Long, long overdue

Alas, despite my best intentions, it has been difficult to spend time with my family these days...let alone get to a posting. Finally, classes are starting to wind down, and I only have 2 exams (and some papers) due next week.

The girls arrived safely on Friday (2 weeks ago), and we were able to spend that first weekend together. Kyla got over jetlag (seemingly) overnight since she hardly slept during the 13.5 hour flight. Ella took 4-5 nights to get on track...and those first few nights for us were tough getting woken up at 3:00am - not knowing if that was all the sleep all of us were going to get.

In terms of the adjustment of being in Beijing with a toddler, well we're still trying to get the hang of it. The subway is NOT stroller friendly; taxi rides are REALLY exciting for the little one since she has been constrained by a car seat her entire life until she came to China; Ella has to sit in one of our laps for most meals, locals (especially older women) tell you that your child needs to be wearing more clothes, etc.

As adults, we take for granted that we can adapt to new environments quickly, and we thrive off the adventure of being in a new place. But...what about for a toddler who is just learning how to communicate, and who has grown accustomed to the bucolic suburbs of Boston?

Consider this as an 18 month old: A 12 hour (now 13 w/ Daylight Savings) time difference, busy city life, and new sights/sounds...not to mention a more aggressive attempt by your parents to each speak a different language to you! Yeah...you'd probably be throwing a few tantrums and just sprawling out on the ground in protest at least once/day...(such as in this picture to the left...)

But in the end...she's a still a love. She understands a TON when you speak to her in either English or Chinese...and it's interesting to observe which language she defaults to for certain words ("thank you" has now become "xie xie"...although "bye bye" and "zai jian" are used interchangeably).

With my classes still in full swing, we needed to get some help here! Last week we hired an Ayi (or "auntie") to help take care of Ella a few afternoons during the week, plus help keep the apartment in good shape. Ayi is amazing!! Although she doesn't speak any English, she's incredibly patient and has a great demeanor...not to mention - all our Chinese is improving with Ayi around!

The 'hood
You know the criteria for real estate "location, location, location"? Well...our sublet apt is absolutely stellar. There's a great park just 2 blocks North (Ritan Park - photo to the left) that the girls like to go visit any day it's sunny (and above 50 degrees)! It's hard to distract Ella from the balloons - so far we've ended up with 2 at home. :) For the early birds, there is a large group of folks doing tai chi daily...

We're right on the subway line, so it's pretty convenient (and cheap) to get to places like Tiananmen Square & the Forbidden City, Wangfujing, etc... The only challenges are that the subways are not stroller friendly (or anything with wheels - like luggage) and we have to plan our outings around Ella's nap schedule. Classes, group projects, exams and commuting have limited my time at home - but we've managed to sneak in some great half-day adventures (like the Temple of Heaven earlier today - see pic on left).

Where we live, it's actually a challenge to get some good Chinese food! If you want Mexican, Sizzler, pizza, TGI Fridays, "Steak & Eggs", etc...all of that is a stone's throw away. Searching out hole-in-the-wall places is a (fun) challenge. One of the closest places to get such food lies just behind the soulless Silk Market.

Last week, we went off wondering for such a place and found ourselves a few blocks North of the embassy district (just northwest of Ritan Park) First we passed "Moscow Restaurant" and thought it was just a random place for a Russian establishment... The 3 of us kept wandering and ended up in another country - or at least it felt like it! We stumbled upon Beijing's Little Russia...where all the signs are in Russian, there's an enormous wholesale fur (or faux fur) market, and every caucasian you see has distinct Russian/eastern block features. Moreover, all of the Chinese street peddlers where asking Kyla questions in Russian ("Blah blah blah...phone card?"). Fascinating!

Shopping
Aside from groceries, the only things we've bought are WARM clothes for Ella. The mercury has dropped drastically from when they first arrived - and someone today told me that this week recorded temperature lows not seen in 20 years. With Ella at home with Ayi, we went to the Silk Market earlier this week...and the place was a ghost town (in a good way). Sellers were just hanging out and chatting with one another, and joking around - which I haven't ever seen there.

In and out in an hour (b/c I had to go to class), we got some really warm outer clothes for the little one. We bargained hard enough that by the time we sealed the deal, the 2 ladies from that stall were arguing with one another. Piss piss. We thought the drama might have been an act - but when I checked with Ayi about the prices we paid, she said we got good prices (especially since the Silk Market has the highest rents for vendors...and they are among the best-trained hagglers around). That place always gets me down. Too cramped (even without the big crowds), overly aggressive sellers, and bad lighting...arggggghhhh!

Last week we were walking towards Tiananmen from home, and outside the Forbidden City we found a gem of an outside market - where there were only locals, with some amazing (no bargain) prices. We passed on getting some long underwear - but we HAVE to go back to this "forbidden market" b/c the quality was great, prices were close to rock-bottom, and most importantly...b/c our legs are freezing!!! This place is so UNDISCOVERED that I hesitate to put it's coordinates into this posting...somethings are best left a secret.