The challenges we face...

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This week has been a week of challenges for all of us. Sophie and I are just finishing off a school project which has been frustrating to say the least. Her current topic is 'Celebrations', which is where they are learning about different types of celebrations around the world. As part of this, each student has to make and bring in an item of food that is eaten at a traditional celebration in your country. After much debating over Christmas, we decided on a Chocolate Yule log. We decided that the kids in Sophie's class might not like eating mince pies or xmas pudding! So, the challenge was set to Ian to go and buy the necessary ingredients and Sophie and began making this yesterday. We managed to make the swiss roll, even thought we realised we do not have any scales, so it was all guesswork! Our tiny weeny oven was great, although Sophie and I stood and watched it cook the whole time, not trusting it not to burn! We left it to cool overnight so we could go and buy icing sugar today, as Ian had been unsuccessful in the search for cream! We have totally made up the recipe for the icing, but it seems to be ok now. Ian and William sensibly left the flat to go and play football while we did this lat bit. During this whole process, Sophie has had to write out the recipe, we have photographed the whole process and we have ended with writing a little piece about why we eat it! Did you all know, this is because it symbolises a large log which was traditionally burned in the hearth? No, we didn't either! So, our challenge of making a cake with no scales, a tiny oven and sparse ingredients is over. It seems ok, surely the kids will love it, it's chocolate after all! We shall see.

Our week started ok, we weren't too tired and it was lovely to catch up with everyone and see how their holidays had been. Sophie proudly took her teacher presents to school and tried to calm her excitement down a little! Monday passed by in a blur or meetings and an ever-growing to do list for me. The announcement that the Grade Coordinator position was open to all came at last, but I have decided not to apply. My family has to come first, and I have seen the stresses and strains of this job and I just like teaching for now. I know some people have been shocked by this, but Ian and I have discussed this long and hard and we agree this is the best option. Tuesday was fun, as Ian was in school with us, covering for Ms Maddi who was delayed in UK due to illness. Yet another meeting after school increased the ever increasing to do list sadly, and morale was sinking already. This week has been assessment week, so Sophie has been revising (to an extent!), and has done assessments in Chinese, English and Math. We shall see this week how she has done, but she has asked to go to the Math homework club to help her learn more things....what could we say?!!! Once a week after school will be well worth easing the pain of trying to make a young teenager complete her homework! This week ended on a high for Sophie as she was awarded with a certificate in assembly on Friday afternoon. Each week, 2 students from each class get a certificate and are able to wear a small version around their neck every day until next Friday. Sophie was awarded one for showing the virtue of responsibility and her teacher tells me she has improved so much she is really pleased with her. She agreed with us that she has grown over the holidays and has just become a much more responsible and independent young lady. Hooray, we cried!!

On Friday we decided we would invite our friends, Kevin and Victoria round for dinner and Ian planned to make lasagne. Again, no mean feat with our excuse for an oven, but he decided to give it a go! He told the ayi we would be doing this and she was intrigued. At this, she showed us something she had bought for her family's tea, which was a boiled egg. No normal boiled egg, however, as Ian found out (See pics!!!) but a duck egg. OMG!!!! It was this green gelatinous thing which just stank! Ian bravell took a (small) bite and nearly brought it straight back. I didn't get close but the children stupidly smelt it. Enough said.

Lasagne went well, and we had another enjoyable evening with our friends, although we were all pooped by about 10.30pm as it has been one long week. Ian's Chinese classes have finished, so he will be starting a new term tomorrow, this time on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Sadly, the school have decided to change their minds about needing him full time, which caused us much pain and annoyance, but Ian is very philosophical about it as always.....we shall see what turns up.

We have had a lazy weekend and we are still a bit tired, yesterday we went out in search of gloves for William and other such exciting items. The weather has got much colder and snow is forecast. We are not the only ones suffering from freezing homes, but it is a world of layering, bed socks, thermal underwear, quilted pyjamas and electric blankets. And I wondered why I had never seen the Chinese feature on a the Top 10 most romantic nations! And I have to say at this point that we did see a pregnant lady in proper fluffy PJs with teddy bears on them in the supermarket yesterday. Wow.

Yesterday evening we went to our friends' Suzanne and Mark's house for the children to exchange presents and catch up. We drank G&T and discussed our holidays, then went to a fab Italian restaurant called DaMarco's. It was lovely and the children were all well behaved. As Suzanne and I agreed, if the children like the food they behave and we can relax. Sadly the table next to us were smoking, but you can't win them all. Nathan fought the urge to sleep, he is still struggling with jetlag, but he made it past 7.30pm which was great! Today we have lazed again, with a trip to Hong Mei to finally buy some warm gloves for William, and lunch at Johnny Moo's. We were in CityShop first buying icing sugar and bumped into Suzanne and Mark again, another teacher from school, and a friend of Sophie's from school also. We kept chatting with Chloe and her parents, and ended up having lunch althogether at said cow establishment. Chloe's dad is from Quebec and mum is from Singapore and it's great to hear another perspective on life in Asia. We went back to their place for a cuppa so the kids could play which was lovely. Very civilised!

We have also today booked the children's birthday party at our pottery making place down the road from here...although we had a minor hiccup with them, it is good value and something different for a party. We will be there on 7th Feb and the children have chosen 6 friends each...pizzas and cake will follow and the kids will be able to keep what they have made, so a lovely party bag item (if a week later!).

Time difference has been one of those challenges this week as we have tried to talk to friends and family back home without success as yet. There are all sorts of things that you forget about being challenges while you are away. We had several power cuts early in the week and have now realised that we just have to be selective about what we use together. It is better than before, but there are limitations. I am so pleased with my xmas present from mum, as I chose some big heavy long black boots which make me look like a biker, but are the most comfy, warm things ever. They have succeeded in keeping me warm and comfy in my horrible times this week.....practicality has sadly taken over from fashion for a while.

Sadly, I am about to embark on a "mark-athon" as I have my whole class English papers to mark, in addition to the usual marking and planning. Ian is pleased that I will be around to help him stay awake until midnight when some football match starts...don't think it's important or anything!!!! This week will bring more challenges, I am sure....we will keep you updated. And the blog next week should be all the more interesting as we are planning to go to a Burlesque show on Saturday evening!!! Yes, you read right...Suzanne has a friend she went to High School with who is now called 'Indigo Blue' and is a burlesque dancer. By chance, she is coming here to perform with her 'troupe'? and we have agreed to go together. To be honest, it is something totally different and I would never go to in UK, and it is also in a great location, the Glamour Bar which is on the funky Bund area. So, we shall let you know...I am a touch sceptical to say the leats, but we are here for the experiences!!!

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