Today it seems like fall has hit Nanjing.  It has been pretty much 70 degrees + since we have gotten here.  But today it is cold and raining.  It is dark and windy.  The leaves are falling off the trees and it reminds me of home. 

It is a good day to think about my time here in Nanjing. 

I was running errands today and as I was in the back seat looking out the window I realized how many things I take for granted.  I love looking out the window as we drive along and I cannot take in the sights and sounds quick enough.  I love the millions of little shops.  I wonder what is in them and if there is something cool that I cannot find anywhere else and I just know that it is going to be so inexpensive, so I will totally need it.  But then we pass by quickly and the store goes out of sight it will be nearly impossible to go to that store because I cannot read the name of the store and I am not able to communicate quickly enough with my driver to tell him..."Yi, can you bring me back to this area tomorrow because I want to go back to that cute store." 

Communication is something that I have taken for granted.  The ability to read and write and speak your thoughts is a priceless gift.  As we drive by store after store and sign after sign, I have no idea what they say.  When I am in the store, I pick up products and I have no idea what they are because I cannot read the package. 

I will say that thanks to technology, I am able to get by better than I expected, but it is still challenging and frustrating at times.  But because of things like Google translate and another app I have that takes a picture of the Chinese text and translates it,  I do OK at best.  But Google translate does not always translate correctly and the text reader sometimes does not work correctly, so they are far from perfect. 

So I thought about people who cannot read or write or see or hear or speak.  And how to a very small degree, I feel like that some days. 

I suspected that my time in China would make me better appreciate my life in America and in the 2 months that we have been here, that suspicion has come true. 

I also take for granted being able to be get from place to place in a car that is warm or cool according the weather outside.  I am protected from the elements.  I get to my destination dry and warm.  I think about Ayi and how she drives an hour to get to our home, on a scooter.  She is never late and is always happy.  I don't know many people who would drive as far as she does, in the rain and cold, to get to a job where she works harder than almost anyone I have ever met.  She cooks and cleans and everything in between and does not make nearly what an equivalent person in the U.S. would get paid.  It makes me realize how spoiled I am and how selfish my human nature can be.  It is only by the grace and mercy of God that I have the life that I have and I realized that before, but I realize it more and more with each passing day.

I also took for granted being able to turn my faucet on and drink the water.  I never worried that I might get sick or that there might be something in the water that would hurt me.  Here we get our water delivered.  And some people do not have the luxury of being able to buy bottled water.  And I know in other parts of the world the access to clean drinking water is even more limited.  So for sure I appreciate clean, running water more than I did.

So those are just a few of my thoughts today.  As each day passes, I am sure that my life here will continue to make me appreciate my life back home more and more.  But I still enjoy my life here and would not trade this experience for anything.  I think that it is already changing me from the inside out. 

Bowling and birds...

We went bowling this weekend.  It was fun.  It was the same bowling as in America, but not the same experience.  The bowling alley only had 5 lanes total, I believe.  And the lanes, we are thinking, were not made out of wood but some other fake wood material.  When the ball hit the floor it was really loud and the lanes were definitely warped.  The ball pretty much just went to the left.  The floor was also super slippery, so Michael did fall on his booty once! ;o)  Unfortunately I did not get a picture of that.  But other people almost fell as well, so it was not just Michael.  Overall it was a great time and we will definitely be going back.

Michael showing off his form

This is Pete bowling...in this pic you can see all 5 bowling lanes and that night I think that only 4 were working

here was the group who was waiting for our lanes...they were practicing in the 2 other lanes that were open...and as you they all just stand around on the "wood" while a person bowls, they just stood in like a big cluster.  we saw one person throw the bowling ball backwards, someone else throw the ball in the wrong laneand one time I looked up and the ball was rolling the wrong way down the lane, not sure what happened there

here are some birds I saw for sale this weekend.  you see a lot of birds for sale here....I think people like them as pets

they were really cute and pretty

this guys was catching them and putting them into smaller individual cages...it looks like someone was buying about 20

First Thanksgiving in Nanjing!

Michael and I had a wonderful 1st Thanksgiving in China!  And that would be because of all of our new friends.  The meal was wonderful and the company even better.  Thanksgiving was great but feels different than Thanksgiving in the United States. The day started with Angela, Carol and I prepping for the 13 people who were to come over to Pete and Angela's place after work.  So that was the first difference, it is obviously not a holiday here, so it was weird Michael having to work yesterday and today. 

After prepping for a few hours, I had to come back to my place because Dr. Zheng was coming over to give me my weekly massage!  That is difference number 2...no weekly massage in the U.S!!!  I already know I will miss my weekly massage.  And sometimes I get more than one massage a week.  Dr. Zheng does full body massage...very therapeutic.  He asks if you have anything that is bothering you...shoulder, back, feet, etc...and he will work more on those parts and let me tell you he can really work out any kinks.  But sometimes I also get a foot massage at Blind Massage.  It is an hour long foot massage for $10 and sometimes I also go and get one of those.  Or this week for example I am going to try and get massage cupping.  In one of my post I showed how I had gotten cupping done.  But the first time I did it, they just stick the cups to your back and leave them on, but today I am going to try and get the one where they stick the cup to your back and then pull it around.  Should be interesting, I will keep you all posted. 

Oh back to Thanksgiving....so after coming home to get my massage, I went back to Angela's and finished getting dinner ready.  At that point people started arriving and we all ate, drank and were very merry!!!  It was a wonderful time...the food was great.  Pete and Angela are awesome hosts and we cannot thank them enough for letting us be a part of their Thanksgiving in China. 

I made it through with only a few tears that day, as I thought about my friends and family at home.  Now Christmas is right around the corner.  Luckily our shipment from the U.S. came a few days ago, so I will be able to start decorating soon.

Here are some pics from our first Thanksgiving in Nanjing!!!!

Ang with 1 of the 2 turkeys she cooked

Carol and Ang

Ang and Matthew

Carol, her hubs Gordon and Morgan

Michael and Carms...fellow Italians!

Pete and Rita

Gordon carving the Turkey

The whole gang!

Ang and I with a turkey in the middle

My thanksgiving plate...complete with Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, green bean casserole, cauliflower, and roll with butter, oh and gravy....NOT TOO SHABBY!!!!

Thankful....

Today is our first Thanksgiving in China.  I am a bit sad because I am used to being around family.  I for sure will miss the good cooking of my mom and my in-laws.  In all my years, this will be the first away from home.  But never the less I am truly thankful for many things.  Some of the things I am thankful for, in no particular order...
A roof over my head

loving Family        My Faith            snow

faithful Friends             My awesome hubby                    pens                            

heat and air conditioning

         Q-tips

                                     Coco and Willow            my sight                water

my hearing        My Shop/and Times Grocery                                     

Dental floss!              Computer      flowers
                                                                                           Sunshine


clouds                  stars

                                                     my Ayi/my driver                      skype - so I can talk to my friends and family

Christmas

                              paper                  my Bible                         my voice

trees                                    my health                  airplanes                            China

                                                                           sunshine

                              Grass                 education 

Food                                                                              clean air                     medicine  books                          music        

                   cars

                         pictures                                   laughter

camera           electricity          and so much more!!!!!!   I am thankful today for everything that God has blessed us with!!!!

"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote: To travel is to live." - Hans Christian Andersen

Random thoughts...

So Michael and I are about 2 months into our Far East Adventures and so far...so good! 

There are definitely people and things I miss...but overall I think we are doing better than expected.

I miss my family and I miss my friends...especially with the holidays rapidly approaching.  It was be our first time not being with family during the holidays and I have already shed a few tears thinking about it.  We feel fortunate though, one of our best friends Brian, will be coming in December to visit us.  That is a nice treat.  I feel blessed that we have friends who are willing and able to come visit us in China.  We will have had 2 friends visit in the first 3 months. 

I miss Christmas music on the radio.  I am not one of those people who gets annoyed at Christmas music coming on the radio way before Christmas.  I really like Christmas music and really don't mind hearing a song or two throughout the year.  Surprisingly some of the malls have decorated for Christmas, so that was a welcome surprise.  But the weather here is still warm and sunny so that is a bit of an adjustment.  It is starting to cool down, but when I look out the window now and see all the green leaves and the sun shining down, it feels more like September than November. 

We will be having a Thanksgiving dinner with our friends.  Turkeys are few and far between in China, but our friends Pete and Angela scored one at the store and have kindly invited us over....for that I am truly thankful!  I think that Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite meals of the year. 

I have not driven how for 2 months and I miss the independence of being able to drive myself where I want, when I want.  But I actually don't mind having a driver.  Our driver, Yi, is wonderful.  He is kind and helpful and is a very safe driver, which I appreciate.  It is hard for me though to get used to just calling or texting him to come over because I need to go somewhere, especially on the weekends or "after hours."  During the weekdays it is not so hard because he drops Michael off at work and if I don't need him, he just stays at the office all day until Michael is ready to go home.  They have a special room just for drivers at Michael's office.  But when we have to use him during the weekend or at night I feel bad because I know I am eating into his time with his family.  He does have a wife and 16 year old son.  Everyone says I need to get over that because they are getting paid, it is their job, ya da ya da...but it is hard for me because I feel like I am inconveniencing him, ya know?

I miss Guacamole.  Don't ask me why I miss it so much, I just do.

I miss Parmesan truffle fries from the Town Tavern.  If you have not had them and live in Detroit area, stop what you are doing, do not pass Go, do not collect 200 dollars...just go and get the fries! And ship some to me in China while your at it! ;o)

I DO NOT miss cleaning.  I don't think many people would.  I have not cleaned one thing in the past 6 weeks.  I still do the laundry to try and keep myself a little bit in reality, but Ayi irons it all.  The first thing she does when she she gets here is go and open the curtains in the living room, straighten the pillows on the couch, fold the blanket on the couch, go to the kitchen and wash the dishes and clean the counters and stove top, then she makes our bed, EVERY DAY! She then proceeds to sweep, mop, clean the bathrooms, dust, iron, clean the kitty liter and other things depending on the day.  She will even stay and pet-sit Coco and Willow when we go on trips.  Having an Ayi is a real treat!  

That's all for now folks! 

Good friends...good food...good fun...

Michael and I have been fortunate to meet some great people here in China...people who  have become friends.  And we feel really blessed to live in Nanjing.  It is a really great city.  It is a mix of old and new...it has most of the conveniences of a large metropolitan city but has a rich culture still present as well.  Nanjing used to be the capital of China.  Nanjing literally means South Capital...where as Beijing, which is the current capital means North Capital.  There is lots to do here and lots to see.  I think there is a good mix of city and country.  We have malls and restaurants and all that good stuff, but we also have mountains and lakes.  It is really nice.

Tonight we went out with our friends...Pete and Angela and Carol and Gordon.  We went for pizza and then out to Paulaner Brewhouse for some beer.  It was a good night..with good friends and good food!!!

Mmmm....pizza at Pisa Pizza.  It is awesome, better than some pizza back home!

our friends!

More Pizza!!!

Love this sign...Asian like to have a fun night out drinking, but if you have any Asian friends, you may see that they get the "Asian Red face" and as a result we do not always hold our liquor well...so this sign let's them know exactly where to vomit ;o) when need be.

Carol got pulled out onto the dance floor by a member of the band...GO CAROL!!!

a few things I'm luving in China...

Anyone who knows me, knows I am a handbag kind of girl and they have tons of cute and inexpensive bags here

this bag has a cat hiding behind mushrooms...in the corner it says " Catch me if you can"  Funny!

lots of fun ceramics...I like these with the koi fish on them...I get them at the flower market by my house, only $1.50 a piece...I keep them around the house and throw our loose change in them

another ceramic dish I got at the flower market for $1.50...I use it for loose items as well...

I luv the mugs here..most of them have lids to keep your tea/coffee warm

For some reason a lot of the products in China, that I have come across, have a cat as a "mascot"...I like it because I luv cats and dogs...this is the soap for cleaning dishes...you see the little bottle on the right is in the shape of a cat...and the jug on the right has a cat on the label and a cat head dispenser!  I luv it!

this yogurt is Yum Yum...kind of a cross between greek yogurt and American yogut..but you just stick a straw in it and suck it down

luvin' the faux glasses...I had some back in the States as well, but they have many more here in China and much cheaper

I luv how cutesie everything is...these are on my night stand...a cup with a lid to hold water and a Hello Kitty clock...I pretty much have the taste of a 5 year old! ;o) as it seems most girls in China do, so I fit right in!

Luv the slippers...you can buy them EVERYWHERE...since they pretty much do not have carpet in houses, you need them to keep your tootsies warm

Even the q-tips are Cute!

When in China.... (warning some pics may be disturbing) ☺

Our adventures in China are in full swing now.  Michael's team took us out to dinner last night and personally I think they like testing Michael. ;o) I think they are seeing if he will really eat everything put in front of him and I think they like seeing our reactions to things.  They are young guys who are fun and they like giving us the "real" Nanjing experience.

They took us to a restaurant and they had ordered by the time we got there.  First came out some pork cabbage in a yummy broth.  It was delicious and they said very good for your health.  Then some veggies came and then the main event.   It was a cow skull with the beef just laying on the top of it.  It still had the horn, teeth and all. 

those are teeth

Michael is an adventurous eater.  In the picture above he is eating the cow eyeball!  Gross!  Even the other guys did not want to eat the eyeball, but Michael did!  The guy to Michael's left ended up eating the other eye.  It was an experience to say the least.  I had a little bite and it tasted ok, but it was way too spicy for me. 

The last of my adventures this week was cupping therapy.  I had read about it back in the States.  I heard that actress, Gwyneth Paltrow liked doing it.   I had always wanted to try it, even back home.  I just thought it was interesting.  I talked to a lady here and she said she had done it and liked it.  She said it helped her back and helped her feel more relaxed.  So on Friday I went and got it done and I think it did make my back feel good.  It did hurt a bit at first, just getting used to the feeling of my skin being sucked up into the cup.  They used bamboo cups at the place I went to, as you can see in the pic below.  I think some places use glass cups.  The marks the cups leave is a bit disturbing, but they don't hurt.  They are not supposed to be bruises necessarily, so they should go away faster than a bruise does or so I've read.  I just had the cups applied, they left them on for maybe 10 minutes, if that, then they take them off.  Next time I am going to get the cupping where they suck the cup to your back and then move it around.  That should be interesting.  Sorry if the pics below are disturbing to anyone.  I just wanted to share! ;o) 

the cups stuck all over my back

my back after the cups come off...I know it looks bad but it really is not that bad ;o)