Fun with friends

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I go out for lunch or shopping or many more things with my friends here but it is always a lot of fun to hang out with other families or with other couples. We seem to have been doing that a lot just lately and it has been a blast!!!
Karaoke…. Well it was Friday night and Kevin was going out with the “boys” and Liz’s husband was out of town on business so she invited the girls and I over to her apartment for a karaoke night with her and her boys. It sounded like fun although I am not one for singing in public. Sure I have belted out a few tunes with my sisters at family gatherings and like most people I have imagined pop stardom as I sing in the privacy of our shower but to sing in front of Liz and the kids..I wasn’t sure!!!! The girls had been a little dubious about it all cause apparently it’s not “cool” to hang out with boys from your class or school when your in 6th Grade and Liz’s boys were at the school with Megan and Sophie. Of course it wasn’t a matter of choice because I wanted to go and so they were going too. We ended up having the best night and with the help of a bottle of white wine I was happy to walk down memory lane with hits from every genre you can think of!!! I can honestly say there probably wasn’t an “in tune” song all night from me or the girls but we didn’t care. At one point there was a challenge between the kids to be the best at singing a Kelly Clarkson song. Everyone failed miserably but there was a lot of laughter and so we are looking forward to the next session.
Saturday Night… Kevin and his colleague Tom have been taken out so many times by the people in their office so they decided to have a party (at Tom’s apt.) in order to thank them all for their generosity. I was told I didn’t need to organize anything and that I should leave it all to them and that’s just what I did. Anyone that knows me knows that I like to have a party or two so it was hard listening to their arrangements. Their shopping list consisted of beer, wine, spirits, chips, nuts and more alcohol… The plan was to have takeout pizza half way through the party. I had invited my friend Liz and our friend John to come along so that I could have a little English conversation through the night that wasn’t broken or with sign language!! The party was a great success. The Chinese even got up and danced although I can see why this isn’t a common practice at their parties because I don’t think any of them were born with any rhythm!!!. The alcohol was drunk by a few chinese but mainly the westerners (namely us!!). We put some cheese and crackers on the table and it was comical to see the Chinese reaction. They don’t quite know what to do with cheese unless it is on a pizza. Lot’s of them turned their noses up or took gulps of liquid after every bite. It was very funny watching the Chinese reactions because now I know how we must look to them when we cringe at some of the food they give us!!!
Easter…. Megan and Sophie had hoped for an Easter trail around our apartment but its very small and the candy here is not the best so we gave them each a scroll that I had made with their names on it and some cool wooden 3D puzzles that I found at a local market. Kevin’s colleague very kindly offered to bring them over a chocolate Easter egg from the UK for us so the girls were highly delighted to have a taste of some good chocolate.
The Chinese do not celebrate Easter and so we decided to get together with Liz and kids and Andre, Thore and kid to have a picnic and egg hunt. We all boiled eggs but you cannot find egg decorating kits here so coloring them was not an option. Instead we wrote a monetary value on each one (small amounts) and went about hiding them in an area of our complex so that the kids could look for them. The weather turned out nice so we set up our gourmet lunch (subway sandwiches and chips) and the kids set about looking for “the money”. It didn’t take long to find most of the eggs although there are still a few missing even now. I couldn’t remember where I had put them all, but that’s Ok cause I am sure that one of the many gardeners here at the complex will find them eventually!!! We played soccer and games and chatted the afternoon away and them took a drive to a local restaurant here called “Grandma’s Kitchen” (no joke!!) for some dinner. Not your traditional Easter Sunday but nothing is traditional here. We had a great time regardless!!!
Big night out!!!!..... Finally we had a night out without the kids! Don’t get me wrong, I love my girls like crazy but there is a need to separate oneselves from the “little darlings” from time to time! Heck we haven’t had a night out without them in months! This was going to be the night to party but it was also going to be the night to leave my girls alone at night for the first time, and I was doing it in China!!!!! Our friends Liz and Fritz were coming out with us so we decided to leave Megan and Sophie with their boys Brandon and Nicholas, so that they would have “each other” if any of them got nervous. The kids were actually safer here than they would have been at home in the US because there are guards everywhere here and it is very hard to get in to any building that is not your own!!!
Dinner was at a local Indian restaurant. Beer, great food, and would you believe a “Belly Dancer”. Eyes were popping out of heads on our table as the guys looked on at this very pretty girl shaking her body before them. Our table was literally right next to the stage and so there was a clear view for all of them. From the restaurant we went to an Irish Bar called Shamrocks. Of course the staff are all Chinese and there wasn’t an Irishman in sight! It was actually pretty quiet ..that was until we arrived. We took over several tables, the pool tables and even the music. (Can you tell that we don’t get out without the kids too often!!!) I haven’t played pool in years and it was obvious to see why but I was having a lot of fun with it so it didn’t matter. Westerners certainly know how to enjoy themselves. The Chinese seem content to sit back and quietly watch us with intense curiosity and often bewilderment.
We made it home in intact and were relieved to see unscathed and very tired kids. A game of truth or dare was the worst they did (that we know of!!) so we are more than happy to know that we can enjoy another good night on a different occasion.

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Photos

Chinese watching the dancing
The Chinese stood and clapped a lot during the night

Making Music?
Our chinese friends and our driver (giving the peice sign) decide to get out the drums so that they can play along with the CD that was playing.

Bunnies
My 2 bunnies showing off their Easter Eggs

Easter Feast
Nothing but the best at easter.....Subway sandwiches and chips.

Soccer
After lunch we lazed around and had a couple of games of soccer

Dancing
The belly dancer at the Indian restaurant

All friends together
Thore, Andrea, Kevin, John, Claire, Liz & Fritz

Beer Anyone
Kevin and John enjoying a beer at the Shamrock pub

Anything for a picture!!
Fritz and Claire smiling for the picture with 2 complete strangers!!!