Today's little bit O' wacky...

I love chips. Almost any kind of chip will be fine with me, but I have some favorites. Let me introduce you to one of my favorites that I really can only find in China. I have found a bag or 2 at the 99 Ranch, but it's rare to find it in the states. Meet Oishi brand chips. I don't think that Oishi chips are indigenous to China. I think they are actually Japanese. But I have only ever had them from China, and a couple times in the states. They're tapioca starch/potato type chips. They have a smooth texture on the outside and they're slightly shiny. My tongue sticks to the chip and the chip starts to absorb from my watering mouth as soon as it touches the chip. It's sort of like a thick, salty, spicy communion wafer. Yummy!! This chip was a sort of "comfort food" surrogate when I lived in Jinan. It's a food that I call "almost, but not quite". It's sort of like Pringles, but not quite. I know you can find Pringles here, but now, I like to find foods that bring me a nostalgic "when I lived in China" feeling. These Oishi chips do it for me.

Check out the Mascot. Isn't he cute? A cartoon of an Indian Chief with the full head dress standing next to a pile of Potatoes. There's nothing that says "Tapioca starch Chips" like a little Indian Chief with a rainbow headdress, is there? Oh yes, and these are Inca Chips. Yes, this little guy looks so very Inca, doesn't he? He's cute, though.


My next most favorite thing about these chips, aside from their salty, spicy flavor is the NAME of the flavor.



Did you catch that? Yes, these chips are ETHNICAN flavor. I LOVE this name!! The next time you want to talk about someone who is of any sort of mix of all sorts of backgrounds, you can refer to them as being Ethnican. People will smile and nod and act as if you said something really wise and still have no idea what you're talking about. Ethnican people of the world, Unite!!

Oh yes, we're in Nanjing today. We flew from Beijing to Nanjing this afternoon. Here's a Chinese Lesson: Bei means North and Nan means south. Jing means something like "capital". So, Northern Capital to the Southern Capital. We are on the 44th floor of the Crown Plaza tonight. My ears pop as we go up in the elevator. Tomorrow we will do some more sightseeing and meet a woman who lived in Shiyan City 2 years after we did!! She's from FH Ulm, just like Jorg is. That will be interesting!

Afoot and afield in Beijing

This morning we stayed around Xiao Yuan's house and talked.  Then around noon we headed out for some lunch and sight seeing.  Wrongway (who I've been told should more correctly be nicknamed "runway" and Xiaoyuan took us to a great Beijing noodle restaurant.

After lunch, Jorg and I went to a Taoist temple that depicted all the departments in heaven that had jurisdiction over the different kinds of hell depending on how good or bad your were in this life.  It's a beautiful temple with some interesting things to see.   We had a chance to push a stone grinding wheel,  that was great.  My favorite bit of wackiness was the Magical Donkey.  Since we touched the Magical Donkey, we are sure to have good health.

Tomorrow we will go and  visit Xiao Yuan's work and meet her boss for lunch and here are some pictures of the day's adventures!

Hanging around in Beijing

Today was a nice take it easy day.  We all got up late, drank coffee, talked and watched some TV.  At noon we drove over to another part of town near the Sams Club and we ate a Chinese lunch (sliced pork and leak with tofu skin wrappers, mala noodles, fish poached and steamed in tin foil, dry sauteed green beans, and kung pao chicken).  After lunch we went to Sams club to go shopping.  I bought some ingredients for the meal I cooked tonight.  I made Oatmeal patties, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and mushroom gravy.  I guess it was OK, I would need cottage cheese to make it better, but that was not available.

We decided not to register with the PSB.  Xiaoyuan said it's no big deal and no one really cares.  So, we won't do that, but yes, Joelle, I remember Jonathan and the PSB--remember officer ratface?  I imagine his face in my head and I want to go poke him in the eyes. Lee Hen described him as "oily".  I just think he's a ratface.  Sorry--I'm going a little inside joke here.

I don't have any pictures to post today, but I will tomorrow.

So--I'm tired and going to bed.  Laina is doing just fine according to my parents!

Oh, No worries, Terri-  Mai/Min--no big deal!!
Kisses all around!!

already left...on a jetplane

So here I am on a flight to Beijing.  We’re in the 21^st row and I’m in the middle.  Jorg is on my right and there’s a woman who is going to visit her family in Mongolia on my left.  Right now, we’ve just finished flying over Alaska and we’re on our way to the International Date Line.  There are 7 hours left in our flight.  The airplane is old and worn.  The back Lavs have stopped working and there are 2 middle ones still functioning and the rest are in the first class section and the attendant gives you a “look” when I went to use them, but what can she say?  She doesn’t want me to drop trou in the aisles, does she?  Jorg’s seat doesn’t stick upright.  The catch is broken or something and so he’s always in a reclined position.  He tried to get a different seat but he would only take one that could have us sit together.  He tried to finagle a seat in business section, but he was wildly unsuccessful in that endeavor.  So, the next leg of the trip will take us to Beijing and to Xiao Yuan’s house.  Her husband’s name is…well…I think it’s Rong Wei.  Of course I always call him “Wrongway” in my head, so I’ll call him Wrongway for my blog.  We’ve learned that in order to be legal we have to register with the local police department within 24 hours of arriving at our lodging if it is other than a hotel, guesthouse or other “public accommodation”.  So, in order for us to keep Xiao Yuan out of trouble, we’ll go to the PSB (Public Security Bureau) on Saturday.  It shouldn’t  be a problem.  Friday I’m cooking dinner for all of us.  I’m going to make Oatmeal Patties, broccoli, mashed potatoes and mushroom/onion gravy.  Xiao Yuan needs to know that this is not a typical American meal, but rather a good Adventist meal.  I think she’ll like it, though.  Sunday and Monday we’ll tour around doing something.  We may go to Tiananmen or something, who knows.  I’d rather go someplace new.  If it weren’t so cold I’d say lets to the Si Mi Tai Great Wall trip.  There’s this cool hike that my siblings did when they were here where you hire a taxi to take you to Si mi tai and then you ask them to pick you up several hours later after you’ve hiked to Badaling or something like that.  It’s too cold for that kind of thing, though.

So—if this posts it means we’re safe and sound in Beijing!!  Next post will be telling about our adventures around Beijing.

It's the Final Countdown...

OK cue the band..."Europe" are you guys on stage now, ready to sing your famous one hit wonder? OK and 1,2,1,2,3,4
doo da doo dooooooo.....dit da doo dooo dooooo

doo da doo dooo did di doo doo doo

It's the final COUNTDOWN.... Seriously, I think this guy can sing it better:



That hair is FANTASTIC!!! Laina was watching this video with me and her comments were; "Mommy, is that a man or a woman?" I asked her what she thought and she said, " I think that's a woman or something". I told her they were all men and she said, "How come they don't put bands in their hair, they're going to get all their hair in their eyes".

And now, Min's theme song performed by "Pink Martini" here's the song that was inspired by a ketchup advertisement that said "hang on little tomato".

Pre-Trip To Do

OK, Everything for the adoption and the trip is technically taken care of. I mean, if someone said, "You must leave tomorrow morning", we could stuff a few clothes in a bag, grab our adoption file and be out the door. But, I've got a few things that I need to remember. I'm going to write them all down here just so I can see it.

1. Empty the fridge of things that will get nasty.
2. clean the bathrooms really well
3. put clean sheets on the bed
4. vacuum the house
5. mop the kitchen floor
6. make a list of things I.'ll need to have for the dinner I'm making at Xiao Yuan's house
7. print out some pictures for Min's foster family
8. Pack up Laina's clothes for her stay at my parents
9. Wrap up the little presents for Laina for each day we're away
10. Update our Will so that my parents will know what to do in the unlikely event of a water landing.
11. Pack up Min's clothes
12. Order tickets for the "Baby Loves Disco" party.
13. Make sure I know the "direct send" address for this blog.
14. Make sure I have all my camera equipment packed.
15. Call and make sure how many "gifts" I need to bring and for whom.
16. Make sure that Oscar the Cat has all his needs met and his caretaker knows the drill.
17. Get a house key packed.
18. Figure out if my parents will need 2 carseats or just one.
19. Call Grandma
20. do all the laundry
21. Pull more weeds in the backyard if I can.
22. Find a good book to read on the trip, one that's a paperback and not too expensive so I can ditch it if I have to and not feel bad.
23. Try not to flip out, scream, rip off all my clothes and go running down harbor blvd wearing nothing but a tu-tu and hiking boots.

Yeah. That's all I gotta do. EEEEhhhh...no biggie. I worry about it tomorrow.

The TODO list updated

Send LOI (letter of Intent to Adopt): (Done August 13)
Wait for PA (prior approval): (Done September 14th)
Send Dossier to China: (Done September 15)
Talk to Social Worker to get home study addendum: (Done September 18th)
Get Home study Addendum (Received on October 3)
Receive Letter of Acceptance (Received on December 14)
Sign and Return LOA back to the Agency via FEDEX (Completed on December 17th)
Apply for Travel Visas to China (Picked up from L.A. Consulate on 1/23/08)
Receive Travel Approval (Received on 1/22/08)
Agency Makes Consulate Appointment (DONE on January 28. Scheduled for March 4)
Get the go ahead to book plane tickets (DONE on January 30)
Leave to Pick up Min!!

We have a schedule! We're taking off on the 14th and coming home on the 6th. We have a very fun trip coming up and I'm really looking forward to it. We start off in Beijing and we're going to stay at Xiao Yuan's house. Xiao Yuan was my student when I was teaching at Shandong University. She was a freshman at the time and in my first class I told her class that my husband was looking for a Chinese student to talk with him and help him with his Chinese lessons. After class Xiao Yuan ran up to me and told me that she wanted to have the job if it was OK. She came to our house every Friday for the whole year. That school year we spent the Chinese New Year with her family in Chong Qing. She graduated from University in 2001 and now works in a very big language institute in Beijing. She and her common law husband just bought an apartment and moved in recently. It will be very fun to see them.
After the weekend in Beijing, we go to Nanjing to see some business contacts that Jorg needs to talk to. We'll also do some touristing around there. I haven't been to Nanjing since 1998 and I'm sure things have changed. It will be interesting to see.
We get to Hangzhou on Sunday the 24th.
Sunday the 25th is Meet Min day. From that day forward, she will be our daughter and we will be responsible for her. I hope that we will meet her expectations or at least the basic requirements for a good family. I'm gearing myself up for some traumatic times ahead. Planing for the worst, hoping for the best. Breathe, eat, drink, love, lather, rinse, repeat.