Let the fun begin!!

Easter Sunday found us playing a new game.  Chinese Chopsticks.  What fun! I had such a great time with the girls.

Passports!

Checked passports expiration dates ... three out of five needed to be renewed!
Children's passports need to be renewed every five years.  they do change a lot, don't they!?  I have done this a few times, but every single time I seem to forget the requirements!!!  I guess I just don't want to deal with anymore paperwork.

The difference this time was that you have to have an appointment!!
So, before you go make sure you call your local post office.
The children need to appear in person,  along with  parent/parents, old passports, birth certificates, parents copies of drivers licences, back and front, one for each child,  and of course the fees.

I filled the applications online, and printed them. Quite easy to do, and you can keep a copy, for your records.

Once we were at the post office, everything went well and very smoothly.  Great service form the post office staff.

The link below answer all the questions you might have about getting or renewing a passport.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/

Playing Games - Feilong - The China Game

Sunday is game night!

A couple of weeks ago we decided to play the game "Feilong - The China Game" to have some fun while learning about China's history, traditions, culture and so much more.  It had been a while since we played the game since it is for ages 12 and up.

Feilong (pronounced Fay-Loong) or Flying Dragon, is a question based board game, with three different levels.  You can be a Beginner (Deck A), Intermediate (Deck B)  or an Expert (Deck C)!
The questions cover a wide range of features of China and the Chinese people, from Neolithic China to present time China.
There are 26 question categories, from Agriculture to Economics, Education to Literature, Martial Arts to Zoology!!!

Some questions are easy, others are rather challenging (expert level).

 We did quite well on it came to "Culture & Costumes" but failed in politics and history, etc.!
  Need more practice, I guess!

Today, we also discovered that there is an online version at Asia Society.  Faster then the board game and of course more appealing to the younger ones.

You can also purchase the board game at China Sprout and other online stores.

Enjoy discovering China!

Chinese?!

When you visit China, with your children,  you become an attraction!
Our oldest daughter loved this, because "Now you are the ones that don't belong!  Everyone looks like me!"
It was 2003,  as we were coming out of a restaurant in Beijing,  we were surrounded by people trying to figure out who these strangers were!   And why in the world did they have such a beautiful Chinese girl with them!!
After a minute of loud talk, pointing, touching, smiles, thumbs up and "Lucky girl", our daughter became scared.  This happened a few times, in different places!
We had no clue what to tell people!  How you explain that she was adopted, and now lives in the USA?
Our guide, a very young woman,  didn't seem to know what to say either.

So, in preparing for this trip we wanted to be able to explain our family if and when asked.
Our goal is to empower our children so they feel in control of  the situation, if or when it arises.
With the help of our Chinese teacher, Columbus School of Chinese, we think we came up with an easy way to explain our family.

我出生在中国，（但是）我长大在美国。 （I was born in China, (but) I grew up in America.)
Wǒ chūshēng zài zhōngguó, (dànshì) wǒ zhǎng dà zài měiguó. 

我父母是美国人。我住在美国。      (My parents are American. I live in America.)
Wǒ fùmǔ shì měiguó rén wǒ zhù zài měiguó.


 The girls are quite good at it, Steve and I ... well that's another story!  We will keep trying.

Wild China and Guangxi Province

This weekend our family watched a new documentary, that focused on nature and wild life.  To our surprise "Wild China", part1 of 6, opened with pictures of Guilin, Guangxi Province!!  It just happens that one of our daughters is fromGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in South China.  Guilin's natural beauty is breath taking!  The stunning landscape has a kind of magic all of its own.   From strangely shaped hills or karsts, with beautiful lush vegetation ranging from bamboo to conifers along with clear waters and wonderful caves, Guilin is with no doubt a place to visit.  We visited in 2006 with a cruise down the Li River, a trip to Red Flute Cave, and last Elephant Trunk Hill.  See photos below.

Li River - Guilin, Guangxi, China

Cruise down the Li River

Selling goods on a bamboo raft. 

Beautiful pagoda!

Red Flute Cave, Guilin 

Red Flute Cave - Guilin

The beautiful hills of Guilin

Elephant Trunk Hill - behind the 2Js!
See the reflection on the water!

First Movie - "China Revealed" and other revelations!

We decided to start our "trip of discovery" by selecting some documentaries about  China. An easy way to start preparing for our upcoming trip. Or so we thought.
The goal is to learn about China as a country, its people, costumes, traditions, and do so on.
We picked "China Revealed", a documentary about 100 minutes long, which we broke into two sessions.


"Through breathtaking cinematography and personal stories from locals, delve into the people, culture and landscape that make up China, and witness the enormous changes happening in a civilization that dates back more than six millennia. From a rice farmer in a rural village to a construction magnate in Shanghai, viewers will meet a broad cross section of China's people that will illuminate the richness of modern life in this wondrous country."  from Netflix


As it started, one of the Js said " The oldest civilization in the world?! Cool!"
When the first session was over, there were questions!
"So, it said that in China people can only have one child.  Is that true?"
"Yes, it is."
"So, you have three children, which ones are you leaving behind?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well since you can have only one child, and you have three, which ones do you have to give up?!"
"You are right, in China most people are only allowed to have one child.  However, we are not Chinese, so we can have three children.  Even when we visit China, no one is going to take you or your sisters away.  We are your parents, always and forever, we are all American citizens, so we follow American rules.  Five of us are going to China and five of us are coming back."
"Oh! I didn't know that! What if I get lost?  My Chinese isn't that good?!"
"Well, we will stick together, but just in case something happens, I will give you a note in Chinese.  It will have the name of the hotel, and our cell  number in China. What do you think?"
"OK, I think that will work. Now can we go do something else?"
"Sure."

You never know what your children are thinking!
Ok, I am thinking this is good, but heart breaking at the same time.  This is also the reason why we wanted to prepare for this trip, because we know, from previous experience, that a return trip will bring lots of questions, concerns, and a lot of uncertainty.

One day at the time, one question at time.
Fil

In the beginning

     As our family prepares to travel back to China this Summer, we decided to post about this very anticipated trip for our girls and for us.
      This will be our 4th trip back to China, but the first for our younger daughter.  The two older ones have been there before, but a trip such has this, even though it is very exciting, also holds some anxieties.
        We try very hard to prepare our children for the return trips to their home country.  Follows us on this exciting trip and all the preparations to make this another successful  trip.