As much as I want to communicate what is going on and what we are experiencing, at least at the beginning here, there is just so much! And it changes quickly. I'll just take a stab at a few things and hope it gets easier as I go.
First...food. Ouch! Those who know me know I am not the most adventurous eater; I stick to my few favorites (and typically overeat those few). My last couple of trips to China I did fine, and I have become less picky (a little?) over time, and knowing that the diet is primarily veggies (which I like), noodles and rice, I figured I could do it. Not. Shame on me, but I just can't. The food is healthy and well-prepared. The girls are doing fine (well, Kristen, my mini-me, struggles a little). Lindsay is enjoying most everything, good for her! Marissa can piece together a good meal from the choices (there are usually 3-4 dishes). Me, not so much. I have tried, and the food is good! But the textures just get me. :( So, failure number one. A trip to the local dept store (Dennis) supplied me with bread, butter, jelly (no grape!), yogurt (haven't tried it yet, probably not American style), fruit. Added to the peanut butter, tea and light snacks that I brought, I am piecing together a meal plan. I can also get potatoes - white and sweet - both of which I love. (carb heaven) There are far fewer western food products available here than in the cities I have been to previously, increasing the challenge. And yes, the irony of being able to move to the other side of the world and also be a picky eater has not eluded me. (Altho not as picky as SOME people who may be reading this blog, right?)
On to happier subjects - language. Hmmm. My diligent (ok, so semi-diligent) study of Chinese in the months before coming here have not left me with as strong a grasp of conversation as I would have hoped. We don't talk much about furniture and pets, but Marissa has dropped a couple of food words here and there, and being able to say "nice to meet you" (ren shi ni hen gao shing) has come in handy. At first I felt like I couldn't make heads or tails of anything being said, but in just a few days I have started to follow some conversations. Getting actual words out of my mouth while they are still relevant to the conversation has not been as successful, but I figure as jetlag wears off and I don't feel quite as bombarded by sensory overload, I will be able to respond more quickly. I was able to explain (haltingly) to a store full of curious clerks that the girls are Americans (meiguoren) not Chinese (zhongguoren) and that is why they don't speak Chinese. That's something, right? Thank you, Rosetta Stone!
Diapers - Okay, this is a subject that I should get an A+ in right? Hmm. Not so much. No pampers here, much too costly. And the cloth diapers don't look anything like the ones that I used for Ryan (yes, environmentally-conscious California mother of one, that I was) nearly 21 years ago. These don't use diaper pins, they fold in triangles or something and are much thicker. Marissa has jumped in and given it a try (she is amazing with the babies, more on that another day), at least until the contents of the old diaper had her beating a hasty retreat. She did actually finish the diapering and it seemed to pass inspection. If it hadn't, a very tolerant ayi would have redone it. ;) So I haven't taken the plunge yet. You know, if you can't do it right, don't do it at all. Is that not the way that adage goes? I am sure that, unlike the food issue, I will become reasonably adept at this eventually...maybe once Marissa starts school?
TTFN - I need to take a run at the shower...I'll fill you in on that adventure another time.
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