Our first Christmas Day without Michael, was not too bad, since we all knew we would see him just two days later.  Over the holiday break we traveled to Hong Kong for the first time since Michael began college in fall 2011, at The University of Hong Kong.  A family in Michael’s church was generous enough to let us stay in their small HK flat which had a beautiful view of the harbor.  We enjoyed seeing his campus, meeting new friends, attending church at Watermark Community Church, and of course shopping and eating delicious western food in Hong Kong.

Rachel and I helped Megan’s 1st grade teacher with their class Christmas party.  Rachel made all the cookies and frosting, then together we helped each group of children decorate them.  Meanwhile other groups of students heard the story, “The Legend of the Candy Cane” and others made Christmas cards.  Megan’s teacher was very brave to have twenty-two 1st grade children all at her apartment!

Today I taught friends how to make pumpkin pie and muffins.  To begin with, one cannot just go down to your local supermarket and buy Libby’s canned pumpkin.  Instead one must make a trip to the vegetable market to buy a whole pumpkin.  In China I use a a different shaped pumpkin which is oblong.  The meat is very sweet and with this shape it is easier to work with.   I cut in pieces, scrape out the seeds then steam, remove peelings and puree.   A pumpkin this large can easily supply over 10 cups of pureed pumpkin.

On Saturday our company hosted a fall festival for our Chinese National Staff and their families. It was a great way for us to share the day together. Events for the day included a scavenger hunt, kids games, lunch and a Talent Show. One challenge in the scavenger hunt was to take a group photo with at least 10 nationalities. I thought it would be difficult, but we managed. Here we have friends from Korea, China, Malaysia, South Africa, Jamaica, Barbados, Australia, Holland, Finland, and the US! Another challenge was to get at least 20 people on our old school bus for a photo.

Out with Rachel and a friend last week and came across this building under construction. The red, white and blue with big Texas Star was a familiar site to this Texan. We can’t wait until they open!

I recently had a Ladies’ Night Out with the women I work with at Tianjin International School. My Chinese friend chose this Peking Duck restaurant which is famous because Chairman Mao actually visited this place to inspect their duck. My friend (in the middle in pink) has been frequenting this restaurant since she was a little girl and even had her wedding dinner here. We enjoyed the evening, getting to know one another better and our new leader, Vicky, (on the far left) from New Zealand.

The food…

Our appetizer……cooked duck feet in wasabi!

Today I was invited over to my friend’s house to learn to make Hainan Chicken, from her friend who is Chinese/Vietnamese. The key to having the best tasting chicken, according to my friend, is to buy a free-roaming one. I soon found out that this lady ordered from a free-roaming chicken farm, and that the birds were delivered to her house this morning ALIVE. She then killed and feathered them, to use for our meal today! Here I am with the chicken. I was amazed at the large feet.

After cleaning it thoroughly, the friend, cut off the feet, and tucked them inside the body (to give it a good flavor), she bent back the wings and placed the whole chicken inside the pot to boil. After the chicken had cooked and became tender, we removed it from the pot and let cool. Use chicken broth with equal parts rice and cook rice in an asian rice cooker. For example 4 cups rice to 4 cups chicken broth, and 1-2 tsp. salt.

Chinese use every part of the bird! The gizzards and heart were chopped and stir-fried with the green vegetable side dish. A group photo, the lady next to me is the cook. We are grating fresh ginger for the dipping sauce.

Recipe for the Sauce:

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce to serve with Chicken or eat over the rice
2 TBL freshly grated ginger with juice
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 small fresh red chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 tsp. sugar
2-3 TBL lemon
2-3 TBL Vietnamese fish sauce

Below our finished product, with some fresh cucumbers, fruit and chicken broth soup. Notice the plates of chicken, Asians simply cut the whole chicken, bones and all and place on a serving dish. Then they proceed to eat the chicken, sucking and spitting out the bones. (My contribution to the meal — in the top left hand corner — a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

TIS was invited to sponsor a booth at an Expo, this weekend. Sean, Megan and I ventured over on Saturday to support our school. However, what we had originally thought was an Expatriate Expo, turned out to be a huge event encouraging tourism in China. Large exhibit halls were filled with complex constructed, 2-story booths advertising famous Provinces throughout China. And to our BIG surprise, there was one exhibition hall filled with outdoor recreational “toys”, everything from campers, to RVs to tents, white water rafts, boats, four-wheelers, pick-up trucks, and even a small 1-seater airplane! We found our school booth located in the very back of the last exhibit hall.

Pictured below, Susan with her friends from the Admissions Office (colleague in the middle is our new Admissions Director, originally from New Zealand, she has a daughter in Jessie’s grade)

Sean and Megan with two high school TAs (teaching assistants)

Megan, ready for camping (however, where would one go in China since there are no campgrounds with plumbing, electricity, and water hook-ups?)

Megan at a booth advertising one of China’s minority groups, notice the lady’s decorative headpiece in the background.

I helped to set up our school booth the day before the Expo. Here is an exhibit in the making from the YunnanProvince, at about 4pm the day before opening day.

And Megan standing in front of the final product, all set up and ready by 8am the following morning. One thing China can do very well is mass setup and teardown.