Blogs from Fengxian, Shanghai, China, Asia - page 2

Thanks to all of you who sent me birthday wishes - early, late or on time! It does get confusing sometimes trying to remember the time difference! My actual birthday was a pretty plain day - Sammy took Leah and I to the grocery store, but Jim had a customer in from Germany, so he didn't come home for lunch or dinner! We saw him for about half an hour before he left to go out to dinner. After returning from dinner, he had a conference call to the US, so Leah and I watched a Scooby-Doo movie we had bought - which I couldn't even stay awake through! Friday night we celebrated my birthday. Horton picked us all up, then dropped Jim and I off for dinner and took Leah to his house to play ... read more

June 1st is International Children's Day. Although the info I found online says that it is recognized in the USA, I have never heard of any type of celebration where I've lived - has anyone else? The people here were surprised to hear that we didn't really celebrate Children's Day in the USA, they thought it was a big, worldwide celebration! It seems to be a very big day here in China. Leah and I were invited to join in the celebration at a local elementary school in Nanqiao. I don't know the name of the school where we were, but it is over 200 years old, and supposedly the best in Nanqiao. The school was made up of a number of different buildings, a smaller courtyard area and a large open area, all kind of ... read more

Today Leah and I went to a local park called Guhua Park (pronounced Goo-ha). A wonderful lady named Sammy, who works at Ace, accompanied us and gave us a tour. I did not try to keep straight the names of the different buildings and bridges, just enjoyed it. So, here are some pictures for you to enjoy also. Many people were talking to Sammy and I had no clue what about until finally after awhile she said "Leah, I think I should have made a sign to hang around your neck that says " I am 9 years old and am from the United States!" ... read more

At first glance, the large grocery stores look much like those in the USA, but, upon closer inspection - there are definitely differences! Leah has enjoyed taking pictures while we're shopping, so I'm just going to post some. We definitely attract attention when we are shopping, especially Leah. Picture a guy walking through the mall with 6 inch spiked green hair and a multitude of piercings and tattoos - you know the kind of attention he attracts? Well, that's about the amount we get just walking through the store! Only it's surprise and curiosity, and the women often tell Leah how beautiful she is. Just like at home, you usually encounter the produce department first, I've been able to find enough things I'm used to using that I haven't tried much different yet, except some bright ... read more

We are living in an apartment building within the guarded gates of the company Jim is working for. Looking out the front of the apartment, we see the business building. We can look to the right and see Jim's office windows. To the left is a river behind the fence, and between the fence and river are gardens. They may grow some of the food that they serve the workers in the cafeteria. Between the apartments and the business is a soccer field, a basketball court and some gardens. Nearer to the business is the "parking garage" for all of the bikes and scooters. Nobody living in the apartments owns a car. Outside the back of the apartment is a grassy area and then some other businesses. Tuesday morning, Leah was going outside and came back ... read more