in the way.....

As our ice cream shop gets closer & closer to production readiness, we are finishing the remodeling, buying our equipment, finding suppliers, etc. It is never dull, as I am learning new things every day and encountering new challenges as well. In fact, it seems that at just about every turn we are faced with another challenge; some minor, some major. Here is a picture of the finished shopfront! We still need to outfit the kitchen and sanitize the work area! The picture below is both an example and a word-picture of our challenging experiences thus far.

Today I went down to the shop to receive the delivery of our kitchen sink as well as pick-up of another item that was delivered not as ordered. Upon arrival, we find a CAR parked less than a foot from our door…

No owner in sight
No way to move the car (we tried)
No way to open the door enough to get anything through it.

Normally, this might not be so challenging, except that it is not always so easy to reschedule these delivery guys for a suitable time. This is such a good word-picture of our business experience thus far, in that there always seems to be something blocking our way. We are constantly required to make adjustments, be flexible, have patience, and learn new ways of doing (or getting around) things.

There is literally enough room to squeeze by the car. Just barely.

south park

The summer weather is upon us, which makes life hot, sweaty, and slow. Because we live in the middle of the arid desert we take every chance we get to go outside and visit green parks - while living in the city. This past weekend we took a much needed break from the business-busy-ness, to visit a new park. The old Urumqi Zoo (Dong Wu Gong Yuan 动物公园) has now become South Park (Nan Gong Yuan 南公园). Our family pedaled around the park on bicycle to get an overall tour, and then we watched the swans & ducks while eating some picnic snacks.

The family bike: I think we could have fit at least three more people!
We had a blast navigating the sidewalks and walkways of this old park, exploring and sightseeing the entire place. S&E got the best views!

Four xiao haizi (little kids 小孩子) watching the ducks and white swans.
Mei-mei (little sister 妹妹) enjoyed making friends too.

good morning wake up call

Quite often, a local friend calls me for some help with translating a word into English. Being an English-speaking foreigner in a city of 3+ million people has its 'perks'. This morning my cell phone rang at 7:12am (a bit early in my book) with a request for some translation help. I was laying groggily in bed, but decided to oblige my friend. This morning, my friend wanted to know how to say, "pick your nose," "blow your nose," and my favorite, "vomit" ......all before breakfast. We were holding back laughter during the entire conversation. Then he invited us to a wedding next weekend. Now that is a perk!

reducing the PLASTIC bags!!

Recently, a new law has been put in effect to reduce the usage of PLASTIC BAGS here in China! We are very thrilled at this environmental change - and we hope it lasts! As of June 1st, all vendors & supermarkets have stopped giving out plastic bags for their goods.

You have a choice: either bring your own bag/basket, OR purchase a bag from the store for 2 mao (3 cents). The goal is to return to using renewable forms - instead of generating so much "white pollution" in the form of PLASTIC, that does not recycle. Plastic bags require huge amounts of petroleum to produce, yet they accumulate in landfills. This nation-wide push to bring back cloth bags & shopping baskets is great news!

This is a wonderful CALL to cut waste & conserve resources! Overall, we can see everyone embracing this change in stride, and even out here (the far west) it has been introduced and enforced (for the most part). This does not eliminate the use of PLASTIC, but it eliminates the use of flimsy bags, and puts a price on PLA$TIC bags - so that people will be encouraged to reuse the ones they purchase!

Under these new rules - businesses are prohibited from manufacturing, selling or using bags less than 0.025 mm thick, while more durable bags are permitted for sale by markets & shops. With the right enforcement & education - this could impact the world in a great way!! China's landfills are reaching capacity, and it's solid waste is at a crisis level.

For those that enjoy statistics: China (1.3+ billion pop.) must refine 5 million tons of crude oil (37 million barrels) each year to meet the demand for plastic bags. Three million bags are used each day - which means China uses the same amount of bags in ONE WEEK, that the U.S. uses in a YEAR. Or in smaller terms: every Chinese citizen uses twice the amount of bags that each American uses EACH DAY. In addition, production of plastic bags has been discouraged - and the recycling industry is taking precedence in many Chinese minds! We are excited to see the fruit of this change - and be part of it too!

a traditional Uyghur restaurant

Its somewhat embarrassing - but this is the first time (in 2 years) we have gotten to dine at this famous Uyghur restaurant in town - called 'Jam' correctly pronounced 'Jahm.' It was so much fun, and I think now that the girls are older - we were able to enjoy the entire experience more!!

When you walk in the door, you are formally greeted by the doorman dressed in traditional attire "Asalamualekum" and a courteous nod and hand on his heart. We walk up the marble steps and another man awaits to pour water from a copper pitcher over your hands. Another fellow hands you a steamed towel to dry them with. There are traditional tables & chairs OR there are raised beds with cushions & pillows to recline at. The interior is ornately decorated, and the tile floor is brightly colored. There are white pillars and balcony seating above, all facing a dome-style stage.

We sat opposite the stage area - with great views of the musicians and dancers (which came later). We ate Laghman (homemade noodles with lamb & vegetables), Polo (carrot & rice dish), Pumpkin dumplings, Walnut & date-filled rolls, Lamb kebabs on a bamboo skewer, and even broccoli. The entire dinner only cost less than $14 which was incredible, for our family of five! This is one of the more expensive places to eat.

Part way thru dinner, a group of male musicians took the stage with their instruments. Music & dance are a special part of Uyghur culture - so this was fun to watch. A young lady danced to some of the songs, as did a few of the older men (in full beards!) and a guy with two long knives.

The same girl danced with teacups on her head. That takes talent! Our three little girls were mesmerized by her colorful flowing dress and beautiful moves. They were all bouncing and wide-eyed with awe. If you come visit, we will be glad to share the experience again!

For your viewing pleasure - here is a short video of similar music & dance at the exact spot, by some other dude. Its a true taste of Uyhgur culture and music. You might get mesmerized too.

freeeeeedom!!

Four weeks to the day - we let Silly Chicken go free. He's old enough, right?? (well, he was attempting to jump out of his lonely cardboard box, and we don't have a yard)

We took him/her (?) across the street and let him roam thru the grass & bushes. We made sure he had a good water supply from the sprinkler, and there were swarms of ants which he found very quickly. When we tried to walk away - he kept running after the blue momma Croc's. Asia suddenly began to cry, so we stayed a bit longer. I had no idea the bond was so tight.

Notice all his new plumage! Even his tail is sporting some new growth. Silly, we hope you enjoyed your stay with our fam, and that you can enjoy your new freedoms before you become someones dinner.

almost done!!

It has been about 1 week since our shop was gutted - and the transformation process has been fast and educational. Besides all the kinks, it looks pretty amazing!! Here are a few of the changes that we've been working on:

• upgrading the electricity
• fixing the leaks in the back wall and ceiling
• new tile on walls & floor
• painting ceiling
  
• new storefront & windows
• building dividing wall between service counter & kitchen
  
• purchasing ice cream machinery
• shopping for kitchen appliances & supplies
• securing ingredient & packaging suppliers
  

Day two:
insulating back wall, mixing cement

Day 5:
new tile, electricity upgrade

installing new storefront

Day 8:
installing door, new front tiles!!

In the next few days they will do some final touches with the plumbing & light fixtures, put up a red awning and our new sign! These pictures make it look kinda small - which it is. You also can't see the floor, which is black & white checkered, similar to the front wall - but larger. It looks really snazzy. We will be sure to include a picture of the end result soon.

Next steps: installing the kitchen, buying supplies & raw ingredients, testing our recipes in the new machines, continued research, and the biggie: our health inspection & quality control testing. We will also be working on the sign out front, cartons/labeling and more to come. Having a tangible place has made the excitement grow!!

International Children's Day

June first is a special day for kids around the globe - and Chinese kids are extra-adored on this day! ...Because many of them are 'only' children, they get showered with love, gifts and attention on their very own holiday. All the parks in our city were swarming with families, vendors & balloons, all bright & colorful. We steered clear of the hubbub - and rode scooters, took a walk around our neighborhood, had popcicles, visited the ice cream shop - and played with friends. I think these activities might be more of an everyday occurrence, but to us - everyday is children's day!!