The Catch

Thursday night our driver, Li, and his girlfriend took us all out for dinner.  He didn't say why he wanted to take us, but I assumed it was a way of thanking us for paying him some extra money while we were away and/or for giving him some time off when his mother was ill over the summer.  We had a nice meal with way too much food and lots of beer for Tim.  Li offered me wine but I declined.  He even arranged for someone else to drive us home so he could have some drinks with us.  With my limited Chinese we were able to communicate fairly well and he said that a friend of his would be joining us.  Eventually, pretty much by the time we were done eating, his friend did show up.  It turned out she was not just a friend, but an English tutor to his daughter and was there not so much to eat with us, but to translate.  I couldn't figure out why we needed her since the meal was done, until we said that we needed to get going as it was a school night for Nicholas.  It was then that the friend said that Mr Li had a few things he wanted to say to us.  First, he wanted to thank us for being so understanding when his mother was ill and subsequently passed away.  We said that it was fine, we really enjoy having him as a driver.  Second, and this was odd, he wanted to let us know that he would keep the kilometers on the van under a certain amount every month.  This was strange because we never go far enough to even come close to our limit, so why would he need to bring it up unless he's looking for permission to use the van for personal time.  Third, and this one was directed mostly at me, he needed to ask for time off, but only during the day.  Apparently his father is now sick (possibly with whatever his mother had) and he requires Li to be with him at the hospital.  I understand that this is not unusual here, but when he said it would likely be for a month, I started to feel a little ill myself.  Basically, he is asking me to stay home all day, every weekday for a month.  I suggested that perhaps he should just take the time off and get us a temporary driver, like he did when his mother passed away, but he said no, that wasn't necessary. So, what was my answer?  Well, what am I supposed to say after he's fed us this huge meal, bought a lot of booze and three people are sitting there staring at me?  Of course I said okay, but that it can't be everyday.  I have things I need to do and he is my only way of getting anywhere.  I told him that he needs to keep us updated so that once his father is out of the hospital I can stop feeling guilty about calling him.  I hate sounding so heartless, but my sanity requires that I get to socialize with my friends (especially those that are leaving soon) and get out of the house to do things.  It's too cold and the air quality too lousy to do anything outside now, and getting a taxi around here (especially with a kid) is almost impossible.  Anyway, what started out as a nice meal ended with me feeling setup and a little lost.  Can we not go two weeks without some sort of driver drama?

Now that my venting is done, I can move on.  Friday I had a parent/teacher conference at Nicholas's school.  He is doing really well in his class and his teacher is really pleased with his progress so far, despite the fact that he missed a full month of school.  I was able to voice some of my concerns regarding the religious material that the kids are covering and felt a little weight off my shoulders.  Anyone who knows me will understand my concerns with our kids going to a religious-based school, but unfortunately our choices here are somewhat limited.  I should add though, that other than the religion and the actual school building, we are very pleased with almost everything else.  The building issue should be solved next year when the school is moved and as far as the religious stuff goes, I will deal with that as it comes.  The fact that Nick doesn't mind going to school everyday speaks volumes of his teacher and makes me happy.

Friday night we were invited to go along with Jessica and Chris to a dinner in their honor.  Unfortunately they will be leaving this week after a year in Shenyang.  We only met this wonderful couple after she discovered my blog when they were considering a move to China.  We corresponded  for months before they arrived and when they got here I felt like I was seeing someone I had known for years.  We've had some great times with these two and their three beautiful boys and I am incredibly sad to see them leave.  We all are.  But, this is part of the expat life and we know it won't be a forever goodbye.  For now though, it hurts like hell.

I'm going to miss you two!

Saturday we didn't go anywhere and I didn't even get dressed all day.  It was perfect!

Sunday was a little busier with Tim going to the gym, our new treadmill being delivered, Nicholas going to soccer at his school and Jessica, Chris and the boys coming for supper.  It was a great day except that I stayed up too late watching television with Tim and I was pretty tired this morning.  I ended up falling asleep on the couch for a bit and only woke up when Ayi arrived.  I managed to keep myself busy today by playing with Ryan and sorting photos on the computer.  My project now is to get the boys' baby books up to date and that means choosing pictures (from thousands and thousands) to print off.  Just getting them all organized so I can do the selecting is going to take me weeks I'm sure.  We've had a lot going on these past couple years and trying to get a little from every event or trip plus the everyday stuff is tough.  Their books are going to be huge!