Today Rachel made a discovery of a little hide out under our foot stool. This Hide out is opened up by a very small entry but just big enough to squeeze through. Well today after dinner Rachel found this and managed to get in while asking me to join her. I tried to fit us both but I knew it would end in disaster 🙂 So half way through I decided to give up and let Megan have a try. Although I did get out with a bruised bone or two it gave me a chance to laugh 😀

This morning the kids were ready early for school and decided to head to
McDonald’s for breakfast. The girls are making an effort to make special
memories with Michael before he heads to college next year. I joined them
later, and found Megan eating an ice cream cone for breakfast! Guess
that’s what big brothers are for, spoiling little sisters.

Our first day back to school after Chun Jie (Chinese New Year) break was
Valentine’s Day. The girls brought roses home from secret admirers at
school (part of a Student Council fundraiser) and I made a special
chocolate cake with pink frosting. We had dessert and tea with one of our
neighbors who is also a 4th grade teacher at our school.

Happy New Year! This is a little bit strange for me to say at the beginning of February but for the culture around me Spring festival (the lunar calendar’s New Year), is considered the season for celebration. This year is the year of the rabbit just as last year was the year of the tiger, every year according to the zodiac calendar, a new animal is chosen. This year while spending time with Malaysian friends, I surprised and delighted to receive several 红包‘s (hong bao’s)! It is an Asian custom (Chinese in particular) to give little red letters to children and other friends during the new year. The letters are filled with money, hence, just as we in American culture receive presents for Christmas, they get money. This is the first year that I’ve even been given a 红包，and I was ecstatic! Our friends the Chins gave me one, then their friends and their parents gave me one! How blessed I am to have such kind and generous friends!

When I first moved to China, I had not the slightest idea what the King of fruits was or that there even was a King!  Here in Asia, Durian is considered the King of all fruits. Don't worry if you are saying "What in the world is Durian?!", I didn't know what it was before I came here either.  Durian is a large yellow green fruit, about the size of a large softball, with spikes all over it; it is appropriately named the King for it's powerful smell!  I'm going to be honest with you, it STINKS!  I can hardly fathom how anyone can come to eat this fruit or put this fruit anywhere near their mouth with such an overcoming stench!  It is a beloved fruit here and all over Asia, none-the-less.  I know many Asian friends that love this fruit!  (Though I have no idea how!  I think it tastes like it smells!)  For example, the mom of my Malaysian friend was telling me how much she loved to eat Durian and how she wished she could eat it all the time!  I have seen signs that say "Durian is prohibited in this area" (because of it's overcoming odor) in buses, hotels, restaurants, taxis, and even subways!  I laugh every time I see one at the thought of someone being turned away because they have a Durian fruit in their shopping bag!  Before I left my home in the USA I thought I knew all of the most popular fruits, at least, but I didn't even know the King of fruits and a favorite all over Asia.  I am amazed every day at the vastness and diversity of this world. 

At the beginning of our Chun Jie (Chinese New Year) vacation we stayed at a hotel for one night before catching our connecting flight to our vacation destination.  We slept in two shabby (but comfortable) rooms, amounting to a few beds and a bathroom.  As we were packing up, getting ready to leave for the airport, I noticed a A4 sized, yellow laminated, paper stuck to the back of our door.  As I read a few of the ridiculous rules, my family and I were soon in fits of laughter!   First, the rule on food, fruit and pets:  'Food, fruits, and pets are strictly prohibited'.  I can understand the pet part, but food and fruits?!  You might be thinking, "Last time I checked a fruit is a food!", I was too.  How on earth can a hotel regulate whether or not customers have food in the room?!  It's a completely ridiculous rule!  Then there is the rule on souvenirs: 'Please do not take away the room items as souvenirs'.  Okay, who, in their right mind, would want to take anything from the rag-tag hotel room as a souvenir?  Seriously.   Now, on top of that, it lists the expenses of practically ALL the items in the room (PS: In the picture underneath, the prices are in RM (Malaysian Ringgit). 3RM = $1.00).  So, of those insane people wanting to take the hotel room junk, who would pay the money for those things?!  If you have enough money to buy their scratchy wool blankets, which was 100RM (~$35), from the hotel for a souvenir  then I think you would have enough money to lodge at a nicer hotel!  For instance, "Honey, why don't you grab that tray for a souvenir from this hotel! I don't mind paying 20RM!"  Then come the more unusual but totally humorous rules:  'Turning TV channels are strictly prohibited'.  For a room with a tiny TV hanging from the ceiling the last thing I would want to do as a hotel manager is draw attention to it by making ridiculous rules!  How would they find out or "punish" the customer if the TV channel was changed?  "I'm sorry, but you changed the channel from National Geographic to HBO, you will have to pay an extra fee."  It makes me laugh just think about it!  In any country, that is not your own, you will find parts of the culture, language cross overs, or language barriers more humoring than you would ever imagine.

When I first moved to China, I had not the slightest idea what the King of fruits was or that there even was a King!  Here in Asia, Durian is considered the King of all fruits. Don’t worry if you are saying “What in the world is Durian?!”, I didn’t know what it was before I came here either.  Durian is a large yellow green fruit, about the size of a large softball, with spikes all over it; it is appropriately named the King for it’s powerful smell!  I’m going to be honest with you, it STINKS!  I can hardly fathom how anyone can come to eat this fruit or put this fruit anywhere near their mouth with such an overcoming stench!  It is a beloved fruit here and all over Asia, none-the-less.  I know many Asian friends that love this fruit!  (Though I have no idea how!  I think it tastes like it smells!)  For example, the mom of my Malaysian friend was telling me how much she loved to eat Durian and how she wished she could eat it all the time!  I have seen signs that say “Durian is prohibited in this area” (because of it’s overcoming odor) in buses, hotels, restaurants, taxis, and even subways!  I laugh every time I see one at the thought of someone being turned away because they have a Durian fruit in their shopping bag!  Before I left my home in the USA I thought I knew all of the most popular fruits, at least, but I didn’t even know the King of fruits and a favorite all over Asia.  I am amazed every day at the vastness and diversity of this world. 

At the beginning of our Chun Jie (Chinese New Year) vacation we stayed at a hotel for one night before catching our connecting flight to our vacation destination.  We slept in two shabby (but comfortable) rooms, amounting to a few beds and a bathroom.  As we were packing up, getting ready to leave for the airport, I noticed a A4 sized, yellow laminated, paper stuck to the back of our door.  As I read a few of the ridiculous rules, my family and I were soon in fits of laughter!   First, the rule on food, fruit and pets:  'Food, fruits, and pets are strictly prohibited'.  I can understand the pet part, but food and fruits?!  You might be thinking, "Last time I checked a fruit is a food!", I was too.  How on earth can a hotel regulate whether or not customers have food in the room?!  It's a completely ridiculous rule!  Then there is the rule on souvenirs: 'Please do not take away the room items as souvenirs'.  Okay, who, in their right mind, would want to take anything from the rag-tag hotel room as a souvenir?  Seriously.   Now, on top of that, it lists the expenses of practically ALL the items in the room (PS: In the picture underneath, the prices are in RM (Malaysian Ringgit). 3RM = $1.00).  So, of those insane people wanting to take the hotel room junk, who would pay the money for those things?!  If you have enough money to buy their scratchy wool blankets, which was 100RM (~$35), from the hotel for a souvenir  then I think you would have enough money to lodge at a nicer hotel!  For instance, "Honey, why don't you grab that tray for a souvenir from this hotel! I don't mind paying 20RM!"  Then come the more unusual but totally humorous rules:  'Turning TV channels are strictly prohibited'.  For a room with a tiny TV hanging from the ceiling the last thing I would want to do as a hotel manager is draw attention to it by making ridiculous rules!  How would they find out or "punish" the customer if the TV channel was changed?  "I'm sorry, but you changed the channel from National Geographic to HBO, you will have to pay an extra fee."  It makes me laugh just think about it!  In any country, that is not your own, you will find parts of the culture, language cross overs, or language barriers more humoring than you would ever imagine.

During our Chinese Holiday trip Rachel decided to bring her laptop with a bunch of movies on it. One of these movies were Christy. This is actually a Movie with episodes and is based on older times where telephones and automobiles were being invented. It’s about a young school teacher that went to a small communityin the mountains to teach. While she (Christy) is there she faces many adventures in this fun series. The girls and I began these episodes just as we started our vacation. It was a very fun movie to watch together and we could use it when we got bored like on the plane.I really loved getting to spend time with the girls and watch a very fun movie at the same time. (I highly recommend this movie for girls 🙂