Hello! Hope this update finds everyone doing well! We are settling in nicely! All of our boxes are finally unpacked - which took longer than I had hoped but we were waiting for the landlord to deliver our pantry so we could get our mass quantity of food out of the kitchen & unpack all the cookware. With all our stuff unpacked, it is beginning to feel like home, which is still a weird concept to thing about - home!
Life in the 'fast' lane will begin for us soon as Justin starts soccer, Amanda ballet & Tanner football. Pudong started a football league last year so Tanner is looking forward to getting back into the football scene. Having only one car will pose a problem with the kids schedules overlapping & Ron needing to get home from work but I'm sure Mr. He will figure it all out - or get into a couple accidents trying!!
Mandarin is going o.k. I seem to be able to pronounce the words correctly but have a hard time remembering the sounds that the letters make without my cheat sheets. The days of homework are back......why is it so much harder to remember things as you age???? Nights at the Fraser household consist of many attempted Chinese conversations, most of which are pronounced incorrectly or Amanda & Tanner quizzing Ron & I on the English meanings of words they say. Ron seems to be doing well at this task but as I mentioned, my brain has not grown in capacity yet - it always seems like everyone around me is speaking in a foreign language..!!! I get a huge smile every time I hear one of the kids speaking Chinese - it makes this move all the more meaningful.
We had neighbors move in next door who come from CO. Suzanne & I have had many good times shopping together & talking while the kids play. They have 2 boys, Tanner 2 & Hunter 4, they are also in the process of adopting from China. Both her & her husband are fluent in Chinese. Suzanne has been a great help to me with making hotel reservations along with getting me the best deals while shopping - Prada purse, $18; Tiffany sterling silver ball necklace, bracelet & earrings, $14; Fendi sunglasses, $6 & a Dolce & Gabbana t-shirt, $8. Anyone want to come shopping??....
In China the expats have a saying: "Only in China". I will leave you with a few "Only in China" moments I have had:
1) ...can you have a service person come to your house to put together a pantry on a scooter, supplies and all
2) ...would you have your driver go to school to pick up your son because you are in a meeting
3) ...does a maintenance person talk to you in Chinese & not realize that the dumbfounded look on your face means that you have no clue as to what they are saying
4) ...can you answer the phone to someone on the other end saying "Whey (phonetically spelled)" & upon answering in English, they precede to keep saying it, like I didn't hear them the first time & now all of a sudden I'm going to start speaking Chinese! My conversations usually go like this:
"Whey"
"Sorry, I don't understand"
"Whey"
silence on my end
"Whey"
"No Whey"
"Whey"
"I said NO whey!! You don't understand me & I don't understand you so I'm going to hang up"
"Whey"
CLICK
5) ...can your Ayi & driver think they can pump up a soccer ball better than you & proceed to loose the needle in the ball, which of course was the last needle you had
6) ...would you see your Ayi holding onto your child's arm as they ride their bike or rollerblade while running with them in heels
7) ...can you complain to your friends how badly your feet hurt from shopping & how badly you need a pedicure & foot massage & actually get SYMPATHY
All for now! Stayed tuned for more from the 'Fraser's Life in Shanghai'........
Hope you enjoyed reading! Stayed tuned for more from the 'Fraser's Life in Shanghai'.......
