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Published: August 8th 2008
Thursday, 8/7/08 continued...Mark went to the American Embassy first thing this morning and got more pages added to his passport. He said they treated him like a VIP (since he's American) and he got to cut the line and he was helped right away. He called me and asked me to meet him at a Metro stop near Jessie's office and she would go with us to the visa office. We did indeed do a total repeat of yesterday's journey to the visa office. This time, it went better and Mark and the kids should have residency visas next Thursday morning. Of course, nothing is ever easy as we've learned...and Mark has to leave for the airport after picking up his visa. We'll probably all need to go back since I don't want him taking the kids passports/visas to the US while we are staying here in China. My health exam has to come back tomorrow and then I can go back (can't wait to do this a third time!) and wait in line for my turn to apply. Today's wait was much worse than yesterday's but I did bring some games and activities. I've started carrying my backpack around since
we finally broke out the umbrella
not sure if it really helps, but if millions of people are doing it, must have some usefulness in warding off the evil sun rays.we need to carry napkins, tissues, and of course water everywhere. I want to be sure the kids and I don't get dehydrated when we are on these many hour treks around town. Apparently, we can look forward to milder weather in mid-September. Maybe we'll have a couple nice weeks before winter! Sounds like Chicago to me (minus the typhoon season).
When we took a taxi to the visa place, the cab driver would not let us ride 5 in the cab. This was hilarious to Mark and me. The reason given (according to Jessie, who was our 5th person) was "because of the Olympics, they are being more strict about 5 in a cab". You hear this all the time. Because of the Olympics, the rules for getting visas change hourly. Because of the Olympics, you can't sit 5 in a cab but you can ride with no seatbelts. Not always logical. I do wonder if any of these rules will revert back after the Olympics or if they are here to stay. I have had my bag checked a couple times by Police when we go into the train station. just a sweep of the metal detector
CCTV Tower
We were in Pudong for lunch. This building is an extreme example of the modern architecture in Pudong. thing and then I'm told to go ahead.
We lunched in Pudong. I had been there on my previous trip. It's very modern with all sorts of shiny new buildings and giant indoor malls. We ate at Element Fresh which is a trendy spot for Expats and locals from the customer base we witnessed. It has a mix of foods including pasta, club sandwiches, wraps, and stirfry (Emily, Nathan, Mark, and my orders). They make great smoothies and have exceptional hummus. It was no bargain, but we won't go there that often. Nice change of pace after a solid week of local eating. My stomach is still aching. I'm easing up on the spice for a few days.
Today, people seemed much more excited and eager to interact with us -- by us I mean our cute kids. Emily and Nathan draw quite a crowd. One woman with a boy about Nathan's age and a girl about Emily's age wanted to take pictures of her kids with our kids. I was like "ok, I'll take photos too!" so I'm including those snaps. We also bribed the kids with 1RMB (about 15 cents!) to go ask each kid their
name in Chinese. They did great! The mom loved it, everyone around us clapped. We put on a good show while waiting for the train to come. On the train, Emily was invited to sit between another mom and her daughter. The mom was petting Emily like she was a cat...but since Emily didn't mind, I tried not to mind too.
I am doing all the train ticket buying, even when we are with Mark, so I can be sure I practice using the ticket kiosks and navigating the stations. Today while in line, a man cut in front of me. It's the old "leave a millimeter between yourself and someone in front of you is asking for trouble" routine. So I just cut back in front of him and he moved lines. I'm getting my city smarts back from years of living/working in Chicago proper. Those skills are going to get me through this urban adventure. Gotta be tough and confidant. I also have to remember that there is no such thing as personal space when it comes to the line here. I guess you are supposed to squish up against strangers so that you can be that
interesting display
I have never seen a mannequin on the pot before..pants down no less. We thought this was hilarious. much closer to the destination.
When we got to our home station, we stopped at McDonald's for another soft serve cone to cool off after a very hot day of walking. I paid with what I thought was 5 RMB but turns out I gave the cashier a 50RMB note. She was really nice and called me back. Oops. Must pay closer attention. I'm not used to having 50's in my currency pool.
After many nights out, we stayed home, ate leftovers and watched cartoons on DVD. I really do enjoy how much time we are spending together as a 4-some. Some of the time is spent doing errands and waiting in long lines, but we are together a lot and it's good. The kids are also helping with moving in and housekeeping chores. I really need their help and they are helping without complaining. I hope it lasts! Nathan just came up to me and said "payment due" so I guess the allowance is the real motivator. That's fine with me!
I'm having trouble uploading videos. I have tried to add one of our neighborhood about 7 times...it takes forever and then fails. So, check back
fancy mall
where we had lunch if you don't see 2 on this post. I will hopefully still be able to add it. Also, sorry for my sloppy videography. I figured it's better than nothing and I'm just using my tiny camera to take the video clips. On the one of our walk to IKEA, I almost wiped out tripping over a curb. You can hear me yelp before the clip ends.
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Amy D
non-member comment
love it
love the potty shot! too funny.