East Meets West-A little Piece of Heaven

Lately, many things have caused me to be looking around at the vast variety of people here in Beijing.  I have never been in a city with such diversity of people living here from all kinds of countries and cultures.  I think of NYC being this way, but I have never lived there, so I can't testify from personal experience.  I am amazed at all of the different places represented here in one place.  For those that don't know, Beijing is the capitol of China and is obviously a business epicenter, so there are people from all continents and countries for diplomatic, business, teaching, and missions/volunteering purposes. 

The first place that causes me to notice and be thankful for this is the church we attend.  I like to say that it is a little piece of what heaven will be like.  It is a non-denominational church where people from all over the world gather together to worship the One True God and to study His Truth.  People stand side by side in a huge auditorium (this is just the English service; there are many services in other languages that happen during the week as well) and sing songs they know and some songs they don't know in humble adoration of the Source of Life.  To me, it is the closest I will witness this side of Heaven of what it will be like to sing together from all nations.  What a blessing!

Another place that made me ponder this realization was this last week at Jackson's school.  They had International Day where families were asked to bring a dish of their country's heritage to share.  The gymnasium was filled with tables and each country was represented.  Families took great pride in their "home" by cooking traditional dishes and dressing in native attire.  It was beautiful.  The women of Bangladesh and Pakistan stood out to me as being very excited to share about their countries.  Their tables had so much information about their customs, etc, and I loved their beautiful dresses.

Pakistan

Bangladesh

Colombia

Russia

China

Korea

Australia

Taiwan

Japan

Brazil

U.S.A.

Grace made me notice the blend of cultures this week too with the outfit she chose.  A nice traditional Chinese dress with a very American winter puff jacket.  :)

Friday night we went out for my birthday dinner.  I chose Japanese because sushi and sashimi have really become a favorite of mine.  We went to a teppanyaki place where they grill in front of you, also.  Notice after our Japanese dinner came a little American token for me to notice.  They served Wrigley's Doublemint gum.

I really think this is God's desire.  To see His people love each other as neighbors and value each other, look for the best in one another.  It's hard sometimes, but this week I was definitely reminded that I am called to do so.  Now for some all-American fun!  Congrats Cardinals fans (Aunt Mel)!

Culture

A couple of weeks ago Jeff had some engineers visiting Beijing from a city up North in China.  They were here for meetings on a project they are working on.  Part of the culture in China in doing business is to treat clients and fellow businessmen to dinner when they are in town.  In fact, when Jeff has traveled over the past few years to China he is always expected to attend big banquets.  This time Jeff was hosting, so he set up a dinner at an Indian restaurant.  He asked if the kids and I wanted to go, this can be a loaded question.  Yes, I want to go, yes, the kids say they want to go, but you never know quite how their behavior will be at a more formal dinner.  Jeff says that the Chinese LOVE to be around our kids and would really look favorably on us going.  So, we went.  It went pretty good and actually ended up inviting all of them (10 people) over for dinner the next evening.  You might think I'm crazy, but Miss Holly was going to be here the next day and I had told them about my learning how to cook come Chinese dishes.  I told them Holly and I would love to cook dumplings for them.

The next day, Miss Holly and I made 80 dumplings!!  I also made some vegetable dishes and lemon cake.  When our guests arrived, they showed up with chocolate and a big bouquet of flowers.  The Chinese man that spoke the best English, told me that he wanted to give a speech before they even entered our living room.  He said that they were so honored to be invited over and that we would open our home to them.  It was so nice.  He then asked me to play "Amazing Grace" on the piano because we had talked about that song the night before.  It was pretty funny (by American standards) to play the hymn in my home with about 8 co-workers of Jeff's listening.  Jeff actually commented to me later that it reminded him of a funeral.  :)

Anyway, it was a great night, they were so polite and gracious.  Here is a picture of our guests.  It is a hilarious picture because look at my son......what is the expression on his face???  We don't know.  We don't know what it's all about, just that both of our children LOVE to entertain company.

We enjoy learning about the Chinese culture, however there are certain things that are easy for our kids to miss out on from American culture.  Sports is one.  Luckily, there is an organization in Beijing that holds organized sports for children.  Football is not on the list, but baseball and soccer are.  This fall, Jack has been on a t-ball team.  To be a part of the sports season, we are having to drive to the outside of Beijing about 45 minutes there to an expat community called Shunyi.  Many, many expats live out there in American style houses with yards, fences, sidewalks, etc.  There is also a big international school out there.  Although it is a beautiful area and there would be many advantages to living out there, we felt like we would pretty much be cut off from the local Chinese community.  We also did not want Jeff to have to commute.  We are really happy with our decision because it took us about 1 1/2 hours to get home from t-ball last Saturday due to traffic. 

Jack has really enjoyed t-ball though and I must say, he is pretty good at hitting and throwing.  This winter he wants to do football (soccer), so we'll see about that.

Stay tuned for some Halloween fun.  Yes, we will be celebrating.  I actually bought a big orange pumpkin (they had some at the Western grocery store; local farmers grow smaller pumpkins of all colors) and put it oustide my apartment door.  I had two rings at my door that afternoon.  They were concerned employees of the apartment building who thought I had left my pumpkin outside my door by mistake.  I tried to explain in part Chinese, part English the tradition in our culture, but they just laughed and looked at me like I was crazy.  I finally decided to bring it inside because I didn't want someone to take it away! 

Hong Kong

Last week was the Chinese National Holiday week, so everyone was off of work for a week.  Swarms of people flooded Beijing for a once in a lifetime trip to see some of the tourist sites.  We had been advised NOT to go to any of the historical places.  We actually were advised to get out of the city for a vacation.  We decided it would be a great opportunity to fly to Hong Kong.  We waited until later in the week to hopefully miss the crowds which was a wise decision.  Visiting Hong Kong was something we wanted to do and actually Jeff had never stayed there, only flew through there before.

The pictures above are from the highest "Peak" in Hong Kong.  We took a crammed tram straight up the mountain to the top.  Below is a picture of the crammed tram.  We have noticed that the Chinese don't pay much attention to the capacity levels of transit.

We opted for a bus on the way back down which was fun because it was curvy and windy with cliffs you could look out over the island.  Grace didn't particularly like the trip down the mountain due to motion sickness. 

When travelling, some mornings you just wake up and things don't go exactly as you envisioned them.  Our whole family had one of those mornings where everyone was just a little grumpy.  At lunch we decided to take a break and enjoy the finer things in life that lift our spirits.  A mocha and Doritos!

For lunch at the Peak we stopped at a noodle shop called "Mack's Noodles".  It was actually a place that Anthony Bourdain visited and featured on his show on the travel channel.  The noodles were very thin, extremely long (choking hazard), and really good! The service was fast and we didn't pay much.

While we were in Hong Kong we also visited the Disneyland Resort.  It was perfect for our kids.  Jeff and I have never been to the ones in America so I think we were just as giddy as Jack and Grace.  We all had the child-like spirit.  We spent one long day there to wait for the fireworks show above the princess' castle, it was smaller than the ones in America and much cheaper. 

Buzz Lightyear came out of nowhere and surprised us all!

Grace entertaining the crowds before the fireworks show!

Some great things about Hong Kong:

• Friendly cab drivers
• More English speakers
• Felt like NYC with narrow streets, no bicyles
• More diversity of cultures
• Western Conveniences
• Sour Cream served with Nachos at restaurant
   

Experiencing Fall

Experiencing Fall in a different country has had its ups and downs.  We have had some gorgeous fall days, but they are definitely more far and few between.  We do have some changes in the leaf colors but not the vibrant reds and oranges of the Midwest.  I miss that. 

I did decorate our apartment with Halloween and Fall decorations which has been fun.  Jeff also got the kids some costumes and some caramels to make caramel apples when he was back in the U.S.  We do have some Halloween activities we are planning as well.  But....the start of school, the change of the weather, Halloween, the occasional bonfire/hayride, birthdays, and Thanksgiving will not be the same.  I know I'm stating the obvious, but I just feel like I need to draw attention to the fact that there are many things to be thankful for back in the Midwest during the Fall.  "Thanksgiving", the very holiday bears a chance to offer thanks to God.  I recently read in a book called One Thousand Gifts "We only enter in the full life if our faith gives thanks". 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14.  I know that there are many times when I have to lay claim to this passage and the following: Philippians 4:8 "Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

Pure joy in her face.  Why?  Because she is able to fully live in the moment.

Recently, I went to a flower market and picked up a gorgeous big bouquet of sunflowers for less than $10.00.  Here is a picture of a lady I was with and her $10.00 bouquet.  Unbelievable how cheap it was to have something so beautiful.  Yet, we are able to experience God's beauty every day for nothing-just the price it costs to stop and notice. 



A few weeks ago Grace had a bit of a cold that Mr. Li happened to notice.  The next day he brought some remedies for her.  After taking his advice for one day, her cold was practically gone!  Cut the tops off of pears, dig a little whole down into the middle, then put a sugar cube inside.  Put the top back on and steam them on the stove.  When they are soft, allow them to cool, then open the top and scoop out the inside with a spoon to eat.  We all ended up having one.  He also brought her some cold syrup which was grape flavored. 

There is an expat weekly e-mail that I receive here in Beijing that tells about a new restaurant or store to try.  A few weeks ago they told of a place that served Taiwanese food and offered a free meal to the first five responders.  I won, so we went.  We rode our bikes not too far and when we pulled up with our printed off map in hand, Jeff actually asked, "Is this really it?".  It was a hole in the wall, very small, just not what we were expecting.  In fact, the refrigerator/freezer was plugged up OUTSIDE the restaurant and about 5 tables inside.  Of course, we had driven past thousands of local restaurants but have just not been brave enough to try some.  Well, the owner was outside in front, so there was no escaping, we had to be ALL IN.  Jack and Grace were already hesitant as you can imagine so we immediately started in with the bribes, like, "If you just try something and don't make any rude comments we can have dessert when we get home."  We walked in and heard 80's rock music and actually felt a little comfort from it.

We selected about four dishes to share (family style is primarily how you order in China) and it was really good.  Plus, the couple that owns it speaks a little English and we thought, well, we should go back there just to get to know them better!  Just thought I would share that brutally honest story.

Transportation

Transportation is very fun here.  We are venturing out a little more with our ways of getting around.  Jeff recently got a bicycle as well and admittedly says, "Tracy, you were right....I'm so glad we got bikes."  Ha!  Ha! I'm trying not to say, "I told you so". We have taken a couple of family rides for long distances around town.  We also have a couple  in our building that we hang out with who got bikes and we have enjoyed riding with them.

WARNING:  This next story is not for those who get light-headed at blood stories

 (Like our friend M.B.)

At the bike store both times it has taken about an hour for us to choose a bike and then have them attach all of the necessary equipment, i.e. basket, bell, kid seat, lock holder.  Jackson and Grace don't mind being there, in fact, they love touching all the bikes.  Last time we kept asking Grace not to spin the pedals on the bikes.  Well, I think she learned her lesson because a pedal spun up and popped her in the mouth.  She starts screaming and her mouth was gushing with blood.  I thought she had lost a tooth, but no, just busted the inside of her gums.  We had Chinese people flock to her offering to show us the hospital as we are holding tissues up to her mouth.  She was fine, we did not go to the hospital, but it WAS memorable. 

An actual Hello Kitty car!  I'm sure all the little girls reading this will love it!

We have actually been frequenting the subway a little more, primarily when Mr. Li has the day off or just when we have a little more time on our hands.  The kids love the subway.  You get to see more fun things on the subway too.  Here's a fun hat I saw the other day.  "Leave me alone, I am not a lonely guy".  It was actually a girl wearing the hat.

Here's my friend Jenni's new transportation.  It has side doors for winter time too.  This is not a typical motorbike, so she has been turning some heads.