September 25th - A 2 hour drive does wonders...

We took it upon ourselves to initiate a trip west of the city to do what foreigners do best, sight-see! Our destination - Zhouzhuang water village. 900 years of history and life. And we thought Philadelphia bore some history! http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/jiangsu/suzhou/zhouzhuang.htm

Supposedly Tom Cruise filmed Mission Impossible 3 here in Zhouzhuang, but it's likley to have been one of the more remote and obscure water villages. It's more fun to imagine him seeking a couch to jump on and declaring his love for China!

Before you can begin such an adventure, you must carefully plan out the day. I'm wondering if you can guess by now what aspect of the plan is most notable and worthy.

Food? CORRECT! That won't cover all the necessities, though. Packing a lunch, drink and snacks will prevent you from encountering debate, bravery and torture in what is supposed to be a pleasant and relaxing day.

Map? Not the map - the driver is your map! Give him an address and sit back and enjoy the ride. Since Megan was away last week (stay tuned for a blog of her experience), Jon and I shared the middle captains seats while the wee-ones camped out in the backseat of the van. It's as close to a date as we can sometimes get.

Tunes? Yes - that is a necessary element of a long ride. We packed up the IPAD loaded with tunes to use as our portable radio. You really don't want the driver to turn on the radio unless you like the local offerings streaming through.


Toilet paper? Yes again! Why? Because most public toilets, outside the very modernized area of downtown Shanghai and our expat area, offer toilets in the ground and no paper! Maybe this picture helps explain that. I've determined that since so many Chinese ladies wear dresses of some sort, maybe this is a smart idea. Try it with shorts and you'll require flexibility, strategic squatting and really good aim! (p.s. those are not my skinny legs HA HA HA.... Chloe takes the credit for attempting aim and vanity!)

The village was full of sights, sounds and smells that take you to a new dimension. The history is rich and unique, the people proud and the ambience a simple portrayal of all that makes the community and family feel come to life. The shops - small carved out closets of space selling everything from spun goods to spices to dried tea leaves (does that come with papers and lighters?) to dried fish on sticks and tea-stained eggs. I love their spirit in the realm of effective food utilization.

Our favorite part was the canal boat ride topped with Chinese folk songs. I have this great video to depict the whole experience but of course the site won't upload it properly. I will work on an upload to facebook!

Definitely a trip worth taking. We'll add this to the visting friends and family list. I sure hope that list gets put to good use (uh-hummmmm)!!

They call this food?

We take food for granted. Ever since we can conciously remember, there was food. Aptly tasting food. Food to delight in. It didn't matter if at one point it was from the breast, bottle or concocted from some powder substance. Simply put, since we've been born, it was food and it made us happy!

So it causes one to pause when food, although necessary, becomes a subject of debate, a subject of bravery and sometimes the subject of torture.

Take for instance the debate aspect. Food is a necessity to thrive and live. What is there possibly to debate? How about what it is? I spent my entire life living with full recognition of what fanciful delight tempted my palate and could easily recognize and trust what was presented to me. But here we are on the other side of the world and I can't, for the life of me, win this debate. And I can be one heck of a debater!

Then there is bravery. Let's put the use of this word into context first. I use it with no mention of aptitude or recognition. I am no hero by any means. Although, I get some credit for stepping out of familiar territory to at least try something new (maybe old to you). Sushi, all sorts of it! The presentation was artistic and colorful. How could I turn it down - and I don't even like seafood. How about a full baby squid? All 8 squiggly legs attached to plump little 2 inch diameter body. I guarantee I didn't chew and am thankful for seasoning sauce. Jon still threatens to repress kisses, but you and I both know that it'd take more than that for him to follow through on that threat! Oh, and there is the delicasy of duck skin rolled in tortillas and duck meat - skinned and carved from a whole duck, beak and all, right next to you no less. Add a little soup containing finds from a snorkeling adventure and I think I've sold you on my bravery. Frankly, Spongebob's world is quite good, barring Baby Tentacles!

But life and food wasn't intended to be that easy, so the element of torture was thrown in. This starts with the debate aspect but ends in a cry of mercy -YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING, THERE IS NO WAY I WILL EAT THAT! I am clearly a wimp. I've seen all sorts of unidentifiable food objects, some with full skeletal structures and others with a goo that speaks terror - like today's plane food. That meal begins and ends with the consumption of a very small supposed bread item and a swig of water. And I am left with a bit of wonder at all the indigenous people taking a fancy and satisfaction at the same meal of terror.

Am I losing weight with this food debacle? Not really. The weight loss credit goes to Jon and Emily. You see, the conquest of finding normalacy, like the simple pleasure a bottle brings to a baby, ends with a cleverly planned night out to dinner... American style. Some call it desperation, far from bravery. Did I mention bottle? Alcohol exists over here, and that, if not anything else, provides the illusion of bravery and conquer of torture.

I've now just arrived in Thailand where Jon recently visited and reveled at the amazing food and spices. We've always been fans of Thai food - albeit American style. I'll give it a good ole' girl scout effort. If all else fails, there are rolls with butter and bravery juice!

Bon Appetit!

September 15 - Family is the Nucleus

No matter what angst we suffer or joy we delight in, there is a common theme that absolves itself after much deliberation and pondering of life's meaning and course. Family*. It is the epicenter, the core, the scientific nucleus of happiness, content and purpose.

So here I lie, laptop at hand and the music of Glee settling my soul, I find that no matter what concern, frustration or humor I discover in each day we navigate our way blindly through China, our family provides a beacon of light.

Tonight I proudly present my family. A picture I find that represents us best. It shows the circle of trust, the circle of life and the circle of dependency and pure love. This was taken by Aunt Cyn just before we departed our beloved America for the unknown. Imagine the thoughts these kids were dealing with but relying on us as their parents to forever be their beacon of light and hope and faith. We continually have our mostly ups and sometimes downs and bond together for strength.

Our Chloe is struggling with anxiety and fear but had a very good night with the joy of music and humor. We remain hopeful time will settle her soul but in the meantime are closing our circle tighter and engaging a counselor to assist her. She will pull through. I've never met a more assertive and aggresive spirit with a passion and humor that will surely serve her well. Keep her in your thoughts.

I apologize for the erroneously deep thoughts but when the spirit moves you, listen and WRITE. We miss you all but still give a thumbs up to this choice and look forward to experiencing more than the numbing routine of the daily grind!

XOXO The Nicholas'


*Family = love and trust in those that believe in us, laugh with us and care for us. Hence, family can be defined by love, blood, and/or friendship. Many of you fill that role for us and we are ever so thankful to wake up each day (while you enjoy your evening) and reflect upon our fortune in knowing you and realizing you are and will be there when we return.

September 4 - THE SHIPMENT!

THE SHIPMENT! Therein lies hours of planning, hours of shopping and hours of dreaming. Don’t be fooled. We could care less about most of the contents… except THE FOOD. The food, the food, the wonderful food. Poor little boxes, cans and bags of food patiently awaiting to fulfill their destiny of providing simple satisfaction and ohhs and awwws to this very hungry family.

I make it sound desperate but it’s really not that bad. I’d say it’s more like we are the Lindsay Lohan’s of food rehab. Do you think she could cold-turkey habits that make her feel amazing for 5 weeks without cravings and slight fall-backs? But she’ll make you think it’s not that bad either. Ok, poor analogy – the girls doesn’t eat and she’s a bad, bad girl, but you get the point.
So yesterday, September 4th, exactly 33 days after our arrival in Shanghai, 35 days after the boxes arrived at port and 47 days after we furiously packed and shipped, our boxes (83 small ones in all) ARRIVED! It was better than Christmas. Imagine our surprise to open more than half to repeat “huh???”, another quarter with “I can do something with this” and the last quarter- the food – with “GOD BLESS THE FOOD”!

We spent hours ripping open boxes to hug and squeeze and kiss each strangely familiar item. Our favorite? Captain Crunchberry. Our second favorite (three of us anyway) – masses of Tampax. They’re about as readily available over here as fresh cow milk (translate to NONE). The parmesan cheese took the biggest beating. It appears the heat and humidity for 35 days takes its toll and the jar was more than half empty – although sealed. There’s a science project for you.

Now Jon and I spend our time patrolling the cupboards, using subtle threats and peeking in the garbage to make sure none of the golden American food is thrown out.

I am sorry to say though the Captain Crunchberry is too sweet and the Velveeta/Hormel chili chip dip upsets the stomach. After 33 days in this country – they wreaked havoc on our stomach at the start and won again in the end.

WE WILL SURVIVE!

Daily Myth Solver – The Nicholas’ have will power. It sounds good but we broke once with $32 in Ben & Jerry ice cream. Must be HUGE containers? No – three little half-quart sizes but we made it last three whole nights. That is simply amazing…and delicious in itself.