A Glimpse

Wagons Lined up at the Local Wet Market

Riding in Style

A Local Budda

It's Crab Season

Seafood Market

Growing Up

Mom, today Jade asked me to marry her. 
She said that we would live happily ever after and that she would give me a present.

What did you tell her?

That I didn't know. Mommy, what does it mean to be married?

When two people love each other they get married.

Then I can marry all my friends. And I can marry Sophia.

That sounds like a good plan Eric.

;O)

The Language of the Road

It’s like water.  It flows into whatever space is available, no matter which side of the street.  It stays at a constant metered pace, unless a dam of sorts forms ahead stopping its flow.  Everything -  scooters, push bikes, cars, buses, wagons - they all just move back and forth with a sense of grace and order that is only appreciated after you have experienced it for long enough to understand it.    Contrast to one’s first impression, there are indeed rules.  If you stay in the flow, don’t make any erratic movements, and stay aware, everything just works.   One short beep, I am coming by.  One long beep, I am coming by and you are in my way.  Repeated beeps, I am coming by, you are in my way, and you will get hurt if you don’t adjust quickly.  It is just the way it is.  It’s the language of the road.  And like any other language, once you give up criticizing its differences and instead embrace them, you get it.

This morning riding my bike in rush hour to school, I felt Chinese.  Stopped at the lights, I looked around at the crowd of us waiting and saw that I had indeed stopped in the right place. Scooters turning right could pass without a honk and cars doing the same could easily turn on the other side of me without feeling the need to yell “lao wai” (foreigner) as they pass.  I may be the only one wearing a helmet and the only one who still fears the buses, but I understand the flow.  Now I speak the language.

Daddy's Little Girl

It's Official!!

The culmination of almost a year of hard work came to a close this past week as Doug had his official grand opening of the Corning Life Sciences Wujiang Plant and Warehouse.  The day was filled with lots fanfare & tradition, people with very long titles, a few gan bei (bottoms up) and of course alot of pride.

Congratulations Doug!!  For sure a lot of hard work by many, but such great success in such a short time was only possible because of your dedication and outstanding leadership.  We couldn't be more proud of you!

And check out the local news!!
http://www.wyol.com.cn/html/2011/shizheng_1109/31618.html
http://www.wjdaily.com/node/VideoXwsp/2011-11-9/11119181649776333175.html

The Noises of a Big City

Eric's face is priceless, as he prepares for the impact.  What you can't see in this video is the street cleaner coming by.  They can literally spray water (hopefully its just water) out 30 ft on both sides.  They give you a bit of a warning (as you can hear), but it still doesn't prepare you for what is to come.

We have Lift OFF!!

They just grow up too fast!!!  Once again, Eric was right.  He has been telling us for a month that he was ready to take his training wheels off his bike.  So, today was the day and he was riding solo within 5 minutes.  Amazing what a little confidence can do.  

Congratulations Eric!!

Getting Ready

A quick lesson...

And we're off!  Did you let go??

A Natural

Quickly it became a game of chase.

Eric's Cheerleaders

Happy Halloween!!

 

Not Enough

A decade ago, we would have been limited to calling cards at $5.00 a minute, which only would serve as a vehicle to hear someone's voice and required speed-talking unless you had a small fortune to spend. And of course letters, the good old fashioned Postal Service and a weeks upon weeks of waiting.


Today, we have technology, loads of it. Email. Blogs. Skype. VOIP. FaceTime. Texting. Facebook. It gives us the illusion that we are closer than the 5000 miles that separate us. It allows us all to participate in the joys of everyday life, the painting of a picture, a tea party with our favorite baby dolls, a new tooth, a race around the living room. It gives us the gift of meeting our new nephew only hours after he is born and watching two adorable nieces grow into such special, beautiful little girls. Both sides of the world can easily interact with the other, making sure we continue to be an important part of each other’s lives. And sometimes just seeing someone, seeing them happy and well, relieves all of that built-up anxiety.

Simply put, it enables one to survive without those they love most.

But as hard as we try, all of the technology in the world cannot replace just being there. While I am thankful for what technology does empower me to do, today it is just not enough.

Some days you just want to hold on tight and tell someone you love them.

On the Move Again

The Lohses were on the move again last week on our week-long holiday.  Instead of spending the week at the beach this time, we decided to head to Hong Kong and Singapore to see another part of Asia.  We had a blast and all came home exhausted, but it was worth it.  They are both fabulous cities, but much different than Shanghai for sure.  It was refreshing to be in a place where people stood in line, we could drink the tap water, and the food was consistently good. 

Hong Kong was fascinating, seeing the differences in a Chinese city that has been part of the UK for so long.  You could literally feel the difference that not being under Communist rule for the last 60 years can make.  And Disney World was a huge hit.  Disney really knows how to make a kid smile.  Singapore was definitely Asia for beginners, but it is so nice to go somewhere where the hardest part is remembering which way to look when crossing the street. 

Enjoy the pictures!



 (Click on the picture above to see more pictures)

 Please let us stay out until midnight??  PLEASE??

 Hong Kong Skyline

 Duck Boats in Singapore (Yes, Doug still dreams of driving one!)

 On our way to Sentosa Island

Swimming with the tankers and container ships.  Lovely.

Photo Shoot

All too Familar

I pray every day that my children don't have my eyes. But just in case, at least I know she will look adorable!

Zhongqiu Jie

Moon Cakes, Moon Cakes everywhere. This was our first Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) and taste of moon cakes. If you are like me, you may think that moon cakes taste something like American moon pies, but unfortunately you too will be sorely disappointed. Like most desserts in China, they are not as sweet as American desserts. They come in many flavors, but the most popular are red bean, green tea, and pork. After receiving 4 boxes of different kinds, I have decided the Taiwanese are the best, but let's just say I won't be craving them anytime soon. Eric and Sophia, on the other hand, were big fans of them, especially the pork and red bean ones.

Views of Suzhou from Yang Cheng Lake
(Click on the picture above to see more pictures from our trip.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a national holiday, so that means an extra day off and a chance to travel. Since most Chinese spend the time with their extended families, we decided that we would take a short trip to get out of the bustle of the city. On Saturday, we headed northeast about an hour towards Suzhou to Yang Cheng Hu. This lake is famous for its hairy crabs, which still had a few more weeks to go before they were mature enough to be caught and eaten. We stayed in a very nice, family friendly hotel for two nights. We spent our days relaxing at the playground, swimming in the pool, or riding our bikes on the lake front and through the "water park". The best part of the weekend was that the kids were left alone to play like all of the other kids...no pictures and no touching. It was a well needed break for Doug as well, as he will be very busy the next few months before the plant that he has been building officially opens and starts producing product the first week in November.

We even trusted Doug to take us all to our first real Chinese dinner with the spinning table, chicken head, and crazy mushrooms.  And 24-hours later, I am happy to report that no one got sick!   

No Fear!



Choo-Choo!


Say moon cakes!