for it! We are looking forward to sharing "the harvest" with our new friends, yet we know the people we love most are gathering together and we feel a certain sadness knowing we are so far away.

May your Thanksgiving Day be festive and meaningful. Join us in giving thanks for all we have been given and acknowledging the One who is faithful to provide.

Busy Kids!

Just like most kids in America, our kids are busy with school events, activities, and friends. Grace and Levi each returned from a week away with their class to a historical site of China. Levi was in Xi'an, home of the terracotta warriors and one of the oldest cities in China, and Grace was in Yangshou and Guilin, two southern cities along the beautiful Li River. They got to see and experience the culture, the food, and life with teachers in charge 24-7! Jim and I got to see what life is like with 2 kids at home (earlier bedtimes and much less internet usage!).

All of the kids have been traveling for sports. They have all been to Shanghai for soccer, volleyball, or rugby. Grace also got to travel to Tianjin for a volleyball tournament. Poor Jim and I just sit at home while they are off seeing the country. Unfortunately, I have no photos to share with you...(Grace may have some on her Facebook, however.)

All in all, the kids are doing well. I had a mom pull me aside the other day and say, "I think each of your children has added something special to the Nanjing community." I consider that a compliment and a blessing!

I do have some photos to share of other activities:

Jesse had to build a Roman artifact for school. He wanted to make an aquaduct and he did it with Legos! Jim helped him show how the water actually flowed into the aquaduct.

Jesse was awarded the "Director's Commendation" for his class. He was voted by his class as the child that best displayed the desired qualities of an Nanjing International School student: caring, thinking, risk-taking, principled, knowledgeable, and balanced.

Here is Jesse with the NIS Director, Gez Hayden. Yay, Jesse!

Halloween! Rachel and Jesse were rock stars for the NIS Halloween party. Jim and I went as tolerating parents...we stood outside with another American mom because the music was sooooooo loud inside. Yes, we are getting old!

Rachel and Gillian, her 5th grade friend. Rachel has met two nice girls, Gillian and Abby. Both girls' fathers work for the same company and both girls are moving to Germany in December! Rachel is sad to see them go...seems to be the way things are in this sojourner life. Good-byes are a big part of life.

The triplets! O.K., just twins and Jesse. Sasha and Kostya live in our compound and are Jesse's age. Here they are in our tiny front yard, which is now filled with our trampoline!

Rachel and Jesse's classes had a performance for the parents one evening. It was quite the production with flashing lights, powerpoint displays, loud music (!), dancing, and skits. Rachel had a part in a skit that she helped write.

Levi at soccer practice. He is in his last week of soccer this week, just as the weather is turning colder (currently the weather is sunny and crisp!). He goes to Shanghai on Friday for the final tournament of the season.

Levi's birthday party! He requested "MEAT!" We went to a newer restaurant called "Burger Corner" and Levi and his friend Dan ordered the biggest burgers on the menu. His friend, Shane, showed some restraint and ordered the regular size.

14 candles for my little boy! How did that happen? Wasn't that just yesterday when he came screaming into the world at Mugumu DDH, forever making his mark as the first white baby to be born there by the Tanzanian midwife?! He's come a long way, baby...literally a looooooong way.

Sweet Sixteen! Yes, Grace does exist! She's as busy as anyone, but I'm not usually there to take photos. Her friends threw her a surprise party the weekend after her birthday.

A Dog's Life: Where in the World is Bumper?

You may be wondering where Bumper is while we are in China. He is living large with the Fogartys in Minnetonka. They have welcomed him into their home, along with their 2 cats. Bumper is learning some good social skills and, from the looks of it, some new sailing skills!

The (Really) Great Wall!

By Joann (with some photos by Jim!)

We visited the Great Wall at a location called "Simatai." It is several hours outside of Beijing and is a less busy and less developed section of the wall. Parts of it have been rebuilt, but other sections are deteriorating over time. We spent a day there and came away amazed by the experience. Just imagining the construction process is mind-boggling. Jim has visited a different section of The Wall and was very pleased we took the time to drive farther. The drive was good; we saw the countryside and drove through small towns that reminded us of being back in Africa.

Once at Simatai, we had several options for getting to The Wall (it's a long way up there!). You can hike the whole way up or ride the cableway part way up. We rode the cableway so we could expend our energy walking as far as we could on The Wall.

We had a gorgeous day of full sunshine and pleasant temps. Here you can get a sense of the terrain near this section of The Wall.
After the cableway, the hike! There is a small cog-train that will take you alitlle higher, but you still have to hike up after that. We skipped the train and hiked it, with a few stops to catch our breath.
What a view! Once at the high point of Simatai, we took some time to enjoy he sights!
Levi spent the day ahead of us! Some of The Wall has steps and other parts are paved. I preferred the pavement; the steps were very unevenly spaced and too small for my foot most of the time. We felt some soreness the next day from all of the steps.

A bride and her dog! Actually, there was a groom, too, and another dog (that they brought up on the cableway!). The popular thing right now in China is to find a unique setting for a wedding photo (which is big business!). I think this couple found something memorable. We'll remember them, anyway!

Our turn to ask for a photo! The dogs wouldn't cooperate and sit still for the photo.
A photo for their scrapbooks! Many Chinese people have never even visited The Wall, so we are very grateful for the opportunity.
We've been told Grace looks like Avril Lavigne (who is very hot in China right now). She had Chinese boys tell her she had "charming eyes!" (She HATES the attention!)
Can you see the hang-gliders over The Wall? Obviously, these guys thought it was a great day to take in the view, too. Jim and Levi got some ideas for their next adventure...
It was good to get Jim out of the office and away from his Blackberry! He didn't receive any calls here, but on the drive home, he fell asleep on his phone and repeatedly was calling our British neighbor who was on holiday in southern China! Grace finally got a call from his step-daughter to ask if we were in trouble. No trouble here, Andy just happened to be the first name in Jim's phonebook!

Not a bad spot to sit and ponder life. This part of The Wall ends at the edge of a river and continues on the other side.
A view from a watchtower on The Wall.
Just another shot of The Wall from a high point. So, how do you get down, you ask? Read on.
At the edge of the river, the water has been dammed to form a lake. At this point, you can walk down a nice, gentle path to the bottom, or you can put on a harness and take a zipline over the water to a little boat landing below. Guess which way we went down (ALL of us!).

Solid ground! Rachel looks alittle cooler than me (we rode together, hanging by a carabiner!) It was a great ride to the bottom. (See the video.)

The final leg of our adventure at The Wall! We took a small boat across to the entrance/exit gate.

Nothing like locally-available sunscreen! We ended our day at the souvenir booths (of course) at the gate entrance. The best thing we bought was cold Coca-cola. Levi told us they tried to sell him a cold beer! There is no legal age for purchasing alcohol in China, which has led to some interesting encounters and conversations with Grace and Levi.

A Long Way Down: Great Fun on the Great Wall

Supporting Tourism in China!

Rachel bargained well for her silk dress and Chinese umbrella (I helped). After we settled the transaction, the seller said, "You are a tough mom!" I think it was a win-win situation.

Kung Fu Jesse! Actually, Jesse attended his first kung fu class on Sat. with a "strong as steel" 61-yr-old instructor. If Jesse continues, he will be the tough one in the family! He complained of sore abs all day Sunday. And, no, he doesn't wear the silk suit or straw hat everyday, at least not since his Spiderman suit arrived in our shipment.

This is as close as we got to the Bird's Nest. The Olympic venues had record-breaking crowds during the national holiday, even bigger than Tiananmen Square. We drove by, saw the crowds, took a photo out the window, and got out of there. "One World, One Dream."

Jim bargaining for a couple of "pedicabs" for a tour of the hutongs, the traditional courtyard and alley neighborhoods of Beijing. The driver was laughing because Jim wanted to DRIVE the pedicab, not get a ride!

Jim agreed to take a ride. The girls rode in another pedicab. We had a short tour of the hutongs, a few stops at souvenir shops, and a look at the Drum and Bell Towers. I think those guys earned their money!

The view from the back of the pedicab. Some of the hutongs are very rustic and rundown. Others have been renovated with shops and guesthouses--very quaint. But watch closely and slow down when going around the corners.

Levi, the Urban Cowboy. From the plains of the Serengeti to the rails of Beijing...where next?

More Beijing

During our visit to Beijing, we spent a morning at the Summer Palace, a large park on the edge of the city built for royalty long ago. It reminded me of Central Park (in NYC, not Roseville!): large and beautiful with lots of activity, but also many secluded areas away from the crowds (once we got off the main paths). Here are a few photos:

Photos of Summer Palace

So, royalty went to the Summer Palace to relax, but not the Arneberg kids. They were hounded by tourists the whole day (actually, the whole week) for photos. If I couldn't find one of the kids, I would just have to look for a small crowd and they were in the middle being photographed.

Beautiful architecture and natural sculptures are all over the grounds of the Summer Palace. Behind the sculpture is a covered sidewalk that goes on forever...it allowed royalty to enjoy the outdoors even if it was raining.

Now that's a topiary! The Summer Palace has many beautiful gardens. I think we were there at the right time: early fall just after the Olympics. The whole city had lovely flowers everywhere.

Even the walking paths catch your eye. I love all the attention to detail in the architecture and landscaping in China.

Many people come to the Summer Palace to relax and engage in creative activities. This man was writing calligraphy using water from his specially-designed brush. How interesting! (We had no idea what he was writing, though!)

This man was playing this Chinese flute made from a gourd (calabash) and bamboo. We stopped to listen and he gave the kids lessons on the spot. Because Grace plays the saxophone, she caught on quickly and they played some duets. And, yes, we did buy one!
Just a typical view across a pond at the Summer Palace.

This man came to the park to draw. He sat on his stool in the middle of the path. The Chinese, esp. the older generations, value being outside and taking time to relax.

The Night Market aka Dinner-on-a-Stick!

A required stop when visiting Beijing is to go to the Night Market, kind of a state fair experience: lots of people, lots of food vendors, and lots of sticky fingers! The choices are almost endless. See if you recognize what's being sold on a stick.


Toffee-coated fruit. We liked the grapes best.

Starfish! Pretty to look at; that's as far as I went.

Crickets anyone?!? We saved our money and walked on by...

Noodles! Now that's something Rachel and Jesse gobbled up.

Fried ice cream--served on a piece of bread and topped with something like meringue.

Boiled dumplings. Yum. Just like the fair, we bought one serving and everybody got a taste.

This was called Bubble Tea, but the bubbles in this case were from dry ice dropped into each cup.

I'm not much of a seafood eater. And how do you eat this on a stick?

Fresh squid? Snake? I went for the spicy chicken. I'm a wimp, I know. I passed on the silk worms and the sheep testicles, too. Ewwwwwwwwww.

All those sticks and bowls have to go somewhere.