Dive bomber

As we were on the top of the Bell Tower, it provided a great view of traffic. At this traffic circle, the bikes would generally cross at the crosswalk and then continue on in the bike lane. Now this is not always the case. In Suzhou, bikes and e-bikes seem to be in the thick of traffic a bit more. But in the center of Xi'an, it seemed that most bikes were staying in the bike lane, except. . .

But there were some rebels that took on the full traffic experience. Now it is a common sight to see more than one person on a bike or e-bike. And I have seen the person on the back doing all kinds of things: putting on make-up, holding an umbrella, . . . But I think if I was the woman on the back of this bike, I would be paying attention and not texting. But maybe that is just me.

Xi'an

I am about to overload you with info and pictures. Just thought I would give you a fair warning....

We arrived in Xi'an mid-morning on Friday. After we got off the train and had deposited our bags at our hostel, we set off to explore. Our first goal was to find the Muslim Quarter wander through and visit the mosque. For some reason, this area turned out to be rather elusive and hard to find at first. We just saw it as an excuse to practice our Chinese and kept asking people how to get there. Eventually, we found the Muslim quarter, but, man, the mosque was a challenge to find! While on our search, we found and sampled some street food. And of course, some 冰淇凌 (ice cream).

Eating nan bread.

We found a quiet corner to enjoy our ice cream.

Dried fruit seller

Our girlie matched Andy in her determination to explore. (though that is not Andy beside her, just random Chinese man . . . I think he thought we were walking too slow)

I admit that I was ready to give up and head on, but Andy was determined to see the mosque. And find it (after wandering up and down this one street too many times to count) we did. This was one of the most unique mosques I have ever been in (and I have been in quite a few). It felt much more like a Buddhist temple here in China than a mosque.

Outside the prayer hall

Many women were taking pictures of us and requesting the kids with them in pictures, so we asked for a picture as well.

After leaving the Muslim Quarter, we walked (a very short distance) to the Bell Tower. The Bell Tower sits in the middle of the city, and all of the streets span out from this spot. We climbed as far to the top as we could and the view was wonderful. We spent quite a bit of time at the top as the kids were entertained by watching the traffic below.

At the top of the tower

Andy demonstrating just how hard it is to be a tall man in China.

Watching the street below

At the bell tower each of the girls got a chance to ring the bell. Josh whose ears are sensitive to loud noises, wanted no part of ringing the bell. And he was right, it is rather loud.

After the bell tower, we found a unmemorable restaurant and fed our weary troupes. So that concludes our first day. Yes, that was just our first day in Xi'an!

Our sweet boy

A week ago Josh turned 7. Andy and I were talking the other night that this year has been a really good year for Josh. He has really blossomed (can you say that about a boy?) in so many ways. He is doing really well in school, has made some good friends, and overall flourishing here. Remember this is the boy who would cry every time that we mentioned our move to China. But while I think that of all of our kids he still misses the US the most (and to honest, we all do at times), but really he has discovered that he likes living here. He likes to travel and go on "adventures". He is picking up more and more Chinese. Overall our boy is doing well. He is such a sweet guy. Because he is our quiet one, he doesn't get as much attention here on the blog. To our dear boy, our bookworm, we love you so much. You have blessed our family in so many ways. Happy Birthday, J-man!

Josh has discovered that one of his favorite foods is "meat on a stick." (Now he has tried a variety of different meats. Here he is eating lamb.)

Our boy as a terracotta soldier.

Gift bag Chinglish

The following was on a gift bag that one of the kids received for their birthday. . .

In case you can't read all of it:

my beautiful girl Mari

One day by coincidence,

he visits a worn down

light house and inside he meets

a beautiful girl, Mari. But in time, this

dreamlike world disappears

and he returns to reality.

Thereafter, he survives

day by day reminiscing

about Mari and that

fantastic world.

Wow, seems kind of forlorn for a gift bag. You know, from something that usually contains items that bring about happy feelings. ;-)

Riding the rails

Several weeks ago, . . . wait was more than a month? Anyway, a while ago we went to 西安 Xi'an. We just love this city. So much history and culture and so different from other places in China. We left Thursday night on the sleepy train. Can I just say as an aside, why don't we travel more by train the U.S.? I tell you, we Americans are missing out! Our kids so enjoy traveling via train. Sleeping in bunk beds on a moving train. . . what's not to like?

Breakfast on the train of peanut butter and jelly (a Wilcox standby, we don't travel without it!).

The girlies watching the world go by.

Please pray!

I am asking you to join with me in praying for dear friends of ours whose baby is very sick. Henry is only 9 months old and has been fighting for his life. Please pray for healing, guidance for the doctors, and and encouragement for his family. While he has made some improvements, there is still a long way to go. God can work miracles, so join with us in praying for this sweet, little boy!

*You can see Henry's picture on the sidebar. Click on it and it will take you to their blog.

Finals

We are leaving before my semester is over, so I am in the midst of taking finals. Which is only one of many reasons why I haven't posted. There has been some craziness with taking these tests. I found out last Tuesday that my final for Hanyu (my grammar and characters class) would be on Friday. Aagh! So I spent the week frantically studying. I think the test went fairly well, but should get my results today. My spoken class test will be this week. Now granted, I still don't know the day, but you just have to roll with it or it will drive you crazy.

So the countdown has begun. . . . 25 days until we are on a plane. First to Japan, then on to the States. I have been so busy that I haven't been able to even give it a thought. Maybe once finals are done, it will be more real. The kids are all getting excited. Becca has been longing to pack her bag for weeks. But I told her she had to wait until less than 20 days before the flight. I on the other hand, will be packing days before we leave. Much less stressful heading to the U.S. If I forget anything, I can easily buy it. :-)