This week we've had a fun time laughing about some of the more noticeable differences between our new home and our old. I thought I'd highlight a few of the biggest ones.
- Chicken bone teether! As shown in the photo, my "mom experience" has opened up to new horizons as my 9 month old is now teething on chicken leg bones! I had a friend here in China suggest that the leg bones from our favorite rotisserie chickens make great teethers, as well as actually having a little bit of nutritional value for a little one. So I never thought I'd pass one off to one of my kids, but as healthy baby foods and small snack items to keep babies busy while waiting their meal in their high chair are hard to come by here, I've resorted to sharing our chicken bones. And I must say, Noah loves it!
- "There is more rice here than in Texas," said my very observant five year old at the dinner table this week! Karis pointed out this undeniable fact while we were eating a meal prepared by our ayi (who makes dinner for us three afternoons a week while I am away at class), all of which are accompanied with the ever-present white rice. Thankfully, rice is one of Karis' favorites, and the boys have even changed their tastes enough over the last 6 months of being here that they eat it without much complaint most evenings. (I do still cook western-style the rest of the week, as we all still love the "comfort foods" of the south to which we are so accustomed!) Overall, our eating habbits here are quite healthy, as ready-made desserts are hard to come by and fruits and veggies are plentiful, relatively inexpensive, and incredibly fresh, being brought in daily from the countryside and containing no preservatives. We've certainly all gotten a lot less picky about foods that we previously said we wouldn't have liked, as 3 of our dinners each week are pretty much whatever our ayi makes!
- Planning in advance? Kevin continues to work out with the baseball players, and in spite of the fact that March is almost over and "baseball season" should technically be in full swing, the Chinese league still doesn't even know when it will begin! We think that a lot of this is due to the fact that so much of those in powerful positions here are quite corrupt and power-hungry. Control is maintained by keeping those beneath you in the dark with information so they are completely dependent on those in authority. (Not SURE about this reasoning, but it seems to be commonly believed, accepted, and the norm here to work this way.) So Kevin continues to work out, prepare, and wait with the other men on the team whose whole lives are kept in limbo, as literally all their future is wrapped up in the game (or lack there of!). Kevin found out this week that supposedly the Tianjin team has fired all of their coaching staff and has hired a new Japanese coach. We're hoping this doesn't work against Kevin, who has up til this point enjoyed an open door to working with the team at his leisure. We're hoping that the new coach is as open and receptive to Kevin's presence amongst the team!
- Lots of advice. Would you believe that even our TV screen gives it? We realize how different the American culture is about giving advice--that you pretty much keep your opinions to yourself when it comes to telling others what they "should" do unless asked--when we compare this culture to that of the States. Whether it's being out in public and people fussing at me for the kids not being dressed warmly enough, or people telling me that the oranges I'm carrying home are not good ones to buy because they aren't fresh enough, advice is plentiful from the Chinese people. Rather than telling you that you don't know what you are doing or you have made a poor decision, here, giving unsolicited advice truly is a way of communicating care and concern for another. Which some days, honestly, is a little difficult for our western minds to buy into; and yet really is the motivation behind the counsel! So we've discovered that if our TV is on for more than two hours, a little red message comes on in the upper right-hand corner that says (now in English, thanks to a friend who knew how to change the language) "Take a rest"! Whenever we have friends over, they crack up that even our TV is giving us advice, and counsel that falls so in line with Chinese thinking about the importance of rest in order to maintain proper balance in life.
