Track and Field Day at Dulwich

Wednesday the Dulwich Junior School (Reid) had their track and field day.  Reid had a great time and did his best to fight through genetics.  Below is the summary of the day:

• The competition was really between the four "houses" (think Harry Potter).  There were three or four grade levels involved, several hundred kids.
• Reid was in 5 events:  800M run, 4X100M relay, tug-of-war, tennis ball toss, long jump, tri-jump (another long jump).
• In the 4 X 100 relay pictured below, Reid was leg two.  As you can see (blue hat), he took the baton in third place.  What is not pictured is that he blew by the competition, handing off at the end of his 100 in first.  His team finished a close second.
• Reid finished second in his house in the long jump, didn't place overall though.
• The Shackleton House finished second overall all, missing first by only 5 points.
• Final fun fact:  95% of the kids here can't throw a ball to save their life.  In the U.S. it would probably be about 30%.  One of the teachers told us that they still play tee ball here until the 5th grade...

Rowan Settles In

It’s not uncommon to see people using the great outdoors to relieve themselves here;  which is, of course, pretty shocking when you first arrive.  On earlier trips to China, I counted 17 people (mostly adults) in a two week span peeing on the side of the road as we drove around town. 

One day we’re at Times Square with no bathroom in sight and Rowan gives his typical .002 second warning that he has to pee (more like he is currently peeing).  So I grab him and head off to the bushes thinking that we were at least not going to let fly on the side walk (also not uncommon, especially for children).  This event was repeated in the following week.  Rebecca and I of course thought it was funny and I think the phrase “when in China…” may have slipped out of my mouth at the time.

Not long after that, Rebecca was walking him home from the school bus when Rowan all of a sudden runs ahead to the front door.  As she turned the corner, there she found him in all of his glory: back to the door, trow dropped, letting a healthy stream loose down our front steps.  Yep, he fits right in.

Roughing It

*Caution – Long Winded Story Ahead*

At the Easter brunch a few weeks ago, several of us were in a conversation with a woman who had been here 10 years with her husband.  Another new arrival asked her why she would be here that long.  The woman referenced the job market and a few other reasons, but finally said “It’s not a rough life really, now is it?”

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting a group from work, in town for business planning.  In the evenings we went to a few different restaurants and of course I convinced them to get foot massages, all the while saying “It’s not a rough life.”  We all shared a chuckle over how much cheaper some of the services were here.

Well, it all came crashing down on the McLain’s today.  Here’s the sequence of unfortunate events:

January - When we first moved into the house, we paid a deposit for gas and water to our real estate agent who handles your accounts for you (not being able to speak Chinese being a small barrier).  Things are paid for up front here, so the real estate agent was to tell us when we were close to running out.

Last Month – Our real estate agent left her company, which is not uncommon.  There was no notification from them.

Last Week – After not hearing anything from the real estate company, I get a cryptic call asking if we still want them to manage our utilities.  I replied “yes.”  Since the agent is out of Shanghai and wouldn’t be in town until next week, we agreed to settle up then.  At the time I thought maybe there was something wrong because I’m finding that they aren’t really proactive.  I should have gone with my gut.

This morning – no water.  Maybe it’s a rough life sometimes…

Bizarre Foods - Dunkin' Donuts Edition?

On the surface things looked great, but then they went horribly wrong...

Ads from the Weekly Circular

Made in Germany with almonds grown in California, to be sold in China.

Probably can be found in Miami, where the conch fritters are bountiful.

Some things should never happen.  Anything with the word "bung" in it just does not appeal to me.

Livin’ the Dream

Saturday, Rebecca and I attended a cruise (proceeds went to charity) around the large canal surrounding Suzhou.  Below are some shots and a few notes…

Picture from the docks, awaiting takeoff.

Sounds like "high society", right?  Then someone's head gets taken off by the low bridge.  Note his wife is there to make sure that she doesn't have to file any paperwork later.

There were a lot of great bridges and houses outlined in lights.

A float of a boat?

Easter 2011

It all started Saturday since Good Friday isn’t recognized as a holiday here.  We went to a potluck lunch put on by the neighborhood association.  There was a large amount of food, which was especially delicious given how authentic the dishes were.  Mmmm, Swedish meatballs cooked by a Swede.  Also, there was an Easter egg hunt for the toddlers and a neighborhood wide scavenger hunt that freed the parents up for a good hour or so.

On Sunday we attended a “sunrise” service at SIF (Suzhou International Fellowship).  The quotes are because no one here really knows when the sun rises exactly, things just gradually get lighter.  Anyway, it was nice since it was outdoors and the music and the message were right on. 

I didn’t think about it until I got here, but our pastor must have a really tough time connecting in his weekly sermons to all of the expats with different backgrounds.  It’s hard enough in the states for interdenominational churches to find common ground, but at least we’re united by a (mostly) common history in the U.S.  My guess is that the salvation message at Easter must be somewhat of a relief to deliver because he can just dive right in, as opposed to worrying about thinning out the message to fit the audience.

Below are a few pictures of the of the weekend.

People above the service were taking pictures of us and never came down to participate.

Finally, Ninja Legos!  Can't think of a more appropriate way to celebrate.

He could have gotten at least two more lollipops in there if we had let him.