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| The Lamb girls |
Today the International school is celebrating the UN day of Peace. There is an assembly at school, followed by a parade. Emily and Katie will walk with the USA section and are really excited. The UN day of peace celebrates diversity and also tolerance. They made hair bands and beads for their hair, and dressed in red, white and blue. Shanghai Community International School is about a third North American, a third Asian and a third European. The largest groups at the parade were from Korea, the Netherlands and the US. They all wore their country colors and held signs and flags. The parents in the audience were all tearing up - I know I was. The families all bring food representing their country for a pot luck afterwards. The Germany table had mini sausages and kugel, the Italy table had pasta and bread with Nutella, the Japan table had sushi and soba, and the France table have pastries and french cheeses. I brought PB&J and Ham&American Cheese sandwiches to the USA table. At least I didn't bring McDonald's.
Late Autumn Festival October 1st - 6th
Most businesses are closed and local chinese workers take advantage of the week off to return home to their villages. On the flip side, people from the villages come into the city to tour and shop. This is the time of year that moon cakes are eaten and given as gifts. Moon cakes are round pastries with sweet or savory fillings. The most expensive moon cakes are baked in molds with really intricate designs. Moon cakes are sold everywhere - stacked floor-to-ceiling. They are sold at markets, tea shops and even Starbucks. Disney moon cakes have a Mickey on them.
SUCCESSES
1. We have been eating lots of different things and I've been experimenting with foods I've never made. The markets are filled with fruit and vegetables that I had never seen before, lots brought in from local farms and Southeast Asia. The girls have been eating lots of Asian pear from Korea - much sweeter than we get back home. And Chris likes the Pomelo that is sold already sectioned.
2. Think I found my bacon! It looks more like pancetta, but the flavor is very Farmer John. Made it this morning and the girls loved it. Ahhh...bacon-y.
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| Winter Dates - I think they're like crabapples |
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| Pomelo sections |
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| Asian pear - about as big as a small melon |
FAILS
1. Ordered two bean bag chairs for the girls' room. They arrived and are HUGE - almost the size of a twin mattress-, rectangular and flat. They look like gigantic versions of the ones we used as kids for bean bags toss games. The material they are wrapped in is the same as our pool cover back home - hard and stiff. I can either send them back or Buddy will have a new bed.
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| Monster bean bag chairs,..er, mats? |
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| Seriously big |
2. Lots of things in our home have remote controls - the lights, AC, TV, etc. But all the remotes are only in Chinese. I'm getting it little-by-little. We have an iPhone app that helps, but not always.
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| washing machine |
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| TV remote |
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| Not sure what this is about |
The weather this week has been very nice. Cool, in the mid - high 70's. Humid still, but not as bad as it's been. I'm told it is like this until the beginning of November, then it will be cold for months. We are anxiously waiting for our ocean shipment. It's here in China, and it needs to clear customs. The ocean shipment has everything that we were not able to bring in our suitcases. All of our paintings, pictures, books, as well as my kitchen items and extra towels, sheets etc. I don't think our place here will feel home-y until we get it. The kids want their craft bins and toys. And Chris' drums and his bike are in that shipment.
Will update again in a few days. I have been taking lots of pictures. Buddy has been working on something too,...a dog blog? hmmm...
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