Now that I'm sort of starting to get my act together, I decided to organize my kitchen cabinets. I needed to buy some plastic storage bins. So I decided to tag along with my friend to Tesco. Tesco is the closest major store to where we live. It's basically like a Chinese Walmart Superstore. You can get household goods, clothes, toys, groceries. Not the best quality, but good enough.
We pull into the parking garage and saw that the traffic going in was at a standstill. Man, I really wish I had my camera. On the opposite side, the garage exit, there is a man lying on the road, just a few yards before the ticket booth. He is surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. He is lying sideways, supported by his elbow and hand, almost like he is lounging. He is hollering something, angry. I can only assume that he was hit by a car and is waiting for some sort of medical attention. So the Tesco garage is closed. My friend and I decide to go to... Walmart instead.
Yes, a real Walmart. Just on the other side of the highway. It was my first time. I think I prefer Tesco but it had everything I needed. One of the things on my shopping list was a little trash can for the bathroom. I saw one that was labeled "Wasted Basket." Niiiiiiiice.
I then bought a 5 pack of Chinese ramen noodles that came with a random metal bowl, for free. Yesssss.
There are a few problems with this Walmart. One, there is a parking garage underneath but it has no light. Pretty dangerous. There is ample parking outside, especially when you shop in the morning, but you can't take your cart outside. So if you have a lot of things to carry (like I did today), you better make sure you go with a friend who can help you out.
While I was waiting for my friend to come back I saw two people speed walk out with a couple of clear gargabe bags filled to the brim with what looked like ground pork. I wish I didn't see that. Now I'm going to think about it everytime I order anything at the restaurant containing ground meat.
We then went to the McDonald's next door, which amazingly has a drive through! But none of my friends use it because they can't understand us with our gringo accents. I can't even order since my Chinese is nonexistent but luckily, they have a picture menu that I can point at in addition to my charades. (Can you act out no mayo? I sure can't...)
Just another morning out shopping in Shenyang.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Welcome to the neighborhood
We live in a gated community out in the sticks, as I like to say. It's really just about a 15-20 minutes' drive from the heart of the city without traffic. But it does feel like we're in the sticks when you have to drive to get anything.
Most of the people who live in our community are expats or really wealthy Chinese. The expats are pretty friendly with each other. The Chinese don't really like to associate with us. Still, we say our nihaos. Maybe we're not saying it right, you know with the tones and all. I find myself going out of my way to be friendly so they know that I'm not Chinese, though I look like one. Although to the trained eye, it's so obvious that I'm not. And the moment you see me walking around with my 3 hybrid looking kids, it's also obvious that I'm not Chinese.
I had one lady approach me at the grocery store once. Had no idea what she was saying, but she was holding up 3 fingers and pointing at my kids. I think she was saying something like "Are all 3 yours?" or "You really have 3 kids?"
We live in a townhouse that looks like this. There are many townhouse and duplex style houses like these in the neighborhood.
Here is the club house. It's massive. I couldn't even get a good picture that shows it in its entirety. It contains a swimming pool, meeting rooms, banquet rooms, a gym, a children's playroom, badmitton court and probably some other rooms I don't know about.
The clubhouse has a convenience store which has saved me a bunch of times. It's tiny but carries a surprisingly good variety of things. Rice, bread, candy, snacks, cleaning items, eggs, cheese, frozen meat, juice, sauces, noodles, beer, wine... many imported foods, all overpriced, of course.
There are lots of man made water features and lakes. More empty mansions in the background. Won't you be our neighbor?
Most of the people who live in our community are expats or really wealthy Chinese. The expats are pretty friendly with each other. The Chinese don't really like to associate with us. Still, we say our nihaos. Maybe we're not saying it right, you know with the tones and all. I find myself going out of my way to be friendly so they know that I'm not Chinese, though I look like one. Although to the trained eye, it's so obvious that I'm not. And the moment you see me walking around with my 3 hybrid looking kids, it's also obvious that I'm not Chinese.
I had one lady approach me at the grocery store once. Had no idea what she was saying, but she was holding up 3 fingers and pointing at my kids. I think she was saying something like "Are all 3 yours?" or "You really have 3 kids?"
We live in a townhouse that looks like this. There are many townhouse and duplex style houses like these in the neighborhood.
We also have these big boys. The villas. NJ's school is a block away from our house in one of these villas that was renovated. The weird thing is, most of them are empty. I've only seen 3 occupied and we have dozens of villas here, maybe even over 100. It's kinda eerie. All these huge mansions. Empty. They had a major "build it and they will come" mentality, except nobody came.
This one puts the size into perspective. Wee NJ out front.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Reason number 15038 why Shenyang is considered a hardship post
It really isn't as hard as it could be, but the lack of convenient medical care does make it difficult. That coupled with the novelty and excitement of moving here wearing off and the onset of homesickness for family, friends and just the good ol' US of A made it for a tough week, especially yesterday.
It's hard to think that less than a month ago, I lived within 5 minutes away from the pediatrician who offered Saturday and evening hours and a pharmacy across the street from where we lived. It's a different story here. For routine checkups and immunizations, we see the Consulate Nurse. When someone is sick, we go to a doctor. The preferred choice is Global Doctors, which is a group of (I think) American doctors so we don't have the language barrier and so that we receive a similar and familiar level of care as we would in the States. The Consulate Nurse accompanies us there. The other choice is to see a Chinese doctor near the Consulate. They are used to having foreign clientele.
We went to Global Doctor on Monday because I suspected that K had an ear infection. She has already had 5 or so in her almost 10 months of life so I know when she gets it, even if it's not accompanied by a fever- poor sleep, sensitive ears, fussiness. The nurse confirmed that her ears were inflamed so she took us to Global Doctor. (Did I mention that we live 20 minutes drive from the Consulate and Global Doctor is 20 minutes from the Consulate? And did I also mention that we are still without a car and so anytime we have to drive we have to use the Consulate car or hire a contract driver?) So we get to Global Doctor and he says no, not an infection. So the nurse and I feel a bit stupid and we turn around to go back, after being charged $99 for a consultation. The next day, K's symptoms continued and she had a high fever. So we went back yesterday. Doc confirmed that it IS an ear infection. WOW. It would have been really helpful if they would have figured that out on Monday.
OK, that's fine. I guess to one doctor fluid in ears isn't a cause for an alarm even given past history and other symptoms. But then we are given amoxicillin. But it's not the nicely bottled, tasty pink liquid amoxicillin. It's in powder form in what looks like sugar packets. And the stuff smells VILE. No sugaring it up here.
I went home and mixed some with water and gave it to K. She cried and gagged and proceeded to throw up. Lovely. I couldn't blame her. The smell alone made want to gag. So later that evening I tried to mix it with juice and got it to a point where it was tolerable. She drank it all down though it took about 30 minutes sip by sip. At dinnertime an hour later, she threw it all up. I think it was too much liquid in her little belly.
At this point I was so ready to throw in the towel. But what could I do? I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere China and my ear infected baby won't take the amoxicillin!!
We put her to sleep and thankfully, she woke up fever-free. I guess her body absorbed some of the vile stuff. So this morning I took the advice of a friend and just mixed it with a little bit of juice, just so she could get it down quickly. It still smelled disgusting and I was prepared for the worst, and was skeptical that she'd even take it.
Miraculously, she took it, and did it willingly! She kept opening up her mouth for more. It was an act of God.
So we survived our first medical issue in Shenyang and I'm thankful that it was minor and hope that it continues to be minor or even better- non-existent!
It's hard to think that less than a month ago, I lived within 5 minutes away from the pediatrician who offered Saturday and evening hours and a pharmacy across the street from where we lived. It's a different story here. For routine checkups and immunizations, we see the Consulate Nurse. When someone is sick, we go to a doctor. The preferred choice is Global Doctors, which is a group of (I think) American doctors so we don't have the language barrier and so that we receive a similar and familiar level of care as we would in the States. The Consulate Nurse accompanies us there. The other choice is to see a Chinese doctor near the Consulate. They are used to having foreign clientele.
We went to Global Doctor on Monday because I suspected that K had an ear infection. She has already had 5 or so in her almost 10 months of life so I know when she gets it, even if it's not accompanied by a fever- poor sleep, sensitive ears, fussiness. The nurse confirmed that her ears were inflamed so she took us to Global Doctor. (Did I mention that we live 20 minutes drive from the Consulate and Global Doctor is 20 minutes from the Consulate? And did I also mention that we are still without a car and so anytime we have to drive we have to use the Consulate car or hire a contract driver?) So we get to Global Doctor and he says no, not an infection. So the nurse and I feel a bit stupid and we turn around to go back, after being charged $99 for a consultation. The next day, K's symptoms continued and she had a high fever. So we went back yesterday. Doc confirmed that it IS an ear infection. WOW. It would have been really helpful if they would have figured that out on Monday.
OK, that's fine. I guess to one doctor fluid in ears isn't a cause for an alarm even given past history and other symptoms. But then we are given amoxicillin. But it's not the nicely bottled, tasty pink liquid amoxicillin. It's in powder form in what looks like sugar packets. And the stuff smells VILE. No sugaring it up here.
I went home and mixed some with water and gave it to K. She cried and gagged and proceeded to throw up. Lovely. I couldn't blame her. The smell alone made want to gag. So later that evening I tried to mix it with juice and got it to a point where it was tolerable. She drank it all down though it took about 30 minutes sip by sip. At dinnertime an hour later, she threw it all up. I think it was too much liquid in her little belly.
At this point I was so ready to throw in the towel. But what could I do? I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere China and my ear infected baby won't take the amoxicillin!!
We put her to sleep and thankfully, she woke up fever-free. I guess her body absorbed some of the vile stuff. So this morning I took the advice of a friend and just mixed it with a little bit of juice, just so she could get it down quickly. It still smelled disgusting and I was prepared for the worst, and was skeptical that she'd even take it.
Miraculously, she took it, and did it willingly! She kept opening up her mouth for more. It was an act of God.
So we survived our first medical issue in Shenyang and I'm thankful that it was minor and hope that it continues to be minor or even better- non-existent!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Grocery shopping in Shenyang
I'm still trying to get the hang of grocery shopping here. Back in the states there were 3 go-to stores (Giant, Target, Trader Joes- I love you!! I miss you!!) that I visited whenever I wanted. I was so familiar with these stores that I arranged my shopping list by aisle.
Here it's not so easy. At least not yet. My fabulous sponsor and friend Jen (a fellow foreign service wifey) has been taking me around town to all of my options. Remember, going anywhere in Shenyang from where we live requires a car so I've always had to catch a ride. Can't wait until Miss Odyssey (so named by NJ) gets here. About 2 more months to go, hopefully less.
Our community has a small convenience store that is surprisingly well stocked with random Chinese and imported items. Many of them are Korean, which is random because I only know of 2 other Koreans who live here. But they have everything from chips, juice, bottled Frappuccino, cleaning goods, yogurt, bread. I can definitely throw together a meal from here if need be.
My favorite store here so far is Yoohoo, which is a mostly imported food store. Sure, everything costs an arm and a leg but for Eggo Waffles and Swiss yogurt, gotta do what you gotta do. I've also visited 2 other imported food stores. Riverside, which is tiny but has a pretty good selection. I found Newman's Own pasta sauce, taco seasoning and Eggo Waffles (can you tell what J likes to eat for breakfast?). They each cost about $8. Ouch... There is another one called Ole (loving the funny Western names for these stores), but I wasn't too impressed with their selection. I think the foods here were even pricier than the other two.
And to think I used to clip coupons and stalk grocery circulars to use them on top of sales.
There are plenty of Chinese grocery stores. They tend to be HUGE. Most that I've visited are spread over 2 floors. It's OK to shop there but it is a bit overwhelming for me.
On Thursday, a bunch of the Consulate ladies are taking a "field trip" to Xita, which is Korea town here. We will be able to visit a Korean grocery store, Korean butcher, Korean rice mill. I can't wait!!
Here it's not so easy. At least not yet. My fabulous sponsor and friend Jen (a fellow foreign service wifey) has been taking me around town to all of my options. Remember, going anywhere in Shenyang from where we live requires a car so I've always had to catch a ride. Can't wait until Miss Odyssey (so named by NJ) gets here. About 2 more months to go, hopefully less.
Our community has a small convenience store that is surprisingly well stocked with random Chinese and imported items. Many of them are Korean, which is random because I only know of 2 other Koreans who live here. But they have everything from chips, juice, bottled Frappuccino, cleaning goods, yogurt, bread. I can definitely throw together a meal from here if need be.
My favorite store here so far is Yoohoo, which is a mostly imported food store. Sure, everything costs an arm and a leg but for Eggo Waffles and Swiss yogurt, gotta do what you gotta do. I've also visited 2 other imported food stores. Riverside, which is tiny but has a pretty good selection. I found Newman's Own pasta sauce, taco seasoning and Eggo Waffles (can you tell what J likes to eat for breakfast?). They each cost about $8. Ouch... There is another one called Ole (loving the funny Western names for these stores), but I wasn't too impressed with their selection. I think the foods here were even pricier than the other two.
And to think I used to clip coupons and stalk grocery circulars to use them on top of sales.
There are plenty of Chinese grocery stores. They tend to be HUGE. Most that I've visited are spread over 2 floors. It's OK to shop there but it is a bit overwhelming for me.
On Thursday, a bunch of the Consulate ladies are taking a "field trip" to Xita, which is Korea town here. We will be able to visit a Korean grocery store, Korean butcher, Korean rice mill. I can't wait!!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Excursion!
A bunch of the Consulate families rented a small bus and rode out to see the Benxi water caves over the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday. I wish I could tell you where exactly geographically but honestly, I was just along for the ride.
By the way, Tomb Sweeping Day, as far as I understand it, is when the people go visit the graves of deceased family members and clean it up.
It was pretty interesting driving up to Benxi. We passed a lot of empty fields, abandoned farms, houses and shacks. It just makes me wonder who used to live and work there and why they are no longer there.
Everything was fine until we were about 25km from Benxi. I couldn't tell you how many miles that is. I'm still that ignorant American who hasnt' bothered to learn the metric system. The traffic came to a standstill. There was so much congestion. All of the kids on the bus (there were 10 kids among the 3 families there) were starting to get antsy. Then I realized that the bus was a STICK SHIFT because it stalled several times and we started to smell the clutch burning out. Never heard of a bus being stick shift! We were stuck on the hill and no one was letting us through so the bus kept getting stuck. But after some "I think I can, I think I can" chugging along, we finally made it over the hill! The bus driver was so patient and gracious. After a few minutes we saw what was causing the traffic jam- a graveyard! Everyone was going to the tombs to sweep them out. After we passed the graveyard, we were home free.
We arrived at the park where the caves were and rode a small shuttle down to the caves. We walked some, passed by some random displays (fake dinosaurs, animals) and came to an area where we could ride motor boats to see all the stalactites and stalagmites. They were pretty grand. They had installed some colored lights to add to the effect. I can't decide if they were cool or corny.
Afterwards, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and had a picnic at a gazebo right outside the caves. I think this was everyone's favorite part. It was nice to get away from it all and relax with friends.
Brown bear and pink bear! K and her friend are 3 months apart and they always smile and coo at each other.
Not sure what that says. I only recognize the character for "one."
By the way, Tomb Sweeping Day, as far as I understand it, is when the people go visit the graves of deceased family members and clean it up.
It was pretty interesting driving up to Benxi. We passed a lot of empty fields, abandoned farms, houses and shacks. It just makes me wonder who used to live and work there and why they are no longer there.
Everything was fine until we were about 25km from Benxi. I couldn't tell you how many miles that is. I'm still that ignorant American who hasnt' bothered to learn the metric system. The traffic came to a standstill. There was so much congestion. All of the kids on the bus (there were 10 kids among the 3 families there) were starting to get antsy. Then I realized that the bus was a STICK SHIFT because it stalled several times and we started to smell the clutch burning out. Never heard of a bus being stick shift! We were stuck on the hill and no one was letting us through so the bus kept getting stuck. But after some "I think I can, I think I can" chugging along, we finally made it over the hill! The bus driver was so patient and gracious. After a few minutes we saw what was causing the traffic jam- a graveyard! Everyone was going to the tombs to sweep them out. After we passed the graveyard, we were home free.
We arrived at the park where the caves were and rode a small shuttle down to the caves. We walked some, passed by some random displays (fake dinosaurs, animals) and came to an area where we could ride motor boats to see all the stalactites and stalagmites. They were pretty grand. They had installed some colored lights to add to the effect. I can't decide if they were cool or corny.
Afterwards, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and had a picnic at a gazebo right outside the caves. I think this was everyone's favorite part. It was nice to get away from it all and relax with friends.
Friday, April 5, 2013
First real outing in China!
A bunch of us headed over to the Xinglong Outlets the other day. It is a 4 story mall. The ground floor has a Chinese grocery store and some food vendors. The 2nd floor had some shopping and a play area. The 3rd floor had a restaurant and more shopping and the 4th floor had a food court. It was my first shopping experience in Shenyang and everything went well. I was a bit nervous, kept imagining a dirty shopping mall with a gazillion people. It was actually the opposite. The mall was very clean (it's new) and there were not many people there at all. We first hung out at the children's play area.
My first thought was, why do we not have these in the States? They would make a fortune from all the stroller moms!! Yes, the major malls have little play areas for kids. But this one was completely enclosed, had several attendants on hand to help with crowd control (not that they needed any) and cleaning and it was more than just a few plastic structures for the kids to climb on. It included a sandpit, ball pit, several rotating rides, slides, a kitchen area, and many climbing structures. We did have to pay 60 RMB (which is about $10) but you had the option to buy a pass which would come out to about half that. Everyone was required to wear socks, except in the sandpit, where they provided little rubber boots for the kids.
My first thought was, why do we not have these in the States? They would make a fortune from all the stroller moms!! Yes, the major malls have little play areas for kids. But this one was completely enclosed, had several attendants on hand to help with crowd control (not that they needed any) and cleaning and it was more than just a few plastic structures for the kids to climb on. It included a sandpit, ball pit, several rotating rides, slides, a kitchen area, and many climbing structures. We did have to pay 60 RMB (which is about $10) but you had the option to buy a pass which would come out to about half that. Everyone was required to wear socks, except in the sandpit, where they provided little rubber boots for the kids.
J's first sandbox experience.
I was especially happy about rule #3. I was worried how they'd keep up with the split pants accidents.
Such a bright, happy place!
The 2 ladies in the ball pit were cleaning the balls one by one. Now THAT is dedication. How they knew which were clean and which weren't, I don't know.
I let the boys play upstairs while my friends watched them and went down to the grocery store to get a few items. I'm still trying to get familiarized with what's all available in Shenyang so I didn't really have a list. I just grabbed things as I saw them. I had K strapped to me and people kept walking by and saying something to me. I'm assuming they said that she's not dressed warmly enough or wondering why I have her strapped to me. The only one who spoke English to me just pointed at her little arm and leg sticking out and said, "Oh, a baby in there!" Not too many babies in Shenyang hanging out in Ergos or other carriers. I really wish I knew more Chinese. There were some awesome looking dumplings and other ready made foods but you had to order them from the people behind the counter. And I just wasn't confident in my charades and pointing skills to go for it. Next time, I just need to do it. It's either that or miss out on dumplings.
Which reminds me, I need to start my Chinese tutoring lessons asap.
All in all, my first grocery shopping experience in China was a success! It was fun looking at everything. I will have to take my camera with me next time.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
House tour: Kitchen
I would give you a tour of the entire house but right now it's pretty empty. Our stuff won't arrive for another few months so all I have for you is the kitchen. I guess I could go bathrooms too. But kitchen for today.
Step right in... pay no attention to the washer and dryer. Our kitchen used to be a laundry room, maid's room and kitchen combined.
Ooh, lots of storage!
Maybe not. No really, there is ample room for storage in the cabinets.
I love having a gas stove! But wait. How am I supposed to know when my oven is preheated? And no window to take a peek while the cookies are baking?
Not exactly thrilled to have to pass a dripping plate over the floor to get to the dishwasher, but thankful that I have one.
Any guesses as to what this is? Yes, it's a water distiller. The water from the tap is "safe to drink but not recommended," so they say. So we use this to treat water for boiling pasta, rinsing, etc. We could drink from this too, but it has a funny taste...
So we use this handy dandy water cooler.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Driving in China
I haven't driven yet, but have had a few passenger experiences. First we rode with a hired driver who took us to the Consulate Easter party (which was a BLAST by the way!) and yesterday we rode with a friend into the heart of the city to celebrate Easter with some of the other expats in the area.
We live in the suburbs (or the sticks, depending on how you look at it), which is about a 30 minute drive outside of the heart of the city. Everything is in the city- stores, restaurants, the Consulate... so we literally have to drive to get anything. The driving here is... in a word, crazy. Driving in downtown DC during rush hour traffic is pretty tame compared to this. Traffic signs, lights, rules are merely suggestions and people rarely follow them. There is really no such thing as right-of-way or yield. People just do whatever they need to do to get to where they are going. I've never experienced such a thing.
The 2nd time I've ever been out and about in Shenyang, we got into an accident. Not my friend's fault. She was stopped at the toll booth and the person behind her just rear ended her. It was really minor. If actually felt like she had switched gears to park. But still. Really?
I cannot imagine driving in the city here. Not only is it overwhelming to think about learning the city and how to get about, but just dealing with the craziness of it all. It will probably take about 3 months for our car to get here, so I have until then to figure things out. But everyone to whom I've spoken has reassured me that you get used to it and it isn't so bad from the driver's seat. And you just develop a sixth sense, that you just know that this car is going to cut you off or that one will just stop, and that one will pop the curb to go around you. And there is an unspoken rule here that might is right, as in the bigger the vehicle, the more right of way you get.
Not many minivans here, so I should be good.
We live in the suburbs (or the sticks, depending on how you look at it), which is about a 30 minute drive outside of the heart of the city. Everything is in the city- stores, restaurants, the Consulate... so we literally have to drive to get anything. The driving here is... in a word, crazy. Driving in downtown DC during rush hour traffic is pretty tame compared to this. Traffic signs, lights, rules are merely suggestions and people rarely follow them. There is really no such thing as right-of-way or yield. People just do whatever they need to do to get to where they are going. I've never experienced such a thing.
The 2nd time I've ever been out and about in Shenyang, we got into an accident. Not my friend's fault. She was stopped at the toll booth and the person behind her just rear ended her. It was really minor. If actually felt like she had switched gears to park. But still. Really?
I cannot imagine driving in the city here. Not only is it overwhelming to think about learning the city and how to get about, but just dealing with the craziness of it all. It will probably take about 3 months for our car to get here, so I have until then to figure things out. But everyone to whom I've spoken has reassured me that you get used to it and it isn't so bad from the driver's seat. And you just develop a sixth sense, that you just know that this car is going to cut you off or that one will just stop, and that one will pop the curb to go around you. And there is an unspoken rule here that might is right, as in the bigger the vehicle, the more right of way you get.
Not many minivans here, so I should be good.
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