Yesterday turned out to be a nice one so we sent out an invite to our friends to meet us at the park. Three of the four said they could come so the boys and I pack up a lunch, hitched the wagon to my bike and took off around 9am. It was a hot one (so much for the temps going down in August) so it was a good thing we left as early as we did. Pulling the two boys, who together weigh about 110lbs was getting a bit tiring so we stopped halfway for a break near the playground/exercise equipment. As the boys jumped on the swings a couple of Chinese ladies came over to talk to us and inspect our wagon/bicycle setup. First they tried talking to Nicholas but, other than saying "Ni hao" (because I told him to), he was having nothing to do with them. They started asking the usual questions about how old the kids were, where we are from and where we live now, etc., then asked what language we speak. I told them English and then they wanted to know what school the boys went to. I told them that Nicholas would be going to an English school and one of them proceeded to give me a bit of a lecture about how, if the boys went to a Chinese school, they would be able to speak Mandarin. I wanted to tell her that one, we tried that and it was a disaster; two, they wouldn't speak to her even if they could because they don't like talking to strangers; and three, it was none of her business anyway. Since I haven't learned to say all that I had to be content with, "Bye bye" and jumping on my bike and leaving.
We continued on our way and made it to the far end of the park where we were to meet up with everyone. Charlee arrived at the same time we did and as we stopped to wait for everyone else under a tree, we started drawing a small crowd. Several bikers were curious about the wagon and how I had attached it to my bike while others wanted to check out the five kids sitting around. Eventually everyone made it to the play area and we had some fun. We ended up with four expat ladies, one ayi, one little girl and nine boys! They ranged in age from two months to almost six. The ladies had a nice time chatting while the kids bounced and ran and wore themselves out.
After a couple hours it was time to head out so I got the kids in the wagon and started back toward home. By the time we made it to Eastern Venice it was really hot and I started getting cranky. I hadn't been feeling the greatest in the morning so I had taken some Advil and it was wearing off. My throat was sore and swollen and I couldn't wait to get to some air conditioning. When we did get home I gave the boys a quick shower then tried to cool down before Lena came for my massage. It was wonderful and, not surprising, I dozed off for a bit.
This morning Nicholas and I both still had sore throats so we didn't go anywhere today. I was worried he may have an ear infection when it turned red and he said it was hurting but it seemed to go away once he was done eating and didn't bother him again. We'll see how he is tomorrow. Will we go shopping or to the doctor's office?
This afternoon I had my Chinese lesson and it was rough. I really wasn't in the mood to learn so we did review. I also told Amanda about my experience at the park, without trying to sound nasty toward Chinese people, and asked her how I could respond to that. She agreed that, "Mind your own business" might be a bit harsh so she taught me how to say, "Thank you for your concern, but we have our own ideas". She's so diplomatic!
Well, I think that's it for now. Time to relax before bed. Have a great day!
Hi Jan, everyone wants to give you their 10 cents worth of their opinion. It has to be frustrating for you not to be able to answer fully in their language but I guess it does give you some time to think over what you are going to say.
ReplyDeleteHope you and Nick feel better soon. There are so many strange viruses around. Sounds like you might be getting a cold.
Sounds like you had fun at the park with all your boys and little girl. I'm sure the kids had fun.
Maralee came to visit with me this morning. It is her birthday and we had a really nice visit. I went shopping a bit this afternoon for more scrap booking supplies. Now I guess I will try and put them to use.
Bye for now. Have a great day!
Guess you guys are still a novelty in China from the sounds of things. You could always tell them to mind their own business in English (might make you feel better) and then tell them in Mandarin thank you for your concern but we have our own ideas.
ReplyDeleteThey also seem to be really interested in your bike and wagon hookup. I am surprised that they hadn't thought of it themselves considering some of their means of transportation.
It is nice for you and the boys to have so many friends to go to the park with, sounds like they had a great time.
Andy was down yesterday with some goodies out of her garden. I call her my little garden fairy. Sheryl bought her a basket to deliver her vegetables in and she loves it. The best part is that it hold a lot!
I went to Antigonish with Stevie Monday night to pick up Hayden and Caleb, they came off the ice and 9:30 and we were home by 11.
I went swimming this morning, then went over to pick up Kenzie and take him for his golf lesson. Tracy and I drove Hayden and Caleb back to Antigonish and got home around 3:00. Caleb's dad is picking them up tonight.
It was cloudy here today and muggy, it rained in New Glasgow and Antigonish on the way over and back. It was really foggy thru Barney's River and traffic was quite heavy and slow. We still haven't had any rain here and we sure do need it.
Well Jan, must go and watch some of the Olympics I think diving and gymnastics are on.
Hope you and Nick are feeling better today, take care.