Suzhou Pearl Market

Suzhou Pearl Market

Some of the girls and I took a trip to Suzhou this morning to the Pearl Market. Store upon store selling pearls. It's amazing that they string them one by one by hand. Makes my hands ache just watching them!

Out back of the market, there's the opportunity to pick your own oysters and create one of a kind pearl jewelry ...which sounds pretty cool...just not with a grabby McGraberson 8 month-old Bjorned to your chest. He had a field day grabbing at all the beautiful strands of necklaces.

I'll definitely have to venture back!

So, you want to move to China...

I thought I'd write a post to help anyone who might stumble upon my blog that is thinking of moving to China. I don't know who you are--but just in case that one person finds this post--here it goes...


So, you want to move to China?

A "shipment" of necessities

Don't leave home without bringing:

1. Deodorant
I have seen the fa brand of roll on deodorant here at a select few stores that cater to Westerners, but most locals use perfume in place of deodorant and anti-persperants. I don't know if the Chinese, or those who have lived her a long time just acclimate to the humid summers or what--but I don't notice them sweating as much as we foreigners do. Just trust me--bring deodorant. You'll want it.

2. Tampons
I had actually heard about the lack of tampons prior to our arrival, so I brought a couple months worth, thinking, "No way they don't carry them somewhere in Wuxi..." Well, months later, and many store aisles searched ( and boxes shipped from home), I can say, " They don't carry tampons in Wuxi." Sure, sure, I saw a pack of OB at Tesco, but really, who on earth uses those? Ive heard that Shanghai and Beijing sometimes have them, but as a general rule, don't expect to find them in China. Bring a supply.

3. Seasoning packets/Dip packets
We love the beef we have been buying from METRO, but the chicken, both from City Shop and METRO, leaves our taste buds wishing for more. Simple to pack--seasoning packets like Lawry's or Hidden Valley Ranch can doctor up any bland chewy chicken enough to make it edible. My favorite seasoning is the chili packets. Chicken chili is delicious and hides the poor quality of Chinese chicken quite well. Seasoning packets are easy to pack, and provide a sense of home in more ways than one. All of my friends and I peruse pinterest looking for recipes in which we actually HAVE all of the ingredients to make.

4. Laptop with VPN router & camera
If you plan on maintaining contact via the social networking sites from China, you'll want to get a router with a VPN. There are many reputable servers available. Make sure you know how to use the camera function on your computer. Skype is a godsend for keeping in touch with those back home.

5. OTC medicines
In the unfortunate event that you get ht with the World's worst cold in the middle of a frigid winter day, save yourself a trip to the pharmacy where you'll inevitably be trying to determine what medicine treats your symptoms while a pharmacy staff member breathes down your back trying to sell herbal remedies to you. A small bag with cold medicine, anti-diarrheal meds,  sore throat drops, and some sort of pain relief pills would be a sufficient start. If one must buy medicine at a local pharmacy, try to select ones made in Singapore or Hong Kong.

6. Clothing
This is a big one. I've got an average American Woman size foot at a "7". Here in China, a "7" is usually one of the biggest sizes they carry. Clothing sizes run about 2 sizes smaller than the U.S., as I tried on a pair of Large Jeans last week and couldn't even zip them up over my American size 2 booty. Talk about a punch in the gut. LOL. It is possible to have tailor  made clothing for relatively affordable prices, which is what my husband will probably end up doing. Shoes, however, are purchased on trips home, and brought back with us...Oh and don't forget underwear and bras. A men's size LARGE underwear currently fit my friend's 10 year-old-daughter as sleep shorts..and women's bras..Well, if you're a slim 32 or 34 A or B, you can manage, but anything bigger...bring it from home.

7. 90 day supply of prescription medicines
I learned this the hard way. Ask your physician at home to prescribe you a 90 day supply of your prescription medicines ( this includes contact lenses). This will give you time to find a physician to take over management of your condition and refill prescriptions. Not all drugs are available in China, and take if from me, you don't want to find out your drug isn't available AFTER you've run out.

8. Smart Phone
Call me spoiled, but having gone from not having a smartphone in the states, to getting one here, I now feel like it's a MUST HAVE item for anyone living abroad that doesn't speak the language. There are apps out for the smart phones like google translate ( translates any language to another by both voice activation as well as typing) & iConvert ( converts any measurements, currency, temperature, etc) that I simply can't live without.

I realize not all of the items listed are necessities, but they are all things that I find make living here more comfortable for my family and me. It's a thin line that we all balance, trying to adapt to a new culture, while still needing our creature comforts from home.

Walking Wuxi Wednesdays

Walkin Wuxi Wednesday

A group of girls from my apartment complex and I have decided to start walking to different parts of Wuxi on the third Wednesday of  every month. The weather here is finally nice and we are soaking up every minute of outside time we can get, cause winter is a'comin.

This morning we met up at 9;00a and set out on foot. We  headed right down Changjiang Bei Lu. We walked a total of 9.1km in just about two hours.

Take a look at our voyage!

Heading out for a walk with Mrs. Barcelona, Mrs. Georgia, Mrs. Singapore & Ms. Turkey

Not even a police man will let pedestrians have the right of way here. Cross at your own accord.

 

1st stop: baby Spa to see if there were any babies getting dunked with a floaty around the neck.

Split pant babies. It's the norm.

Quilts, anyone?

Sal says, "Hey mama, where is my hat? Dis sun is bright!"

 

This woman can multi-task. I need lessons from her. Baby & groceries. Alone.

Sal's stroller gets a lift. Muscle up, girls!

Everything is barricaded to keep scooters ( & unfortunately strollers) out.
We're gonna have big muscles after three years of lifting strollers together!

Water delivery. Love these guys.

Totally OSHA compliant, right?

Anyone heard on the news about what's going on around here?
Here's some Grafitti in support of the country we live in.
 

Painting. The ropes they're using? Also OSHA certified.

Game of frogger, anyone? 1.2.3...run!



Trendy Plastics. A plastic surgery center.

We made it all the way from Changjiang Bei Lu to Nanchan by foot! This was no small undertaking, but we did it and enjoyed the entire walk, snapping away with our cameras, playing tourists.


Add in the audio of a man moaning and rocking, and it made even me want to give him money.
I have yet to give a beggar money, but it does pull at your heartstrings to see disabled elderly on the streets.

E-Scooter parking lot outside Nanchan

Tuckered out. Both boys fell asleep midway for a nice little snooze.

The girls ( minus pregnant Mrs. Barcelona who caught a taxi home) at Nanchan

Canal at Nanchan

Rental Bikes. Watch out Lance Armstrong!

We finished out our walk at Starbucks at Nanchan and this is where I learned that I did not pack a back up onesie for Sal. Hence the shirtless boy in the photograph. Mama packed pants, but no top. Add in a leaky diaper and it spells disaster.

So, he was left to flex his pecs for the ladies, and no one seemed to mind much at all.

Shirtless in Starbucks

We all decided that we had enough walking for the day so a call was put out to Mrs. Georgia's driver who promptly picked us up in the van and brought us home.

 

Looking forward to our next walk.

 

There's so much more of Wuxi to explore!

p.s. thanks hratliff for the use of some of your photos!

NFL in China

To our surprise and enjoyment, we actually ( gasp!) get NFL coverage over here in China, via the Australian Football Network. Most of our channels come via Singapore or Taiwan, and the AFL channel is included.

YAY for us!

Nevermind the fact that we're up at 6:00a on a Monday to watch the Steelers play Sunday Night Football? Nothing like starting out your work week with a big ol W for the boys in Black and Gold.

Many of our friends here hail from Europe, so they are not familiar with the NFL...but tonight, Mrs Georgia hosted everyone for the Panthers v. Saints game on the NFL network. Our European friends got a crash course in American football..pizza consumption...And beer.

And it was fun.

Watching football is a taste of home, half a world away.

Today was a good day.

Learning Mandarin

Bānmǎ hé xióngmāo ( the zebra and the panda)

So, NZ and I haven't started taking Chinese lessons, but we have learned a few key words, and we use them often. Too often. My ayi laughs at me, because the only words I say with certainty are nihao,  xie xie and Míngtiān. That's "hello", " Thank you" and "tomorrow". She in turn, knows "hi", "I go" and " shank you". She's taught me a few other words, like Píngguǒ (apple) and Lěng ( cold--she's always telling me that Sal is cold), but I often get self concious about my pronunciation, so I mangle it and probably say something totally offensive instead of what I meant.

Maybe that's why she laughs at me so much?

A few of my friends here who have taken lessons, suggested buying kids books and school charts with common items pictured and written in English, Pinyin and characters. I found a stack at Tesco this week, and for less than a dollar a book, Sal and I are reading Mandarin, yo!

Well, actually, I enter the English word into google translate, then listen to the pronunciation, and theeeeen I repeat it to Sal. When Liu reads to him, I try to listen, but she's so dang fast, and anybody who's read to an 8 month old knows, it's more about the taste of the book's cardboard pages than the pictures.

Sooner or later I will have the vocabulary of a three-year-old. I will know my numbers, my directions, fruits, vegetables and random zoo animals.

You know, in case we see a zebra at the zoo or something.

P-p-p-poker Face

Last night NZ hosted his first poker game since moving here.

The boys pulled our kitchen tble out onto our balcony and enjoyed the ( finally!) nice weather we've been having. I'm going to pretend I don't see that they used Sal's special quilt as a table cloth..it can be washed, though..right?

Pere, Johnny, Nick and Rock

What did the ladies do?

 

Went to Hagen Das, of course.

 

And after ice cream??

 

 We walked it off checking out all the drunken Chinese men stumbling out of the Canal walk nightclub where a she-male Lady Gaga impersonator was singing.

 

Oh, China.

 

Always something to see.

Wuxi International Club

I keep talking about all the support that NZ and I have received since moving to China. We joined a club for expats and Nationals alike, that hosts functions on a regular basis. The group is called Wuxi International Club, and most of our friends are also a part of the organization.

Here's a few photos from our recent coffee morning.

Sal was cutting FOUR teeth at once ( all uppers) so he was having a tough time, but I am really trying my best to get out and about and soak in  everything that this experience has to offer--whether it be making new friends, seeing new sights, or just plain getting out of my boring old routine I had back home.

Sal & his best big buddy go everywhere together!

Sal met a new friend--and he thinks she's pretty swell. I see play dates in our future.

Quite a turnout!