We are back in the land of the . . . well, as my 6 year old puts it 'peeing, spitting, and smoking'. Contrary to the 60s-70s we had in Texas, China was 32 F when we arrived that night and was dropping. We weren't 10 minutes off the plane (in the airport still) when a women stopped us briefly to personally pull Eva's shirt down so her belly was not exposed (Eva was in the Baby Bjorn and her shirt must've slid up when putting her in). Ah, good ol' China.
Returning has been a bit of a culture shock again for myself. When we first arrived last year, I didn't realize how internally angry I was to be living here and not in the US. I say that because I used to see signs and places and just feel angry that I had to be here; but I didn't realize I was doing that, till now. This time in coming back, I noticed I didn't have that same feeling when I saw some of the familiar sites and that's when I realized how I felt back then.
After not being in the house for a month and having a house with no carpet, it was FREEZING when we arrived (as we had turned everything off)!! OMG our thermostat showed 44 degrees in the house! We do have a semblance of central heating but it takes quite awhile to heat 20-30 degrees in an hour.
We had a great time in the US and we miss it already. A month off there with family and friends and it was a blast. We spent a week in Houston dealing with the jet lag and a cold I got from dh and Eva. Then spent a whirlwind week in Austin. So many friends we didn't even get to see or places I wanted to go to, things I wanted to do! We did 4 days in CO with sweet friends we hadn't seen in a long time. We took the kids skiing for the first time. There were tears by all 3 and a crazy 2-mile green run that had me cursing hubby the whole way for making us do it because he was ready and bored with the bunny hill, but we survived and the kids loved it.
Two days after we got back, we went to the Lantern Festival. The actual day is the 15th day of the lunar calendar (yesterday) but they have celebrations prior. Beautiful place but so freaking crowded considering most locals were still slowly returning from their home province. Will have to do it again when Eva has not thrown up on dh in the Bjorn the minute we arrived and when the other kids don't have jet lag. Meanwhile, Eva has given her fever virus to dh and Ella while the twins returned to school today.
Thanks to everyone for helping us with our transition here and having such open arms when we came back! Hugs and kisses and here's to some more adventures in 2012!
This is the view at the top of the 2-mile green run. Note, you cannot see the bottom of the hill from this vantage point. Not good for kids who had only an hr of bunny slope experience under their belt.
This was our "last supper" in the US. Not healthy, not the best combination, but oh so sorely missed.
You don't want to go through airport security with us. Eva is either forgotten or she forges her own adventures while we put shoes back on and electronics back in.
Our little frequent flier enjoying herself . . .
This is how you are supposed to dress your baby/toddler in China. Now you see why Eva is so "under-dressed".
3 comments:
The picture of fully dressed kid reminds me of Ralphie's brother in A Christmas Story, lol.
Sad we didn't get a chance to see you guys. Little Miss Eva is getting so big! =)
I feel you sister. Glad your return trip went so well. I would think it might be tougher to leave a second time. Happy New Year!
Wow, that's a pretty awesome festival parade! Not likely to see that up close and personal anywhere in the states. :) The comments about strangers coming up to readjust Eva's clothing is so enlightening for me. I used to get annoyed by my mom and mom-in-law's tendency to do the same when my kids were babies. Apparently, it's just an ingrained quirk of Asian culture. :)
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