Paying Bills

Today I had another first - I paid the bills for our electricity and home phone. Actually, it is more convenient than I thought it would be. I go to an ATM at our bank (that I can bike to) and pay all of our bills there. While it is not as easy as doing it online, at least it is consolidated and I can do it all in one spot (well, except the cooking gas, but this another story). The only challenge is that everything is in Chinese! And I am not even talking Pinyin (the English pronunciation of the Chinese character), I am talking ALL CHINESE CHARACTERS! Someone came with me last month and wrote down all the characters, so this month all I had to do was find the right characters and pay each bill. Easy, right? I found the characters for the electricity and got to the screen where I thought I had to pay, but was stumped by the next screen. I hit what I thought was the right button but to my dismay the machine didn't print my receipt. To be reimbursed for the utilities, I needed the official receipt called a "fa piao". But this is where the bureaucracy comes in because in order to get a fa piao, you take your receipt from the ATM inside the bank and get the official one from a teller. I paid my phone bill without too much trouble and then headed in to get my fa piaos. Amazingly enough, I communicated what I needed and got my official receipts! I still wonder if I did everything right or if the teller inside the bank kind of fixed things for me. Hmm, we shall see next month when I have to do it again. :-)

A (Almost) Surprise Birthday

Monday was Andy's birthday. I thought it would be fun to make a cake and bring it to his office as a surprise. I contacted several of the managers to work out the details. Everyone was excited to surprise the boss. Little did they know that at the end of last week, Becca inadvertently spilled the beans. At dinner one night,she said she was making things for his birthday and that I was going to make a huge cake. Becca then got a look of "Uh-oh" on her face. We all laughed and I told Andy to act surprised. What do you think, I think he did a good job of it . . . .

I made a HUGE cake. 3 layers and it was 2 entire cake recipes. For the bottom layer I used my deep dish pizza pan (about 12-15 inches across) and I made a yellow cake. But for the top 2, I made Andy's favorite chocolate cake. I wondered if the people would like the chocolate because most Chinese don't like really sweet things. Surprisingly, more people wanted the chocolate! As you can see, nothing was left of the cake. I don't think I have ever made a cake for 40 people! :-)

The Lions Forest Garden

Saturday (aka Wilcox adventure day) is here again! Today we visited another garden in Suzhou. Doesn't it seem like we have visited quite a few already? I think that today's garden is hands down our favorite so far! The garden was comprised of paths going up rock steps to a hilltop, down more steps to caves. The guidebook called these "rockeries". There were rockeries all around a pond in the middle. We had so much fun exploring this one! The only downside of the day was the heat - 95 (not including the saturating humidity). In fact, I don't think that the temperature has been below 85 all week (even at night). And people keep telling us that August is the worst month! Honestly, I don't know how it can feel any hotter and more humid than this month, but we shall see. Anyway enough about the weather. . . . 

The "rockeries" - these were the rock formations that were much like a maze of steps going up to ledges and down into caves and tunnels - so much fun to explore!

Andy and I were talking the other day about how our experience of living in China is going to shape our kids (I have much to say on this topic, hopefully I can blog about it in the future). Today, I saw ways that it will shape me as a parent. Going through this garden with my American mindset of safety, I have to balance between spotting for Tori (and sometimes Josh) and just letting them go. I realize that I need to let go of some of my ideas of safety. Before you all freak out (especially grandparents), I don't mean letting them do unsafe and crazy things, but instead educating our kiddos on how to be safe in China. I think that I am still finding the balance on this one. Then again maybe it isn't China that is changing my perspective, but Tori and her independent ways! I have said it since she started walking, but that girl is going to give me a heart attack! :-)

Look at that adventurous one go!

A rare Andy sighting - see he really is experiencing all this with us! Can you see how sweaty Josh is? 

Looking up just before entering one of the cave-like formations

All the kiddos were excited to wear their new Olympic t-shirts

Just one example of the not-so-safe things. See the big drop? With the railings that anyone could fall through? I really personally enjoy the ones that have no railing at all. Invariably at these, Tori decides that she wants to do it "all by herself"!

No longer home owners!

It is finally official! We sold our house and the closing was yesterday (Friday) morning. One of the funny things about closing on your home when you are on the other side of the world is the time difference. We had given power of attorney to someone in Indy (because we were NOT flying back to Indy for it). But even though there was someone signing for us, we needed to be up and available in case they had any questions. Since the closing began at 11 AM EST (which is 11 PM for us), we had a late night! But it is done! Hooray! We are no longer home owners!! (I know that you can't see it, but Andy I are doing victory dances right now!)

Drivers, Driver's License, and Taxi Rides, Oh My!

I have alluded to the fact that Andy got his Chinese driver's license, but didn't really explain the process. . .  As a foreigner with a driver's license in your home country, you do not have to take the driving test just a written one. The test is in Chinese, but you can take a translator with you. After some complications translating his Indy license, Andy took and passed the test! Let me tell you, driving in China is not for the faint at heart. Most expats NEVER drive while they are here, but instead rely upon a driver. Upon first arriving, it would appear that there are NO rules. However, there are rules. They are just different than the ones we use! :-) The driving here reminds me more of an ebb and flow. People pull out (into busy traffic) and the rest of the traffic kind of flows to make room. Of course, as people move out of the way there is much honking. There are also things that are perfectly normal that we would never do in the States. Just some examples:

• 2 lanes can become 3 (or 3 become 4 as the case may be)
  
• Left turn always has the right of way
  
• Multiple cars turn left at a time (let me explain this one . . . if you are turning left and the car in front of you is taking too long, you can turn ahead of them or even simultaneously. Isn't that crazy?)
  
• If your lane(s) of traffic are stopped and no one is coming in the other direction, you can use those lanes. Though I have to admit, mostly taxis seem to use this one.
  
• And really the wildcard in all of this is the bike and electric bike traffic who seem to follow a whole different set of rules
  

Since I am one of those that will NEVER DRIVE IN CHINA (and really people, can you blame me?), I either ride my bike or have the driver take me places. The company has two drivers. Their primary job is to pick people up for work and then take them home again (they each drive a 15 passenger van and make almost like a bus route, stopping at intervals). But during the day, if they are not needed the drivers are available to me if I need to go shopping or run any errands. Isn't that such a strange concept? But some days (like today), the drivers are occupied and where I am going is too far to bike so I take a taxi. Now, riding in a taxi is an exercise in faith. Taxis are an adventure all their own. First, you have the language barrier. The expat association prints out taxi cards that are laminated and have most shopping, sightseeing places, restaurants, and neighborhoods written in both Chinese and English. Most stores always have a business card with Chinese on one side and English on the other, and these are wonderful to give to the taxi driver. I like to practice my Chinese and try and tell the taxi driver where I want to go without the cards and only after I get blank looks use the taxi cards. My favorite is when I tell the driver our neighborhood (in Chinese) he looks at me blankly, I try again, still get the puzzled look, finally I pull out the card and he says it THE SAME WAY I DID! Totally cracks Andy and I up (and it has happened to both of us)! Then, once you communicate where you are going, the taxi is (literally) off and running. 

Weekend in Shanghai

Before we knew that our shipment was arriving Friday night, we made plans to spend the weekend in Shanghai. A former co-worker of Andy's was in the city for the weekend, so we took the opportunity to see him and do a bit of sightseeing. Can I just state for the record that our kiddos are super-troupers?! They walked more than most grown-ups would enjoy walking and there was very little complaining! 

We took the high speed train from Suzhou to Shanghai and then took the subway about the city. Becca had been looking forward to riding the train for MONTHS! The subway was also a hit - Tori really enjoyed standing up on the subway and of course holding on "All by myself." Saturday we arrived in Shanghai about noon, found our hotel, and took the subway to Pudong. This is the area of the city that is all new skyscrapers. It is the banking center for most of mainland China and the home to the Oriental Pearl Tower (the 3rd tallest building in the world). The view from the tower was spectacular! Afterwards, we rode under the river to the older part of Shanghai (the Bund). This is the area that housed all the foreign concessions in the early part of the last century and the architecture reflects a more European style. Sunday we spent the day at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and then returned home Sunday evening. We had a great, but tiring time! Here are some of the highlights:

Oriental Pearl Tower

Josh and Becca (in the tower) with the Bund behind them.

Shopping for Crocs at the copy market

Showing off the new shoes!

Here comes the high speed train!

Becca was entranced by the train.

Tori "subway surfing" - see all the people watching her? :-)

30 boxes in 60 days

Our shipment has arrived! Our shipment has arrived! Have I conveyed my excitement clear enough about this?! Strangely, it arrived tonight at 8:30 PM. Isn't that a bizarre time for them to deliver things? Even though it came so late, I had to know if my dishes made it. I just got brand-new dishes for Christmas and they had to come with us! When the boxes arrived, I was really concerned because they looked battered and bruised. Thankfully and amazingly, NO dishes were broken. I haven't opened up all the breakables (there are still boxes with picture frames in them), but so far the only casualty is a Starbucks mug from Saudi Arabia. While it is not replaceable, it isn't in the Wilcox top 5 favorites. Now, the fun of unpacking begins. . . .

The Olympics

Well, only 21 days to go! When we were back in the US, many people would ask us if we were going to the Olympics. Andy would promptly respond with, "Oh, yeah! We are going to try." I was often behind him vehemently shaking my head NO. If it was just Andy and I,  if we had been in China longer than a couple months, or even if Beijing was closer, I would definitely want to go. But we are 12 hours away from Beijing by train, and the thought of being in those crowds with the kids is daunting. After having lived here for only a couple weeks, Andy conceded that it would be a nightmare to go (which I found funny because he was so insistent before). Amazingly enough, even though we are quite far from where the Olympics will be, they are still affecting our lives. Andy's visa was delayed (and almost didn't arrive in time) because of new regulations due to the games and our shipment has been delayed because of higher security. Though it is exciting to be in the country as they are gearing up for the big event! The Olympic rings are EVERYWHERE, people are wearing t-shirts, and there is just a certain excitement. I wonder if it will be any different being here during the games? Or will it be like when the games were in Atlanta and really had no impact on me? I will keep you posted. . . .

Potty Training (the Chinese version)

Many of you have asked how Tori is doing with potty training. I am thrilled to report that she is doing amazing! She has been wearing "little girl underwear" for almost two weeks with only 1 or 2 accidents. They are "little girl underwear" because as Tori says: "I am not big. Becca is big. I am a LITTLE girl." But we are rejoicing with how easy the potty training has been! I knew that she was ready, but didn't want to do it before our big move with all of its changes. There are aspects that make potty training VERY easy in China and others that pose some difficulties. First off, accidents are no big deal. She pees on the floor of the grocery store - no problem. This is because most babies in China (especially from smaller cities or more rural areas) don't wear diapers. They wear clothes that have a split in the pants so that they can just go. Time or place do not matter! Didn't you REALLY want to know that information?! [I should say that if that grossed you out do not read on...] Thankfully, we haven't had such accidents (though I have seen children go in crazy places like the store). Tori can be very meticulous and does not like to be dirty or wet, so you can imagine the trauma that her few accidents caused. 

On the other hand, China is difficult to potty train because Tori will hold it rather than use a squatty potty. Just for clarification, a squat toilet is one where you (even girls) squat to go. These can be anything from essentially a trough with rough dividers between them to an actual toilet that flushes. The picture above is a mid to upper grade.  And I say again, didn't you REALLY AND TRULY want to know this? ALL public toilets in China are some version of the squat toilet. In Beijing, there is even a ranking system that tells what quality the toilet is. How funny is that? I think that my favorite is when you see a "Western toilet" that has signs in Chinese and English telling you not to stand on the seats (because people are so used to squatting not sitting)! All this to say that going to the bathroom in public (never easy while potty training) has posed some challenges for Tori! I am sure that eventually she will break down and use one, but for now she is simply refusing. This does not even go into the whole hygiene factor - I cannot tell you how many times we are in a public bathroom and I exclaim, "Don't touch anything!" I am sure that I have given you all way to much information, but c'mon people you don't really experience a culture until you have crazy potty stories! Just to give you perspective and what life is really like in China, I will be on the hunt for a gross one and post a picture.

Tones (in a continuing series - Sarah vs. Chinese)

All right I have been practicing my extremely limited Chinese and I have come to the conclusion that the tones will be the death of me. Let me give you a bit of background..... there are four tones in Chinese and these are extremely important because if you have the tone wrong, then you are actually saying a different word. Well, my problem becomes that when I am saying a word I think I know but am a little unsure I find myself going up at the end of the word (like I am questioning if I have it right). But when you go up at the end of a word, then you are using the fourth tone. So, I am taking a lot of words and without realizing it changing them to 4th tone! Alas, the tones are currently besting me. Maybe I will eventually figure them out....

Tongli

Today, we had another adventurous Saturday. We visited Tongli, a water town located about 40 minutes away. Well, in theory it was only 30-40 minutes away (and it only took that long to get home), but we got a bit lost on the way there. To be fair to Andy, I should say that we knew where we were the whole time, but just could not get on the right road. While most roads signs are in pinyun (the English pronunciation of Chinese) as well as Chinese, sometimes critical ones are not translated. Anyway, due to being sign-challenged, it took us closer to an hour and a half! 

Tongli is a water town that does not have cars, and instead people walk, bike or take boats on the canals. The canals all over the city form the Chinese character "river" - isn't that interesting?  We had a fun on a very hot day. The family favorite was riding a boat along the canal. Here are some pictures from our time:

This woman was washing a dead chicken or duck (de-feathered) in the canal water - the very yucky looking canal water. I really hope she wasn't preparing it for the restaurant where we ate!

We had a GREAT time on the canal - definitely our favorite part of the day!

Another great sign: "The bridge opening is too low. Please take care of your head."

Adventures at the Grocery Store

I know that I have had several stories about the grocery store, but I am not sure that I have given the full impression of the store. First of all, most grocery stores are HUGE. Think Sam's Club or a really big Meijier. They carry anything and everything from appliances to live fish. And at both Tesco and Carrefour, there are multiple floors. The kids love taking the carts on the escalator ramps! I think that one of the hardest things about moving to another culture (other than language) is not understanding some of the norms you take for granted. For example, the first time I went to the grocery store I selected my produce, found bags, and brought it along with my other purchases to the register. I was totally clueless why the clerk was frustrated with me and what I had done wrong with the produce. I quickly figured it out that I needed to weigh it back in the produce section. Don't get me wrong... I really do enjoy shopping and my favorite is when I have time to just meander and discover new products! But sometimes finding what I would consider a basic is hard. Like flour. I wanted to make pancakes and wanted flour, not wheat flour, just basic flour. I found flour, but was still unsure if it was (what I consider normal) flour or was rice flour, dumpling flour, or something else? Ahh, the adventures of grocery shopping! Last time I was at Tesco, I found what I thought was cornmeal, but when I tried to make cornbread it turned out really weird - more like cornbread pudding with a strange texture. I think that it was another type of corn product. Today, I found something called "corn powder" that looks more promising. I will let you know if my cornbread turns out better. Some of the challenge is that things definitely do get lost in translation on the packages! The first package said on it "ground corn." :-) 

Here are some of the most interesting things at the grocery store:

No, this is NOT a pet section! Can you see the eels in the tank next to the frog tank?

All the kids are fascinated with the fish section

There is a saying that in parts of China people will eat anything with 4 legs except the kitchen table! Walking through the grocery store or produce market, you can see the truth in this!

Learning Chinese

We have officially started to learn Chinese. Andy has met with the tutor several times and I met with him for the first time today. Today, I just learned to say the sounds correctly. No words, just saying the sounds. The fun really begins when you add in the 4 different tones. You can say a word how you think is correct, but unless the tone is right you could be saying something else entirely. In English, we use tones to ask a question or to clarify something. Just to give you an example, last night at the restaurant we were trying (unsuccessfully) to order a bottle of water. Andy kept pointing at the kids and saying they were wanted water in Chinese. Well, he thought he was saying they were thirsty for water but because he had the tone wrong, he was saying they were tired. Gracious! No wonder the staff kept looking at us strangely! Finally, in order to show what we wanted, I had to walk to the cooler at the bar and physically show her. When I showed her, she laughed. Now that I know what Andy was saying, I get the joke a day later! So, begins the battle of the Wilcoxen vs. Chinese. I think that we lost this round.

Middle Eastern Chinese food?

We love Middle Eastern food - hummus, baba ghanoush, lamb - mmmm, just writing about it makes my mouth water! Tonight we went to a restaurant that is sure to become a Wilcox family favorite - Middle Eastern Chinese food. Well, not exactly Middle Eastern, but food from the northwest province of China. This area has a strong Middle Eastern influence because it borders Kazakhstan, thus the food is a combination of both. The food was amazing! We had lamb kabobs, eggplant (this reminds me of baba ghanoush, a yummy cold dish that also has eggplant), unique green beans, and several other really good things. Josh LOVED the lamb kabobs. In fact, he probably had at least 4 (we kind of lost count)! From the beginning, we knew that Josh was going to be food-challenged, so for him to find Chinese food he likes is really wonderful.

 Becca really liked these green beans. They were a combination of salty and spicy, so she concluded that the salt is what made them so spicy.

Trying to get the lamb off the skewers with chopsticks - no easy feat!

99 + humidity

Yes, you read that right! Both yesterday and today were 98 or 99 + humidity! Whew, I tell you it takes your breath away! Today, we went to a cookout with real AMERICAN HOT DOGS! The kids (especially Josh) were very excited. Let's just say that Chinese hot dogs have a really different taste. The funny thing is that Andy and I don't like them, but the kids do!

Perfect for a hot day - bing chi ling (ice cream)

More hilarious signs... in fact are they talking about Josh's ice cream face? Actually, we saw this in a park. Maybe a euphemism for "Don't litter"?

 Then this afternoon, Becca and I went shopping. I think I have a new personal record - I have been to some sort of store every day this week! I am really quite sick of shopping. Today's shopping was a little more fun. The rest of the week I have been buying things for the house, but today we were on the hunt for some gifts. Buying gifts is my FAVORITE kind of shopping.  We went to Walking Street and Bar Street (so named because it has lots of bars, but also lots of stores). But while we were out today, Becca and I found Olympic t-shirts on bar street of all places! Hooray! I bargained hard (well, for me, I bargained hard - Andy probably could have talked them down more) and got a decent price. I think that I will go back to get more another day. Becca and I then visited a favorite find - the Bookworm:

The Bookworm is a combination bar, coffee shop, English-language bookstore and library. Isn't that unique? We had to return our library books and then picked out some new ones. The way that the library works is that you pay a fee and then you can take out 2-3 books at a time. This is quite an adjustment for us because we are used to coming with a huge bag and taking 20-30 books home! To go from 30 to 3 books is an adjustment! Though don't get me wrong, I am happy to have English books to read. In fact reading anything in English is a treat. :-)

Moving In!

Bedtime stories in the new house (see our grand staircase?) -sorry about the dark photograph!

Some people have complained that I am not doing my every couple day updates. While there is new stuff happening all the time, I have been SO BUSY that a couple times a week is all I can manage! :-) We moved into our house yesterday. All our suitcases are unpacked and I am already feeling more settled. I think that Andy is as well. We love this house. Just a side note - this house is BIG, plenty big enough for people to stay with us when they come to visit [hint, hint]. The girls are still sharing a room, but this so that we have more play area. Becca is going to have her own "art space" so she can create masterpieces. Josh said to Andy last night that he really likes his new room in China because he has blue covers on his bed (that he picked out) so it's like a Colts room. Do you remember how hard it was for our little buddy to leave his room? Now, he just loves his new room and new bed. All we need to feel totally settled is for our 30 boxes to arrive. A friend recently titled a post "Moving without boxes" (because they are rearranging things in their house preparing for a baby). I laughed and thought, we are moving with delayed boxes! The latest rumor is that our shipment should arrive in Shanghai Friday, which means we should have them next Friday or the Monday after. While this makes me rejoice, I am cautiously excited. I have heard horror stories from other expats about their things being in customs for 3+ weeks! Since the Olympics is fast approaching (I have a complete separate blog to talk about that!), security is quite tight. So, cautious is the key word. 

I have been busy dragging the kids all over buying things for the house. Our house is furnished, but I needed to buy bedding, towels, pots and pans, knives, .... Tonight, we packed the kids up and Andy drove us to Carrefour. Ahh, Carrefour. This store strikes fear (okay, that might be a bit dramatic) in the hearts of most foreigners here in Suzhou. Carrefour is yet another grocery/department store, but it is the store where most Chinese shop. Most expats avoid it like the plague! But they have great selection and great prices, so off we went. We found all that we needed, but navigating all the people was no small feat! This store is what I thought more of China would be like: wall-to-wall people (and all these people are armed with carts). Here is a photo we took while waiting in the check out line. 

I will never complain about slow Meijier lines again!