tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62637699146482889432024-03-19T01:38:44.884-07:00Our Adventures in Chongqing, China Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-793479535103448302013-03-08T18:08:00.002-08:002013-03-08T18:08:56.108-08:00Chinese New Year - Part II<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">I am very sorry for the long break I've taken from this blog. Life has caught up with me and I have been distracted with many other tasks. I feel very guilty for not posting these last few weeks. This post is continued from my pervious post about our stay in downtown Chongqing for Chinese New Year. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">To finish off our already exciting weekend we spent a beautiful afternoon at Nanshun Park. The park, located on top of a mountain, was in eye-sight from the Sheraton and it didn't seem far way. </span>Looks can be very deceiving. <span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">All four families loaded up into four taxi's (chuzeche). The path up a mountain is not a straight road, instead it's many curvy and windy roads. The taxi's raced up together weaving and passing each other like we were in an Indy race. Thirty-five minutes later they dropped us off in a crowded and busy courtyard. It took us about five minutes to regroup all four families and count heads. We've learned to stick together when out on new adventures. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Nanshun Park has spectacular grounds with walking paths that go on forever and it also has a botanical garden area. For this visit we only had time to walk the grounds. We let the kids lead us through the park. Since it was still the winter season in Chongqing much of the landscape was not in full bloom but it didn't matter, it all still looked amazing. We could see the potential of what it would be like in April and May and we'll return again.</span></div>
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After a few hours of exploring we decided it was time to get back to the hotel. It was easy to wave down a taxi at the beginning of the adventure because we were in city limit. Now that we are on top of a mountain flagging a taxi was much more difficult and we needed 4 of them. After 10-15 passed by many of us in the group were considering getting on a pubilc bus and see how far it takes us and figure it out as we go. I wasn't ready for that adventure (just yet). Luckily one of us waved down a taxi van able to take us to the Sheraton. Except it could not fit ALL of us. It was most important to get the kids back safely so we crammed 4 adults and 7 kids in a 7 passenger van. At home we would never do this, but when in China, you do what you gotta do. There wasn't any room for Chris and I so we sent Jake and Casey off in good hands with the other moms (and a Dad). Chris and I stayed back with Mark and Paul. After 10 minutes of waiting for a yellow cab we decided desperate times all for desperate measures, we crammed into a three-wheeler cab. During the ride down the mountain our taxi driver tried explaining in Chinese that he couldn't take us all the way to the Sheraton (that was out of his territory). When we got 1/2 way down the mountain and he dropped of us. Yet again we found ourselves trying to flag down a taxi. This process took another 15-20 minutes when we finally flagged down a taxi van. It was a feeling of relief when we turned the corner and saw the golden towers of the Sheraton just ahead of us. The adventure of getting to a new location is just as exciting as the adventure getting back home.<br />
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For the rest of our time off the week of Chinese New Year we visited some new places. On Monday we went to a Hot Springs Resort. This was one of the many activities on My List that I wanted to do when we arrived in China. Our tutor, Takila, joined for a day of relaxing and soaking in the tubs. It was located just 5 minutes from the Sheraton so it was very easy to get to after we checked out. It was located in the city (there are other natural hot springs outside of the city as well). At the resort there were many warm pool. Some big some small. Some specifically for soaking and relaxing. Others for swimming and playing. The temperatures varied between them. The coolest was similar to a luke warm bath. The hottest was similar to sitting in a "hot tub" back in the States. It was not crowded and we almost had the place to ourselves. We had fun bouncing in and out of pools trying out as many as we could. It was a very relaxing and peaceful location. Everything I envisioned it would be. We ended the day with a light snack at the resort. I don't have any photos to share cameras were not allowed in the hot springs. We came home feeling calm and rejuvenated.<br />
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On Wednesday we headed out of city and drove for 1.5 hours to a Wild Safari Park. You can drive your vehicle through the park (I had visions of Jurrasic Park) to get a close-up look of the animals in their habitats. The Wild Safari Park was a popular place (being the week of Chinese New Year) and we waited 45 minutes for our turn to enter the park. When we got in we were grouped with 10 other cars and given walk-talkies to listen to a park guide as she explained about the animals at each exhibit (it was all in Chinese). Mr. Xiang helped us and would give us the Chinese names for all the animals as we passed them (tiger - laohu, wolf - lang, camel - luotuo, lion - shizi, brown bear - ma xiong). At one point while in the giraffe exhibit we were allowed outside of our vehicles and had a chance for an up close encounter with the giraffes. We purchased leafy branches to feed the giraffes. Casey was especially excited about this.<br />
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After the Wild Safari, while on our way home, we made an impromtu stop at a park in the same city as the Wild Safari. From the side of the road we could tell it was a place we must stop at. We walked around the beautiful grounds and took in all the Chinese architecture. The kids enjoyed climbing the many stairs up to pagoda (baota).<br />
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We ended our Chinese New Year week with a Poker Run. Chris and I coordinated it and 4 other families who recently arrived in China just like us. The idea was that we stopped at each house for only 1 hour for a chance to tour their homes, enjoy a drink/snack and before leaving we each received a poker card. After each stop we all loaded into our vehicles and drove to the next location. Five hours later we ended at the Ly's house for evening of hanging out and getting to know each other better. At the Ly's house we each had five poker cards and could trade in 1 card of our choice for a new card before we played our hands. The winner of the Poker hand was: ME. I won with three Ace's. Nick (Ly's son) came in a close second with three 2's. It was an very eventful evening with good friends and good food and a great way to end our Chinese New Year week.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-89039696080652132412013-02-16T15:58:00.000-08:002013-02-16T15:58:03.646-08:00Chinese New Year 2013 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Chinese New Year (Xin Nian Kuai Le), the most important traditional Chinese holiday, is celebrated on the first day, of the first month, of the Chinese calendar (based off the lunar calendar). It is also called Spring Festival and lasts for 15 days. It is custom for family members to travel to their home towns and spend time with each other. Many businesses are shutdown for an entire week to recognize the holiday. Windows and doors are decorated with red paper banners, red lanterns are hung all around, and at night the area shines with colorful lights (similar to Christmas lights). On Chinese New Year Eve it's custom to light fireworks starting as early as 7am and continuing all through the night and for the next 15 days. The biggest fireworks happening on the Eve and actual New Year's Day. </div>
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This year Chinese New Year was on Sunday, February 10, 2013. It's the year of the Snake (Chinese Zodiac). I was born during the year of the Snake, will this be a lucky year for me? To celebrate the holiday we spent the weekend at the Sheraton Hotel, on Nanbin Road, across the river from downtown Chongqing. Nanbin area is a hot spot (popular and spicy food) with many restaurants, night clubs and walking paths along the riverfront. Three other Ford families (the Ly's, Hayley's and Woytowich's) joined us for a weekend of activities including a cable car ride across the Yangtze River, games in the hotel, a traditional dinner on New Year's Eve, a lighted water show, fireworks extravaganza, and a trip to Nanshun Park (which I'll go into further detail on a separate post). Our rooms were all on the 22nd floor of the Sheraton and this kids thought this was awesome as they could freely travel to each of our rooms and visit their buddies. </div>
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A view of the Sheraton hotel.</div>
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Inside the lobby of the hotel was a traditional Chinese New Year decoration. A tree with Chinese red envelopes hung from it. Red envelopes with money inside are given out as gifts during this holiday.</div>
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Playing Junior Monopoly and Twister. </div>
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Out for a walk along the riverfront with the skyline of downtown behind.</div>
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We took a ride on the Yangtze River Cableway and saw the city from a different perspective.</div>
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Looking at the Sheraton Hotel from the cable car. </div>
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More views from the cable car.</div>
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On New Year's Eve we reserved a private room at a local restaurant along Nanbin Road called Wei Dao Chongqing. Chinese dinners is served family style and dishes are brought out to the middle of the table and set on a spinning wheel. Because it was a holiday and we had a large group of 15, the restaurant asked us to pre-order our meal. Two days ahead of time, Alison and I select our food for the evening. This was a challenge. The menu was all in Chinese but luckily there were photos of every dish and we could pick some familiar items but we also took a chance on a few others. A pork and mushroom dish, noodle soup, and tofu were some of the favorites from our group. </div>
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Most of the kids dressed up in Chinese outfits. Front row (left to right): Casey, Nathan, Jack, Jake, Claire. Back row: Jacqueline and Nick</div>
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Later in the evening we walked along the river to a water show. It was a spectacular display with water, lights and music all synchronized together. </div>
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The girls: Alison, Jessica, Nikki, Chanley | The guys: Mark, Chris, Mike, Paul</div>
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After the water show we walked down closer to the river where there was a designated area to light up fireworks. To my surprise a show was not provided by the city (that was a disappointment). Instead locals purchase their own fireworks and are allowed to light as many as they want all through the evening. They do a very good job. Along with fireworks many locals were carefully lighting lanterns and sending them in the air. A sense of calmness came over me as I watched the lanterns float gently into the sky. They do this to send off their good wishes for the New Year. Our group purchased a lantern but unfortunately it was confiscated before we could get it into the air. The police patrolled the riverfront and we learned the hard way that it was illegal to send up the lanterns. We were not sure why, but only assumed it had to do with air traffic control. </div>
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After the water show and fireworks our group moved up to the hotel lounge. We had a view of the river and the action below us. We brought a large array of snacks and had our own private room for the kids to run around and play. At 11pm the lounged closed so we moved back down to the 22nd floor and rang in the new year together in one room, while the kids watched a movie in another room. At midnight the city rumbled with an abundance of fireworks to celebrate the New Year. It was incredible!</div>
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We all slept in very late the next morning and enjoyed a later breakfast buffet in the lounge. Our plan for the second day was to drive up the mountain to Nanshun Park to see views of the city and walk the landscaped grounds. To be continued.......</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-87993754724323209792013-02-05T22:45:00.001-08:002013-02-05T22:45:29.545-08:00Dumpling Lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Few weeks ago I was invited, with a group of friends, to Sue's house for a Dumpling lesson. Sue's husband works for Ford and they live in the same apartment complex as us. When we arrived Sue had already prepared the ingredients and had a station setup to make the dumplings. The meat mixture consisted of: ground pork, finely chopped napa cabbage, chopped green onions, cooking wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, and salt/pepper. The wraps can be made from scratch or bought at the local grocery store (pre-made). </div>
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Step 1: Put a small amount of meat in the center of the wrap. </div>
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Step 2: Wet your fingers with water and tap it lightly around the inside edges of the wrap. </div>
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Step 3: Close the wrap at the top, then at the sides, and pinch it closed tightly. </div>
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Step 4: Carefully place a few dumplings in boiling water. When the dumplings float to the top they are fully cooked (about 5-7 minutes). You have to carefully watch the pot during this step. When the water returns to a boil after you have put in the dumplings you need to continually add a little cold water to the pot. You don't want the water at a rumbling boil while the dumplings are in there otherwise they will burst apart. </div>
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Step. 5: Eat them with some soy sauce. Mmmmmm.... </div>
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Note: They were slippery little things and add that to my inexperienced chopstick skills and it was a comic show watching me get them to my mouth. I wasn't the only one and a few of us had a good laugh over this. </div>
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While we enjoyed our dumplings Sue also prepared some traditional Chinese side dishes: deep fried green beans dish and a chicken and snow peas dish. They were delicious as well. It was a lovely day with new friends and good food. I will definitely be making dumplings for dinner sometime very soon. And hopefully more Chinese cooking lessons as well. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-52494513990596861942013-02-05T18:17:00.001-08:002013-02-06T22:57:42.370-08:00Ciqikou<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently we had the opportunity to visit a very unique location in Chongqing. It is called Ciqikou (sitcheekoo). This ancient village is over 1700 years old and it was famous for its production of porcelain. It is located on the Jia Ling River and was also used as a shipping port. Over the years the porcelain industry has faded and Ciqikou has turned into a tourist spot and a place for locals to setup their own shops and sell a variety of gifts and souvenirs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The architecture and ancient feel of the village has been preserved. As you walk along the flag stone paved streets you can find hand-painted art, traditional Chinese clothing, tea houses, scarves, photographs, jewelry, embroidery workshops, assortment of local food, musical instruments, carved bamboo pieces and so much more. I had the opportunity to go with a group of friends two weeks ago and we purchased outfits for our children to wear at a upcoming Chinese New Year party at school. My good friend Nikki purchased a beautiful embroidered print of pandas. The framed artwork was 6'x2'. At the end of the day four of us carried the artwork up over our heads through crowded streets and alleys to our car waiting outside the village.The locals were throughly entertained by the silly American women hauling this artwork all on their own.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Then a week later I went back with Chris, the kids, Takila (our Chinese tutor) and Mr. Xiang. We had a hands-on Chinese lesson at Ciqikou with Takila. We learned some new phrases and words specific to that area. And she shared many Chinese traditions with us.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHi3E-fndmw69rmw35OEORGI6pye489qYjbHVufORRvh4lnzkcItQMDoe4krTc6A0PkMTLTEwQRMRE6jUA4vu6aT1kRSTznFU-AjIsAazl-QodCe5gMU-jjChN69sFaCcnRg4dvAjZ-i4/s1600/DSC06405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHi3E-fndmw69rmw35OEORGI6pye489qYjbHVufORRvh4lnzkcItQMDoe4krTc6A0PkMTLTEwQRMRE6jUA4vu6aT1kRSTznFU-AjIsAazl-QodCe5gMU-jjChN69sFaCcnRg4dvAjZ-i4/s400/DSC06405.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the main street of the village with Jessica (left) and Alison (right). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wall of Chinese proverbs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alison and I stopped into this postcard shop. We bought some postcards and on our way out signed our name on this wall of signatures and message from visitors who can been there before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chongqing is decorated with these red lanterns for Chinese New Year. They are everywhere and it's beautiful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Artisan making glass figurines and jewelry. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peppers, peppers and more peppers. Locals like their food spicy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the middle of Ciqikou is a temple. You can pay 5rmb (less than $1) to walk up to the temple and sit inside and kneel before a Budha statue and make your wishes for good things in the coming year. Locals come here 2-3 times a year to make their wishes and light candles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwTRdaFmPmOIjmT8JPbNbmZvXackl0NFoxnoR0qsPZm7EOlNUYQBMKHeUYtGnX1HBbB3HkRg7iQf2KeYsjS2i6Myj8Z1V5d2QpcU9bw0l6BtXMuZqHSDdkFn5WaLleaTIhB9zU8uSDpY/s1600/DSC06488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitwTRdaFmPmOIjmT8JPbNbmZvXackl0NFoxnoR0qsPZm7EOlNUYQBMKHeUYtGnX1HBbB3HkRg7iQf2KeYsjS2i6Myj8Z1V5d2QpcU9bw0l6BtXMuZqHSDdkFn5WaLleaTIhB9zU8uSDpY/s320/DSC06488.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbZ5qMTWCfw6ZKZkmCYnxiurUZs8kzki3CKVEgRhXM-dndUKloVa2eZRrtJCRRfk8P6x9G-XEmF-zct8S8CDcUzEaTmAdtDtFyoQBLjduoupGeFHPbcGICRD0S8nU44rojfW_BPpm7PU/s1600/DSC06513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPbZ5qMTWCfw6ZKZkmCYnxiurUZs8kzki3CKVEgRhXM-dndUKloVa2eZRrtJCRRfk8P6x9G-XEmF-zct8S8CDcUzEaTmAdtDtFyoQBLjduoupGeFHPbcGICRD0S8nU44rojfW_BPpm7PU/s320/DSC06513.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the way up to the temple Casey and Jake put money into a small crevices of this statue and made a wish (similar to our wishing ponds). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tradition is for men (boys) to enter and exit the temple on the left side of the doorway with their left foot first, and women (girls) to enter and exit on the right side of the doorway with their right foot first. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kp0kqU6H0nC9S0-5H91WuGKqCFIHXzMi0DgqQz7X1d-8cUbKhgHF-Cn9HMAKYbERwLnsbPNMGSzdcbhdGE2s9f6U998snzU_GYXtX9lYXlZA7uiZ5RpeiTmKVJp4o4CLxX3BPk9zFK0/s1600/DSC06494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kp0kqU6H0nC9S0-5H91WuGKqCFIHXzMi0DgqQz7X1d-8cUbKhgHF-Cn9HMAKYbERwLnsbPNMGSzdcbhdGE2s9f6U998snzU_GYXtX9lYXlZA7uiZ5RpeiTmKVJp4o4CLxX3BPk9zFK0/s320/DSC06494.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP56cmoTrR_mU3qkgW0Pm0VCYnduU2xYBvHSK4-Q0WWMWUh_RK4mN6bE70mTGqUIyYnxWjEfvzVnJvzd_NWUMG43Z2XO-yvPVhk9OWg-yKF6eJt8Ty_LMfmRbSct-rRZTd1D7MiI9y1_Y/s1600/DSC06502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP56cmoTrR_mU3qkgW0Pm0VCYnduU2xYBvHSK4-Q0WWMWUh_RK4mN6bE70mTGqUIyYnxWjEfvzVnJvzd_NWUMG43Z2XO-yvPVhk9OWg-yKF6eJt8Ty_LMfmRbSct-rRZTd1D7MiI9y1_Y/s320/DSC06502.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjCW_gi7-kbAf97pY-WrG03gXahbn4iuHd2qYvPsD6QCjWNcH2rcSX-NRwN2z8zHKrWMpYQtUE3b064g_EjPXGysolM4JpExnZeNCx1kBOCyWDLWZdy2_2fMvpBRY0JBwb9Hw3YaSxzM/s1600/DSC06489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjCW_gi7-kbAf97pY-WrG03gXahbn4iuHd2qYvPsD6QCjWNcH2rcSX-NRwN2z8zHKrWMpYQtUE3b064g_EjPXGysolM4JpExnZeNCx1kBOCyWDLWZdy2_2fMvpBRY0JBwb9Hw3YaSxzM/s320/DSC06489.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RE-DXWf9VEaZOT1f4OEIDSP-Nbp7WcCerOMazkTYhWM91jn5yrm-5uZeSQxQoiqDooplFP4JLwE2dqqoF-kghpLpzG28aFVUex8AePTSIVDK9K6qR3G5O_0SM_P8THL_qY3nbW9LCAk/s1600/DSC06506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5RE-DXWf9VEaZOT1f4OEIDSP-Nbp7WcCerOMazkTYhWM91jn5yrm-5uZeSQxQoiqDooplFP4JLwE2dqqoF-kghpLpzG28aFVUex8AePTSIVDK9K6qR3G5O_0SM_P8THL_qY3nbW9LCAk/s320/DSC06506.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jake and Casey at the top with our Takila. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuTELTQlFzX-JKrhK3AyNG6kt1yEjEwrH3bJ-v6IjHC4tkd3hGVMkyIH8u3SMu9NRw0uH8F5GvPAD33kPkMy9HbfVCyV3ssnFl7ODzq7JBqT5jrXqwgEDim_GKjFN0g1t5D8Pet6crBQ/s1600/DSC06511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBuTELTQlFzX-JKrhK3AyNG6kt1yEjEwrH3bJ-v6IjHC4tkd3hGVMkyIH8u3SMu9NRw0uH8F5GvPAD33kPkMy9HbfVCyV3ssnFl7ODzq7JBqT5jrXqwgEDim_GKjFN0g1t5D8Pet6crBQ/s400/DSC06511.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking down at the Ciqikou village and Jia Ling river is on the left. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along the river there is a food court type area and also a kids area with bounce house, rides and carnival games.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deep fried Chinese cookies called ma hua.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMPQPeslBGN7-xzcEph83L9byfDvCM_NSIqOYzjEj4XVJI0cScHvdB6S7dlgMHu0YqGh52e_xnrpcrEaZcLZl10iEPDQRe32BTNAyHF2x6_QDXA0qRD_ZM8U5kcktpZdC1v3RfmfMzGc/s1600/DSC06524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMPQPeslBGN7-xzcEph83L9byfDvCM_NSIqOYzjEj4XVJI0cScHvdB6S7dlgMHu0YqGh52e_xnrpcrEaZcLZl10iEPDQRe32BTNAyHF2x6_QDXA0qRD_ZM8U5kcktpZdC1v3RfmfMzGc/s400/DSC06524.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This guy is making potato noodles. The pot in front is the noodle batter. He puts the mixture (very thick) into the strainer. He then pounds the noodle batter through a strainer and long noodles droop and hang then he cuts them off and they fall into a pot of boiling water. They cook for 2 minutes then he pulls them out and puts them into the other pot of water. They sit there until they are sold. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is one of my favorite spots at Ciqikou where you can purchase sugar art on a stick. The technique of making these masterpieces is incredible. I could sit and watch for hours. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ciqikou is a place we'll visit often.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-87949451895164591402013-01-31T22:53:00.000-08:002013-02-05T18:19:54.857-08:00Haircuts & Trip to Zhao Mu Shan Mountain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last Saturday morning after Chinese lessons at home (more info coming in a future post) we ventured out to get haircuts for Chris and Jake and then our plan was to hike a local mountain for some exercise and sightseeing. </div>
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Their scruffy appearance and the fact that it had been 8 weeks since their last haircut was all the motivation to find a salon and experience this since arriving in China. Per a recommendation from our friend Jessica we went to a salon next to one of the local grocery stores we shop at. We asked Mr. Xiang to come in with us incase we had any problems communicating. We walked in and immediately Jake and Chris were brought back to the washing station. Mr. Xiang was very kind and stayed with Jake the entire time to comfort him. While the boys were getting a 10 minute wash and head massage I was trying to figure out how to communicate to the stylist what I wanted for Jake's hair. I looked around at the hair-do's of the stylists (all males) and many were big, poofy, and 80s inspired. Finally I found a stylist with a cut similar to Jake. After Jake sat in the styling chair I hand gestured the other stylist over to Jake's chair and pointed to his haircut and then to Jake's head and hoped they understood what I meant. </div>
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Jake was a good trooper and sat nicely. I also peeked in at Chris to see if he was managing okay as well. He seemed to be doing fine. After their cuts they went back to the washing station for a second rinse and massage. Then back to the chair for a blow dry. The Chinese don't use hair products like gels, mousse, creams and hairsprays. Jake's hair can be styled without product however Chris's hair requires gel so that it doesn't become a big afro. After the haircuts we had plans to go sightseeing but we made a pitstop back at home to style Chris's hair with some gel. To spare him the embarrassment I didn't post a photos of his head with out the product. Next time we'll bring some of our own products for styling. Here are my handsome boys!</div>
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After the pitstop at home we took a short drive to a local park called Zhao Mu Shan. It's a large mountain with walking paths, ponds, ancient walls, buildings, and picnic areas. We hiked up the mountain enjoying each little new surprise around each corner.</div>
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We explored for 90 mins at Zhao Mu Shan and saw many wonderful things. Next time we go we'll pack a picnic lunch and make it a longer trip and really absorb all it's beauty. On our way back down the mountain we chatted with two locals. One spoke very good English and was a English teacher at a local university. His English name happened to be Chris. He was very excited to talk to us and find out where we are from. He has a daughter living in the States and he visits her 3-4 times a year. He is only in Chongqing until the end of February then he will be traveling to Mexico for 10 months for a teaching assignment. He asked us if he could meet again and show us an area of the city. We exchanged contact info and will try to see him again before he leaves. The second local only spoke Chinese and I was very impressed with the 5 minute conversation Chris had with him in Chinese. Chris was able to understand the questions he was asking like: why we are in Chongqing, how old are our kids, where we are from etc...When we reached the bottom we all smiled at each other said "Zaijian" (Goodbye) and we were on our way back home. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-37895946701365350432013-01-23T05:43:00.000-08:002013-01-23T05:43:10.332-08:00Daily Life in China - January 2013In addition to my regular posts, once a month I will post random photos that will capture our daily life in China.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UnuttL28kT2Kssl3XA6mMlatMZhE3PqSL38ykD7QvC8W8tuS5mLKYGRDWB5mG6TiVkfBYNRLd_jGkOf_QQgV4Gxf74fiCxU89PzFUOzxbPiFPQZ-dtRcniKddnGTrr60UhOlnPtzp-M/s1600/IMG_2624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5UnuttL28kT2Kssl3XA6mMlatMZhE3PqSL38ykD7QvC8W8tuS5mLKYGRDWB5mG6TiVkfBYNRLd_jGkOf_QQgV4Gxf74fiCxU89PzFUOzxbPiFPQZ-dtRcniKddnGTrr60UhOlnPtzp-M/s400/IMG_2624.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Casey and Mr. Xiang (our driver) at the local grocery store. Many, if not all of the grocery stores are in the basements of large buildings. To get up and down with your shopping cart they have convenient escalator ramps. Jake and Casey really enjoy this part of shopping.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWgqY03DuKyVRnmlTtDForqS-Lis8YT8m3fyUy5QjNkYIov37yBZ9YT-tw6K3g03XuITbXe0l8krDx82b1zXM_1Nvye0hFIhrRpt7Aocim-kKDCU_wfH0omPtrn1PyMf8vpJFyb21YkU/s1600/IMG_2625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWgqY03DuKyVRnmlTtDForqS-Lis8YT8m3fyUy5QjNkYIov37yBZ9YT-tw6K3g03XuITbXe0l8krDx82b1zXM_1Nvye0hFIhrRpt7Aocim-kKDCU_wfH0omPtrn1PyMf8vpJFyb21YkU/s400/IMG_2625.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmV4a_FuoVVI6hG_plY9BBsjmxCp_KR0UwDGev2bBXAamnxe0KOshhL_mMd1PFz5stwut67-on0U-m8Ge_2Yks-OpA6TMQnOqYQG-PHQ6x0HmvyXAEW_4TmvDsViOQniB9_02rZ8IgaQ/s1600/IMG_2628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkmV4a_FuoVVI6hG_plY9BBsjmxCp_KR0UwDGev2bBXAamnxe0KOshhL_mMd1PFz5stwut67-on0U-m8Ge_2Yks-OpA6TMQnOqYQG-PHQ6x0HmvyXAEW_4TmvDsViOQniB9_02rZ8IgaQ/s400/IMG_2628.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Mr. Xiang is helping Chris order Jaozi (dumplings with a meat filling) our the local market. We brought them home and learned the hard way about the proper way to store jaozi. If you do not eat them the same day you purchase them, you should lay them out individually (so they are not touching each other) on a plate or cookie sheet and either keep them in the fridge or freeze them. Otherwise, if you keep them in the bag (like we did) in the fridge overnight they will all stick to each other. The next day it was difficult to break them apart as they were all stuck in one big clump. I did salvage a few of them and we boiled them in water for 5-6 minutes and enjoyed them at dinner. Today I learned how to make my own jaozi. I'll save more details about that for a future post. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZgr5HbddReIlwD0bXBWW6oxUtEanw2vKK7u5phVJe3uHkERTmmPv03nVDb6DxvfOoEbFcT9vKYUEa9L1giDeLQSzLCn-yXJVdSrF6R8K5TZep05GW1yLR3WsJkAxNJXvhJLYuN_62xQ/s1600/IMG_2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZgr5HbddReIlwD0bXBWW6oxUtEanw2vKK7u5phVJe3uHkERTmmPv03nVDb6DxvfOoEbFcT9vKYUEa9L1giDeLQSzLCn-yXJVdSrF6R8K5TZep05GW1yLR3WsJkAxNJXvhJLYuN_62xQ/s400/IMG_2521.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Jake was shocked at the over sized hanger. Is this for a Chinese giant?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt-Y_EMoUfQMamCXw_RkmTD8NderXDd3f0uiahjLd-913Yf1W4AJeKPCT4sumtU3zbnGRgqaRKHyQQa0YQzT80TwBrUzM9alTMSw9g9FutSAPnbwMTNXErIy1kjOD7c2c_5o9tpXBHdo/s1600/IMG_2539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt-Y_EMoUfQMamCXw_RkmTD8NderXDd3f0uiahjLd-913Yf1W4AJeKPCT4sumtU3zbnGRgqaRKHyQQa0YQzT80TwBrUzM9alTMSw9g9FutSAPnbwMTNXErIy1kjOD7c2c_5o9tpXBHdo/s400/IMG_2539.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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While grocery shopping we came across the live seafood section. I explained to Casey that this is not a pet store, instead this is dinner. We saw fig fish, little fish, eel, octopus, turtle, crab, you name it, they had it. All of it was fresh and you could select what you wanted and have it butchered right there.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFv7SQKG08X_-kzp4352xG4x-jsokU1JR0pWZ58SHed5x8ejiGY6vkoZA1ao0vkG7glFSWr-xvc8kLjIZiEpTsWYmBDyJuxzxC-w7mGfu2s__n9L3bRfzyf-WJK7uzyOQXsitLuXTkUI/s1600/IMG_2524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUFv7SQKG08X_-kzp4352xG4x-jsokU1JR0pWZ58SHed5x8ejiGY6vkoZA1ao0vkG7glFSWr-xvc8kLjIZiEpTsWYmBDyJuxzxC-w7mGfu2s__n9L3bRfzyf-WJK7uzyOQXsitLuXTkUI/s400/IMG_2524.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I bought a watermelon the first week here and was surprised when I sliced it open to see a yellow center. After a close examination and taste test we were happily surprised that it was exactly the same as the red watermelons we love.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkyPs8s5mtjFTH4Dbw86r-JkbawxzFGdqEVOEyreSFYQo6l1M4d8Lpf6pYyAn-n4lxD7i27fp90y26wff61abdx8qWnI5diQsTGLSbB4RCnMaS82Gtelgb8R7vsBk677OGNmBMpS9JzQ/s1600/IMG_2636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkyPs8s5mtjFTH4Dbw86r-JkbawxzFGdqEVOEyreSFYQo6l1M4d8Lpf6pYyAn-n4lxD7i27fp90y26wff61abdx8qWnI5diQsTGLSbB4RCnMaS82Gtelgb8R7vsBk677OGNmBMpS9JzQ/s400/IMG_2636.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Casey and Jake playing near a water fountain on our walk home from school. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry5VI9TrOdH63v8G-PFsONCqXVVUA_yeRJ5TFlymWy-cceo3o6fzRinXDNfrBXODBzgf4F2A8fVmuRkg_97IT379ei9QAB33csWoDla0uA6YSFfboxazci22eqA55_9w5vTsXEP9CDIU/s1600/IMG_2673.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry5VI9TrOdH63v8G-PFsONCqXVVUA_yeRJ5TFlymWy-cceo3o6fzRinXDNfrBXODBzgf4F2A8fVmuRkg_97IT379ei9QAB33csWoDla0uA6YSFfboxazci22eqA55_9w5vTsXEP9CDIU/s400/IMG_2673.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last week Mr. Xiang took me to YCIS and I picked up the kids and surprised them to dinner out at a new Tex Mex restaurant with our friends the Hayley's and Woytowichs's. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5B-b0522giuyQvSYpJY3dEsTaczCf1Vnm5k1wx5mOy7vrtcKKRzmnKfhTgTTVrRjVqe9W3ua_SDI_glL9b5Tg4ItmSA18KuQgzXz4TIlqHTQ7ISBddUOzsuZ3Sz6hI1_4Cqj0AP20mY/s1600/IMG_6126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5B-b0522giuyQvSYpJY3dEsTaczCf1Vnm5k1wx5mOy7vrtcKKRzmnKfhTgTTVrRjVqe9W3ua_SDI_glL9b5Tg4ItmSA18KuQgzXz4TIlqHTQ7ISBddUOzsuZ3Sz6hI1_4Cqj0AP20mY/s400/IMG_6126.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Last week my friend Nikki and I went out shopping at the New Century Department Store. On our list was a vacuum, hair dryer and cooling fan. We didn't get everything on our list but had a good time testing out all the products and roaming the different levels of the store. All the shopping made us very hungry. We were both feeling adventurous and decided to eat local. Across the street from the department store was a 'fast food' looking restaurant called Movoc. But instead of burgers and fries (like in the US) this restaurant had all fresh ingredients that is then cooked up to make a soup-like substance and was served with white rice. We were given two baskets and through hand gestures and watching others we figured out that one basket is for veggies and the other for meats. We scanned the options and picked out some familiar things and also some "unknown items". We gave out baskets to the counter and they cooked it into a very tasty (and a little spicy) soup type dish. Nikki and I shared the large bowl, shared a soda and each bought a bottled water. Total cost was 26rmb (little over $4). It was delicious and a place I will return to again someday soon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48Gtq4LUD6BvOmE3rlVQ8HhjxVZNvJAfGwAqISL2Zy8x7Q2gUe-YBJI3NEuu2VnGki2qGSi_gGK2Z_ux7Q7VoW2H36525cMNsfSeTSrVI3efaAPGGJKJSW95xqFzo00dtd98D3bK7FDw/s1600/IMG_3881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48Gtq4LUD6BvOmE3rlVQ8HhjxVZNvJAfGwAqISL2Zy8x7Q2gUe-YBJI3NEuu2VnGki2qGSi_gGK2Z_ux7Q7VoW2H36525cMNsfSeTSrVI3efaAPGGJKJSW95xqFzo00dtd98D3bK7FDw/s400/IMG_3881.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is the squatty potty. Casey and I are getting lots of practice. It's challenging at first but once we you figure it out, it's not so bad. I still prefer a western toilet. When you enter the bathroom you have to look on the wall outside of the stalls to get your toilet paper. If we're lucky there will be some available. If not, I cross my fingers hoping I have some packed in either my purse or backpack.</div>
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On a sunny afternoon after the kids completed their first soccer practice, Chris stepped outside to our courtyard and started some cleanup. This will be his "happy place" after a long week at work. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-23124051873191676162013-01-16T05:37:00.001-08:002013-01-16T05:37:21.252-08:00Reflecting....Tonight I am sitting in our apartment finding myself reflecting on the last 4-5 weeks. We packed up our belonging and sent them on air and sea shipments, said our goodbyes to family and close friends, we loaded our luggage and flew 1/2 way around the world to an unknown country, we settled into apartment, we sent the kids off to an international school and Chris started his job with CAF (Chang'An Ford). Wow! When I stop and process all that, I am amazed that we actually did it!<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">The kids are happy at their new </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">home and adjusting to school really well. They are tired in the evenings, but as we were reminded by their new principal, their minds are working overtime in a new country and hearing and seeing things that are very foreign to them (it's expected for them to be exhausted in the first few weeks.) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"> Chris is doing exceptionally well at CAF and building strong relationships with the Chang'An engineering team while working side by side with them to build the transmission plant. We have received a very warm welcome from all the Ford families here. Also spending lots of time with the families that moved at the same time as us, together we are figuring things out. China is different than what we are accustomed to in the US, however nothing has been too difficult to manage and we are making it by just fine. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">I am very thankful that we are staying healthy and happy during these difficult first months. Sometimes I daydream and think I am in Michigan and have to pinch myself to remind me where I am at. China is a vast country with so much to explore and I'm itching to get started. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-32920388595799574262013-01-14T07:25:00.000-08:002013-01-14T17:16:41.840-08:00Teddy, where are you?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAdM6v8wuynRk_QuMZCexcQo5q53kMXkMo_T4lZhaBkaqOQwkxqte7X5KFv3bgWEj5nLOIjv9VrdKMaIwmLwSzcniS4NuPOXeKd8QPkai8oWJXr23cbcyaV43qAzXgTwu8rhGaK_Yiz0/s1600/DSC06165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzAdM6v8wuynRk_QuMZCexcQo5q53kMXkMo_T4lZhaBkaqOQwkxqte7X5KFv3bgWEj5nLOIjv9VrdKMaIwmLwSzcniS4NuPOXeKd8QPkai8oWJXr23cbcyaV43qAzXgTwu8rhGaK_Yiz0/s320/DSC06165.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a very emotional topic for me but I wanted to share and preserve the memory. After 8+ hours sitting in O'hare airport we boarded our long haul flight to Shanghai. I had the pleasure to sit by Jake for this leg of our journey. It was Jake and I together for the next 14 hours. We checked out all the neat gadgets in our seats, had dinner together and watched movies side by side. I was watching an action flick and I could see his little eyes peer off from his "kid-friendly" movie to watch my screen.<br />
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After a few hours into the flight we reclined our chairs all the way flat and settled in hoping to sleep for 5-7 hours. We found our blankets and pillows and slept side by side. Jake also grabbed his Teddy Bear from his backpack to snuggle with.<br />
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Now let me flashback for a bit. We allowed the kids 1 stuffed animal in our luggage (their backpacks) and a few more in our air shipment and the rest coming in our sea shipment (mostly for Casey). Jake has never been a big fan of stuffed animals, but ever since he was a baby he's always had this small Teddy Bear that would sit on the rail of his bed at night. If Teddy was nearby Jake felt comforted.<br />
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Jake and I both slept great for a total of 7 hours and woke up with only 3 hours until we landed. We both watched another movie and had a light breakfast. When the plane landed we packed up our backpacks and double checked our seats for any belongings. We looked under our seats, our cubby holes, and seat pockets to make sure we didn't leave anything behind. We proceeded to get off the plane in Shanghai airport and walked for 15 minutes to get to Customs. Right when we got to Custom it hit me like a train wreck....... we don't have Teddy in Jake's backpack. But how did we miss him when we checked our seats? Then I realized Teddy must have fallen way behind Jake's seat when it was fully reclined and when we put the seat back upright he was hidden and we had no idea he was back there. I felt so terrible and knew that in a foreign country where I don't speak the language we weren't going to get Teddy back. My eyes welled with tears and I was trying to hold it together. I was so sad that this happened and was disappointed that I didn't pay more attention. Teddy was a comfort piece for Jake and he's gone and we just landed in our new country. I got the courage to explain it all to him and surprisingly he was OK with it. I however was still overwhelmed with sadness and guilt. We talked about all the fun travel Teddy will get to do on that plane and all the neat places he'l go.<br />
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I promised Jake that when we get to Chongqing we'll buy him a new Teddy. On the 4th day after we arrived Jake started asking about getting a new Teddy. We found a small little shop inside the Novo Mall that was across the street from our hotel. There wasn't a huge selection to choose from, but Jake selected a very warm and snuggly Teddy Bear. The bear reminded us of a "special" bear that Jake and Casey's cousin Gavin holds very dearly. As we welcome our newest bear in our new home, we often think about where the original Teddy is flying off to.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-72572138427175610332013-01-10T07:05:00.002-08:002013-01-10T07:05:38.604-08:00Goodbye JW, Hello Palm Springs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Thursday, January 3 after spending 10 nights at the JW Marriott in downtown Chongqing we checked out and on our way to our new apartment complex called Palm Springs. To get there you head north from downtown. It's a 25 minute drive on a good day with minimal traffic. Before leaving the JW we took some photos next to the recently re-decorated lobby area. After the New Year they took down the beautiful large Christmas tree and put up this vibrant tree stringed with red envelopes and spring festival decorations. This is a symbolic image for the Chinese New Year which is coming soon on February 10, 2013. It will be the year of the Snake.</div>
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This is outside our apartment building. Palm Springs is a very large complex with a lake in the middle. There are single family homes, townhouses and apartments in the complex. It's a gated community and we feel very safe here. We are on the ground floor but get the luxury of having a ground floor courtyard off one side of our apartment and off the the backside we have a balcony overlooking a cliff side to the lake in the middle (more photos of that later). </div>
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Another view of our building.</div>
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One of the first meals I made was Mac n Cheese. This is an all time favorite of Casey's and I promised her I would when we got in our apartment. You cannot order Mac n Cheese at any of the restaurants and it is not available in the grocery stores (not even the international ones). I brought 7 boxes in our luggage. One box for each month until we are back in the US again this summer. I do have to admit it was an EXTRA special treat for ALL of us.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-76538740782161719102013-01-10T06:02:00.001-08:002013-01-10T06:02:37.549-08:00Go Badgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Wednesday, January 2, while still in the JW Marriott, our alarm was set to wake us up at 6am. "Why up so early" you may ask? To cheer on our Badgers in the Rose Bowl of course! We slowly crawled out of our beds and got dressed in all our red to cheer on the Badgers playing against Standford in the Rose Bowl. "How do you do that from China?" may be your next question. Thanks to our good friend Ryan, we watched the game via Slingbox (an awesome box which is hooked up to a cable box in Ryan's house in Michigan). We log into our account on slingbox.com and can pick up the cable feed on our laptop. We can even change the channels too. While in China we purchased a HDMI cable and adapter to hookup our laptop the a TV. It felt just like it would be at home watching the game. The quality was "OK" with a few pauses in the connection here and there, but considering where we are living and being able to watch the game live, we'll take what we can get. One thing that I didn't expect was to miss home when seeing local commercials from the Detroit area. During half time we made a quick run up to the breakfast lounge and brought back donuts and bananas along with coffee for Chris (spiked with our own Baileys) and OJ for Chanley (spiked with our own Champagne). It was a good game and the Badgers tried to pull off a win in the end, but an interception on their final drive with 2 minutes in the game ended our hopes of winning the Rose Bowl.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-82892184678246211092013-01-01T06:35:00.000-08:002013-01-10T05:39:15.611-08:00A visit to Paradise Walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last Sunday we took the kids on their first trip on the Subway to an area called Paradise Walk, a public open area with walking paths, a dancing water fountain, lots of shopping plaza and restaurants. While strolling through the park we walked upon two very different forms of Chinese singing and dancing. </div>
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* Sorry if my videos are not working. They were a week ago, and now they are just blank spots. :(</div>
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Casey has taken a special interest in counting all the dragons she sees around town. Before this day her count was at 28. You cannot tell from this photo but in this particular area of the park we were surrounded by 10 totem-like pillars with carvings of dragons in them. There had to have been a hundred dragons total just in this area alone. Needless to say her count increased by a lot on this one visit. </div>
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I took a special interest in watching this guy using a sponge brush and water to write messages on the pavement. I have no idea what it said but watching his craft was very entertaining. </div>
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Casey and Jake are watching the dancing water fountain show programed to music. We caught the last few minutes of it. You cannot tell in the photo below, but in the center of the fountain was a water spray that went up over 30+ feet in the air. Jake and Casey were especially entertained by that.<br />
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It was a fun afternoon of many sights and sounds in this very upbeat and energetic city. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-59332341514550403392012-12-30T19:56:00.004-08:002012-12-30T19:56:59.757-08:00Fun around the town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
On Thursday, December 27, we met the Woytowich's for an evening at the Paulenar, a German restaurant. We toasted to our new life in Chongqing together. We enjoyed BEER, soft pretzels, cheese sticks, sausage, sauerkraut, and the SUPER DOG! </div>
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We ordered two super dogs for the kids (Jake, Casey and Claire) innocently thinking it was a footlong hot dog. After waiting 45 minutes the SUPER DOG arrived....</div>
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It was TWO large bratwursts inside a full-sized baguette topped with ketchup, mustard, pickles, cucumbers, and kraut. We all had a good laugh and learned a valuable lesson: one super dog can feed an army!</div>
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On Friday, December 28 we toured with school with the Woytowich's. Claire, Casey and Jake enjoyed seeing their classrooms and felt comfortable at their new school. The school is called: Yew Chung International School (YCIS). There are 240 students in the school (grades Preschool-12th grade). Each classroom has an English speaking teacher and a Chinese teacher. Our kids will go to school with students from all around the world. After the tour we picked up their uniforms and went over details for the first day of school. On Tuesday, January 8 the bus will pick up Jake and Casey from our apartment complex. I was happy to hear I can ride with them on the first day and get them situated in their classrooms. I may need that extra security more than they will. We were told they will be "buddied up" with another child from their classroom and that buddy will show them the ropes of the school. The school day is 8a.m-3:30p.m., Monday-Friday. Starting in February there are after school activities on Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays and Fridays after school we can sign them up for instrument lessons. I'm looking forward to all the new opportunities coming their way. </div>
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After we finished at YCIS we drove 5 minutes to Alpha Bakery, a cute place that was recommended to us by the other Ford families already here. The atmosphere was welcoming and the sandwiches were excellent. The kids especially liked the hot chocolate. </div>
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Chris with Paul and Alison Woytowich.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-51504411755410252352012-12-30T19:01:00.002-08:002012-12-30T19:27:38.989-08:00Meet Our Driver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_8OuT_SLKRQH87J4aur5KKVQ8l0P7e0c5_BAX_VbjWnLOcYQ7RITMgVHPknTbgIK_L_Br85IbZ8Ul43wbE95liyfrffeO2LctQgFojweMO_-0hOz1qRrcHA3epgfEMbXXHPbfIPhEMw/s1600/DSC06113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg_8OuT_SLKRQH87J4aur5KKVQ8l0P7e0c5_BAX_VbjWnLOcYQ7RITMgVHPknTbgIK_L_Br85IbZ8Ul43wbE95liyfrffeO2LctQgFojweMO_-0hOz1qRrcHA3epgfEMbXXHPbfIPhEMw/s400/DSC06113.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is our driver, Mr. Xiong. He is a very gentle and kind hearted man. We found out that he has a wife and a 12 year old son. He's been taking good care of and our transportation needs getting us to and from the hotel. He also helped us at Metro (like a Costco) to fill out an application for a membership. He speaks very little English (good morning, hello, goodbye, okay, etc..) so communication has been challenging, but not impossible. He's very patient and helpful trying to teach us new words. In Chongqing the locals speak "Chongqinghua", a slightly different dialect than Mandarin. We are fortunate that Mr. Xiong also understands Mandarin, the language that we are learning in our audio lessons. He can understand us when we try to talk to him in Mandarin and gives us a "thumbs up" when we say something correctly. We are also using an app called Google Translate on our phones which comes in handy during all the right times.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-86853945485501891932012-12-29T19:49:00.001-08:002012-12-30T19:27:11.777-08:00We Have Arrived<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We landed in Chongqing (CQ) around 11:30am on Christmas Eve. After 42 hours of continuous travel we were exhausted, dirty, hungry and ready to get to our hotel. At the airport we were greeted by our new driver, Mr. Xiang (pronounced: Mr. Shiong). He was very welcoming with a big bright smile. He speaks very little English (basic words like: hello, goodbye, thank you, etc..). He's teaching us some Mandarin and we have been teaching him English. We use Google Translate app on our phones to try and communicate with him.<br />
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Mr. Xiang brought an additional driver and car with him to get our baggage to the hotel. It was a short 30 minute drive to the JW Marriott in the downtown of the city. This will be our temporary home for the next 10 days. We have 2 adjoining rooms and a lot of space to spread out. After our showers the plan was to take a 2 hour nap and then go out for Christmas Eve dinner with other Ford families, but our bodies were telling us it was time for a full night's sleep. Jake and Casey were not able to wake up from their slumber, we cancelled out plans for dinner out and instead changed plans and stayed at the hotel. Later in the evening we woke up the kids and we all went to the top floor of the hotel for a fancy Christmas Eve dinner. Ten minutes into our meal Jake and Casey were fast asleep at the table and missed Christmas Eve dinner. Chris and I enjoyed a quiet meal together and afterwards carried our sleeping lambs to our room and snuggled them into bed. </div>
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The next morning was Christmas Day. Jake was wide awake at 3:45am. While Casey and Chris slept, Jake and I played cards in the bathroom. At 5am Casey and Chris were up and our day was started. Jake and Casey were thrilled to see that Santa found us at the hotel and left a small group of presents for them. We shared a cozy Christmas together playing with the kids new gadgets. For the rest of the day we relaxed in the hotel room and video chatted with family back in Wisconsin. Later in the day we met up with Paul & Alison Woytowich and their 6 yr old daughter Claire. They are another Ford family that arrived in CQ two days before us. We had lunch with them at a TexMex restaurant and walked around the city afterwards. We were all in bed before 8pm that night trying to catch up on our sleep. </div>
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For the next couple of days we all struggled with jet lag by waking up at 3:30am and then crashing in the early afternoon. Casey had also been struggling with a cough and runny nose that kept waking her up at night. One morning while Chris was in a phone meeting, I took the kids swimming at the hotel pool on the 10th floor. The first 20 minutes were fun but soon after Casey got some water up her nose and that caused an instead headache. Combine that with the coughing she's been struggling with and it turned into a crying fit that she couldn't shake out of. This all resulted in her puking on the pool deck and me trying to wipe it up with the pool towels. I did the best I could to explain to the pool staff what had happened and that we were very sorry. We scooted out of there as quick as we could and back to our room for showers and rest. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15675271504646151545noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263769914648288943.post-76446755598848385082012-12-29T01:41:00.003-08:002012-12-30T19:24:58.664-08:00And we're off.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Friday, December 21 at around 5:30pm we left our house in Sterling Heights, Michigan and were on our way to our new home for the next 27 months in Chongqing, China. The week prior to leaving was a intense time in our lives as we sorted and organized our belongings and divided them into Sea, Air shipments. What didn't get sent in shipments was packed up in 13 pieces of luggage which we'll live out of for the first 8-12 weeks. We stayed the night at the Westin Detroit Airport hotel the night before our departure. Our good friend Ryan Fogelberg (another Ford employee) was kind enough to bring over his Expedition and loaded up our bags and followed us to the airport.<br />
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The bell boys at the hotel were quite surprised to see our massive collection of luggage and quickly asked where we going. After hearing that we are moving to China they wished us all the best on our adventure. We squeezed into our hotel room on Friday night surrounded by our luggage and enjoyed our last meal in the States (until the summer) by ordering room service. We were too tired and it was too late to go to a restaurant. We all took showers the night before. Casey and Jake even tried out the hotel robe. By 10pm we were all fast asleep dreaming of what was to come the next day.<br />
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Our first flight was from Detroit to Chicago. It departed at 7:45am. With it being a holiday weekend it was important for us to arrive very early to check-in. Also, we had so much luggage in tow that it was going to take a while to load it all up in a shuttle and then unload it and get it to the ticketing area. We left the hotel at 5am and by 6am we were all checked in, through security and enjoying a breakfast near our gate. The flight was a simple 1 hour hop over Lake Michigan and we arrived in Chicago on-time. We had a 2.5 hour layover until our next flight so we checked in at the Admirals Club (executive lounge) waiting until it was time to go. About 45 minutes before our flight left we headed to the gate and immediately received an announcement that our plane had a complication and the flight was canceled. Another plane will be leaving at 8pm to Shanghai. Back to the Admiral's Club to get our tickets adjusted and also this meant that we would not make our connection in Shanghai. Instead we will arrive in Shanghai and 1am and will have to wait until 9am until the next flight to Chongqing. Mentally we prepared ourselves for a looonnnngg couple of days, too huge layovers and not any closer to our destination any time soon.<br />
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During the 9.5 hour delay in Chicago we setup our temporary home in the Club and played many games of war with the kids, caught up on emails/facebook/etc and explored the O'hare airport. It was a long wait but we managed fairly well. Before we knew it it was time to board the plane and our next stop was Shanghai, China. With it being a 14 hour long flight, Ford provided business class seats and the kids took the opportunity to check out every gadget. They loved having their own TVs, remotes to adjust their chairs, access to the windows and of course the tray tables (there were two of them). We were officially on our way to China and would arrive 14 hours later. The flight went well and we all slept for 6-7 hours. The kids (and Mommy and Daddy too) enjoyed access to as many movies and games as they wanted. The flight attendants were very nice and thought it was neat that we were moving to China. They told us the Chinese are very nice people and we would enjoy our experience.<br />
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At 1am (local time) we landed in Shanghai airport. We easily got through customs and were headed towards baggage claim. Our luggage needed to be re-checked for our flight to Chongqing. One bonus about China was that they use push carts for moving their luggage and this worked in our favor and we each grabbed a cart and loaded it up with 3-4 pieces each. Since we arrived "in the middle of the night" we could not recheck our luggage until 7am (2 hours before our flight left). This meant we were stuck in the main terminal for the next 6 hours. There was a small handful (about 50 or so) of other passengers spending the night in the airport like us. Jake and Chris played some football in the open space, the kids watched a movie and also rested for an hour. Chris and I tried to relax the best we could but it was not an ideal situation to get much rest. There was 1 small convenience store open where we purchased some drinks and snacks.<br />
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As the morning approached many travelers started entering the terminal and our day was about to get started. Before checking in our luggage we stopped at a cafe for muffins, smoothies and coffee. During this time we had access to wifi and were able to Facetime and Skype with family back in Wisconsin. They were very happy to see us. Checking in our luggage was challenging and took 45 minutes, Air China didn't seem to know how to handle our caravan. Eventually it all worked out and we were soon on our FINAL flight to our new home: Chongqing.<br />
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