A Tale of Two Road Trips

A couple of weeks ago, I had, not one, but two, chances to go to Suzhou, a city between Nanjing and Shanghai that is known for its beautiful gardens, silk factories, and pearl markets. As Christmas is approaching, the attraction of Suzhou is strong because of so many options for great gifts and authentic items.

My German classmates, Rita and Michela, and I planned a trip with our teenage daughters and one of their friends. After we had all our details in place, I was invited to go to Suzhou earlier in the week with the wives of some of the Emerson employees--3 American and 2 Chinese women, one who had lived in Suzhou and knew how to navigate in the city...not to mention who would be very helpful when bargaining in the markets. Plus, we had been trying to get together for lunch, so why not extend our time to a whole day together, lunch included...eventually! :-)

So, same place, pretty much the same goal, but 2 very different experiences! I think the differences come down to different cultural perspectives on time and food. With the Chinese-led group, we left with only water as our reinforcements and we hit the road and kept going until we reached the Pearl Market. After getting our fill of pearls around 2:30 pm, we went out for a sit-down lunch, then we continued on to a silk shop and other Chinese gift shops. We decided we'd better head home once it started to get dark and rode home tired from a full day.

The second trip was influenced by the German approach: start out the day at the bakery and drink coffee and eat bread, pack food for the time in the car, stop along the way at a roadside stop and stretch, and eat a snack in the car before going into the Pearl Market. Once done shopping, eat again in the car: meatballs, potato salad, spring rolls, fruit and veggies and dip. Since it was about 3 pm, it was decided we should get home to check on our families, so we skipped any further stops and hit the road. Along the way we ate chocolate (German, of course). About 30 minutes outside of Nanjng, my friend Michela turns to me and says, "we would like to invite you to have some champagne with us!" Now?! China has no "open bottle" policy, and we had a designated driver (Li Min, our Emerson driver), so POP! We toasted our successful road trip and our friendship that began just 3 months ago.

I love being part of the international community and sharing experiences with my new diverse group of friends. I am continuing to learn how to be flexible!

The Emerson Wives' Club: Monica, Peggy, Jennifer, and Susan. Our motto that day: shop 'til you drop!

One of many shops in the Pearl Market. Case upon case, row upon row of pearls, beads, and gems-ready assembled or assembled while you wait or supplies for DIY.

Pearls. Each pearl is sorted by size, shape, quality, and color.

Grace (center), Chelsea (left) and Tess (right). These three girls joined the moms for the trip to Suzhou. We treated them to coffee and croissants before we hit the road.

The bargaining can be intense! This shopkeeper stood her ground, but so did Chelsea. The shopping experience can be a big game some days. I have learned that if you ask how much something costs, it pretty much means you want it. Ask only if you are prepared for the negotiations to begin!

Grace in the Pearl Market with her new necklace.

A toast on the road. Only in China with German travel partners!

Levi Can Cook!

By Joann

Levi has culinary tendencies and decided to put his skills to use by baking me a cake for my birthday. I just couldn't resist recording him at work in the kitchen. (The cake was delicious!)

Signs That it is Winter in Nanjing

The banana trees have been trimmed back and wrapped in preparation for the colder temps. I was wondering what would happen to the banana trees since they are a tropical plant and Nanjing can get very cold and snowy. They wrap the palm trees, too. Everybody has found their winter coats and hats!

Jesse turned 9 on Dec. 14th! Woooohooo! He requested breakfast in bed--he was lucky it was a Sunday! He celebrated by having a friend stay overnight. The kids' Christmas break started Dec. 12th, so most of the ex-pat kids have left China for home or other locations. Jesse will have a party in January when the rest of his friends return.

Christmas party and Emerson "team builder." Jim and I hosted a gathering for his staff of engineers at our house. First they went bowling then they came to our home for dinner. We had about 18 people for dinner and were very thankful for our extra large table!

The Christmas decorations are displayed in force throughout the shopping areas of Nanjing. Most Chinese don't celebrate Christmas, but they certainly go all out with the decorations. (Actually, we've been told the younger generations are starting to celebrate Christmas, but most have no long-standing traditions.)

Joann begrudgingly marked another year. Christmas is just around the corner!

Autumn Colors

While it may be snowing where you are (or not!), we are enjoying beautiful fall days: crisp cold air, sunny skies (really!), and the slow changing color of the leaves. I have been taking long walks on Purple Mountain and have to pinch myself most days that I live in this beautiful place where the Chinese of past dynasties have walked for centuries and enjoyed the same views that I enjoy--just minutes from my house. I'd like to share some of the views with you.

I never get tired of seeing the Chinese landscaping and architecture. The attention to detail is inspiring.

Stone animal sculptures along a tree-lined path, just down the road from our house.

Jesse joined me for a bike ride. Now that the weather is cooler, they will allow bikes through the gates. During the warmer months, bikes are restricted.

A nearby pagoda on plum blossom hill. The plum blossoms will flower in the spring and supposedly the path becomes packed with people eager to get a glimpse of the blossoms. I'm going to enjoy the open spaces now.

No, the leaves don't turn purple and white in Nanjing, but aren't they pretty?! These trees aren't on Purple Mountain, but near the Confucious Temple in town.

Thanksgiving, Chinese-style

The formula for a good ol' American Thanksgiving: Boys! Jesse missed being with his cousins, but Jay and Eli were pretty good companions for Thanksgiving dinner.

Lots of people. Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of 7 adults and 12 kids and we had enough food for 100 people!

A great meal! Grace with Laurel and Nicki, fellow teenagers. Everyone was eager to eat a real American meal; the Chinese don't eat much gravy!

The PIES! Apple, pumpkin, and pecan. I think we met everyone's criteria for Thanksgiving dinner. We took the opportunity to give thanks for all we have learned and experienced this past year.

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.