Thanksgiving is tomorrow--our time. But we won't celebrate until Friday and Saturday. Can you believe that the university won't give the day off to eat food?! ;) They were nice enough to trade for Friday--and only for the foreign teachers! I guess they like us or something.
Friday, we'll celebrate with our team, plus 2 extras. 10 adults, 3 kiddos. We are hosting...should be fun! I plan to make cornbread casserole (from scratch: cream corn and sour cream..oh boy), some sort of apple crisp or pie, and a fruit/yogurt salad. I'm stoked about all the goodies people are sacrificing and working hard to make. We'll do the best we can to make it "normal." I didn't decorate for fall in the states, but since we're hosting, I feel like we needed to do something. So I made some orange and lemon-clove pomanders. Very fun and they already smell great! (Lucky for us, cloves are SUPER cheap here.) We hope to watch some football, play some games, and watch a movie together. In between naps, right?!
Saturday, our team will make the jaunt into Beijing to celebrate with 40-50 other people in our company that live nearby. And, as mentioned before, there will be TURKEY. I'm stoked. Mainly because they don't have turkey here...just massive (like, multiple aisles) amounts of ham. Plus, with that many people, there will be so many delicious choices, I'll barely be able to contain myself. There is talk of a football game to be played, so hopefully Michael will be able to show off some of his skills.
I'm sure I'll take lots of pics. And I'll post them later...even if I have to wait an hour for them to load. :)
And finally, a list of thanks. I'm thankful for:
a Father who loves, perseveres, and promises the best.
a husband who loves me dearly, lets me know it, and is a superb father.
a son who has a laid-back personality and loves to giggle and dance.
family and friends at home who take initiative to stay in contact.
a team who looks out for each other.
students who desire more in life.
the import store that isn't terribly far away.
mostly-reliable internet that keeps us plugged into the world.
our own heat (versus what most Chinese have..controlled by the gov't).
(on most days) stairs and a bike that keep me in better shape.
Happy Thanksgiving!
P.S. Someone please grab a deal or two on Friday in my honor. I sure will miss the middle-of-the-night chaos!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
food
As mentioned before, things have to be cooked/baked here a little differently. Here are some recent accomplishments (Pioneer Woman, watch out!) made from scratch:
cinnamon rolls
pumpkin puree (thanks to a new blender!!)
granola (about once/week to keep up with my boys!)
banana cream pie w/ whip
cornbread (man, jiffy was easy! but, so it homemade..)
caramel *now, this is a note-worthy one, folks. Take a can of sweetened condensed milk (can you believe they have this here????) and boil it (can and all) in a pot of water for 2-3 hours. Open up, and voila! You have milky, creamy caramel...good for dipping mantu (sorta like a donut...sorta) or apples! sooooooooooo good!
Next week is Thanksgiving. I'm stoked. On Friday (yes, Friday. It's clearly not a recognized holiday here, but they're nice enough to give us Friday off.), we'll have a team meal. Turkey is not sold here, so we'll go with other meats. But on Saturday, we'll go into Beijing and have a huge meal with a bunch of other people from our company. And there will be turkey!!! We have to pay to eat some, but shoot, I can't wait. They'll get it from the import store. It's 50Y (about $7) per person...so you can imagine how much those birds will cost!
cinnamon rolls
pumpkin puree (thanks to a new blender!!)
granola (about once/week to keep up with my boys!)
banana cream pie w/ whip
cornbread (man, jiffy was easy! but, so it homemade..)
caramel *now, this is a note-worthy one, folks. Take a can of sweetened condensed milk (can you believe they have this here????) and boil it (can and all) in a pot of water for 2-3 hours. Open up, and voila! You have milky, creamy caramel...good for dipping mantu (sorta like a donut...sorta) or apples! sooooooooooo good!
Next week is Thanksgiving. I'm stoked. On Friday (yes, Friday. It's clearly not a recognized holiday here, but they're nice enough to give us Friday off.), we'll have a team meal. Turkey is not sold here, so we'll go with other meats. But on Saturday, we'll go into Beijing and have a huge meal with a bunch of other people from our company. And there will be turkey!!! We have to pay to eat some, but shoot, I can't wait. They'll get it from the import store. It's 50Y (about $7) per person...so you can imagine how much those birds will cost!
Monday, November 15, 2010
pain to joy
It's been a rough week.
We found out we were pregnant a few weeks ago. We purposely didn't announce it early. Glad we didn't.
I started feeling different early last week. I knew something was up, but tried to stay positive. A few days later, I went to the local, all-Chinese hospital. (There is an int'l hospital in Beijing, but is at least a 1.5 hour trek and is quite expensive.) I took a Chinese friend/believer/translator with me. The ultrasound results concluded there was no heartbeat. The doc said the baby was measuring smaller than the 10 weeks I thought I was. She suggested I come in again in a week to check again.
*Side note: During the ultrasound, there were 4 nurses in the room. Since they knew my friend spoke English, they started asking her how to say things in English. Then when we went to talk to the doc in her office, she started in with the same questions! I was quite frustrated to have to deal with this cultural faux pas at such a vulnerable and emotional time.
I was a wreck that day. I knew it was bad news even though the doc was holding out hope..trying to stay positive for my sake.
I wanted to know for sure what was happening. So Michael and I made the trek into Beijing (without Josiah--thanks to our wonderful team) to the international hospital. They were great; it felt like a hospital at home. (The Chinese hospital wasn't even close! But I won't go there right now.) After another ultrasound, the same results came back. Again, the doc wanted me to come back next week "just in case." But I knew it wasn't meant to be. Throughout the whole day, He had been pouring his peace on us. We knew that He had his reasons for taking the baby. We don't know why, but we know it was the best for us. We've been clinging to that.
Our team was wonderful and let us stay in Beijing for dinner (a treat!!) We ate at an Indian restaurant we've been drooling over for months. It was scrumptious. We're thankful for the alone time we got there. We're even more thankful for the joy that only He can give in a time like this.
Through this process, He has been pricking our hearts about our family. We love Josiah even more now. (Possible?!) We see having kids as a pure blessing. We hope He will continue to bless us with as many kiddos as He wants to give us. It's a scary thought (the Duggars...), but we know He won't give us more than we can handle....our wallets, my body, our sanity.
I'm thankful this painful process has brought me even more trust in my Father.
P.S. I'm not writing to ask for sympathy or a pity party; I know you care if you read this. I just needed to write it out.
We found out we were pregnant a few weeks ago. We purposely didn't announce it early. Glad we didn't.
I started feeling different early last week. I knew something was up, but tried to stay positive. A few days later, I went to the local, all-Chinese hospital. (There is an int'l hospital in Beijing, but is at least a 1.5 hour trek and is quite expensive.) I took a Chinese friend/believer/translator with me. The ultrasound results concluded there was no heartbeat. The doc said the baby was measuring smaller than the 10 weeks I thought I was. She suggested I come in again in a week to check again.
*Side note: During the ultrasound, there were 4 nurses in the room. Since they knew my friend spoke English, they started asking her how to say things in English. Then when we went to talk to the doc in her office, she started in with the same questions! I was quite frustrated to have to deal with this cultural faux pas at such a vulnerable and emotional time.
I was a wreck that day. I knew it was bad news even though the doc was holding out hope..trying to stay positive for my sake.
I wanted to know for sure what was happening. So Michael and I made the trek into Beijing (without Josiah--thanks to our wonderful team) to the international hospital. They were great; it felt like a hospital at home. (The Chinese hospital wasn't even close! But I won't go there right now.) After another ultrasound, the same results came back. Again, the doc wanted me to come back next week "just in case." But I knew it wasn't meant to be. Throughout the whole day, He had been pouring his peace on us. We knew that He had his reasons for taking the baby. We don't know why, but we know it was the best for us. We've been clinging to that.
Our team was wonderful and let us stay in Beijing for dinner (a treat!!) We ate at an Indian restaurant we've been drooling over for months. It was scrumptious. We're thankful for the alone time we got there. We're even more thankful for the joy that only He can give in a time like this.
Through this process, He has been pricking our hearts about our family. We love Josiah even more now. (Possible?!) We see having kids as a pure blessing. We hope He will continue to bless us with as many kiddos as He wants to give us. It's a scary thought (the Duggars...), but we know He won't give us more than we can handle....our wallets, my body, our sanity.
I'm thankful this painful process has brought me even more trust in my Father.
P.S. I'm not writing to ask for sympathy or a pity party; I know you care if you read this. I just needed to write it out.
Friday, November 5, 2010
English corner
I just came back from my first English corner. This can look different, but tonight it was an organized event put on by the students. They invited 3 foreign teachers and any student who wanted to practice his/her English. The room's capacity was maybe 60. We definitely had at least 80..maybe 100 packed in there.
We were asked before it started if we could say a few things about the topic: growing pains and happiness. You may be wondering what that phrase means....so were we! But, we pulled something together, and of course made it deep so they would think about it. :)
Then we gathered into groups (of like 30..) and they could ask us any question. Nothing too unusual. The usuals include: what do you think of China? why did you come here? how is China different from America? (haha)
Then there were lots of games and singing. This is where the cultural amazement struck me. When the emcee asked if anyone would like to stand and sing, there was only 5 seconds of awkward silence before someone volunteered. A-capella. Then another. Then a third. Can you imagine this in America? We'd say, "nuh uh! You ain't makin me do anything!" But they don't see it as something scary. Their culture loves karaoke. So, knowing this, we foreign teachers got up and sang "you are my sunshine". And they loved it. Hilarious.
And of course, throughout the entire time, pictures and videos were being taken of our every move. Not to boast, but we really do have a taste of what celebrities experience. Except no one has hid in a bush to snap a pic...yet. :)
We were asked before it started if we could say a few things about the topic: growing pains and happiness. You may be wondering what that phrase means....so were we! But, we pulled something together, and of course made it deep so they would think about it. :)
Then we gathered into groups (of like 30..) and they could ask us any question. Nothing too unusual. The usuals include: what do you think of China? why did you come here? how is China different from America? (haha)
Then there were lots of games and singing. This is where the cultural amazement struck me. When the emcee asked if anyone would like to stand and sing, there was only 5 seconds of awkward silence before someone volunteered. A-capella. Then another. Then a third. Can you imagine this in America? We'd say, "nuh uh! You ain't makin me do anything!" But they don't see it as something scary. Their culture loves karaoke. So, knowing this, we foreign teachers got up and sang "you are my sunshine". And they loved it. Hilarious.
And of course, throughout the entire time, pictures and videos were being taken of our every move. Not to boast, but we really do have a taste of what celebrities experience. Except no one has hid in a bush to snap a pic...yet. :)
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