Where, Oh Where Did That Left Kidney Go?

April 3rd, 2009

I’ve mentioned before my love of mom blogs, and according to this article, I’m not alone.  My very favorite blogger, Alexa,  lives here, and though I’ve never met her or so much as commented on her blog, I idolize her.  When my friend Dina and I discovered by chance last summer that we’re both regular readers, it was like finding out we share the same best friend.

Since I’ll never be as brilliant or write as eloquently as Alexa, I decided I could at least rip off her style, so for Christmas, I made Chris order this for me:

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Packing Up!

April 1st, 2009

Well folks, that’s it.  We can’t take this China thing anymore.  It’s too hard.  We’re heading home in two days.

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Friends.

March 12th, 2009

We left for China one month ago tomorrow.  What a month!  The first two weeks were surpassed in level of difficulty only by the first two weeks of P’s life.  The combination of massive sleep deprivation, culture shock, and lack of language skills was very nearly enough to send me to a Chinese mental health facility. Luckily, though, the heavens opened up, and the sun shone brightly two weeks ago when we met these people: Read the rest of this entry »

S.O.S.

March 10th, 2009

I haven’t posted in a long time, and Chris has taken over my blog.  Putting together a series of coherent sentences is far outside the realm of my cognitive abilities lately.  Why?  Because I haven’t slept.  Not a wink.  In a month.  Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but not by much.  Wee P has been waking up hourly through the night for weeks.  I initially chalked the behavior up to a growth spurt, but clearly, that’s not the deal.  At home, she would sleep for five or six hours at a time in a baby swing.  We didn’t bring the swing here, and there seem to be none to buy.  Are the Chinese a swing-hating people?  I would Ferberize her wee self and let her cry it out if we didn’t have neighbors on all sides.

I am desperate for REM. Not the Michael Stipe variety, but the kind that magically renders one fit to deal with waking life the following morning. I would truly welcome any suggestions as I am on the verge of losing what precious little is left of my gourd.  Sorry, no pics with this post, though I realize how entertaining a photo of my bug-eyed, crazed face would surly be.

Cracking the Ayi Code

March 4th, 2009

I’m in P’s bedroom on the computer.  I just heard Ayi in another room tear a piece of paper out from my notebook. She’s scribbling something. I know what this means. I’m going to be doing some decoding in a minute or two.

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Cream of the Crop.

March 3rd, 2009

I read a passage to my students today that used the term, “cream of the crop,” and  I asked them if they knew what the term meant.  One guy, whose English name is Bruce, raised his hand and said, “Yes, like Michael Jackson?”  “No,” I responded, “That’s the King of Pop.  Close, though.”

Get Your Own Square!

February 28th, 2009

The Chinese love “physical checks.”  Chris and I were required to have all sorts of medical tests done back in December in order to get our invitation letters from Tsinghua. These tests included EKGs, HIV tests, and lung x-rays, and our doctors had to verify that we weren’t suffering from such ailments as leprosy, black plague, or yellow fever.  A few days after our arrival, we were notified that we would need to have our physical checks verified by the Chinese government, so we were loaded into a van and carted across the city to a place where we were told we’d have to have new physical checks done.  Who knows why, but the good news is that we’re still HIV and plague-free.

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Finally Online.

February 27th, 2009

We finally have an internet connection in our apartment.  Our previous wireless thievery required us to check our email in places in the apartment where computers should never be used.  Case in point:

toilet

We have so much to report, but we’re off to buy bikes now.  Expect more soon.  Don’t worry.  All posts from this point on will be typed at an actual desk.  Good thing germs aren’t transmitted electronically…

Still Alive.

February 23rd, 2009

Sorry for the lack of posting.  To say this has been an overwhelming week would be an understatement.  Wee P’s ayi started yesterday seems to be a very nice person.  P starts her school tomorrow.  We’re all excited about that!

Right now, we are stealing someone’s wireless connection, and there are huge chunks of the day that we’re unable to get online.  We’re hoping to have our own connection by tonight or tomorrow.  At that point, we’ll be able to post more frequently.

Wanted: Chinese Gingy.

February 20th, 2009

Great news!  In the past two days, we’ve succeeded in both hiring a nanny (ayi) for Wee P and getting P into the “kindergarten” here on campus.  P went with me to check out the kindergarten today and cried when she realized she wasn’t going to be able to start today.  I reminded her that everyone at the school speaks Mandarin and that for a while, she won’t be able to understand what people are saying to her.  To this, she responded, “That’s okay.  I’m sure I’ll find someone to play with.”  If only adults could adapt to change so gracefully! Read the rest of this entry »