7.31.2008

Beijing Welcomes You!!

This song can be heard almost anywhere in China right now - in taxi's, buses, supermarkets, etc. It has been stuck in my head - so I wanted to share.



Here are the English lyrics, translated by Jackie Chan.

Beijing Huanying Ni (Beijing Welcomes You)
Lyrics: Lin Xi Composer: Xiao Ke

Welcoming in another dawn, Bringing along fresh new air,
The atmosphere has changed but emotions remain the same, Aromas of tea fill the air with friendly feelings.

The doors to my home are always open, My arms are open waiting for you,
After a warm embrace you’ll have a tacit understanding, And you’ll fall in love with this place.
People near or far are all our guests, So please don’t be shy,
Let’s make arrangements and meet together, We all welcome you.

My house is full of evergreens, Blossoming with each new legend,
Sowing seeds for our traditional land, Planting memories just for you.
Strangers and familiar faces are all our guests, So please, no need to be formal,
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been here, There are too many topics to discuss.

Beijing welcomes you, Opening the sky and breaking land for you,
Our mesmerizing movements are filled with lively energy.
Beijing welcomes you,Sharing the same breath of air under the sun,
Creating ground breaking achievements on this yellow land.

The doors to my home are always open, Openly accommodating the sky and land,
Youthful smiles bloom over the years, Welcoming in this special day.
Everyone between the sky and land are our friends, So please don’t be shy,
Paintings and poems contain our cheerful intentions, Because we’re waiting for you.

Beijing welcomes you, Like music, emotionally moving you,
Let us all work hard and try to excel ourselves.
Beijing welcomes you, Anyone with a dream is extraordinary,
With courage there will always be miracles.
Beijing welcomes you, Opening the sky and breaking land for you,
Our mesmerizing movements are filled with lively energy.

Beijing welcomes you, Sharing the same breath of air under the sun,
Creating ground breaking achievements on the yellow land.
Beijing welcomes you, Like music, emotionally moving you,
Let us all work hard and try to excel ourselves.
Beijing welcomes you, Anyone with a dream is extraordinary,
With courage there will always be miracles.

The doors to my home are always open, My arms are open waiting for you,
After a warm embrace you’ll have a tacit understanding, And you’ll fall in love with this place.
People near or far are all our guests, So please don’t be shy,
Let’s make arrangements and meet together, We all welcome you.

Beijing welcomes you, Opening the sky and breaking land for you,
Our mesmerizing movements are filled with lively energy.
Beijing welcomes you, Sharing the same breath of air under the sun,
Creating ground breaking achievements on the yellow land.

The doors to my home are always open, Openly accommodating the sky and land,
Youthful smiles bloom over the years, Welcoming in this special day.
Everyone between the sky and land are our friends, So please don’t be shy,
Paintings and poems contain our cheerful intentions, Because we’re waiting for you.

Beijing welcomes you, Like music, emotionally moving you,
Let us all work hard and try to excel ourselves.
Beijing welcomes you, Anyone with a dream is extraordinary,
With courage there will always be miracles.

Beijing welcomes you, Opening the sky and breaking land for you,
Our mesmerizing movements are filled with lively energy.
Beijing welcomes you, Sharing the same breath of air under the sun,
Creating ground breaking achievements on the yellow land.
Beijing welcomes you, Like music, emotionally moving you,
Let us all work hard and try to excel ourselves.

Beijing welcomes you, Anyone with a dream is extraordinary,
With courage there will always be miracles.
Beijing welcomes you, anyone with a dream is extraordinary,
With courage there will always be miracles.
Beijing welcomes you, anyone with a dream is extraordinary.

7.26.2008

happy "bird-day" to my momma

If any of you know my mother (fondly called Jamma by the girls), you'll know she doesn't enjoy parties that revolve around her - but I twisted her arm, and we gathered the fam at a park to celebrate her birthday (this may not happen for a long time!) and play. She opted to call it "bird-day" in lieu of "birthday." So creatively elusive.

Here's a pict we caught of the "bird-day girl" and her chicks.
I love you mom!!
Asia had a great time bonding with her sweet cousin Jordana. Don't they have similar features?
Jordan gives great kisses!
Even though we didn't "plan" to visit California this early, we couldn't have timed it better. We arrived just in time to celebrate Ali's mom's birthday, AND visit with family from Kentucky/Ohio. Justin's brother & family arrived one day prior - and we get to spend 18 jam-packed days with them! This was our first time to meet their daughter Jordan, and see them as parents! Very fun times indeed!

7.24.2008

up in the air

From the moment we leave our apartment in China - to the time we pull into the driveway in Santa Cruz, it will have been 24 hours of travel, 16 1/2 of them being in the air...with three munchkins vying for attention. What an adventure!

Written post travel: The girls loved the entire trip! A&E took great naps and were extremely jovial. Sydney needed more hands-on attention. Jet-lag has been easier than before....tho mom & dad sure need some rest!

7.20.2008

things we love

Its always good to reflect and be thankful for what we have been given. We truly love this place, and I am so glad the girls can help me make this little list - and that they love the life we are living together. Even so, its great to feel a sense of identity - knowing who we are, where we come from, and affirming the good in every culture. Here are some things we will miss from our little home in north-western China:
  • hot roasted kebabs & nan bread
  • our friends
  • making ice cream from scratch
  • speaking Chinese & Uyghur
  • riding public transportation
  • walking everywhere
  • having friends over to play Uno
  • fresh fruits & veggies at the open market
  • baking fresh bread
  • views of the Tianshan mountains
  • living in a big city
  • little kids in split pants
  • learning to cook new dishes
  • ping-pong & tennis with pals
  • homeschooling
  • bubble tea
  • our homey apartment
  • Chinese fashion
  • Uyghur dancing & singing
  • Essie

7.19.2008

mixed emotions

The last few weeks have been rocky ones. Even with all the momentum, approvals & green lights....we were NOT given Visas for this time. We were held up by ONE signature - the final step before we can begin to sell our delicious creamy goodness. There are too many details to list, but we have done all we can during the Olympic season. We have mixed emotions about leaving our home behind (for 3 months), but we are content and eager to come back in the Fall when Visa's might be easier to come by. We definitely look forward to a break, seeing loved ones, and eating avocado again.

7.18.2008

chinglish #5

"Sweve in sincerity" 至诚入微 = zhì chéng rù wēi
The Chinese literally means "complete sincerity, in every way" - but "sweve" might have been a typo. This is a sign outside a big Hotel, where maybe they sincerely entertain Swedish guests? We thought they might have meant "serve" at first - but the Chinese doesn't indicate this either. I guess it is a mystery, just like mankind.

7.16.2008

oatmeal cookie + coffee ice cream!

Making ice cream sandwiches are easy! This is another (of many) reasons to come visit us out in Urumqi, China! We will make you one of these to order. I think they are better than anything you could buy, but we might be biased.

7.07.2008

Madeena - a new Pakistani restaurant!

A new restaurant popped up in town - and it drew our attention quickly. Gotta love the unique logo & creativity. Besides the funny misleading sign - it was GRAND!

The sweet Pakistani man inside helped us order: Salad, soft Chapati bread, lentil Dal, tasty Pilaf, Masala chicken, & spicy Raita sauce! If you ever come to the city, don't miss this delicious venue! #744 Xinhua Nan Lu!! (and no, that is not Justin's second wife, but she is family.)

7.04.2008

Celebrating our heritage & liberty

I don't think we have ever celebrated the 4th of July with such gusto before today. Maybe its because we miss the comforts and familiarities of "home" or because we needed an excuse to party! All glory goes to Auntie Jenny for spurring us on. We planned a full day of Parades, a small band & songs, face painting, alien-star-antenna, festive outfits, homemade hamburgers, watermelon, water-balloon launching, and even firecrackers.

Carrying the flag is serious work.

our littlest firecracker.... (see her twin cousin here)

Happy Birthday America!

7.03.2008

hiking at Nan Shan 南山

About an hour+ outside the city - you leave behind all the skyscrapers & exhaust fumes....into the wide spacious grasslands & majestic mountains scraping the clouds overhead. Its a beautiful escape from traffic and concrete!! The kids did amazing on the hike over the steep rocky hill, and down into a small valley where we ate a picnic lunch. Auntie Jenny did great too (actually she always had at least one kid attached to her at all times!).

Eating our picnic on a rock next to the stream...so peaceful.

Picking wildflowers (花 huā) with daddy

Making a bouquet (簇 cù)

An attempt at a family photo (照片 zhàopiān).
This is about as good as it gets!

On our way home....tired feet!

Highlights: the waterfall, beautiful clean air, seeing horses & cows, chocolate cupcakes & chicken salad, having Jenny with us, and the Skittle Tree (real Skittle bags fall from the tree when you hit it with a rock!).

can it get any crazier?

In the last 2 weeks:
Our health inspection passed in 2 days!
We began doing taste testings
The shop is complete
We got our Business License!
We hired our first employee
AND we were given official stamps for our business (pictured here)

One crazy story:
This whole process has been quite unnerving, as each step relies upon the previous one so that we can keep moving ahead. One such step requires an official signature from one official, in order to receive our Business License. We went to his office to request his signature, and he told us he was too busy to sign the papers, because he was preparing for a singing competition. We ended up waiting almost 7 days for him to process our papers. He simply told us, "This singing competition is very important to me." While we are huge advocates of ART in every form, we struggled to understand the rationale.

7.02.2008

Chinese buddies

We came home late one evening, and a bunch of kids were running around the walkway outside - and our girls jumped right in (with a little nudge). They were screaming and giggling along with the rest of the kids, having a grand ol' time. Asia really loved playing with Gao Yun Fei 高云飞, Yao Yao 遥遥 and Yang Zi 样子, (the three girls to her left). They ran around holding each others' hands, hardly able to contain their excitement! During the summer, lots of kids stay out late playing outside, since the temp's cool down when the sun sets. All these kids were about the same age, and so sweet to each other. Aren't they precious?

We played outside again tonight - and Asia figured out how to pedal her bike! She was riding up and down the long driveway, smiling huge! This was a great accomplishment in her life! Wahoo!