I’ve been making notes about some of the things going on in our lives, but haven’t updated the blog recently. For your viewing pleasure, here are some notes from the past.
Our Apartment
When we invite people over to our apartment, time and again we hear, "I used to live here." Even folks that don’t live in China have lived in this apartment. A guy that makes regular trips to China was here a few weeks ago and told us, "I lived here last year."
I think half the foreigners in the city have lived in this apartment at one time or another.
Changing Rooms
I’ve lived a few places in China, and there’s usually some kind of outdoor or pedestrian street market for clothes and every other kind of knick-knack. Most of these shops don’t have changing rooms, but may have a curtain hanging up that they can pull across a corner where people can try on clothes. If they don’t have a curtain hanging up, then they usually have a blanket that they can hold up for you.
A few weeks ago, JP and I were out, and she was looking for a skirt. When we went to the shops, many of them didn’t have changing rooms, curtains, or blankets. When asked why, they told us that it’s too cold for most people to try on clothes (that’s understandable since they don’t bother closing the doors to these shops).
We found one place that did have a changing room, but JP was told that she couldn’t try on the white skirt – she might make it dirty.
Wardrobe Malfunction…of another kind
A Chinese lady friend was wearing a shirt that she picked up from the foreigners’ SWAP. JP complimented her on it, and the lady told her, "Yes, it’s very nice, but it has two layers."
JP notified this mother of a 22-year old, "It’s a nursing shirt."
Friday Night Pizza
Back in the States, Friday nights were for pizza, usually delivered. We finally had a nice Friday night Pizza Hut delivery here a couple weeks ago.
The delivery boy was an Australian friend of ours.
The Pizza Hut is located in a city 2 hours away.
The delivery required two taxis and a train.
As you can imagine, we don’t get pizza delivery very often.
My Chinese Wife
JP doesn’t like my music. It’s just not her cup of tea.
The other day I was listening to some rock from the 70’s and 80’s – Queen, Styx, Foreigner, etc. Stuff I listened to as a kid…some stuff that was produced before JP was born!
JP liked it.
Especially Styx.
The boys did too: “Make it louder!”
Conversations with the Boys
N: "Mommy, where are my pants? There’s something in my pocket."
Mommy: "Which pants?"
N: The one’s with the pockets in front."
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EJ’s head hit my nose.
Me: "Ow, my nose."
EJ: "Ow, my hair."
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EC doing his math work with pencil and paper:
"So you delete the zero?" (erase the zero)
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JP took N to the clinic, and I was left with a crying baby. There was a Kleenex on my desk, which D picked up and started chewing on while sucking his thumb. It was the only thing to get him to stop crying. When JP came home, she asked D, "Why are you eating Kleenexes?!"
He said, "Mmmmmmm."