Fogs and airplane rides (unrelated)

Well, we're back and doing reasonably well (although neither of us should be operating any heavy machinery for the time being).

Friends of ours warned us that the "good sleepers" while in China had the potential to be not so good sleepers back in Canada, and, alas, so far, Kiyomi has decided to follow this adage. As a result, we’ve been operating in a bit of a fatigue fog the last couple of days. Hence the delay in posting here.

The trip home was relatively uneventful, although really long. We were all a little shocked by the insanity that is the Beijing airport. There are no real lines – rather you join the throngs of people moving forward towards the departure area. Oh sure, there are signs that seem to indicate some sort of order – indicating “something to declare” or “nothing to declare” – but they are largely meaningless. You simply join the crowd surging forward, and try to resist the urge to “moo” as you join a human cattle drive!

The plane ride itself was also rather uneventful, though very, very, very long. Kiyomi worked on her audience most of the trip – smiling and scrunching her face up whenever she caught someone’s eye. She even charmed a priest on the Toronto-Ottawa leg! She had a couple of fussy moments that were resolved by walking the aisles, and expanding her audience. All in all, we were quite relieved that there was no real crying fits and she didn’t seem to have any difficulty with the take-offs and landings. She even had a good long nap, helped along by the fact that we scored a middle bench – so four seats – all to ourselves. Tip for those of you travelling in future – if you are thinking of getting a seat for the baby (which we did), request the middle row, and specifically both of the aisle seats and one other. That way, if the plane isn’t full, it’s more than likely that no one will be in that 4th seat! Worked like a charm for us.

We were able to meet up with Ojiichan, Obaachan and aunty Miyo during our stopover in the Toronto airport. It was a brief visit and I’m afraid we were a little too exhausted to be great company, but Kiyomi made a few smiley faces and it was nice to see family.

There was also a small contingent to greet us at the Ottawa airport, and aunties Laura and Sue brought slurpees for mommy and daddy (yum!) It was also really nice to come home to a contented cat and a clean house (thanks to uncle Brahm for that!) Kiyomi was a little unsure of everything, and a little clingy once we finally got home, but all in all, she did pretty well considering everything she’d just been through.

We managed to keep her up until 9 p.m., after feeding her some of grandma’s lasagna, but she finally conked out. Unfortunately, she was awake at 1:30 in the morning, and not at all happy about where she was and what was going on. There was some floor walking and rocking chair rocking until dawn, when we finally gave up and got on with the day.

The next night was marginally better. She still woke up at 1, but this time, she seemed reasonably content to babble and play in her crib until 3, when she fell back asleep. Unfortunately, it did little for helping Kohji and I get over jet-lag.

The sleep strategies continue, however. Yesterday, we limited all nap time. She only slept for about ½ in the afternoon, and we kept her awake as long as possible. Unfortunately, I abandonned Kohji as it was impossible for me to stay awake, so I napped for about an hour and a half. Kiyomi made it to 7:30, mommy and daddy until 8. Let me tell you, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve gone to bed while the sun was still up. Luckily, the” torture the poor child by forcing her to stay awake” seemed to work, as she slept until about 5 this morning. There was some minor snorffling that required some back patting (we’ve moved the crib to beside the bed, so we don’t actually have to get up!), but it seemed to be a full night sleep. We’re feeling less foggy headed, but could have happily slept several more hours. Hopefully, the strategy will hold strong and we’ll be able to keep her up a little later tonight, she’ll sleep a little longer at night, and all will be right with the world (ya, I know I’m dreaming in technicolour, but you gotta hope!)

The hardest part of being back so far has been the lack of sleep and copping with jetlag. So far, we've all been healthy (knock on wood) and Kiyomi seems to be feeling comfortable and secure as long as we are around. She's still a little apprehensive when we leave the room, even if she can still see us in the kitchen (but, after what she's been through, who can blame her). Hopefully, we can get things back to an Ottawa time zone soon and settle into a routine to increase the comfort level for all of us.

All in all, though, she seems to be adjusting as well as can be expected. She's even starting to see eye to eye with KT the cat. She wasn't too sure what to make of the strange furry beast at first, but now she's even happy to see the cat - as long as there is someone else nearby. She seems comfortable in the house, and we are bit by bit trying to develop a routine. We've already been to Loblaws, taken a few strolls through the neighbourhood and Kiyomi's gone for her first run in the baby jogger.

We're also slowly introducing all the new toys and gadgets, and so far she has three favourites - the pail and shovel from uncle Brahm, the Pop-A-Corn car from Alex and aunty Jan, and the rocking chair from Lindsay. Actually with that last one, she's figured out that when she rocks hard enough, she achieves locomotion, so she's been puttering across the kitchen. When she gets faster at it, the cat's in trouble!

And for us, it's a treat to be able to drink, and wash dishes in, tap water, have laundry at our disposal and the comforts of home. Being in China was amazing and getting the opportunity to visit Kiyomi's country of birth was phenomenal, but living in a hotel while you're trying to get to know each other is a bit of a challenge.

Tonight, Kiyomi heads out to her first ultimate game (assuming mommy and daddy can get their acts together). We’re hoping she’ll be able to read a disc better than mom, and given how she's learned to chuck things from her high chair, it's obvious she's working on her hammer already!

Tomorrow (July 18th) is Kiyomi's 1st birthday (as well as uncle Brahm's)! Nothing special planned, although apparently she gets pretty darn happy if daddy pretends to sneeze in her face, so maybe we'll spend the day doing that!

Good afternoon, from Ottawa (ahhh)!

A final post from Beijing

Good morning (well, at least it should be morning for you when you read this)!

We've learned over the last few days that Kiyomi is definitely a morning person. She's in her best mood of the day throughout the morning, and will often wake with a great big smile on her face. Evenings, however, she can be a little cranky, especially if she hasn't gotten a proper afternoon nap. She also has no compulsion to temper her annoyance if you try to put her down when she has decided it's not bed time! The cute "umbas" of the first couple days are a distant memory, overshadowed by the more constant wail when she decides she is not happy with the situation. Luckily, those type of episodes are not regular occurences and sometimes all it takes is a hand off because she's decided she's had enough of you, and wants the other. Two weeks and this child already has us trained!

Our last day in Beijing was certainly interesting. As promied, we went on a rickshaw tour of a hutong. "Hutong" - a Mongolian work for "water well" - refers to a district of alleyways which form the older parts of Beijing. The name is derived from the fact that the hutongs were designed around a well at the end of every alleyway. In many ways these alleyways are exactly like your basic city street, lined with shops, restautant, bars and homes. There used to be many such districts in Beijing, but over the years they have been bulldozed to make room for high rises. The few ramaining are now apparently protected from destruction (although the other day, we did see what suspiciously looked like a hutong that was being bulldozed with a few stubborn residents still living in lonely standing homes surrounded by rubble).

While rickshaws are fairly commong sights in Beijing, the army of rickshaws that operate in the hutong district was more than a little surprising. Ours was also not the only hutong tour underway, as we passed a number of other groups clinging to their own rather precarious carriages. The drivers weave through the alleys expertly, peddlaling a bike carrying two bodies, plus baggage with a single gear. At times, they even race each other - our driver seemed to prefer being at the front, and there was some excitement when he pulled out to pass along narrow little alleyways - well peopled with residents going about their daily business. Once again, we were a bit of a spectacle with the babies in tow. We were also magnets for people selling trinkets and tokens such as stamps, Mao books, fans, etc. In one case, a woman road her bike along the various carriages looking to sell fans or purses.

The tour made two stops - the first at Opium Alley, a rather famous street from the late 19th century and a visit to one of the homes. Opium Alley, according to Marui, was made famous by the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi, the woman responsible for picking the last two Emperors of China. It was indeed, as the name suggests, a street lined with opium dens frequented by the Empress. Today, it is mainly small tourist shops, a number of which interestingly, sell mainly Tibetan paraphenalia. There are also small street vendors which line the street in front of the stores.
There was a fair bit of excitement at one point when we stumbled on an argument between two of the vendors, who were yelling at each other in Tibetan!
The 2nd stop was to the home of the Qing family - an older couple whose sons have grown and who open their home to these tours. Their house is effectively a courtyard surrounded by 3 rooms. There was a feng shui reason for the placement of the rooms, with the parents being on the south side, the son to the east and the daughters to the west (I think). Mrs Qing told us that her husband's family were part of the royal family, and that their home had been taken away during the communist revolution and only returned to the family in the 1980s.


All in all, daily life goes on in a hutong in the same way it does anywhere else in Beijing. I was reminded of being in downtown Ottawa, wandering around at lunch time, and passing a bunch of tourists, realizing that you are part of their tourist experience.

For our last night in Beijing, the entire group went out for a traditional Peiking duck dinner - although it would seem that duck was only a small part of the menu. The food just seemed to keep coming - dish after dish. I should note that while there are some dishes that are similar to the dishes we are familiar with from Chinese restaurants back home, the scope of Chinese cuisine is far greater than anything we'd ever see in Canada. And even those dishes that are familar to us - such as sweet and sour pork - are world's apart in smell, texture and taste. Not sure what the difference is, but the food is way better over here.

After dinner, we tried for a group picture of the babies. Wow, what an experience that was. Let me start by showing you the parents' picture:




Now, let me show you the picture of the babies:


Yup, every single one of the girls in this photo are wailing to beat the banshees. It was really impossible to tell which one had the loudest wail (although, Kiyomi does seem to have the most pained expression on her face). Despite the chaos, and the tears, I couldn't help kill myself laughing.

While I'm eager to be home, there is also a certain sadness in leaving China. I feel like I've only just been introduced, and there is so much to learn about her history, customs and people. I'm also a little sad to be taking Kiyomi away from her birthplace. No matter where she goes in life, this place will always be a part of who she is and what she will become. As such, it will always be a special place for our family.

The parting shots tonight (and there are a few as I feel it's warranted) are a farewell to this country, and her people, who make up her most precious spirit. A final good night from Beijing.

A rest day ... at last

Today has been the first real rest day since we started this little adventure. Marui had arranged for a couple of shopping excursions, but we're pretty shopped out, and wanted to spend the day just chilling. I think most of the folks in our group are of the same mind, so there were few takers on the tour of the silk factory this morning. It was nice to sleep until the Kiyomi alarm rung, and head down for a leisurely breakfast, without having to keep half an eye on the time in order to make the bus. So, alas, there is very little of interest to report (and few pictures).

Note the little chicken dress! I think there's supposed to be a t-shirt underneath, but I didn't really have one, and it was so hot today, I wasn't putting long pants on her. So, she went around showing her diaper off to the world today. I'm quite sure that the people looking and smiling at her today, were doing so and saying "what is wrong with that child's parents?" The whole ensemble was not helped by the fact that she likes to have her feet up on the cross bar of the stroller and slouch right down.

We went for a little excursion on our own to a children's department store about a 20 minute walk from the hotel. Pretty typical in many ways, except for the shoes! Really good quality leather shoes, for incredibly reasonably prices. I couldn't resist and bought a couple pairs for Kiyomi when she's older.

The afternoon was spent resting and relaxing. Kohji is coming down with a wee bit of a cold, and Kiyomi was a little bit out of sorts today, so we thought it'd be best to get a little r'n'r before the big flight the day after tomorrow. Given that we got Kiyomi's visa today, we are effectively now just putting in time until our flight on Friday anyway, so a little downtime was probably earned.

Kiyomi is doing amazingly well. She has her moments, usually when she's overtired, but I'm still in awe of the changes we've been seeing over the last two weeks. We believe that much of what we saw in her the first 2 or 3 days was likely a bit of shutting down as a defense mechanism. But, as she slowly gets comfortable with us, we are seeing a strength and resilience in this little girl (in all the girls here frankly) that is simply astounding. In a few short days, she has gone from watching silently from our arms (and clinging desperately) to sitting, feeding herself (if the cookie is big enough), babbling, standing with support, interactive play, mimicking movements and sounds, smiling and giggling. Who among us could have moved so quickly to that point if we'd just been ripped away from everything we've ever known? All I can say is that there girls are incredible!

Some of you have asked about whether China is fairly Westernized now. The short answer is that there is a Mcdonald's at Tiananmen Square (which actually surprised me). Beijing is as international a city as I've ever been too. It's got many Western businesses and retal stores - from high end designers to Pizza Hut - and all the typical conspicuous consumption of the Western world. However, the Westernized version seems fairly contained, as most of the country remains distinctly Chinese. China was only formally opened up to the outside world in the early 1980s, when the president at the time, Deng Xiaoping, introduced significant economic reforms, including allowing foreign investment. Apparently, there was significant resistence to the reforms at the time, and Deng faced an uphill battle in instituting economic change. Interestingly though, when our guide gave us a short history of this century (really since the Communist uprising) on the way to Tiananmen Sqaure, she noted that Mao and Deng Xiaoping were two of China's greatest leaders.

My, or rather, Kiyomi's, little phrase book notes that the Chinese like contradictions in their cooking – sweet and sour, for example. I’m beginning to think this is a land of contradictions - order out of chaos (in the traffic for example); extreme wealth and great poverty; 21st century construction and growth, but a value system and traditions routed thousands of years in the past; an unfathomably enormous population (1.4 billion), yet a palbable sense of community and family. Of course, for us, the most fascinating contradiction is the need to limit family size in a country that cherishes its children so much. All in all, a fascinating country to explore. I only wish we had more of a chance to understand its shadows and nuances - as hard to capture as the calligraphy practice with water on pavement.

Tomorrow is a hutong tour by rickshaw. A hutong is an older quarter in Beijing, where the homes are more traditional. From the experiences of others who have taken this journey, we expect to see the cricket man (more on that tomorrow). All in all though, we are ready to come home. It's been exilarating, exhausting, fascinating and terrifying (just try crossing a Beijing street with a stoller), but we long for the normalcy of home and not living out of a suitcase (or rather a number of suitcases). We also long for a nice, big, green, leafy salad (but that's a whole other story) and I would pull out my eye teeth for a slurpee.

Tonight's parting shot seems particularly apppropriate, given that it's now after 10 p.m., and I am zonked. Good night, from Beijing.

Oh the hords!

Well, today we discovered just what happens when you take 18 little girls out into what can only be called a mass of humanity.

Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City were awash with people. We set out at 9:30, but didn't hit the square until well after 10, even though it's a 20 minute walk away. It takes the bus about half an hour to get through Bejing traffic and get anywhere near the Square.

From the second you step off the bus, you're approached by people selling hats, water, Rolexs, flags, little red books. And it isn't long until you join the throngs of people, Chinese and foreigners alike, who have come to step foot on one of China's most well known landmarks. Beijing is a popular tourist destination for Chinese tourists, including all the school kids on summer holidays. We saw dozens of school groups, many of whom stopped to peek in on the babies.

Tiananmen Square itself is indescribably huge. The pictures can't possibly give you a real impression of the scale of the place. Suffice it to say, I finally saw a portrait of Chairman Mao. Knowing the history of this country over the last 50 years, it was fascinating to see the pilgrammage to this place that so many Chinese make. Of particular interest was the huge queue of people streaming along to see Mao's mausoluem - where the Chairman himself lies in state - indefinitely- encased in a crystal coffin thanks to the wonders of modern preservation. Unfortunately, with the crowds, the heat and trying to steer strollers through the throngs, we didn't get enough of a chance to truely appreciate the magnitude (and message) of the place.

Interestingly, despite the surroundings, the babies still drew a lot of attention. Anytime we stopped with the stroller, you'd get a handful of people come up to play with the babies. It was almost hard to get moving again when Marui told us to "move out". It was particularly funny when Marui arranged to have a group picture taken in front of the famous Tiananmen facade. While we were being organized by the photographer, a group of Chinese tourist crowded around to take our picture (picture on the right). Guess we were quite the spectacle with the strollers all lined up in a row!

At the end of Tiananment Sqaure and underneath the massive portrait of Mao, is the entrance to the Forbidden City - the past home to the Emperors of China and their entourage, including Empresses and concubines. The name was taken from the fact that the common people were "forbidden" to enter the place, and it operated as its own little municipality within what was then known as Peking. However, following the communist revolution, the Forbidden City was opened to the masses, and today, is one of Beijing's biggest tourist attractions.

Once again, the scale of this place needs to be seen to be believed. Courtyard after courtyard, that seem to go on for miles and off-shoots of smaller courtyards that create a maze of courtyards. Walking through, it is easy to see why it's called a "city" rather than a palace. I'll post some of the more intersting pictures, but they don't really do justice to the scale and beauty of the place. Admittedly, we - once again - were in no position to truely appreciate the majesty and artistry of the place due to the crowds and our preoccupation with the babies in 30 degree heat. For anyone considering a trip to Beijing, I would highly recommend heading to the Forbidden City very early in the morning, to avoid the crowds (if that's at all possible).







Unfortunately, the bus was fairly late to pick us up and we all wound up waiting on an incredible busy sidewalk for 40 minutes with 18 hungry, thirsty and tired little girls. Probably fair to say that everyone was a bit of a wreck by the time we got back on that bus, and incredibly grateful for the air conditioning. As for Kiyomi, well, she just seemed to take it all in stride. It's amazing what that girl will put up with as long as she's out and about and has a cookie in her hand!

As we learn more and more about Kiyomi, we learn more and more about the perils and challenges of parenting. One of our finer moments was when we picked up the cookie that Kiyomi has dropped on a Beijing sidewalk, reasoning that she only seemed interested in putting a cookie in her mouth on her own the day before, so she won't possibly try it on a bumby sidewalk... Fifteen minutes later we looked down to see cookie crumbs on her fface, and palming a half eaten cookie. It's ok though, because that was totally eclipsed by today, when I was giggling and playing with her on the bus, and she tossed her head backwards... against the window ledge! Sure hope our kid survives us!

Tomorrow is a bit of a rest day. There are a couple of shopping excursions planned, but being a little shped-out, we're planning on taking it easy. It will be a relief not to have to be up, fed, ready, and on the bus by a certain time. I tell ya, you start to develop a bit of a love-hate relationship with that bus on trips such as these.

Tonight's parting shot is, shockingly, not of Kiyomi! This one is of Hope and her dad, Dave. Seems to just be one of those shots that are worth a thousand words. Good night from Beijing!

Another Day in China

Actually a rather uneventful day today - but of course that didn't stop us from taking alot of pictures. The perils of travelling with a Suzuki, I tell ya!

We woke up early to head to the clinic for Kiyomi's medical appointment. It was a fairly cursory exam, aimed primarily at fulfilling the requirements for Immigration Canada. We're happy to report that all seems well. Given the wailing we heard from the other girls who went ahead of us, we were expecting a full out wail from the little nipper, but she mostly just looked puzzled!

We went back to the little Szechuan restaurant we discovered last week for lunch. Let me tell you, this time, we got a lot more attention. Well, ok, not "we" per sey, so much as Kiyomi. It would seem our little girl knows how to work an audience - she was making funny faces at the tables around us and at the wait staff (she and Alex will be able to put on some pretty impressive shows in the future). So much so, that when we got up to leave, we had 3 waitresses and the hostess crowd around us in order to hold Kiyomi. All I can say is that we are in such trouble. This one may just take after her uncle Brahm with that rare ability to charm the skin off a snake!

We then wandered a large shopping mall looking for some clothes for the little nipper (a performer after all needs her wardrobe and clothes/shoes here are really inexpensive), where she drew more attention. Just call us Kiyomi's sherpas - we carry the cookies. In fact, all the babies here draw a fair bit of attention. Chinese culture really seems to embrace their children, and it is not uncommon to have people come up to you on the street to coo or hold the girls. They enjoy their smiles and are always kind and gentle with the babies.

This afternoon, we actually ventured outside on our own and explored some of the streets around our hotel. Our hotel actually sits on a major road, with large government and financial buildings all along it. Other than the occassional more traditional Chinese architectural influences, it seems like any major big city anywhere. However, the streets behind the hotel are a little more what one would expect from a more typical Chinese city - small, narrow alleyways with scads of pedestrians and bikes, and the occassional car. There were homes, small shops, litlte markets, restaurants lining the small maze of alleyways, with people hurrying here and there. It looked like some of the local vendors had just set up shop in order to catch the afterwork crowd. Also, unlike in the hotel, I was the only white face around. Interestingsly, while there were a few smiles at Kiyomi, we drew less attention.

This evening, we headed out with some of the group to a local restaurant. Our guide ordered for us and we sat at one of those huge tables with the biggets lazy susan I've ever seen. Food kept spinning around, and it was an occassional challenge to keep up. However, it was all pretty good, and amazingly cheap. A full meal, plus drinks came to a grand total of about $7 Cdn each (and this was on the expensive side for a local restaurant).

By the way, Kohji tried to post a link to video on the previous post. We're not sure if it works or not. We're having trouble accessing it, but in theory, it should be accessible. If not, just ignore it. Also, we are still getting all the comments that you're posting, so keep'em coming (and for those of you who have asked Zumu and Zufu are my crazy parents!)

Tomorrow is Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I think it will be the first time that I actually see a picture of Chairman Mao since I've been here. However, before I go, a parting shot: