10.27.06
Mission Accomplished!
I just successfully sent over 60 pictures to Yulin!! It is all up to him now!!!
10.25.06
Pictures!
I swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth!! I do hereby solemly swear to send pictures to Yulin on Friday October 27th. I will send them via email and he will then be held responsible for the pictures from that day forward! He will then solemly swear to deliver the pictures to this website for all to enjoy. All in favor say Aye all opposed say Nay.
Halloween Memories
I sure am going to miss dressing up this year!! CC keeps asking if daddy is going to dress in his sumo costume this year? hehehehehehheeh is Nicole having a party this year? Remember last year when I was walking to Nicoles house with my girlfriends from the “burbs” and we passed DD and one of our local cops (DD was being arrested). Both DD and the cop recognized me and said hello and happy halloween. hahahahahhahah classic stuff. My friends freaked out that both the criminal AND the cop recognized me!!!! Of course they lived in plymouth and maple grove…..they never even see the police….let alone a criminal!!! hahahahhahaha classic stuff. Well I am just remembering some fun halloween times.  I know everyone remembers Yulin in his sumo outfit. Dang we should get a picture of that on here…..and Andrea as Marilyn Monroe…..what about Terell and Gorshell?? How about the the year Mecca made the sangria wine and Megan was serving it as “the blood of Christ” of course the Pope was at that party too……and Anna Nicole Smith!!!! hahhhahahahhah man I am blessed with great friends you know that? We sure have a lot of fun! Especially this time of the year. If you all have a party this year make sure you take tons of pictures and email them to me!
American Food in Wuhan
So there is some American food here in Wuhan. The tastes are different but the packaging is similar.
McDonalds: Has similar burgers and fries but also sells spicy chicken wings, corn (for the kids meal), and assorted drinks like iced coffee and yogurt. The fries aren’t as greasy or salty here.
KFC: Seemed similar but we haven’t actually eaten there yet. CC had a kids meal….chicken sandwich, fries and drink…and of course a toy. Not as greasy or salty as in America.
Pizza Hut: Huge difference. The restaurant is clean and beautiful. The menu is really different. We ordered “The American Special” which is pepperoni pizza…I had a salad. It was ok. The sauce is sweeter than in America.
Pringles potato chips:Â They are pretty nasty actually….they are a bit stale.
Lays potato chips: pretty nasty as well. they come in flavors like “spicy shrimp” or “cucumber” or “tomato”…interesting but not too yummy.
Oreos: they are actually better here than in America. They are not as sweet as in America. We just need cold AE milk with them =)
Chips Ahoy: tasty too. Not too sweet
Snickers: pretty nasty….stale and yucky
Dove chocolate: yummy….not too sweet
Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7-Up: nasty! too syrupy…..tastes like flat soda.Â
Unfortunately the American food that is here is all “junk food” I would love to have some fresh herbs like basil, rosemary and thyme!! Now that is something to share across the world!!! =) I would also like to share some Iowa sweet corn, pork and beef. Of course I would love to share some AE Dairy products!!! =) In all fairness to the American products that are here….I don’t eat them or enjoy them much in America either…heheheheheh
It is finally cooling off!
Well I know you have already had a bit of snow in America but here in Wuhan we have been hot and sweaty. Today is actually the first day I have been “cold”. Can you believe it?? CC and I were commenting that it feels good to finally cool off a bit. Today CC is wearing a long sleeved shirt, a small sweater and a sweatshirt jacket to school (layering because it has been getting warmer in the afternoon). I am wearing a long sleeved shirt and a knit poncho (the white one from Nicole….everyone loves that by the way thank you Nicole!) So….finally today was a day without sweating!! hahahahahhahahah No snow in the forecast anytime soon but at least we are cooling off and I can get ready in the mornings without sweating my make-up off before I leave the house!!!
10.24.06
We gotta package!!!
Our first package has arrived today and I was so excited to open it!! My mother and sisters sent a package a few weeks ago and it has arrived safely today =) Thank you mom for sending the latest National Enquirers!! hahahahahhaha I have to have my crossword puzzle and have to keep up on all of the gossip of pop culture. It was so fun to open the package and there was the headline “ORAH COLLAPSES” the smaller headlines read “Tom and Katie Secret Prenup Deal” and “Mel Booozing Again”!! Oh God Bless America and the National Enquirer!! hahahahhahahah I love it!
Mom also sent some fun things for CC….coloring books, stickers for halloween, little stuffed animals…etc. Thank you thank you thank you mom, Connie, Danette and Jessica! We really appreciate the care package. We love everything!
10.22.06
Pizza Hut
Yesterday CC, Yei Yei, Nai Nai and myself went to Chicony for some shopping and then to Pizza Hut for dinner. Let me tell you the Pizza Hut here in China is so much nicer than in America!! ahhahahahhah I couldn’t believe I was in Pizza Hut. Now….the food wasn’t so great….just like home but the decor was beautiful. It was pretty expensive also! I enjoyed a crisp salad again!! CC ate so much!! Two pieces of pizza, waffle fries, a yogurt fruit drink and veggies from my salad. It was fun to watch her enjoying her food so much!!!
Something funny to think about….I have only had an upset stomach twice (well with the exception of the flu)….but I had heartburn after McDonalds and after Pizza Hut. Looks like the american food here in china doesn’t agree with me!!
Hanging out with my students!
This week I spent a lot of extra time with my students. Wednesday afternoon I watched a few of my students play badmitton (let’s see…Happy, Leon, King Kong and Jason played and Lee, Kodak and Arwen kept score) on Thursday I watched a few of my students sing in the “Pepsi Superstar Competition” (Jacky, Cinderella and Norman all were FANTASTIC), Friday I watched a few of my students play basketball (they kicked ass too….beat the accounting students by 30 points) (there team is called International Union…made up of 2 classes I teach..ok..now don’t get mad if I forget someone cuz there were many of you there!! Pencil, Hardy, Grandy, Kevin James, John, AK, Royal, Blank, ugh I am forgetting….there were many girls to cheer them on also ), on Friday evening I had a small party for a few of my students (Arwen, Cinderella, Harriel, Phoebe, Iris, YoYo, Jane) and on Saturday morning I hung out with a few of my students (Crystal, Cathy, May and Jenny) just to chat and look at some of my pictures from home. WOW I have been having so much fun. I can’t express enough how great my students are. They give me 100% in class and it is so fun to spend time with them out of class. I am having fun but dang I am tired!! hahahhahahahh I am too old for this!!! hahhahahahah just kidding! I love it!
10.18.06
Last of the football game!
OK I am almost finished!! you all know how I love to tell a story!!!
So we left the stadium and walked around a really nice park in the center of busy Hankou. Very nice. We walked for a while and stumbled upon The New World Center. I knew this would happen sooner or later. This is the center of materialism at its finest. It is currently being built….but there are a few shops and restaurants already open. This center will have very expensive condos, high end retail shops and fancy restaurants. YUK I was complaining a bit and saying “I will hate this place”…..well I am sad to admit but we were all pretty hungry and there in the new…New World Center was a hip and trendy restaurant…..the menu had a real SALAD on it and CHICKEN WINGS!!! Oh damn! what was I saying about disgusting materialism???? oh…well let’s test this out and then I will decide!! hahahahahahh The food was sooooooooo good. I enjoyed every single bite of my salad. It was cool and crisp and had lettuce, cucumber, tomato and purple onion….with a light italian dressing. Of course this salad is simple and would be nothing in America. But it has been sooooooo long since I have enjoyed live fresh veggies!!! Oh man it was good. With every single bite I had to remind everyone how good it tasted. CC and James both had pizza, Thomas had a club sandwich and we all shared some chicken wings. Of course the wings were tasty enough but certainly not at “Classics” standards. I am not sure if they would even make Yulin’s top 20 list!! hahahhahahahah
We met two foreign women while we were in there. The first young woman was from Brazil. Her name is Katrina….she is a chef and opening a restaurant in The New World Center (Loud thundering voice) hahahahahah….anyhow…she is quite beautiful. The other woman was named Justine…..also lovely…she is from paris and is working on PR for the same restaurant. The restaurant will be called French Kiss. Cute huh?? anyhow they arrived only a few days ago so they were pretty tired. We also met a nice chinese man who is opening a western style coffee shop in The New World Center (music sounds and heavens part) man I am pushing it!! hahahahhahahahÂ
We took the bus home and were all pretty exhausted by the time we got there. CC went strait to bed but of course had to replay every single event of the day before we went to sleep. It is so cute because she will say something like “mommy do you remember when James said he was going to tear off Gilsons limbs….that was funny wasn’t it” ahhahahahahh “yes CC it was really funny”. She is pretty amazing and I am so lucky to have so much fun with her. I hope she will remember these days as clearly as I will!
Football…uh…Soccer continued!
This is a long story so I am breaking it into smaller posts (less likely to be kicked off of my school computer).Â
Something hillarious. When we sat in section 10 we had made a comment that we would have preferred section 16 because it was right behind the goal…..and we laughed because section 16 was completely empty. Well before the game began stadium security was walking onto the field to man their posts. Thomas and James were laughing so hard and I couldn’t understand what the heck they were saying….so they pointed towards section 16….there in front of a completely empty section was a loyal guardsman….and this guy stood at full attention during the game. NO ONE was going to break a rule in section 16!!! hahahahh we were laughing at that right….but the REALLY funny part was after the game had finished fans started pouring onto the field…..Section 15 and 17 had no guard….and people were jumping over the gate to get onto the field….BUT there at full attention in front of his empty section was the dutiful guard!! he never moved!! Man it was classic. You can’t even think up stuff that funny!!Â
The most action happened after the game actually. There is a popular player named Gilson (from Brazil)….the fans love him. He came onto the field and the fans were ripping his clothes off. James made a joke they wouldn’t stop at his clothes and they would tear his limbs off as well.  The guards didn’t move….it was so funny….here is poor Gilson being hunted down by raging fans and he is running harder from them then he had to during the game!!! FINALLY the guards stepped in for a bit and made sure he wasn’t bare naked. Of course there is always that one stupid fan that takes the fun a bit too far. So of course he was escorted off the field while the other fans ripped poor Gilson to shreds!!! =)
Wuhan won 2-1. We left the stadium and we were looking everywhere for a wuhan jersey. Of course in America you are bombarded with the stuff. But not here in China. We had to search every single store. Nothing! We tried to ask people who were wearing jerseys “where….where do I buy this” and I would touch their shirt. Of course they would shake their head like “no way can you have my shirt”. In England it is popular to trade shirts. So James started taking off his shirt to trade with someone. It was so funny. The poor chinese dude was scared to death!!! He said no no no no!!! and started running away!! Man we were laughing.Â