South of the Equator

The Lohses headed to the southern hemisphere to escape Chinese New Year this year.  We had a fabulous time in Australia...so much so that we thought about changing our names and not coming back.  The fabulous food, scenery, pristine air, and anonymity were just what we needed before we embarked upon our third year in China.

And in case you were wondering, Eric took care of communicating with the Aussies for us.  He officially speaks 4 languages now, American, Chinese, British, and Australian.  ;O)

Click to see more pictures from our trip

Girls Weekend

I have always wanted to go to Harbin, a second-tier city in the far northeast corner of China.  This "Ice City" is known for its Russian influence and its annual Snow and Ice Festival (one of four in the entire world) held each year.  But it is bitterly cold, with highs during the festival of less than 0 degrees Fahrenheit.  So instead of hauling the family and all of our cold gear up to Harbin, a group of us ladies decided to do a short one-night trip to check this China must-see off the list.


It was worth the trip, but was indeed close to the coldest weather I have ever been in, with the nighttime temps around -15F.  And we were lucky enough to also experience some of the worst pollution on record, with the levels on Saturday exceeding what could be even be measured. But it only takes a few good friends and a few bottles of beer to make it a memorable one.  

Kristin through a single ice block

Walking across the frozen Songhua River

The Great Wall made out of Snow

More snow sculptures

The Ladies

The Great Lohse US Summer Tour

5 weeks.  11 airplanes.  6 States.  9 beds (plus a tent).  Loads of fun.

This is how we spent the summer, traveling the east coast of the United States.  While it was exhausting for all of us, it was worth every flight and time we had to re-pack our suitcases.  Being that our family and friends are so very important to us and because we are so far away for 11 months of the year, it is important for us to reconnect real time, face-to-face with as many people as we can fit in.

It has also proven to be an important time for us to ensure that the kids are continually exposed to our home culture.  It is amazing how quickly they take on the culture here as their own.  It's all they know, especially Sophia, as her first memories will be of her time living here in China.  So, in theory, our time in the US will help to reduce the amount of culture shock they will have when we move back to the US.  This visit, Sophia was particularly out of sorts, asking every day to come back to her "real home" here in China.  And we were all a bit overwhelmed by the amount of advertising and stuff that was everywhere we went.  Don't get me wrong, China is actually stockpiled full of stuff everywhere you look.  But it is different.  In the US, it is organized, clean, and displayed in a way that makes it feel like there is more.  Their eyes (and probably mine as well) when we walked into Target said it all.

We are now back to our "real home" here in China and back into our routines.  And I have to admit, it is nice to be back in our own beds.  But looking through all of the pictures already has me a bit sad knowing it will be another 11 months before we get to come to the US again.  Charlie will be walking and talking.  Emma will probably have pig tails and be a full-fledged toddler.  Bella will have shed all her toddler traits and will join her big kid cousins.  And Eric and Sophia will both have the responsibilities of being a big brother and big sister to this new little one that will be arriving in the next few weeks.  Wow...

Thanks again to everyone that put up with our craziness and took the time to meet up with us, house us, feed us, or just humor us with our China stories.  We can't say thank you enough for yet another memorable summer.

Enjoy the pictures! (Click on each of them to see more pictures from that state.)

Maine

Wisconsin

South/North Carolina

Columbus

  

New York

A Visit from the Wisch Grandparents

Grandma Les and Grandpa Don showed up on our doorstep in April and asked if they could stay for 6 weeks.  Lucky for them, they came bearing lots of scooby snacks & chocolate kisses, so we decided we would let them in.

Mom on The Bund in Shanghai

On the Great Wall (click to see more pics)

We did a fair amount of traveling within China while they were here, but also were able to spend alot of time in Shanghai, relaxing, playing with the kids, and enjoying our afternoon lunches.  It truly was fantastic having them here and we were sad to see them go.  The kids still ask them on skype when they are coming back to our house again. 

Hope you had fun Grandma and Grandpa.  We know we sure did!

Mom and Dad in Xi'an with the Terracotta Warriors

The high speed train

The Great Wall

Welcome to Chengdu, home of the Giant Panda!

Buying Pandas

Holding a REAL Panda (click to see more pics from Chengdu)

Playing a little one-on-one.  Grandma was impressive!

Reading to Sophia's Class and teaching them what sound a turkey makes

We will miss you!!

Friends in Far Away Places

A broken foot and a free pass for a 4-day weekend.  What's a girl to do?  Go to New Zealand, what else?

Doug gave me "permission" 7 months ago to plan a weekend trip to New Zealand to visit one of my very good friends, Les.  She has been living there for 2 years working as a large-animal vet in Culverden (near Christ Church).  I have a hard time letting such a good opportunity to see a part of the world I have never been to pass me by, so when the flights went on sale in September, I was booked.

Fast-forward 7 months and here I stood a few days before my much anticipated trip with a broken foot.  As Doug puts it, he knew I really never debated whether I should go or not.  Nor did I ask permission.  After getting the blessing from the doctor, I packed my backpack, padded my crutches, and headed off to the airport for my 10,000+ mile weekend journey. 

And let me tell you...it was worth it.

I only saw a small part of it and much of it from the car or from seaside benches enjoying my ice cream, but one thing is for certain.  It is a stunning country, absolutely fabulous.  And to be honest, I don't know why kiwis ever leave.  I know I didn't want to.

New Zealand has made my Top 5 Places in the World and I am already trying to figure out how to make it back.  Hopefully next time, it will be on my own two feet.

Click on the above picture to view more!

 Enjoy the pictures!

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.

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!

Summer Vacation

School’s out, bedtimes defined by how long I could force my eyes to stay open, fish fins sprouted at my sides, and ice cream flowing at every meal. I fondly remember these days of my own childhood like they were yesterday.

I can't help but remembering a good friend telling me years ago how good his kids had it. Their summers were filled with much of the same and they didn’t know how good they had it. He joked that he had to come to work every day to fund their summer adventures and that when he died he hoped that he could come back as either his kids or his dog. Only years later can I truly appreciate what he meant.

Summer vacation started for us the last week in June when we picked the kids up from their last day of school and went straight to the airport and off to the US. We were all so excited that the 13 hours to Toronto hardly fazed us. We then spent the next 5 weeks bouncing all over the US, flying on 7 more flights to visit with all of our families and friends, meeting our newest cousin and niece Emma, and feeling our future cousin and nephew Charlie kick in rhythm with the chaos of his big sister and two older cousins. We ate more ice cream, hot sticks, cheese curds, steaks, brats, cereal, pancakes, and Chipotle then I thought was humanly possible. We went to every park, zoo, water park, lake, and amusement park east of the Mississippi. At every turn, we all felt like kids again, without a care in the world, wiping ice cream from our faces, and sound asleep by 9.

Sitting on our final plane, waiting to take off back to China, I stared out the window and found myself wiping tears from my cheeks. Happy tears. We had a summer that you dream about. One you just never forget.

Oh...to be a kid again.

1st Stop - The land of the never ending hot sticks, boat rides, and Miller Lite - Wisco
Our costume birthday party - A bunch of crazy cats!
(click on the picture to see more Wisco photos)

Our Pia and the new toy from Grandpa Dar (guess who is still talking about it?!)

The cousins

Forth of July Parade - A classic picture, perfectly timed to capture each of their true personalities

Family. Enough said.

Next Stop - Dogs, dogs, dogs...and finger-licking Bojangles - North Carolina
The newest Wisch addition - Our beautiful Emma Marie
(click on the picture to see more NC pics)

Grandma Les and Grandpa Don doing what they do best

The Great Wolfe Lodge and Tweetsie Railroad

Can we say kiss a$$?!
Final Stop - Fun-noodles, camp fires, and 4th birthday parties - New York

Happy 4th Birthday Eric!! (FINALLY!!)
(Click on the picture of Eric to see more pictures of NY)

BFFs and their Super Heros

Dare Devil Pia

Bonus - Our Surprise Trip to Detroit (Thanks Delta Airlines!)
The Detroit Zoo and the Dino Exhibit
(Click on the first picture to see more of Detroit)

Cool pool time with "Grandma" Debbie and Uncle Mike ;O)

Great-grandpa Ted