Flat Stanley

Dear Kenley,

Ni Hao (pronounced Knee-How and means hello)

Thank you so much for allowing Flat Stanley to come all the way to China to visit us. It takes a very long time for mail to arrive here and return to the United States so I decided to write you an electronic letter so you would receive it sooner and be able to share it with your class.

It was a very long trip for Flat Stanley because he came all the way to Suzhou, China. That is pronounced "Sue-Joe" and is very near the large city of Shanghai, pronounced "Shong-High". It is thousands of miles between Texas and China so he flew on an airplane for almost 20 hours to get to us. Suzhou has approximately 3 million people that live here and China has over 1.3 billion people compared to the United States which has 307 million. The city of Suzhou was established in 514 BC so it is over 2,500 years old. That sure is a lot of history isn't it.

We did some fun things with Flat Stanley while he was here and should he come back he should bring clothes just like you are wearing in Gail right now. Our climate here is very similar to yours with the exception of the humidity. We are relatively close to the ocean so it is more humid here than you are used to so he would probably think that it felt hotter here than in Texas.

We took some pictures of him during his visit with us and we wanted to share them with you.

We do not have a car here in China so we walk or take a taxi most of the places we want to go. That seems very strange to you I'm sure since in Texas almost everyone has at least one car and you would never think about walking to the store or taking a taxi to eat at a restaurant. Well, it is a bit different here because everything is somewhat close and there are many, many stores and restaurants that are only a 15 or 20 minute walk away or a taxi fare of only $2 - $3. This was Flat Stanley's "car" while he was here with us. He seemed to not mind it too much and always had a smile on his face.

Now many people do have cars here in China but many more people travel by bicycle....both the old fashioned, pedal-to-make-it-go kind, and a more popular kind, electric bicycles. Some look exactly like a regular bicycle with a little motor on the back and others look more like small motorcycles. They plug them into the wall at night to recharge them for the next day and they are very quiet and good for the environment too because they don't pollute the air. We are thinking about getting one for our family but they drive kind of crazy here so we may wait a while longer before doing that. Here is a picture of the bicycles parked outside of a local bank. You can see what we mean that there are literally millions of them on the streets here.

I mentioned earlier that China has a whole lot of people and because of that they do many things that we would do with machines in the US with people and very basic tools. For example, there are people whose job it is to make sure that the streets and sidewalks are kept clean and swept daily. This sweet woman works near our home and we have seen her before so she was kind enough to hold Flat Stanley while we took their picture. That broom in her hand is what she uses to sweep the sidewalks and the streets every day. That would be a tough job don't you think.

Speaking of home, we also took a picture of where we live so you could see where Flat Stanley stayed while he was here. We live in a high-rise apartment building on the 11th floor. We have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms a kitchen, living room and office.....just like houses in the US except that we are all built on top of each other. Here are some pictures of Flat Stanley pointing to our home and then looking out onto our courtyard from our balcony. We held onto him very tightly and he didn't act scared at all to be so high. He is very brave.

His left arm in pointing right at our building.

Looking out from our balcony. Suzhou is known for beautiful gardens and you can see in this that they really are pretty.

We also took Flat Stanley to our local neighborhood market where we buy a lot of our groceries, or at least our fruit, vegetables, eggs and some meat. It is very similar to a farmer's market in the US except for the live fish, snakes and other creatures. The produce is just wonderful and we have had a lot of fun picking our new fruits and vegetables to try. Here are some pictures from our trip there.

You just pick out the fruit that you want to purchase and they weigh it and then add up your total. If you need vegetables then you go to another area and do the same thing. They are usually very nice and are kind to help me understand.

We don't buy our eggs in cartons here (you can get them that way at some stores) but these are very fresh and taste very good. You just pick out the ones you want and they bag and weigh them for you. You can actually purchase almost any kind of bird egg you wish.....some are very large and others are very small. We have only purchased the chicken ones so far. The only problem is getting them home without breaking any. We lost 4 of 12 on this particular day due to an unfortunate stroller tipping incident. Xan and Flat Stanley were both fine but the eggs didn't fare so well.

Flat Stanley was quite popular at the market and several onlookers wanted to have their picture made with him because he was from the USA. We were happy to let them pose with him. Flat Stanley didn't seem to mind at all.



Now here in this market you can also purchase fresh cut meats (mostly pork), and dried beans, rice and grains too. The most interesting part of the market though is the fresh seafood area where it really is fresh...it's still living. Here are just a few of the items we could have if we wanted them (but we haven't and I'm not sure we will).

eels

crawfish

We also attracted the attention of a little boy while out that day and he wanted to examine Flat Stanley pretty closely. He held him and then when I asked him to show him to us he struck this pose. I guess the language barrier is just as big for him as it is for us.

Isn't he just so cute. You know that your cousin Xan was born in China so she looks very similar to most of the people here and they are always very kind to her. The hard part is when they try to speak to her and they think she knows Chinese. She usually just smiles at them and says "I don't speak Chinese". They usually smile back and nod like they understood...we don't know if they do or not. People respond very favorably when we are able to communicate to them that she is our daughter and that we adopted her from China. We are all going to be learning the language so hopefully we will all be able to speak with these sweet people soon.

This is our friend Fu Wong (we would say Wong Fu but here in China they say the last name first). She is our ayi (pronounced "ahh yee") and she comes to our house to help us and sometimes watches Xan. She doesn't speak any English and since we don't speak Chinese yet we do a lot of communicating with sign language and a translator on our computer. You would be surprised though that a smile is the same in any language and she always has a sweet smile for us. She was also excited about Flat Stanley coming all the way from the United States.

Well that seems to be it since our visit with Flat Stanley was so brief but please allow him to return someday and Kenley, maybe you and your family could come with him. We could visit the Great Wall and some of the other beautiful things here in China.

Here is one last picture of Flat Stanley on his way back from China. He wanted to take our book with him so he could practice his Chinese but we talked him into leaving it here for us-we still need it a lot. He will see you soon and may have a little treat in the envelope for you.

Zai Jian (pronounced Zigh Gee inn)

"Goodbye"

Love

Stan, Megan and Xan

Saying GoodBye-#1

I have needed to give myself a couple of weeks to get used to the idea that we really have said goodbye to some wonderful friends in Aiken and Augusta and that although we will forever remain connected, our daily lives will no longer intersect in the oh-so-sweet way each day and week that I loved and enjoyed. We moved to Aiken in 2003 and for 7 years these folks acted as our surrogate family and loved us so very well. I'm going to take a couple of days to recap some of the sweet things that were done for us as we were preparing to leave and head over to China.

Digestive Specialists
I worked for a total of almost 5 years for a great group of physicians in Augusta and had the pleasure of working alongside some great women. I enjoyed my time(s) there deeply and the Lord certainly blessed me and my family through their opportunities for me. I consider it both an honor and a pleasure to have known these men and women and am confident that my heart will always have a soft spot for Digestive Specialists.

I was VERY BLESSED when these folks planned and hosted an incredible going away luncheon for me complete with Chinese decorations, some of my favorite food, a poem written and recited just for me and one of the most incredible strawberry cakes ever. It was an emotional afternoon for me as it was the first of my goodbyes and I was very attached to these people. I shed a few tears for sure, it was more than just a job you see......I enjoyed a very rare mutual respect with the physicians--I knew their wives and children, the ladies in the office had shared their lives with me and I had prayed for and about them and their families for 5 years. I had been abundantly blessed by their relationships ....Saying goodbye was tough!

I have said many, many times how generous these guys were to me and they showed it again that day. I received an incredible Canon SLR digital camera and lenses from the physicians and the girls gave me a great carrying case for it plus some neat keepsake items to take with me (they even had a very special cookie for Xan). I was so excited to receive such an incredible gift and am going to put it to very good use here in China. I have free time and a great camera.....watch out!!

I have many pictures of that afternoon so I'm posting a few here and then a link to the rest of them. Thank you DLDS.....you will be missed!

If you want to see more pics from that day here's a link

Pics for Digestive Specialists

Chat with ya later.....

It's the Big Things

So......today is my 13th anniversary and I'm pretty sure it's the "big things" I do for Stan that keep him around. For instance, he has been in China now for 2 months and has been really wanting this particular "thing". I have been on a mission to gather the necessary supplies for this "thing" and last night I completed my project. It took trips to 3 different places to obtain all I needed and I just know that I will now most certainly be all the envy of my new friends.

Some of you are probably thinking that I might be referring to Stan's Skittle addiction but don't worry he found those on his first day here. I'm sure we would have had to totally renegotiate our package in order to accommodate an import fee for skittles if he hadn't.

Anyway- I chronicled this little project with a few photos so go ahead.....scroll on down and check out his anniversary present and try to contain your jealousy.

Keep goin......you are going to love this!!

No....your eyes are not deceiving you! That is a nice glass of sweet, iced tea. The pitcher was my last necessary item and that was obtained last night (after looking at several stores for one....they just don't use them here or something)

Now at home I would prefer some decaffeinated Luzianne family size tea bags but I just haven't been able to spot those (hmmmmmm). I decided to trust the good ol' yellow box and Mr Lipton and we were happy to discover that although there is a bit of difference in taste of the "yellow label" tea it wasn't bad....in fact, it was quite tasty.

I knew we weren't in the States anymore when I couldn't purchase sugar in anything larger than these little bags. They probably hold about 2 lbs or so......guess I'll be purchasing those in large quantities once my bakeware arrives and knowing we can now have sweet tea anytime we want.

Now I'm sure that this post isn't near as exciting to all of you as it was for my husband but let me tell you....when he took a sip of that refreshing goodness I might as well have handed him the keys to a new Land Rover. The man was happy I tell ya!! So.....mission accomplished and Happy Anniversary Stan......hope I can keep making you smile for many more years to come.

PS...I would like to go on the record that I can indeed retain my "southern lady" membership because really....anyone worth her salt better be able to make sweet tea for her man regardless of her geographic location.

Chat with ya later.

A Girl and Her Nana

I know that I've mentioned before how incredibly blessed I am to have a wonderful friend who just happens to be my mother-in-law. She really is a treasure and I value her friendship more and more each year. We are very close and we have shared many hours of wonderful heart to heart girl talks. Her wisdom is such a blessing and her generosity to love on me is simply amazing.

Speaking of generosity....how does leaving her home (and Grandaddy) for 3 whole weeks and coming to help me get ready to move around the world. She did just that....gladly and with a very warm heart for me and all that I had to get accomplished so that Xan and I could join Stan in China. We had to prepare for an estate sale, sell 2 vehicles, pack 4 huge suitcases, say lots of goodbyes and sell a house after going through pretty much everything we owned during that 3 weeks. Oh yeah....a small detail that is important to note...I worked full time for about 1/2 those 3 weeks so she also had Xan with her all day. Amazing I tell ya!


She was such a huge help and knew just what I would need before I needed it. If I needed to veg on the couch for a night and "just talk", or drink coffee till 10 in the morning and "just talk", or stay up until midnight going through childhood memorabilia and cry or "just talk"....she did it right alongside me. She also got to really know some of my closest friends.....she had certainly met them all before but b/c she had so much time with us this time she was able to really know and love them like I do (and they her). This was good and bad for her because although she LOVED it I know that since we aren't in Aiken anymore she won't have the opportunity to spend time with them. Thank goodness for Facebook :).....I think it's pretty cool that my friends want to be her friend and vice versa.



I know that Ann didn't mind getting to clean and organize and pack with me but the highlight I'm sure was the intense, one on one time that she had with Xan. They really hadn't ever had that much time with just the two of them and the mutual adoration was so apparent. They had a ball and created their own sweet memories that I am so grateful for. I got a few pictures of the three of us on Easter and then some of the two of them before Ann left. Xan really didn't quite understand why Nana wasn't just going to go to China with us. It just made sense to her. :)






Thank you Ann.....I love you and so does our sweet girl.

My Little "Rock" Star

Well we finally have internet at home now so I should be able to update the blog regularly. I took these pictures the day before we moved into our apartment and had such a good time watching her strike some poses.

Many people that don't really know Xan think that she is very shy and reserved, which is quite true a lot of the time, however she can also be a little ham as these pictures prove.








These artsy rock structures were all along a path that we took during a walk and she definitely enjoyed them.



By the way--today is Mother's Day and I am OH SO BLESSED by the little one that calls me Momma. Thank you LORD for choosing me to be hers!

Chat with ya later......


P.S. Here are some more pics if you are just dying to see more rocks or rock star poses.
http://gallery.me.com/everitt_stan#100116