Sights of Suzhou

Suzhou is an amazing city. We are exploring new places every weekend. I keep asking Mr. Liu, our driver, "Still Suzhou?" He smiles and nods. Below are some pictures of our first weekend excursion.

We drove out to Taihu (Lake Tai), the third largest lake in China. Very beautiful and like with many things here, there is a lot of developing going on, but all in all, rustic. We drove over to a couple of the little islands that are now connected with bridges. I was still skiddish about getting too far out without an interpretor so it was a car tour only. We then went into the old town of Suzhou, where the canals link the streets (well, canals link the whole city, the country for that matter). Lots of little shops with deals waiting to be had. We went into one and the girls opened up some fresh water oysters. Katie's had almost twenty pearls in hers. Some were quite beautiful. We had pendants made for each of them and a couple for me.

We rode a water taxi up the canal and then walked the backstreets, catching a glimpse of the life the people of Suzhou live. Again, we were gawked at and photographed alot. The girls are used to being asked to pose for pictures. On the water taxi ride back we got into an accident, ramming into another boat. No one of course was hurt, but it certainly jostled us. We made it that day to the base of Tiger Hill, but everyone was pooped and we didn't have sneakers on. There evidently are lots of stairs. We decided to save that for another excursion.

Parents' Day

Dulwich College hosted Parents Day, where we could sit in the class and observe. The twins' teacher is Ms. Stacey. She is very sweet and patient and truly loves the children. Her assistant is Ms. Judy and just about every day, Sarah comes home with a pretty hair style, thanks to Ms. Judy. The little boys in Ms. Stacey's class are quite smitten with her and compliment her whenever possible. When I was there I heard one little fellow say "I love your smile", another one said "I love your eyes" and yet another took the cake and said "I love every part of your body!" That brought a flush of pink to her cheeks. Sydney was chosen that week as Golden Student for her abiding the Golden Rules and helping a new student.Being chosen comes with perks like sitting on the golden cushion all week and hearing one's name announced at assembly.
Katie's teacher is Ms. Randall. She and Katie get along superbly. I stayed during their numercy class and was thoroughly impressed. I didn't think I'd be happy with any school after Ravenel, but the girls are so happy at Dulwich and they are learning so much. The twins are singing a song in Chinese and Katie is practicing the violin and communicating with May better than me. They work on their own laptops every day and enjoy the after school programs. Katie is playing golf, singing in the choir and swimming. Sydney is taking Tae Kwon Do and Sarah is taking ballet. My biggest concern with moving here was a fear that the girls would be unhappy. Well...it looks like I can let go of that one.

Getting Settled

(I wrote this awhile ago, but just now was able to get all of the pictures transferred to Larry's computer)

So we now had a place to live, but now came the time to make it livable. Evidently, having a maid in China is standard practice. John (our relocation guy) helped set up one for me. Her name (in English) is May and she speaks VERY little English, but she is a work horse. The townhouse hadn't been occupied in almost three years and I'm not sure it was cleaned when it was occupied. All of the floors are either marble, wood or tile; the walls are tile, glass or cement stucco. So much humidity and rain makes carpet an impractical choice. May spent the first week she worked scouring from the basement to the top floor...lots of stairs (better than stair master). Last week, I managed to put together a coherent Chinese sentence and asked her if she would teach me to cook. Well, it wasn't completely coherent because she took it as I wanted her to cook for us. She now cooks three meals a week and probably would do more, but I just feel too guilty

Larry had to go to Dalian the following week. It was a bit of a struggle, but we managed. He is going to be travelling a lot in the coming months, so best to jump right in...like pulling off a band aid. I spent the week searching for essentials for the house. Our shipment won't be delivered for a few more weeks and we didn't even have a pot or silverware. Several trips to the various supermarkets filled my days, but I still felt like I didn't have the right things for May. I asked John if he'd ask her to come shopping with me and pick out what she needed to clean and to cook. This past Monday, my driver, my maid and I went shopping. It was surreal, there really is no other word to describe it. I texted Larry and his response was, "welcome to China".

The meals she's fixed are amazing. I'm astounded that the dishes she makes actually come from the food that is in my cabinets and fridge. She bought some interesting spices, of which I still don't have a clue. I attempted to make rice in my brand spanking new steamer...well, it turned into something resembling porridge. It tasted like rice, but it didn't look like it. Guess I need to pay better attention to how May prepares it.

We went this past weekend to buy bicycles. The girls each found one they liked, along with helmets. The twins had training wheels put on their bikes, but Katie's was too big for training wheels. I envisioned bloodied knees and screaming heard across the city, but once again, she suprised me. Tell that child she can't do something or it's too hard and she won't quit until she proves you wrong. By God, if she didn't peddle off down the street on the second try. She's had one scraped knee and a couple of tears, but she and her sisters are wheeling around the compound like Lance Armstrong. The guards got a big kick out of raising the gate for them...or rather they did get a big kick the first dozen or so times, but finally told them to just turn around.

Larry is in training this week and goes to Shanghai tomorrow. He will fly to Korea next week and then the following week will be holiday. My big plans for the week are to go to the girls' school to attend Parent Day/Open House. Hopefully will have more pictures to post.

Residents of China

The Whitfields are officially residents of the People's Republic of China. We arrived on August 14 after sixteen hours of travelling and one really quick connection in Tokyo. The girls adapted quite nicely to the First Class accomodations and had the airline attendants granting their every request. Sarah was the only one who was able to sleep for any length of time. The rest of us looked like something the cat dragged in when we stumbled from the plane. It took another three hours to get through customs, get our luggage and drive to Suzhou.

Our first week was spent in Suzhou New District (SND) at the Wealthy Suites. I know, catchy name. We recovered on Saturday, but did meet one of Larry's co-workers and his family, the Sollars. They took us to a "hot pot" restaurant. The girls enjoyed watching the food sizzle in front of them. Well, Sarah did before she fell sound asleep in the chair. We spent all day Sunday looking for a place to live. We went to a dozen different places, but really liked the townhouses in Royal Peninsula. The girls liked the thirty-second floor five bedroom penthouse, but I had to nix it. Fear of heights, Tower Inferno reenactments, and bungee jumping children would have put me in an early grave.

Larry had to go to Hong Kong to apply for his work permit on Wednesday. The girls and I looked at some more places on Thursday, and moved into a different hotel on Friday. We stayed at the Howard Johnson's, but I've never seen a HoJo's like this one. Everything is marble and glass, not just for looks but because it's SOOOO humid. The heat combined with the overbearing humidity made for a stifling couple of weeks. It was beyond tropical. The Sollars were kind enough to take the girls and me shopping on Saturday. The girls all needed black. leather shoes and I had no clue where to go. Cindy, Rich's wife, is chinese and has been a life saver. She knew just where to go and helped me with the sales clerks. We went to the old city and this is the China I had envisioned. Wall to wall people, outdoor shopping, ricshaws, and interesting smells. It has been an interesting cultural change, becoming one of the minority. My girls are treated like movie stars wherever we go. The crowds almost parted when we walked through places. Everyone wanted to get close to girls, take their picture, touch Katie's curls. They didn't lack confidence before so incidents like these (which happen every time we go out) just fuel their egos.

On Monday, our little ladies put on their school uniforms (no protesting at all) and we all went to Dulwich College. The twins' teacher is Ms. Stacey. She's from Wales and the girls love her. Katie's teacher is Ms. Randall. They all are learning Chinese. Katie practices what she's learned on the guards here in the compound and with our driver, Mr. Liu. Larry brought back a nasty bug from Hong Kong and decided to share it with us. Thankfully, the symptoms didn't show up until after our health examination. Oh, my...what an experience. Larry and I had an EKG, ultrasound, chest x-ray, eye, ear, teeth exam, blood pressure and blood tests done; all done in less than 25 minutes and with even less sterile equipment. Efficient yet scary.

The rest of week was tending to the sick. Sarah missed three days of school and Larry and I alternated out of the bathroom. It was not a pretty sight. I thought we might have to go back to that hospital but willed myself to tough it out. I was fearful that I'd get put into quarantine.

We got word that we could move into our townhouse in Royal Peninsula on September 1. Larry had to go to Shanghai that day, so after the girls went to school. I packed us up for hopefully, what would be the last time...for awhile. I spent all day with our relocation guy, John and the landlord. Many things still needed to be done, but we had a home. When Larry got home from Shanghai we loaded into the van and headed to the store, because we needed bedding. We were at the Auchen store at 8:00 at night buying sheets. I couldn't do it earlier because all of the labels are in CHINESE. We found a clerk who understood a little english and left with what we needed. We finally got to sleep in our bedrooms (well, not Sarah, she doesn't have a bed yet) around 10:30.

More to come...with pictures

It's All Coming Back

So the past few days have been spent visiting as many of the Portland area landmarks as possible. We were all pretty pooped on Sunday so we rested, only venturing out for a late, late lunch and a trip to VooDoo Doughnuts. There were some really interesting flavors like bacon and pepper. I liked the name "Old Dirty Bastard" so ordered that, which turned out to be chocolate glazed with crushed Oreos and peanut butter. It's no more than a hole in the wall, but there was a line out the door. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait too long as the workers really rush you in and out. No chit chatting; order and get out. Honestly, the doughnuts are nothing to write home about in terms of taste, but it was fun regardless, walking the few blocks to get there. We passed some interesting folks, a couple of gay bars and someone smoking weed right there on the street.

The girls were real troopers as we traversed the Japanese Gardens and International Rose Test Gardens (so beautiful!) on Monday. I remember going to the Rose Gardens. Rows and rows of gorgeous roses, each one more beautiful than the next. And the view of Mt. Hood is amazing. If you click on the picture of the girls standing on the bench you should be able to see Mt. Hood in the background. I didn't have my camera and had to take pictures with my cell phone. It was a super clear day and you could see for miles. Everyone was commenting on how clear it was. Evidently, that kind of weather is infrequent in the summer.

Today, Larry didn't have to work so we ventured out to Lake Oswego and 2 Mozarteum Ct., , which is where I lived back in the early 70's and honestly, the place looks exactly the same except for the color of the door. The trees have all grown up and it was hard to recognize the neighborhood, but as soon as we neared the street it started to come back to me. We stopped by the Rec Center and met my best friend, Jill, from elementary school, who I haven't seen in 33 years. As soon as she stepped out of her car I knew it was her. How wonderful to see her and meet her daughter, Cassidy, who became fast friends with my Sarah. We even stopped by her parents' house, which looked as I remembered it. I loved going to their house when I little. Her parents are doing well and I loved looking at all of the pictures on the walls of their home. I've always wanted to reconnect with her and now I can say I have and hope our friendship will be rekindled. She got a huge kick out of Larry's southern accent as do most folks who meet him who don't live in the south. I hope we get to see each other one more time before we leave Thursday.

Our next stop was Multnomah Falls, another spot I visited as a youngster, but have little memory of now. It was beautiful but crowded. One of the first spots that we've been to that felt like a tourist attraction. Not Disney World crowded, but still lots of people taking pictures in the same spot. We walked up to the bridge, not wanting to take on the mile and half walk to the top of the falls. Katie said she was "terribly afraid" of heights, but I think she was terribly afraid of hiking. We were going to venture out to Mt. Hood, but it started raining and the top of the mountain was obscured by the clouds. Instead, we came back to the hotel and enjoyed 'cocktail hour' in the lobby and then went swimming. Tomorrow's our last day and I don't know what's on the agenda. This week has flown by but I feel pretty good about our mini vacation before heading over seas. We also just got an offer on our house, which if all goes well, will be a HUGE weight lifted. Keep your fingers crossed...

The Suite Life

The girls have really taken to Portland and hotel living. We're staying at the Residence Inn Riverplace and every morning little Sarah is the first one up ready to go downstairs to enjoy the breakfast buffet. Katie prefers to have her food brought up to her as to not disturb her morning leisure time. Syd just wants to push the elevator buttons.

We've managed to get out and see a few things. Thursday, while Larry went to the Portland office, we rode the bus to do a little window shopping before taking the Max up to the Zoo. The girls enjoyed people watching along the way as Portland has quite a bunch of eccletic souls. Katie now says she is either going to go to Clemson, Stanford or Portland State. I tried hard to bring back memories of the Zoo, but it all looked brand new to me. Our first order of business was to buy some sweatshirts. I seemed to have forgotten how chilly the Northwest is even in August. We then spent the next three hours exploring the beautiful zoo. The animals were out and about because it was cool. Quite a difference from southern zoos where they are all hiding in the shade moving as little as possible. Bears, elk, wolves, sea lions, elephants, penguins, tigers, rhinos, hippos, zebras and all kinds of birds drinking nectar from our hands. I even had a couple land on my shoulder.

Friday morning we lounged until Larry came back at lunch time. We then headed down the Riverwalk to a great festival called the 'Bite of Oregon' and we definitely took some bites. It's like Fall for Greenville with expanded menus and a HUGE wine tasting area. There are hundreds of vineyards in the area and Larry and I enjoyed trying many of them, while the girls enjoyed playing the new Wii Sport Resort games. We finished off the day with some Tillamook ice cream and a dip in the pool.

Saturday we drove down to Newport and went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Agate Beach. We liked the aquarium but it was the state park that got the girls' attention. They loved exploring the tidal pools, calling to the seals lounging on the rocks and counting all the starfish. It was something to see the seals swimming in the bay not a hundred yards from us. We took Rte.101 and 99W back to Portland and were awe struck by the views in Depoe Bay, Lincoln City and the valley with all of the vineyards. So beautiful...can't wait to see more.

We're On Our Way!

It's true. The Whitfields are on their way. If you'd asked me last week at this time if I thought we'd be where we are at this moment, I'm not sure I would have sounded very convincing in my reply. There was a TON of stuff left to do and a TON of junk to toss. Thankfully, Mimi and Papa (yet again) saved the day. They came up Sunday afternoon, bringing the twins back from a two week vacation and to go to Katie's golf awards ceremony, which, by the way, she all but swept. The child left with three trophies (tournament winner, group skills winner, points winner), 3 gold medals (long drive, group tournament winner and perfect attendance)and two silver (putting and short game). The hope was to get some last minute cleaning done and spend a relaxing last couple of days together....hahahaha! Instead our last two days in SC were spent cleaning, running to Salvation Army, the dump, the bank, Lowe's and countless other places that should have been done much sooner. But as everyone who knows me and Larry knows we tend to procrastinate. And, those who know my mom and dad know they will do whatever it takes, no matter how painful and tiring and frustrating, to ensure things happen as they should. So, at 5:00pm Tuesday evening we locked up our house, dropped off two more boxes to be shipped over to China, ate dinner (covered in sweat and dirt) and said our tearful goodbyes. Not so much fun AT ALL, but we made it (I think).

Today has been a marathon day starting at 3:30 this morning. We left Greenville at 6:25, delayed a few minutes for a maintenance issue, which wouldn't have been a big deal if we'd had more than 40 minutes to make our connection at Chicago's O'Hare airport. We tried to get assistance, but the flight attendant basically told us our best option was to rebook once we got off the plane. Well, that sounded like a challenge we just couldn't pass up. As soon as we landed and had our ten bags, we were off! The girls were amazing, marching through the terminal like they owned it and BY GOD we made it. We handed the gate attendant our passes, walked on the plane and the doors closed behind us. It was a thing of beauty. Needless to say, the adrenaline rush soon ended.

We are now in Portland, Oregon. It's been a LONG day and it's only 6:00pm. Not sure what the plan is tomorrow beyond taking Larry to work, but I'm ok with that.