Christmas in SHA by Diana

This is the first Christmas I have spent away from our NYC family as far back as I can remember! =( Lei and I are usually with my extended family in Queens on Christmas Day. Although we are sad, we are also learning to embrace some new traditions. Below is a photo narrative of our 2008 Christmas experience in a new land.

This photo is courtesy of LZ because he wanted to capture Chinese Santa in action!

We were invited to a Christmas party where the kids made gingerbread houses.

This is what we bought for grab bag gifts.

On Christmas Eve we decided at the last minute to invite a few friends over to make our home feel more cozy since our stuff from the States still did not arrive. We had a blast making mac & cheese, decorating our tree of lights and exchanging white elephant gifts (new items we already had that we thought someone else might enjoy). On Christmas day we went to the international church for worship service and it was packed!

Doesn't Lei seem happy with his white elephant gift?!


We stayed up until midnight snuggled near our tree of lights.

Reunited and it tastes sooo good! by Diana

As I walked out of baggage claim, I tried to look for Lei in the midst of the crowd. When our eyes finally met, I naturally smiled and starting laughing. It was such an overwhelming grin that I could not control this response. It was so natural I really enjoyed it. Unity not only feels good it tastes good. Not only did Lei greet me with a huge smile, he gave me this...

Lei said it's my survival kit...familiar snacks! But the best part of the survival kit was that he took a couple of days off to spend a long weekend together exploring the city. Lei is so thoughtful! Here's a taste of our first weekend in our new city.

Our first meal together...an east meets west breakfast buffet. Note the warm soybean milk, waffle, Chinese veggies and poached egg below.

We admired the city's architecture by day and night.
Check out the "bottle cap opener" building.

18 Years Old by Diana

This suitcase is at least 18 years old. Lei's parents used it when they first moved to the US. We dug it out of their basement and gave it some TLC (aka duck tape). Next week, I'm going to use it on my one-way flight to China.

Here's the original sticker from their flight! Is this cool?!

On a deeper note, here is Lei's symbolic commentary...

The suitcase (pictured above) contains a lot of symbolism. It was almost 20 years ago, that my parents sacrificed everything and used this suitcase to bring me out of China. They gave up their home, job and friends so that I may have a better life in the US. Now almost 20 years later, we are headed back to the place they brought me out of with the SAME suitcase.

I hope my parents do not take my choice to go back to China as a rejection of the wonderful gift they have given me. I love living in the US. I would not be where I am today without their sacrifice. I hope someday they will come to fully understand our decision to move back to China.

Why Bum Rush? by Lei

The recent tragedy at a Long Island Wal-Mart made me think about "Why do people bum rush things?"

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/11/28/black.friday.violence/index.html

Bum rushing is a frequent occurrence here in China. You see it on the subway, in stores, in cafeteria halls, etc. You don't see much of it in the US. The Long Island tragedy took most of us by surprise. Long Island is not China. Aren't Americans supposed to be more "civilized" than the Chinese? The Chinese's lack of "mannerism" was a hot topic prior to the 2008 Olympics. I heard many Westerners wondered if the Chinese culture and people was polite enough to host the Olympics games.

So why do people bum rush? It is because there is an issue SCARCITY. At the Long Island Wal-Mart, the scarcity was probably for something like a $20 DVD player or a $500 50'inch flat screen TV. That was enough to make people forget all manners and rush for the prize. We are blessed in the US to not have to experience much scarcity. In China the issue of scarcity is quite prevalent. For my parent's generation who experienced famine and hunger, it is understandable why they have developed a mentally of fighting for your own at all costs. Heck, if they didn't, they might not even be around.

I am not making excuses for the lack of mannerism of the Chinese, I hate it just as much as the next guy. Having grown up in China, I somewhat understand why things are the way they are. There is no difference between Americans and Chinese. We Americans are just more blessed to not have to fight for everyday living necessities. There will always be food at Stop&Shop...there will always be more books at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon. If we don't catch this subway train or bus, there will always be another one.

Think for a second how you would act if you knew there was only one bag of rice left at Stop & Shop or one TV left at BestBuy. Maybe that's how those Long Islanders felt when they bum rushed into Wal-Mart.

The Joy of Commuting to Work in Shanghai by Lei

Chinese breakfast
Where else can you get fresh soymilk and homemade steamed dumpling on your way to work? On my 15 minute walk to the train station today, I must have passed 20+ breakfast stands with awesome Chinese breakfast food. Yummmm...who needs Dunkin Donuts!!!


NFL in China
I don't think I have ever saw NFL highlights in the train stations in the US. Like most western companies, NFL is also trying to tap into the large Chinese market. NFL highlights are being shown on flat screen TVs at the Shanghai subway platforms. For once, I don't mind waiting for the train. Today, I secretly wished the train would come later rather than sooner. AWESOME!!!! The sad thing is that I can't get NFL highlights on my TV in the hotel. ESPN here shows soccer, cricket, billiards, and more soccer...lol. Maybe I should move my bed to the subway station platform?!


Great cell phone coverage
Cell phones are everywhere and they work everywhere, even in the underground subway. Man, I can't even get my Sprint phone to work above ground in parts of the US but the Chinese have figured out to make it work in a fast moving underground train. SWEET!

Boxes by Diana

The movers came today and so now our stuff is on it's way to Shanghai. I love how the label is so explicit "Staten Island to China!"

Going Away Parties are Bittersweet by Diana

It's hard to say "good bye", so I'd rather say "see you in China". Jess & Cindy have lots of creative juices.
Who can say good bye to family like this?


Check out this table cloth! They even made customize fortune cookies that said, "Lei and Diana...Zai Jian!"


Who would have thought? China Cupcakes! =)

WELCOME!

Welcome to our blog! Since we've moved to three cities in three years we hope to stay in better touch right here. So, here it goes...enjoy, comment, subscribe and don't be a stranger. =)