Q & A, Fagan Style!

Hello again all,

First off, we’d like to say a big, warm thank you to everyone who posted comments and emailed us. We loved reading everything and answering your questions. There are still a few questions left to answer that were posed by more than one person. Because of this, I thought I would do a Q & A style posting this time around.
Ready? Here we go…

Q: Do we live near the US Consulate?
A: Why, yes we do as a matter of fact. We are about six blocks from our little patch-o-land, and will be going to a party the six Marines are throwing this weekend. They actually live in our community, (China Garden) and are supposed to be a swell bunch of guys.

Q: Any plans on attending the Olympic Games in Beijing?
A: Well, I guess this question is moot now, but I'll answer it anyway. Nope. To tell you the truth, it was the furthest thing from our minds. We had some friends who went and they came back with a single-word testimonial, “CROWDED.” Not our usual scene, besides, we had just arrived for heaven’s sake!



Q: Do we live in a mansion?
A: Uh, no, at least not that I know of. We do have a friend, Richard, from Australia who thinks it is but that’s because he’s paying the rent. I’m sure if we were footin’ the bill, our pad would be a whole lot “cozier”! I’m not really sure why the house is so big. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth or anything, but, there’s only the three of us. Unless we get a flood of guests all at one time, we’ll just enjoy it, and continue using GPS to locate one another.

Q: Are any of us involved in local things yet?
A: Yes, well sort of. I’m hoping to become a more active member of the Chengdu International Women’s Club, (CIWC). It’s a wonderful “non-profit organization focused on enriching women’s lives while living in Chengdu, China.” There are over 200 members from all over the world including US, China, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Philippines, Japan, and more. I’ve offer my services to help them with their website so… we’ll see how that goes! (See also the “green mission” question.) School has begun again for me and I plan on giving it all of the attention it requires.


Q: You must really be missing your dogs, Ginger and Chuck. How are you dealing with that?
A: It’s been very hard, and I’m not ashamed to say that it’s even kept me up at night. But we know that they are in great hands with our friend, Steven. (Hi Steven!) We figured we would try a surrogate approach by having Steven hook up a web cam so that we could chat to them while he gave them lovin’s. But that went to the wayside because our connection speed, not to mention Steven’s life as a full time ASU student and newbie employee, conspired against us. I ask him about them from time to time and he always eases my tensions by letting me know that their doing very well. They’re secure, they have their giant yard, and they really love Steven. It’s all good!

Q: Have you three tried “hotpot” yet? Do you like spicy food?
A: So, here’s the thing about spicy food and the three of us. Jar can deal with it very well, although he doesn’t eat it often. Harley and I on the other hand would usually rather avoid it at all costs; (although I’m a total wasabi girl, but that’s not spicy, that’s horseradish!) However, since we’ve been here, we have all three ordered the occasional spicy dish specifically to give our pallets a work out and, I must say, we’re digging it! (I’ve even began to spice up my stir fry concoctions at home.) As far as “hotpots” go, we will be trying it with our friend Kim and her two kiddos for the first time tomorrow night… so I’ll get back to you.



Q: What are you doing socially, for fun, or on the weekends?
A: Well, I’ll tell you, last weekend we met so many wonderful people, most of who are expats from everywhere, that I think our social calendar will be full for a good, LONG while! On Friday night we went out with our friend, (and my tennis buddy) Kim Dallas. She and her husband, Jonny, are really great and they have two great kiddos, a daughter named Gemma (6) and a son named Angus (3). Angus considers Harley his big brother, so he stayed behind and had fun with them. We made our way to the Bookworm, which is one of our favorite places. Then we were off to Café Panam(e), (which is the coolest French hang out in Chengdu) for a going away party for Kim's friend. Then finally to the Shamrock Bar & Restaurant… “KIWI!” Saturday night we made our way to a birthday party for one of our new friends, Eion, at Kim and Jonny’s house. The whole weekend was a total blast and we’re hoping to throw the Halloween kick off bash at our place to show how much we appreciate everyone!

I have hooked up with Kim and a couple other girlfriends to play tennis with every Monday, and possibly Fridays, too. My first game was this last Monday and I LOVED IT! I was able to pick up gear here at a great sports store called Decathlon for next to nothing. At first I thought my leg would give me trouble, but I never even noticed it! My lungs were a different story, and smoking is quickly fading from my focus.

Jar has been invited to play Rugby every Sunday afternoon. His first day was supposed to be this last Sunday, but the rain prevented them from playing, (really tears up the field.)

Harley is looking forward to a couple of after school activities. One class offers general sports and the other will be a computer class. He also has a couple of pals to do things with here in China Garden, and a couple of weeks ago we bought him a totally cool folding bicycle that he really digs! This is a shot of Harley at the Bookworm during one of our weekend visits.

Q: Is our driver, Tony, old enough to drive?
A: This one cracked me up so much that I just had to post it! Yes, to answer the question, he’s 30 even! It’s just that he’s a little guy… like everyone else over here! We stand out a bit, which is probably why I’m SO into tennis! :) Here’s a funny story for you. Harley was playing hoops with the guys at work and they were all telling him, “…you’re strong, you’re very strong!” He thought, “Uhmmm… okay. Thank you?” Later he found out that, here, strong means fat. HA! Now, what they’re saying about me I have no idea… but we were laughing our tails off at that one. I have to say that Tony is a really great guy. He's very patient with our lack of Mandarin and he gets along very well with Harley. They even had a swim day together last weekend! "Super Tony!"

Q: Have you started learning Mandarin yet?
A: NO!!!!! And it’s beginning to bug the heck out of us. Harley has begun in QSI, but Dad & I are falling behind... RAPIDLY! We were supposed to begin the second week we arrived, but we need our resident visas first. That process has been greatly delayed by the Olympic Games. We are now on track to begin by the end of next week. Xie xie!!

Q: Do you have a maid?
A: Yes, and her name is Quah, (pronounced "wha".) She is shorter and smaller than Harley, about 4'10", and is very sweet. She works for us Tuesday thru Saturday, from 9a to 1p and takes care of the entire house, minus the laundry (I still need a job to do!) She doesn't speak a lick of English, so I'll refer you back to the last question. Thank goodness for www.babblefish.com!


Q: Are you, (Lisa) still on your “green mission”?
A: ABSOLUTLY! The only thing that’s changed for me is the demographic. There are a few organizations to get involved with around town and I plan to hunt them down. I’ve also been asked to give two guest lectures on sustainability at Sichuan University which I am really looking forward to. I am getting excited about a couple of trips we’re planning on taking in September, because I’ll be doing a bit of research while were there. The concept of recycling here took some getting used to, and when we first arrived I was in a mad scramble to separate everything before it hit the outside can. Then I was reminded that people make their living by going thru the trash cans and collecting everything that’s recyclable, (seeing a bicycle rolling down the street with a HUGE pack of plastics attached to it is a trip!) There is also a sort of collective thought wave here, particularly amongst the younger generation that understands about family size, food production, fuel consumption, and water management. They possess a very real and vast global perspective, to say the least.

Q: Do we have any trips planned?
A: Yes we do. We will be going to Phuket, Thailand from September 12th thru the 15th to celebrate my big 40. Then we’ll be off for another weekend trip to the Yangtze River to see the Three Gorges Dam September 26th thru September 28th. October may bring a trip to Seoul, South Korea to visit a very old and dear friend of ours, Dave Hart, as well as a weekend trip to Hong Kong for Harley’s birthday! (see “trip planner” section for details.)

Q: Do I have any recipes to share yet?
A: Well, sort of. Recently I picked up a copy of the Chengdu International Women’s Club cookbook. I can’t wait until our shipment arrives from the US with all of my cooking supplies because I have about 10 pages “dog-eared” already. However, most of the recipes are varied in origin and are not, necessarily, “Chinese” recipes. Mostly I’ve been doing the stir fry thing. Our house came equipped with a rice cooker and we use it all the time. It’s hodge-podge wok… Lisa style, which usually encompasses whatever veggies and meats I pick up at the market paired with whatever seasonings or sauces we find to throw in! The guys love it, and don’t care if that’s all they ever eat. Nevertheless, I would love to have a regional cookbook and I’m sure I’ll find one soon. I’ll post a few from my new book for now, then I’ll make additional “Chinese recipe” posts to it as I get them (see “food and more” section.)


Well, that about wraps it up for now. I hope I answered all of the remaining questions. If you have more, by all means, toss them our way. Oh, in reference to the two sections mentioned above. I’ve included two additional pages to our blog that will be bare bones style, without photos. The first page is titled "Trip Planner". In it you will find as many details as I have to give out on all of our planned and aspiring trips. The second is titled "Food and More,” this is where I will share all sorts of different recipes for a variety of dishes and stuff. Eventually I will create a photos only page that will be earmarked just for the purpose of sharing additional photos. One final note, any picture on this blog can be clicked on and enlarged, so enjoy!

Love and Blessings,
Harley, Lisa & Harley

Food and More:

The following recipes were graciously provided by the Chengdu International Women’s Club cookbook®. They were collected from many women’s recipe books from all around the world, and a few have been passed down thru the generations. I have denoted each recipe with its country of origin, however I tried to stay keen on what is and is not readily available in the U.S. so most of the recipes are from there. If there is a second issue, you can bet I will throw our Family’s “Oh, for goodness sake!” salad recipe into the mix, (although Jell-O might be a little hard to come by here in China.)Enjoy… and ”Hao chi!”

SOUPS(2):

PINK SOUP - USA: (a.k.a. Killer Soup)
¾ lb. turkey sausage
1 tbsp. olive oil
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp. jalapeno peppers
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2-3 cans garbanzo beans, drained
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp. lemon juice

Heat oil in heavy dutch oven over medium high heat. Add sausage and garlic and heat until sausage is cooked through, breaking it with a fork.

Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes, chilies, cumin, and rosemary. Simmer 10 minutes. Add garbanzo beans and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Serve with rice, cilantro and avocado.
Serves 4-6

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KUMERA - Australia: (Orange sweet potato & carrot soup.)
2 reasonably large kumera or sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (using both is fine too!)
2-3 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 large leek, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
Chicken or vegetable stock
Butter
Salt & pepper

Sauté onions and leeks in butter until soft. Add potatoes and carrots, sauté a minute or two. Add stock to just cover, season. Cook until potatoes and carrots are soft. Check seasoning. Blend or process until smooth. You can add cream just before serving.

Serve with warm crusty bread.
Serves 4-6

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SALADS(1):

SWEET AND SPICY AUTUMN SALAD - Australia:
DRESSING:
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

WALNUTS:
1 cup walnuts
Splash of olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp maple sugar (or sweetener of your choice)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste

SALAD:
10 cups loosely packed arugula
2 pears, peeled and thinly sliced
3oz gorgonzola

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until combined. Preheat oven to 325˚F. Wipe a baking sheet with olive oil. Combine walnuts and remaining walnut ingredients in a bowl and mix to coat. Spread nut mixture on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until nuts are deep golden and bubbling, stirring occasionally. Add arugula, pears, gorgonzola and walnuts to large bowl and toss with some dressing. The dressing is strong, a little goes a long way.

Serves 4-6

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BREADS(2):

BEER BREAD - USA:
3 cups, un-sifted self rising flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 12oz can of beer
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp. water
Melted butter (to taste)

Mix un-sifted flour, sugar, and beer in bowl. Stir 17 times; making sure dry ingredients are wet. Turn and spread dough in greased 9”X 5” pan. Brush with beaten egg mixture. Bake at 375˚ for 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. While bread is still warm, brush top with butter.

Serves 4-6

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LIME BREAD WITH BLUEBERRIES - USA:
6 tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups flour
1tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
Grated zest of 1 lime
½ cup fresh blueberries (more if desired!)
Juice of 1 lime
½ cup sugar

Cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar in bowl until light. Beat in eggs. Add the milk and mix well. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in the lime zest and blueberries.

Pour the batter into a greased 4”X 6” loaf pan. Bake at 350˚ for 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Mix the lime juice and ½ cup sugar into a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Spoon mixture over the hot bread before removing from the pan.

Serves 4-6

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ENTREES(3):

PRAWN CURRY - England:
SAUCE: You can double the quantities if you like because, apparently, it’s THAT good!
1 tbsp. tomato puree
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. garam masala ** (see below for details!)
½ tsp. ground roasted cumin seeds
1/8 – ¼ tsp. chili powder or to taste
3 tbsp. finely ground chopped green coriander
1 fresh hot green chili, finely chopped
1 tbsp. lemon juice
200 ml tinned coconut milk (6 to 7 ounces)

YOU ALSO NEED:
3tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds (yellow is fine too because the black can be hard to find)
3 cloves garlic
10 -15 curry leaves
560g prawns (fresh or defrosted) (about 1 ¼ pounds)

Make the sauce: put tomato puree in bowl. Add salt, sugar, garam masala, ground cumin seeds, chili powder, green coriander, green chili, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp. water. Mix well then add coconut milk.

Put vegetable oil in wok and when it is hot put in the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the garlic and curry leaves and stir a few times, then add the prawns. When the prawns are cooked, add the sauce and heat through until simmering. This is delicious and very easy to make.

Serves… you guessed it, 4-6
** NOTE: There are many variants, the most traditional mixes use just cinnamon, roasted cumin, caraway seeds, cloves, nutmeg (and/or mace) and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods. Many commercial mixtures may include more of other less expensive spices and may contain dried red chili peppers, dried garlic, ginger powder, sesame, mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, bay leaves, star anise and fennel. While commercial garam masala preparations can be bought ready ground, it does not keep well, and soon loses its aroma. Whole spices, which keep fresh much longer, can be ground when needed using a mortar and pestle or electric coffee grinder.

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PEACHES FILLED WITH TUNA FISH - Belgium:
Tin of half peaches in syrup
Tina of tuna fish, in brine or in oil
Mayonnaise (to taste)
1 hardboiled egg, mashed
Pepper
Paprika and parsley for decoration

Mix the tuna fish with the mayonnaise, egg and season with pepper. Fill in the half peaches with the mixture. Decorate with some paprika and parsley. Put in fridge at least 1 hour before serving.

In Belgium, this is a recipe much loved by children and can also be part of a cold buffet.

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BEEF IN GUINNESS - USA:
1kg beef (about 2 and 1/8 lb.)
2 large onions
6 medium carrots
2 tbsp. seasoned flour
250 ml Guinness beer and water

Cut beef into chuncks and peel and slice the onions and carrots. Toss the beef in the flour and brown quickly in olive oil. Remove the beef and fry the onions gently until transparent. Return the beef and add the carrots and the liquid. Bring just to a boil, reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer, cover and cook for 1 ½ -2 hours. Check that the dish does not dry out, adding more liquid if necessary. Serve with boiled potatoes.

Serves 4

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DESSERTS(2):

KHEER - Pakistan:
500ml milk
250g rice
200g sugar
50g ghee
3 tbsp. chopped nuts

Pick and wash the rice. Soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain completely.

Melt the ghee in a pan then add the drained rice and sauté for 5-7 minutes on a medium flame.

Add the milk and cook on a low flame until the milk is reduced to ¾ its original quantity. Add the sugar and simmer further until the milk is reduced to ½ of its original quantity.

Garnish with nuts.

Serves 4

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CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES - Australia:
2 cups unbleached or whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 ½ cups organic sugar
½ cup maple syrup
½ nondairy trans-fat-free margarine or vegetable shortening
½ cup sunflower oil
½ canned coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecan or walnuts pieces
¾ cup chocolate chips
½ cup dried sweet cherries (chopped if large)

Preheat oven to 300˚F. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and sea salt. In a separate bowl, cream sugar, maple syrup, margarine, oil, coconut milk, and vanilla together. Gradually mix in dry ingredients. Stir in pecans, chocolate chips, and dried cherries.

Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen

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MORE(3):

ORIGINAL IRISH CREAM - USA: (… and, I’d like to add, my friend Kim’s recipe!)
1 cup heavy cream
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 2/3 cup Irish whiskey
1 tsp instant coffee granules
2 tbsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract

In a blender, combine heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, Irish whiskey, instant coffee, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Shake well before serving.

Serves 16

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BRAIN FREEZE POPS - USA:
2 cups berries, washed
2 cups vanilla or homemade yogurt
1 cup powdered sugar (this works just fine with ½ cup)

Combine the berries, yogurt and sugar in a blender and BLEND! Blend for a long time or you will get little pieces and chunks.

Pour the mixture into freezer molds or small yogurt containers. Leave some space (about 5cm) at the top. Put a stick or plastic spoon into the mixture. Cut a small hole in some plastic wrap, put the stick through the plastic wrap and secure the wrap to the container with a rubber band. (This is so your stick stands up straight!) Freeze for at least 2 hours or until solid. Tear the yogurt container away or dip in hot water for a second or two to remove.

Quantity depends on the amount used per container.
Usually serves 4

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ORANGE FREEZE POPS - USA:
Juice of 6 oranges
8oz of crushed pineapple
¼ honey

Squeeze the juice (get the seeds out)
Follow the steps for Freeze Pops (previous recipe)

Usually serves 4

Trip Planner:

The following entry represents events that are planned already, (denoted by a date,) as well as trips that we hope to make (really just a rough draft of what’s on our horizon.) It does not include day or overnight trips, such as the Bamboo Sea, the Wenshu Temple, Dufu’s Thatched Cottage, the Sichuan Opera or snow skiing in the Sichuan Province. Those types of events do not need pre-plan posting or advance notice. Although, like any trip we take, they will be reported on as they happen. Oh, and undoubtedly we will be making two return trips to the U.S., one in 2008 and one in 2009. Most travel will depend on Harley’s new vacation schedule and a few of the big trips may push to the summertime. Also, we reserve the right to visit any single place more than once! :)

SEPTEMBER ---- 13th thru 15th: Phuket, Thailand
----------------26th thru 28th: Yangtze River, Yichang, in Hubei Province, China.

OCTOBER ------- ??? : Seoul, South Korea
----------------24th thru 27th: Hong Kong, SAR

NOVEMBER ---- ??? : Beijing, China
----------------??? : Paris, France

DECEMBER ----- ??? : US (Possible trip home) - Arizona
----------------??? : Tokyo, Japan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

JANUARY --------??? : Venice, Italy
----------------??? : Dublin, Ireland

FEBRUARY ------ ??? :
----------------??? :

MARCH ----------??? :
----------------??? : Shanghai, China

APRIL ----------??? : Queensland, Australia (Great Barrier Reef)
----------------??? :

MAY-------------??? :
----------------??? : Balkan Peninsula, Croatia

JUNE------------??? : Kenya, Africa
----------------??? :

JULY------------??? :
----------------??? :

AUGUST----------??? :
??? :

SEPTEMBER ------??? :
----------------??? :

OCTOBER --------??? :
----------------??? :

NOVEMBER -------??? :
----------------??? :

Happy 11th Birthday, Harley!

Hello again everyone! We hope this post finds you all well and healthy!

August 14th 2008, was one of the most amazing days any of us have ever had. Because of this, the following post reads like a sort of novella... enjoy!

So, let's start at the beginning and ask the question that is probably on a lot of peoples minds. Q: "Just how do you celebrate an 11 year old American boys birthday in China?" Well, you take him to see his all time favorite animal, the Giant Panda!


We headed out at 7am and took a 45 minute ride to the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center, located here in Chengdu. This is the epicenter for Panda breeding and habitat restoration/preservation. We watched Harley's face light up as we bought our tickets and approached the front gate. The weather was drizzly and misty, but lovely among a setting of outreaching bamboo that lined all of the paths inside. We were all set for a day with the Pandas, and had our snacks and water in tow.

As we wound our way through forests of green and mist, we came upon the first enclosure. There, a giant Panda! He's walking out from the mist towards a large wooden structure. "Do you see him, Harley?" "YES! Oh my gosh!" The Panda makes his way slowly towards the wooden structure, climbs upon it, and lays down. It is so quiet and peaceful... so still. Lovely!



The next enclosure brings us to another Panda, walking in the background of the forrest thicket. He decides to keep his distance, which makes any chance of a photo unsuccessful.

The third enclosure, "There, in the distance..." a Panda is laying down on top of another wooden structure, watching us. He makes no moves, just watching. "SNAP" Another photo... wonderful!


The fourth enclosure bends around, with bamboo on one side of us and the enclosure on the other. As we reach the center we look up to see that we are within 15 feet of 5 giant Pandas! They are huddled individually, though in a group, and resting like the others. One yawns and rolls over. We are captivated!

Our next building is the nursery where these magnificant creatures are lovingly cared for and reared and where photo taking is strictly prohibited. Everyone who has come to see the babies is very respectful and quiet, which make the moment even more awe inspiring. We walk up to a large pane of glass, lined with incubators on the opposite side. A 4 day-old baby girl lay sleeping, she could fit in the palm of your hand. No black markings yet... all white... so beautiful and tiny! Down to the left is another incubator, with a nurse and a 2 month old baby. The black markings begin to appear now, and she is cleaning his little backside... so helpless. When they are old enough (about 6 to 8 months of age) they will be placed with other "baby" pandas from time to time, and allowed to begin the bonding process. At one and a half to five years of age, they are conisdered sub-adult, and are able to live full time among each other, without constant care from their human providers, (except for food, of course) and their most active years will be from ages two to three. It is during this tme that they begin to eat bamboo, learn to explore and play, and establish life long bonds with other non-related pandas. They will also become sexually mature during the end of their fifth year.

Now, so far Harley is thinking that this is already the best Birthday on record, but Dad & I have one more thing planned. As we leave the fourth enclosure, and our most awesome moments with the babies, we "wander" around the compound and hint at a goal of exploration. When we come upon a building, medium size and understated. We walk inside and find 30 or so other people, peering into an open window. Pandas in cages?? This seems odd to Harley, but they look happy, young and munching on bamboo. He looks at us, puzzeled as to why these particular bears are in cages, until a woman takes his hand and leads him into a room. He is suited up, gloves on, and asked to wait outside. He does, and his curiosity begins to grow into visible anticipation at the thought he hesitates to entertain. "NO! No way, this could not be happening!" The woman takes his hand again and leads him to a large, burel wood bench where she asks him to sit down. After following her instructions, they bring out a 2 year old giant panda and place it on Harley's lap. "Surprise, Happy Birthday Harley!" we wisper.

I am in tears, Dad is in the background filming, and little Harley is... well... stunned, awa struck, amazed, silent. His face says it all, I have never seen him more content or peaceful. The panda turns his head and gets a taste of Harleys hand, exploring, just like a toddler would do. The keeper gives the panda a piece of bamboo, then two, then three, and he nibbles at it while taking a glance back at the boy who arms he lay in. Harley and his panda have bonded, instantly and forever. To say that he will never forget his encounter would be, I believe, a gross understatement. He has been forever changed by it, and Dad and I will enjoy his retelling of it, multiple times, over and over, with every ounce of love and affection that we have.


Harley's big day was ended with our tradition of a Sushi dinner at a place just across the street from where we live. We were joined by Tony, (our driver and good family friend) and Victoria (who works with Harley) and we all had a lovely time. After dinner we came back to the house for chocolate cake, candles, and tea. Tony gave Harley a basketball and Victoria gave him a spoon and fork set made of silver, which he likes and appreciated very much.

Truly, this was a day to remember... ALWAYS!

Our Arrival in Chengdu!

Hello everyone~

After a very long day of travel totaling 21 hours, we finally made it to Chengdu last Saturday evening. Since then, we have been going nonstop trying to get everything set up, including our China bank accounts, our cell phone accounts, our home WI/FI internet service, and admission to little Harley's school, QSI, as well as dealing with a bit of house drama. It's easy to forget just how much setting up a house entails, but let me remind you, it is tremendous.

One of the first places we went to was QSI, (Quality International Schools) where Harley will attend school. We interviewed with the Director of the school, Mrs. Karin Knoll, (who is a WONDERFUL woman!) and had a terrific tour of the grounds. The curriculum for the school is western based, and he will have a sound daily academic structure which includes music class, science class, Chinese history and culture, Mandarin language class, English reading & language class, math class, and PE. We thought he may have been a bit overwhelmed by it all, but by the end of our time at QSI, Harley couldn't wait for school to start, and had already met and made friends with a fellow classmate who popped in for a visit! He's really looking forward to all the school has to offer, including playing basketball for the school as well as ping pong and other sports. Additionally, QSI offers a "Green Group" which both the students and their parents can participate in, because (on the whole) the school itself is extremely ECO-minded! For all of these reasons, we feel very good about our decision regarding the choice of school for Harley, and know that he will have an amazing experience!

Harley Jr. began to work immediately, last Monday, and is settling in nicely. He has already had a scrimmage basketball match one evening after work with some Intel co-workers, and is looking forward to playing Rugby with some friends we've made here. On the whole, he likes his job and his new boss very much. The only thorn in his side is that, although Intel has shipped his "office" from the Chandler site, he decided against shipping things he thought would be common place in Chengdu. As a result, little things like a stapler or a piece of tape, turn out to be valuable commodities here in China and this is bugging him a bit. He will be requesting that those items be shipped to him from Chandler, beginning next week! :P

My class at ASU begins the same time as Harley's school, August 21st. I'm really looking forward to it because the class is "Cities and Civilizations - South East Asia"! I couldn't believe it myself, to be able to study the very region we are currently living in is truly a blessing. I only wish I had signed up for more than one course this semester, but everything for a reason. Besides, there's always next semester.

Among the first experiences for us this week was an outing to a local, ex-pat dinner hangout at a restaurant called Peter's Tex Mex. The menu was rustic, simple and very familiar, and their desserts were fabulous! They have a large, lovely patio in the front of the restaurant, but it began to rain 5 minutes after we sat down. Now, keep in mind that we are used to Arizona rain, which most of the time, and with the exception of monsoon season, pulls in and passes without much of a fuss. This, however, was Chengdu rain, and when it first began to fall we made the wise choice of following the locals initiative and high tailing it indoors... which was a good thing. The rain was so tremendous that we saw paint all over the streets and sidewalks that had been washed off the buildings during our walk back home after dinner. WOW!

To be sure, there are a lot of places to eat in China, and last night we ate at another terrific place (the name escapes me now) which was recommended to us by our driver, Tony. To us, on the outset, it looked like a very upscale Chinese restaurant with valets greeting you upon your arrival and a long white and gold winding staircase that lead us up to the restaurant itself. After being seated at our table, our hostess brought over the menus, which reminded me of a magazine, with full page color photos of all the food they have to offer. All of the items (with the exception of meat, of course) are seasonal, and the variety of items available was vast. We chose our items (6 dishes... we'll learn!) and away our hostess went. The food was quite simply amazing and we ate until we couldn't fit another bite in! When the bill came we were stunned to learn that our meal had only cost $20 U.S.! Yes, I think we will be very happy here!

A little bit about the house:

We are in a lovely, four story house that totals 3000 sq. feet.
The first floor is where both the front and back entry doors are located, as well as the garage, utility room, (with China potty) and maids quarters. The entry way opens up to an expansive living room and small, all-glass sun room. The ceiling of the living room is vaulted, and shoots up 20 feet to the second level where a gigantic chandelier hangs.

A winding staircase that hugs the wall leads you up to the second level, were you find the dining room, the kitchen, “under the stairs” storage closet, and a good sized balcony.

The third floor hosts the master bedroom and master bath, little Harley's bedroom, and a guest room with a full common bath. Our Master bedroom is quite spacious and has a small patio as well as a built in closet and large satellite television. The master bath is very large and holds a walk-in closet, a large whirlpool bathtub, double sinks and a glass encased shower that's twice the size of ours in AZ. Little Harley's bedroom is large as well, and he has a large picture window with a built in bench that sits close to the floor. He also has a built in bookshelf which now display his Bionicles! He loves his new space, and is already finding permanent places for all of his items. The guest bedroom is good size also, and holds a large picture window and built in closet as well.

The fourth floor is my favorite! It has a large guest room with built in closets, an office with built in bookshelves, and personal bath connected to it. There is also a large, 1000 sq. foot patio complete with trees, bushes, flowers and a fish pond! There are five Koi and 4 little black fish... and yes, we have named them all! The pond is lovely and even has a waterfall. We feed the fish about once a week and I water the plants every other week, although our maid will take over the duties of watering when she is hired on.

Apart from the two nights we ate out, I have been learning how to use a new kitchen. Although, I fear I may still need some vital items, such as a can opener! Our landlord was gracious enough to leave us a wok and a rice cooker. The wok has come in handy, but the rice cooker has Chinese instructions and so, I will need further assistance to use it. None of our items that we shipped from home have arrived yet, so we are making due with a skillet bought from IKEA and a medium stock pot, also left to us by our landlord. The kitchen is stocked with a 2 burner gas stove and hood, a microwave, a large and lovely side by side refrigerator, a double-decker oven and a washer/dryer combo unit. I managed to find my way through to use the washer, but enlisted the help of the landlord’s daughter, Vicki, when it came to the dryer setting.

Because we've been on our own during the day this week, little man and I have had the job of "scouting" out the local things during the week. I'm ashamed to say that we haven't really been out and about as much as we'd hoped, we've really only been to IKEA (which after three visits, I am beginning to get a bit sick of!) and two grocery stores, Auchan & Carrefour. Both grocery stores are huge, and Carrefour hosts an import section, complete with Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes @ $6.00 US per box! Both stores offer a few western-recognizable items such as milk, bread, pasta, (also in the import section @ $3.00 US per package) and carry the largest selection of fruits and vegetables we've ever seen. These sections are massive, and there is usually a person up on a foot ladder shouting sale items over a megaphone. It's pretty cool! The meat section is an experience as well, and carries every part of every animal they offer. Some of it is dried and some of it is packaged. So far I have only purchased chicken breasts because I have not had the time to slowly peruse the meat section. However, I found that chicken breasts are among the cheapest priced items offered in either market as the Chinese people prefer the other parts of the chicken and, so, consider the breast meat to be "not so" prime. I think I paid $1.50 US for four breasts... SWEET

Well, it's time for me to close. I hope I answered all of the questions everyone posed to me via email... I tried to cover pretty much everything. If not, I'll get them answered as soon as possible! It is now Saturday morning for us (10:07am) and this is the first day that we all have together so we plan to make the most of it. We hope this post finds all of you well and happy. Talk to you soon!



Love,
Lisa & the Harleys

PS: By the way, the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games was absolutely gorgeous (we watched it on television) and a great source of pride for all Chinese people! We hope you all were able to watch it as well. Cheers!