Kirk's Trip to Dubai and Paris

I (Kirk) had to make a trip to Europe for work to visit several of our facilities in Germany and France. The direct flights to Europe were very expensive, but I was able to find a cheap flight that connected through Dubai. I was able to take this flight and spend a day touring Dubai.

Flying into the city all you could see was desert until you came to the city. We flew over the city then came back to land at the airport. In the distance you could see the man made "World Island and "Palm" developments.

I was lucky to find a tour bus called the Big Bus Company that allowed me to see most of Dubai very quickly. The Bus would stop at all of the major tourist stops and allow me to get off for as long as I wanted I could get on the next bus which came every 30 minutes. The city was pretty amazing to see. There is construction everywhere in the city. I was able to see the Burj Al Arab Hotel, The Jemeirah Palm Island, Ski Dubai Indoor Ski Slope, the Burj Dubai (tallest buiding in the world - 800m+), and the old part of town. There are definitely many things to do in the city and would be a great place to come back and visit on a vacation.

Dubai is one of the 7 Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The majority of revenues in Dubai come from Tourism, Trade, Real Estate and Financial Services. Only 6% of the revenues comes from Oil & Natural Gas. The global financial crisis is taking its toll on Dubai and many of the new building projects have been halted.

After my overnight stay in Dubai I travelled to Germany for work for the next week then drove back to Paris for the weekend. I got to hang out with Mike Powrozek (a co-worker of mine). We toured the city on Saturday and then found a Canadian Bar that was showing the Michigan State Quarter Final Game (which they won). It was tough rooting for the Spartys.

Concordia Field Day

The kids had field day at school early this year since they are tearing up the field due to the new school construction. Both Elizabeth and Alex participated and had fun. There was a 50m race and Alex did a great job running the whole way. Elizabeth of course did too.

Book Charater Parade

Concordia celebrated book week this past week. They had many activities to get kids interested in books and reading in general. The week ended with a book character parade. This year, Elizabeth was one of the Seven Chinese Sisters. Alex was one of the monkeys that jump on the bed and fall off. The kids love this event!

Elizabeth's Class Field Trip to Science & Technology Museum

The theme that Elizabeth's class was studying recently was the earth. They learned all about the earth's crust and fossils and volcanoes, and earthquakes. To put some more sense to the teaching the kindergarten class took a small field trip to the Science and Technology Museum.

This is a really nice museum with many exhibits and many of them are interactive. The classes were able to see a volcano go off and were able to experience what it would be like to be in an earthquake. That was pretty scary and made me think a lot of last year's earthquake in Sichuan and how the children there must have felt.

After that, they had some time to play in the children's area. Here there are different exhibits demonstrating concepts such as heart rate, physics, and oscillation. They had fun and the parents liked it also because it was only a half day field trip!

Alex's New Bike

We were going to wait until his birthday to buy a bike for Alex. He has been trying them out in Decathlon for a while now. It was really sunny this day and he and I rode up to Decathlon to try to find some shin guards for Elizabeth. He was trying the bikes out again and was having so much fun. So....spur of the moment purchase and he was off and riding! He loves it and is really good at it.

Elizabeth's Birthday

The big day finally came. Elizabeth was so excited for her birthday. She woke up to find her presents right outside her door. Alex was more excited for her to open them than she was since he helped buy one.

She got a scooter from Daddy and Alex, an armoire for Emily and Ivy's clothes, and a jewelry box. She also got an American girl hairset from Gigi, and a dress and book form Grammy.

She rode the scooter that afternoon and fell once, but it only left a small mark on her face! She's getting really good at riding it.

She is already talking about turning 7.

Daddy Daughter Dance

The Girls Scouts had a Daddy/Daughter dance on the night before Elizabeth's birthday party. She was so excited about it. The theme was a masquerade ball. It was held at the Thumb Plaza Radisson. From the pictures, it looks like all the girls looked beautiful.

In the afternoon, she went to the salon to get her hair done. On the way, she ran full force into the arm of the apartment entrance parking lot. She hit her forehead dead on and it knocked her right on her bootie and even her shoes flew off. I was so scared! She put on a good show for everyone at the salon, but after she had her hair washed, she was better. And luckily, there was no mark!

Elizabeth and Daddy had a lot of fun and both of them danced all night. She didn't want to leave the party. Sounds just like her mom.

Elizabeth's 6th Birthday Party

Elizabeth turned 6 on March 8. She has been looking forward to turning 6 for a long time.....365 days to be exact.

I asked her what kind of birthday party she wanted and she said "Camp Rock". For those of you who do not frequently watch Disney movies, this is a movie with Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers in it. The main character is Mitchie who is a singer who goes to a music camp for the summer.

She gave me the list of all the girls she wanted to invite. With her classmates and her other friends, it totalled 17. No way I could do that in my house. So I decided to host the party at a new salon behind our house and have the girls get their toes and nails done. This also worked out good because the next night was the Daddy/Daughter dance and most of them would be attending so they would be all ready for that (nails and toes wise).

Kirk looked up birthday cakes on line and decided that we should make a guitar for her birthday cake. Then he conveniently schedules a trip to Chongqing the night before the party so I am on my own. I bravely made a guitar shaped cake, fondant, and butter cream icing. Man is it nice to bake when you have a housekeeper to clean up after you! Kirk came home and we did the decorating portion together.

You can see all the girls were properly pampered and really enjoyed themselves. Elizabeth loved being around all of her friends. She really was looking forward to the day. The salon did a great job decorating it and accomodating all the girls. They even braided and sprayed their hair colors.

She really wanted Alex to come to the party. And he had to dress up like a rock star and wear jeans she said. He came, but lasted about 30 minutes and then the ayi took him home. She requested that Kirk come dressed as Joe Jonas. She told him he had to wear jeans and a skinny tie. Of course he complied.

We had New York Pizza delivered and the girls all loved that. They also ate fruit and then of course they were served birthday cake. She got lots of nice gifts from her friends but she was most happy that they were there. I think she had fun.

Elizabeth Loses Second Tooth

Elizabeth now has a perfect hole for her straw to fit through.

Elizabeth Loses First Tooth

After wiggling her tooth for many weeks it finally came loose! Kirk helped a little to get the little tooth to come out. She was very excited. Kath read the Tooth Fairy book to her and she could hardly sleep. She woke up at 2:30am to find $1 under her table. Of course she had to come in and tell us.

Elizabeth's good friend Orla also lost the same tooth on the same day. They are both in the picture above.

Harbin Trip

To watch video in High Quality double click video and select High Quality


Julie Romanski invited us to join their family on a trip to Harbin. Harbin is in the Northeast of China. To describe it accurately??? It is REAAALLLY cold there. The city is famous for their Ice festival. They build a small city completely of ice. It is an amazing site on the internet. This is one of those places everyone says you have to see while in China.

So we flew up on Valentine's Day. Another family joined us, Deanna and her son Andrew Smith. It is a 2 1/2 hour flight from Pudong. We arrived at the airport around 11 am and we were met by our tour guide, Susan. Susan led us out to our van which was actually a tour bus. There must have been 35 seats on that bus for our party of 10.

From the airport, we went straight to lunch at the Dumpling King. Dumplings, or Jiaozi, or as Americans would call Pot stickers are very popular in North China. They brought out about 10 plates of dumplings as well as other special dishes from the area. Harbin also has it's own brand of beer - Harbin Beer. They are famous drinkers in Harbin. Probably due to the influence of Russia which is not far away. Of course, our kids didn't eat much, but the rest of them did.

After lunch, we boarded the bus to our hotel, the Shangri-la. Here we were able to nap for an hour before getting bundled up to spend the evening at the Ice Festival. We all looked like stuffed sausages by the time we had everything on. I think there must have been about 5 layers on.

We started our cold tour at Century Avenue which is Harbin's version of Nanjing Rd, basically a pedestrian shopping street. There was a lot of Russian influence here. We stopped into a store and Kirk tried on a hat. He decided against it.

We got back on the bus and drove to the Ice and Snow World. Okay, this was really amazing. We got there while the sun was just starting to set. You can see the pictures. We all went down the ice slides. The kids had a blast doing this. They just kept wanting to go back for more. We finally drug them away to go see some of the other buildings as the lights were coming on now. Alex wanted to eat the snow. I had to explain that this is not Michigan snow and you can only eat Michigan snow at Bumpa and Gigi's.

We all stayed warm for the most part thanks to Julie's good thinking and bringing heat warmers. Elizabeth needed hand warmers by the end of the night. We were able to take a horse and sleigh ride before we got back on the bus to go to dinner.

Dinner was gross. That's all I have to say about that. Don't go to St. Petersberg Cafe in Harbin. It was just slop in my opinion.

By this time, we were all exhausted and went back to the hotel. The kids and I passed out and Kirk and Romo went to the Ice Bar in the hotel.

The next day we went to Sun Island to see the snow sculptures. I can't say a lot about this. It was very windy and cold and Elizabeth wasn't feeling good so the kids and I turned around while walking and went back to the bus. Kirk got some great pics and I'm sad that we didn't see most of it.

From here we went to lunch and then to the Siberian Tiger park. The kids loved this. We got on a bus and drove around the park and had great close ups of Tigers and Lions. They even saw a Liger. A cross between a Tiger and a Lion....only in China.

It was a quick trip, but we did manage to see a lot. Hope you enjoy the video and pics.

In the pictures you will see an "Ice Swimming Pool". Click on the link below to see a video and article about this activity in Harbin. These people are crazy.

CCTV Link on Ice Swimming in Habin

Below are links to a National Geographic Show About Harbin called "Inside Ice Vegas" each one below is about 8 minutes.

Harbin Ice Vegas Part 1

Harbin Ice Vegas Part 2

Harbin Ice Vegas Part 3

Harbin Ice Vegas Part 4

Harbin Ice Vegas Part 5

Harbin Ice Vegas Part 6

Shanghai Wild Animal Park

I (Kirk) was able to take some time off work to go with Elizabeth and her class on their field trip to the Shanghai Wild Animal Park. First stop was the Seal show where we saw the seals did a lot of interesting tricks. Next they got back on the bus and drove through the wild animal section. There were giraffes, camels, lions, bears, tigers (including white siberian tigers) and deer. There was an interesting sign as we drove through that said if our car/bus broke down during the trip we should whistle until help arrives (see the pictures). This was comforting. We were able to eat lunch with Elizabeth's best friend Chrystal and her mom. After lunch we got to see the pandas and we were able to feed the Lemurs. They were pretty crazy (see the video). They climbed all over people. Elizabeth got to pick out something from the gift shop afterwards. She picked out a small white tiger and called her "Miley" after her new favorite singer. We both had a great day.

Lantern Festival at Yu Garden

We made it to the Lantern Festival this year. It is really something to see. We picked a good night as it was pretty warm, but there were lots of people who also had the same idea. Afterwards we went to a new Tex-Mex Restaurant called Cantina Agave. It was very good. We are finally starting to get a couple of good Mexican restaurants in town. This was the last day of the Chinese New Year Holiday so it was back to the grind for us all on Monday.

Shanghai Aquarium & Science Museum

During the Chinese New Year Holiday we were able to make visits to the Shanghai Aquarium and Science Museum. We were suprised to find the Aquarium empty and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Alex and Elizabeth were both excited to see the Sharks, StingRays and Jellyfish.

We weren't so lucky at the Science Museum where there were a lot of people. Alex got to play in the construction area where he wouldn't share his wheelbarrow with any of the other children. We also saw a 3D IMAX movie about Dinosaurs. It was in Chinese, but the kids still loved it.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! 新年快樂! Happy Year of the Ox

Happy Chinese New Year! Xin (Sheen) Nian (Nee ann) Kuai (Kwhy) Le (la). 新年快樂!

Kirk needs to post the videos and pictures of the fireworks.

It is the year of the Ox.

The Ox is thought to be the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. The Ox is a power sign, like the Rat, Snake, Dragon, Tiger, and Monkey. They're quite dependable and possess an innate ability to achieve great things. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm, and modest. Like their animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in their work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.

Ox people, according to tradition, need peace and quiet to work through their ideas, and when they have set their mind on something it is hard for them to be convinced otherwise. An Ox person has a very logical mind and is extremely systematic in whatever they do, though they have a tremendous imagination and an unparalleled appreciation for beauty. These people speak little but are extremely intelligent. When necessary, they are articulate and eloquent.

Traditionally, people born under the influence of the Ox are thought to be kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Security is their main preoccupation in life, and they are prepared to toil long and hard in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest for themselves and their families. Strong-minded, stubborn, individualistic, the majority are highly intelligent individuals who don't take kindly to being told what to do.

The Ox, it is thought, works hard, patiently, and methodically, with original intelligence and reflective thought. These people enjoy helping others. Behind this tenacious, laboring, and self-sacrificing exterior lies an active mind.

The Ox, according to tradition, is not extravagant, and a modern interpretation of this is that the thought of living off credit cards or being in debt makes them nervous. The possibility of taking a serious risk could cause the Ox sleepless nights.

Ox people are truthful and sincere, and the idea of wheeling and dealing in a competitive world is distasteful to them. They are rarely driven by the prospect of financial gain. These people are always welcome in small gatherings because of their humble composure and reverent nature towards the host. They are reputed to be the most beautiful of face in the zodiac. They have many friends, who appreciate the fact that the Ox people are wary of new trends, although every now and then they can be encouraged to try something new. People born in the year of the Ox make wonderful parents and teachers of children.

It is important to remember that the Ox people are sociable and relaxed when they feel secure, but occasionally a dark cloud looms over such people and they engage all the trials of the whole world and seek solutions for them.

President Obama is an Ox. I also think Bumpa is an Ox.

Lunch at the Liu's home

Normally we are traveling during holidays and out of Shanghai. This year, because of the uncertainty with the economy, we decided to not travel during this vacation period to save money. Our driver, Mr. Liu asked us over to his house for dinner on Chinese New Year day.

He lives in Puxi, near the Yangpu Bridge. He shares a penthouse apartment with his wife, his daughter Candy, and his wife's parents. They were very gracious hosts and had all of Kirk's and the kid's favorites to drink - diet coke and soy milk boxes.

Liu and his mother in law are the chef's in the house. I think they must have spent most of the morning cooking because when we arrived, there was already a ton of food on the table.

Sharing a meal together is very important in the Chinese culture. This was our first time at a local Chinese person's house for a meal. For Liu to invite us, was a big deal for all of us collectively. Our children didn't surprise us, they barely ate anything. I wish I knew what genes they inherited as both Kirk and I truly enjoy food and the act of eating it. I really hope that Liu's family didn't think too poorly of us because our children didn't eat well.

Kirk and I did a pretty good job chipping away at the food. There were at least 20 different dishes on the table. Maybe 6 cold meat dishes, 2 soups, 3 vegetables, 2 different types of Jiaozi (dumplings), and 7 different meat dishes - pork and beef.

Liu's wife is expecting a baby in March. I'm sure they are hoping it is a boy since they already have a daughter. We will go back to his house then to take presents and meet the new baby.

Fireworks with the Young's and our buildings lit up and the fireworks

We got a call from Kim Young on Chinese New Year's Eve. The girls and she pestered Jeff enough to go to Metro and buy some fireworks. Since it was late, he was only able to purchase big ones. We went down to their building and watched him light them off. Orla and Elizabeth played with sparklers that a local family gave them. A lot of families were lighting off fireworks around 8pm so that the little kids could see them.

After the fireworks were done, Alex, Elizabeth, Kirk and I went for a walk. It was a little chilly, but there was no wind so it wasn't bad. We walked across the street to the entrance of Century Park and took pictures of our buildings with the blue lights up top. They look really cool all lit up.

It was eerily quiet on the street. We saw maybe 3 cars go by and no pedestrians at all. It was a great calmness that allowed us to just take in the sights with no distractions. It actually would have been a good night for a run around the park.

We got home and had dinner. The fireworks continued all through the night. The kids went to sleep, they couldn't make it until midnight. When midnight came, the city lit up. There were truly spectacular fireworks being shot off. It's nothing coordinated like the October holiday fireworks. But to see all the different shows all across the city is magnificent. I think we have one of the best viewing sites in the city and am glad that we live where we do in Shanghai.

This night of the year I will always miss once we move on. I can't imagine there is anything else like it anywhere else.

Pictures & Video from Visit Home

Video of Trip Home

Roessler Christmas Pictures


Dufon Christmas Pictures


Florida Pictures


These go along with earlier posting on Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all following our Blog. Timing didn't work out so well for me to send out Christmas cards, I apologize to all for that. This year, Christmas creeped up on me pretty fast.

After we returned home from summer in the US in September, I really didn't want to deal with the 14 hour flight and jetlag again at Christmas, so I initially told Kirk that we should holiday somewhere and not go to US. However, I think many of our family would have a broken heart, including me, if we weren't together during the holidays.

So we traveled back to Michigan on Dec 19. We spent time with Kirk's family at his brother's house first. Alex was so excited to go to "Ethan's" house. He was really excited to go play with all of Ethan's toys mostly. Elizabeth, Alex, Ethan, and Nolan all play together really well.

Kirk and I were able to catch up with our college friends on my birthday. It was great to see all of them, but sad because we didn't see the kids. The weather that day/night was horrible. The weather in general while we were in Michigan was crazy. Tons of snow, then it would melt, then snow all over again in a matter of days.

The kids got nice presents from Santa and were really excited to play with them. Kevin and Chrystal got Guitar Hero for Wii and Kirk and Kevin had fun playing with that.

After Christmas, we drove upnorth to the farm. That is where we got the unexpected happy news that Steve and Kim would be driving over from Minnesota. This was a week of lots of snow, rain, fog, more snow....again crazy weather. Elizabeth got to build a snowman the day we got there, but then he melted the next day. The new snow was too dry to build a snowman with.

The kids had fun snowmobiling and playing with all of their cousins. We went bowling one day. Everyone bowled and Bumpa and Gigi turned it on and both broke 200. By the end, the kids, especially Olivia and Natalie were exhausted. Alex even began throwing the ball by himself.

Another day we went ice skating. Elizabeth took off by herself pretty quickly and enjoyed it. Alex and Olivia both tried out skating, but didn't really like it. Ali, Sarah, and Anna are all really good skaters.

There were many poker games, including an only Dufon game one night as the in laws stayed at Sue and Collin's house.

On New Year's Day, we traveled to Florida for a visit with Kirk's parents. It is sunny and warm here right now. This is the place to be when Michigan is frigid.

We'll head back to Shanghai on the 8th and arrive on the 9th. Back home with added lbs from all the great food we've eaten.

Kirk will post pictures later.

Hope you all had great holidays and are healthy and safe in the new year!

School Christmas Parties

Concordia Christmas Concert

The kids have been practicing their Christmas songs for a while now and finally the day came for their Christmas concert. They both did well up on stage and had fun.

Alex was an angel (in costume only) and sang Angels We Have Heard on High. Elizabeth sang a song about instruments. Check out the video. There is a little boy, I think his name is Penn, and he is belting out his song like a pro! What a great performance by all.

After the performance, the kids got to open Christmas presents that we gave to them. Alex got a policeman helmet and Elizabeth got a new High School Musical doll.

Gingerbread Tea Party

Julie Romanski is a member of the Shanghai Expat Association and every year they host a Gingerbread Tea Party or something similar to it. She invited Elizabeth and I to join her, Maddie and Allie as well as Denise and Renee Rockett. The Dulwich children's choir was there singing Christmas carols. Santa welcomed us into the tea party and gave everyone a gingerbread house kit. There were several stations set up with crafts for kids to do. There was a tea party buffet set up complete with finger sandwiches, french fries, hot dogs, and desserts. All the girls had their faces painted and made bead bracelets and did other crafts. They even got a gift from Santa and got to sit on his lap. We saved the gingerbread house for when we returned home and Alex helped us put it together.

Shanghai Pub Crawl Hosted by G2 & Molly

We were invited to a tour of Shanghai by friends, G2 and Molly Forsberg. During the last Concordia auction, they won a bus trip in a Concordia bus. So about 20 or so people loaded up in a bus at the Hard Days Night bar in JinQiao. We proceded, after getting instructions from G2, to the lifestyle center near our house called ShiLe. ShiLe literally means 10 happinesses or something like that. It is a neighborhood of 40 villas, a spa, a lounge, and a restaurant that is ultra luxurious. We were able to tour a villa and the spa. Really nice place. We've always wondered what they were.

After that, we boarded the bus and drove over to Puxi. We played some games and drank some beverages. We made a stop at the Velvet Lounge which is a popular spot with many. After some more beverages, we loaded back on the bus to return to Pudong. We ended the night at the Irishman's Pub where G2 arranged for a band to entertain us and some of Declan's Guiness pies to fill us up.

Our hosts showed everyone a really good time. I have to say that it was the most fun I have had in Shanghai.

Visit to Christmas Train at Hilton

We read in the newspaper that there was a train up at the Hilton in Puxi. So after church one Sunday, we grabbed the Romanski girls and headed over to see it. Alex was in heaven. He could have stayed there all day if we would have let him. He couldn't take his eyes off of it and noticed so many details about the train. After watching the train for a while, we went to lunch in Xintiandi to see the decorations there as well.

Elizabeth's Gymnastics Class

Elizabeth took a gymnastics class this sememster on Saturday afternoons. She really seemed to enjoy the tumbling they did. They never let parents stay in the gym to watch, so I've never been able to get good pictures. This was the last day and I was able to get a picture of her getting her certificate and badge.

Dinner at Paulander Kristkindle

We visited the European style Kristkindle market at the Paulaner at FenYang Lu. This year we went with the Romanski's and we also met their friends there as well. We all enjoyed good German food and beer and were able to do a little Christmas shopping.

Elizabeth Daisy Trip to Migrant School

Every year for the past 6 years, the Concordia Daisies, Brownies, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts along with the Shanghai community center sponser "Giving Tree Bags". Each member of the Scouting group gets a bag and fills it up with a coat, hat, mittens, scarf, and a pair of shoes. These bags are then distributed to a local migrant school and given to a child who needs them. This year, Elizabeth participated.

Xiao Zhu (Ayi) took us shopping to the QiPu Lu Market to fill up our bag. This market is in Puxi and is a huge shopping area where you can get good prices. This place was crazy. Liu dropped off Elizabeth, Ayi, and me off and we waded through a million people to get into the market. It was dirty and the aisles were crowded. Never going back there again. Anyway, we started shopping and I thought we just had to buy a similar size as Elizabeth. After we bought a coat and shoes, I opened the bag and saw that there was a tag inside telling me the size and sex of the child. Great.....11 year old boy. Sooo we returned all that we bought and rebought items for a boy. So glad when that excursion was over.

The pictures you see are of us going to the migrant school on the bus a few weeks after the shopping trip. There were really nice Chinese students so happy to see us. I don't think everyone got a bag, just the neediest, but it was a good chance for Elizabeth to learn about charity.

Thanksgiving at the Stevens

Our friends from Minnesota, Missy and Luke Stevens hosted Thanksgiving dinner at their house. They had 2 turkeys, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, pumpkin soup, caesar salad, bread, corn, etc..... They hosted 8 families. There were 17 adults and 17 kids at their house. She did sit down, family style with a kids table and all. We rented a bounce house for a couple hours to keep the kids busy. The kids had so much fun playing together. It's obviously not as good as spending holidays home with our own families, but it was a good substitute.

New Shanghai Tower Construction to Start

The day we went to the WFC, they officially annouced they will start building the Shanghai Tower this week. It will soon be like the Jetson's! See the Shanghai Daily article below:

Defying the downturn, city builds even higher
By Dong Hui 2008-11-28 NEWSPAPER EDITION

WHERE some see crisis, others see opportunity.Three months after opening the world's second-tallest skyscraper, Shanghai is about to start construction of an even taller building - in the face of an economic slowdown and falling property prices.Construction on the 632-meter Shanghai Tower, expected to cost 14.8 billion yuan (US$2.17 billion), will begin in Pudong's Lujiazui financial district tomorrow, developers said yesterday.Gu Jianping, general manager of Shanghai Tower Construction and Development Co, said that by starting work in an economic downturn, construction materials would be cheaper. He also predicted that by the time the 121-floor, glass-and-steel tower is opened, China's economy is likely to be soaring again."Launching construction at this time will help boost Shanghai's confidence in fighting the financial crisis," he told a news conference.The tower, which will comprise offices, retail space, a super-five-star hotel and cultural facilities, will be part of a triangle of tall buildings. The recently opened World Financial Center, at 492 meters, is now the world's second-tallest building. Its neighbor, the Jin Mao Tower, rises 420.5 meters above the Shanghai skyline.The new skyscraper will surpass the height of the 501-meter-high Taipei 101 in Taiwan, but the world's-tallest title will go to the Burj Dubai, now under construction in the United Arab Emirates. The Burj is expected to be roughly 800 meters tall, though its exact height has been kept secret.The Shanghai Tower is scheduled to open partially in 2012 when the top floor is finished and go into full operation two years later. The tower's pinnacle will feature the world's highest non-enclosed observation deck. And the building's high-tech office space is expected to help boost Shanghai's financial industry."The floors for trading will be designed especially for companies in the financial services industry," Gu said. "The building is expected to serve banking, insurance, securities and fund companies as well as the headquarters of multinationals."Unlike the Jin Mao Tower and the World Financial Center, the Shanghai Tower's three shareholders are all state-owned enterprises. Shanghai Chengtou Corp holds 51 percent of the company, Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone Development Co Ltd 45 percent and Shanghai Construction Group 4 percent. The developers declined to release future rental rates."What can be certain is that rents will be higher than current ones, as the economy should recover by the time the tower is finished," Gu said.

Trip to the WFC (Tallest Building in China)

The kids were off school the day after Thanksgiving and it was a very clear day for Shanghai so we took the opportunity to go to the top of the World Financial Tower. We can see this building from our apartment as part of the downtown Skyline. This building is currently the tallest building in China at 492m/1614ft (not including Taiwan - Taipei 101). It is the tallest building to the roof (not including antennas or spires) in the world. It will soon be passed by the Burj Dubai in Dubai (800m+). The building contains restaurants, shops and office space on floors 1 - 52. The Grand Hyatt is housed in floors 53 - 87 making it the highest hotel in the world (passing the Hyatt in the Jin Mao Building next door). We visited the 3 observation decks at the top of the building on the 94, 97 and 100th floors.

We had to take two elevator rides and a couple of escalators to get to the very top observation deck. The elevators are very fast. Once at the top, the kids were not scared of the heights and layed on the ground and looks through the glass floor down to ground level. The view was great, but it was still difficult to see in the distance due to the slight haze in the air. We were able to see Kirk's office building, but we could barely make out our apartment and Century Park.

Below are some links to information about the WFC:

WFC Official Website

Wikipedia WFC Website

Grand Hyatt Website

Putting Up the Christmas Tree

I'm not sure how it happened, but Kirk has caught the Christmas Spririt! At lunchtime on Wednesday, he went to YuYuan Gardens and Bazaar shopping for Christmas stuff. Now, for those of you who have visitied, you know how crazy this area can be. He went into the crowded market by himself and found a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments, and a train. He brought them home and the kids were so excited. They couldn't wait until the weekend so we put the tree up that night after they ate dinner.

Elizabeth's Fall Art Project

On the way back from parent/teacher conferences, we stopped for coffee/tea/hot cocoa and it was a nice day, so Elizabeth and I decided to walk home. The Northwest entrance to Century Park was open so we decided to walk back through the park. It was so sunny out and many leaves had fallen. We decided to pick up leaves for some type of project when we got home. Elizabeth decided she wanted to make a fall tree. She did a great job drawing the trunk. I helped her tape the leaves up and then we put it up outside of our door.

Elizabeth's Ballet Recital

Kirk did a nice job taping exerpts of the ballet recital. It was held at the Portman Theatre again and the girls all did a nice job. They have all really improved from last year. You can see that Elizabeth was very proud of herself.

Santa Visit @ Concordia

This is the first year that neither kid was scared of Santa Claus. They saw him at the Concordia Christmas Bazaar. Elizabeth told Santa that she wanted new pants (although she NEVER wears pants!). Alex told Santa that he wanted GEO trax. The yellow one. They were really funny with Santa and you can see from the video that Elizabeth was very nervous.

Playdate with Crystal and Clare

No school last Friday, so Elizabeth invited Crystal and Claire over for a playdate. They played dress up and did crafts. Claire's older brother, Andrew, stayed and played with Alex. They all had fun.

Alex Brings Dottie Home from School

Alex is in the Ladybugs class at school. This week, he got to bring Dottie home with him. He had to take pictures of activities that he and Dottie did together. He took her to the park, in the police car, and ate together. We printed out pictures and put them in the book to send back to school.

Ballet Recital Practice

This is Elizabeth's second year of ballet. This year, they had their recital in November. This year, there was only one practice day. Last year, there were 4!

Dulwich School Fair

Another international school in Jinqiao, Dulwich, had a winter festival. They had 4 different bounce houses/slides and the kids had a lot of fun jumping on them. Elizabeth ran into Crystal and the two had their hair sprayed pink and their nails done. Alex just had fun playing on the bounce houses and the playset.

Elizabeth Field Trip to Organic Farm

Elizabeth's first field trip of the year was to the Shanghai Organic farm. Organic products are in abundance here in Shanghai and I think are the safest to eat here so we enjoyed seeing where they grow. The kids were able to pick leeks, carrots, red peppers, and spinach. They were able to plant there own bok choy. They were also able to pet and feed the goats. It was a beautiful day. Elizabeth loved it since she has spent time in Bumpa and Gigi's organic vegetable garden.

Elizabeth Rides Her Bike - Picnic at Century Park

Kirk took Elizabeth's training wheels off earlier in the spring, but she just didn't get the hang of riding a two wheeler until Sunday. We went to Century Park for the first sunny day in about 2 weeks. We took the kid's bikes and as soon as we got into the park, she took right off. I think because the roads inside the park are smooth and wide and not much traffic. She is so proud of herself.

Alex had fun too playing in the leaves and riding his "motor" tricycle. He makes lots of noise when he gets going fast.

We had a great day.

Indoor Picnic - Rainy Day in Shanghai

These guys never run out of imagination. They decided to have a picnic in the hallway on Saturday because it was raining outside. They set up the towels, the umbrellas, and oh yeah, the scary masks....not sure about that.

Elizabeth is a Daisy

This is Elizabeth in her Daisy apron. A Daisy is one step before a Brownie and two steps before becoming a Girl Scout. They meet once per month. She really likes it and the friends that she has met.

School Pictures

Self explanatory. I just love Alex's expressions! Elizabeth has a great smile.

Halloween

Halloween came and it reminded me of Michigan Halloweens, cold and rainy. I guess it wasn't that cold, but it sure was rainy.

The kids celebrated twice. Elizabeth was a fairy princess and Alex was a police officer on Friday. Then on Saturday, Elizabeth switched to a cheerleader.

We started on Friday with a party at the Stevens' house. They trick or treated with a big group of kids around the Vizcaya neighborhood. The next time on Saturday with the Romanski's at Season's Villas neighborhood. Alex absolutely loved trick or treating. He completely understands the concept this year. They got a bunch of candy but not a lot of good stuff for Mom to have.

Kirk got to have fun this year too. Liu and I searched all over Pudong for a decent pumpkin for him to carve. They don't have big, round pumpkins, they have short, squat, round pumpkinds. Anyway, Kirk was able to do him magic and even got the kids involved. He also dressed up with his wig and was a hippy or something like that. We'll have to work on his costume for next year.

Concordia Autumn Festival

The school has a party in the fall to celebrate Halloween. Given that we go to a Christian school, there can be no dressing up as a devil, witch, ...anything evil. So they have a celebration and have games and this year had a bounce house. The kids got tattoos, face painting, and played carnival style games. Check out the video when Kirk posts it. Watch Alex put the ring around the bottles. No cheating there.

The preschoolers had a parade. Both kids wore their Halloween costumes.

Elizabeth's Potluck Lunch

Elizbeth's class was learning about family. The 5 kindergarten classes decided to have a family potluck. Everyone brought a dish to pass. Wow, there was a lot of food from so many cultures there. Elizabeth asked me to make Spagetti and Meatballs.

Alex's Gym Class

We've signed Alex up for a gym class on Saturday mornings to help burn some of his excess energy. It's a program called Multisports. They basically teach different sports and techniques throughout the semester. I think it is a total comedy show. Coach Johhny and Coach Pete are really good with these little kids. Coach Johnny gives the instructions and then Coach Pete demonstrates and basically makes a fool out of himself, therefore, making the kids love every minute of it. Alex wasn't too keen the first class, but is getting the hang of it. He still has problem following all the instructions because he just wants to run, but he is getting better at it.

Joe & Keri Taverna Visit

It's hard to believe but the small world thing just keeps happening here. Another family from Michigan is moving over and we took them out. I met Joe and Keri Taverna at GMI as a freshman. We were all the same year. Keri left to get her teaching degrees and Joe and I ended up getting the same degree and studied for classes together. Then they moved into the same neighborhood in Clarkston as our friends Justin and Nichoel Wasik and became friends with them.

Julie and Romo, other GMI grads, came out with us. We ate at Azul Viva, a great Tapas restaurant here in Shanghai. We ended with several stops on the Bund. They move here in January with their 3 kids. We are looking forward to it.

Good Bye Mrs. (Alex) Chiu

Alex Chiu was Elizabeth's preschool teacher for the past two years and started out this year as Alex's preschool teacher. She is a phenomenal teacher with so much skill and patience for children. As the first "real" teacher of my kids that I have had to interact with, she has set the bar so high. She has now repatriated to the US with her family. Her daughter, Nicole, was also a classmate of Elizabeth's. We definitely miss them! This is a photo of some of the mom/friends that had lunch with her before she left. From me going left, Cindy Kaupilla, Alex Chiu, Peline Toh, Lisa Sos, and Terrie Shen.

Bali Trip

Here is the video from the trip. The pictures are in the other posting, but I wanted to say a few words about Bali.

We went with the Romanski family and our families got along great on vacation. All the kids got along great.

We started the weekend with massages. What a better way to start relaxing than a massage overlooking the Indian Ocean.

The villa we had was amazing. It was on the 13th hole of a golf course and just past that was the Indian Ocean. I could sit for hours on the 2nd floor veranda and listen to the waves crash. During the day, they were gentle, tumbling waves. You could follow the waves from along the coast as they tumbled in. At night, they were loud, angry, crashing waves. It almost sounded as if a thunderstorm was rumbling on.

We spent most of our time swimming. The villa had a plunge pool and then we also had access to the Le Meridien resort pools. The resort had a few different pool areas and all were nice. There were two water slides that the kids and the adults had a blast with. Our typical day started out with breakfast, a swim in the plunge pool, a trip to the resort pools, lunch, nap, and swimming again before and after dinner in the plunge pool.

Kirk was able to golf a few times. Romo went out with him the first time and he was done at the 13th hole. I told Kirk before we left that he had my permission to golf everyday, this was his vacation. Too bad for him that he didn't take advantage.

We did take an opportunity to travel into town a couple days. Once to Kuta, which is a beach town popular with tourists, beach bums, and surfers. It was a little like Myrtle Beach, so Kirk really didn't like it. We played in the ocean and did some big wave jumping. Alex was scared at first, and then got comfortable and loved it. Elizabeth, Allie, and Madison all had a great time and didn't want to leave the water. It was a reaally hot day!

Another day, we traveled to see a volcano, Mt Kutamani, or something like that. We ate a restaurant that overlooked the mountain. Then we went to a market that sold coffee and chocolate. After, we went to a Hindu temple that was really peaceful. Maybe not so peaceful with Alex there :). That car trip threw us over and the Roessler family decided that we would be doing no more car trips.

A couple nights, we went down to the hotel to watch Balinese dancing.

Elizabeth and I also went horseback riding on the beach. I was nervous for her, but she did great. Her first time. She loved it.

We had a great lady, Marni, who cooked for us. She made some great satay - otherwise known in the Roessler household as "chicken and steak popsicles". Elizabeth would chow down on these.

We will definitely go back someday!

Scott Lynch Visits Shanghai

Another college friend has dropped into Shanghai for work. This time it was Scott Lynch. Scott is married to Kristin who I lived with during and after college. For our family members following this blog, she sang at our wedding.

It was so great to see Scott and catch up with him. The kids and I last saw him a couple years ago when we stopped at their house in Columbia on our way from Myrtle Beach to Cleveland. He was here with his job and his boss was with him.

Kirk and I took him out on the weekend to some of our favorite spots including our new favorite, House of Blues and Jazz. (Watch the video: Both Scott and Kath took the stage. Kath was carried off by the lead singer). The next day, I took Scott and his boss, Rich, around Shanghai. We did all the major tourists sites like Xintiandi, YuYuan Garden, ate Nanxiang xiao long bao, People's square, the Urban planning museum, and finally the new Shanghai Financial Tower. That tower is reaaaallly tall! If you are at all scared of heights, don't go up to the top.

He and Kirk were supposed to go golfing on Sunday, but it rained. He expects to come back in December. Hopefully he will bring Kristin with him!

First Bus Ride to School

I just talked about the bus ride in the previous note. Here are more pictures.

First Day of School

Elizabeth and Alex had their first day of school and they were really excited. The first day, Liu drove us all to school and we dropped them off. It was a challenge to get their by 8am but we did it.

We first took Elizabeth to her classroom and met her teacher, Mrs. McKeough. She is from Australia and is very nice. Alex was quite upset when we told him that he couldn't go in. He thought he wasn't going to get to go to school.

Next, we took Alex. He basically ran into the room (same as Elizabeth's room last year) and never looked back. His teachers are Miss Kipp and Miss Alforte as Mrs Chiu is repatriating back to the US.

They loved their first day back and both were excited to learn that the next day, they would be riding the school bus. The bus picks them up at the entrance to our apartments at 7:20am. Alex is still a little peeved that it is a small bus. He wants to ride a big bus!

Their first week was challenging for them as they were still jet lagged. They were in bed everynight by 7pm. By Friday, Alex was so worn out, he fell asleep on the bus ride home. He didn't even wake up when I carried him home and put him on the couch.

US hangover

Our friends Missy and Luke penned this term - US hangover. Definition - how you feel after spending a good amount of time in the US and all the freedoms you have and the amenities you are used to. Feelings are frustration and being generally annoyed.

I think there is a reverse feeling when I get to the US after being in China. Like how annoyed I get when I land and US people are in general a lot more rude than Asians. Like how I have to drive myself around and stores are so far away. Like how much weight I gain because serving sizes in restaurants are so large and I feel guilty not cleaning my plate. And of course all the good junk food that I am able to get my hands on in the US. Also, having to clean and do my own laundry (although Gigi and Grammy helped me with that a lot :))

So coming back, I am annoyed that I just can't jump into my own car and drive myself to church. I am annoyed that Carrefour (grocery store) doesn't consistently have the product or brand that I like to buy. Same goes for Pines market which is easier to get around in and less crowded than Carrefour but a lot more expensive. I'm annoyed with the fact that my laundry is hung outside to dry because I have a washer dryer combo that is the size of a small bucket.

But after a couple days in both countries, I get used to life as life as an American expat. It's nice to have a driver that can drop you right at the entrance when it is raining and pick you up right at the entrance so you are not wet at church. It's nice to get good service in restaurants without someone expecting a huge tip (although we do tip).

Some things that I am putting my foot down this year on......no more doing dishes in the sink. We have a dishwasher and in 2 years have never used it. Xiao Ju doesn't like to use the dishwasher and just wants to wash by hand. Which is okay during the week, but on the weekend when we have friends over and I cook, I use every pan in the house (just like Gigi) and with my closet sized kitchen, I can't wash and go easily. But she uses it for storage, so I just can't use it easily. Stopped yesterday...I used the dishwasher. Not sure how the dishes came out, need to look. Not sure if I used the right settings or not.

We have also requested another dryer. This way Xiao Ju can be doing do two loads at a time and I won't have laundry draped everywhere in my house in the winter. It will be another bucket sized machine, but will help.

Enough of my rambling!

Detroit Zoo

We visited the Detroit Zoo with Grammy, Chrystal, Ethan and Nolan. The weather was perfect and it was not crowded since all the kids have returned to school. The kids all had fun following the elephant tracks although they couldn't quite understand why there were no elephants. They loved the reptile house. At one point they were watching a large snake get ready to eat his lunch of a dead white mouse. Fortunately/Unfortunately, the snake didn't seem hungry while we were standing there. Not sure how they would have dealt with that.

The monkeys were a hit with the kids. They loved watching them swing around. We continued on to the seals and polar bears.

The seals and the polar bears are my favorite exhibit and since there was not a crowd, we could stand and watch them for a while. One polar bear put on quite a show for us. He just sat on top of the glass tunnel and had a good time.

After this, we went through the kangaroo exhibit. Elizabeth and Alex had fun trying to jump as far as a kangaroo.

We ended the trip with a train ride back which was good for the kids tired legs.

back home in shanghai

We made it back safely to our home in Shanghai after a long visit to the US. The kids were there from the end of June to when we got back in September. By the beginning of September, Alex just kept asking when we were going to his home in China. He wanted to play with his police car.

I don't have the pictures loaded yet, so we need to work on it, but check over this week and there will be updates.

The kids grew so much this summer. We measured them on their chart and they both grew at least an inch and a half. Alex is the same height at 3 1/2 that Elizabeth was at 4 1/2.

Elizabeth will start kindergarten tomorrow and Alex will start preschool. They will both be at Concordia this year, which will help with logistics. They are both excited.

Trip to the Cider Mill

One thing I really miss about Michigan is fall. I miss the apples, the apple cider, the doughnuts, the smell of crisp fall air and the beautiful colored leaves. Last year, Elizabeth and I were able to experience it when we came back for Vineeta's wedding. This year, we stayed late enough for our friend's and family's weddings and as a bonus we could all experience fall.

The kids all had a great time. Emily, a girl that Chrystal babysits for, joined us too. Their favorite parts were climbing the haystack, watching Mr. Bones sit on the toilet in the out house, and running through the corn maze. Although I didn't get pictures of it, they also loved eating doughnuts!

Elizabeth's 5 1/2 Year Birthday

Elizabeth had her 1/2 birthday and we celebrated with a cake. Elizabeth helped Grammy make it and she had five full candles and a half of a candle.

Chesna Wedding

The awaited day finally arrived. Our friend, Steve Chesna, got married to Beth Sitten. Steve and Kirk were fraternity brothers at GMI and lived together after they both graduated. He is always been a really good friend to both of us and we are so happy he has found Beth.

They had a really nice day for the wedding. It was held in Birmingham, MI where Chesna grew up. Kirk was in the wedding so unfortunately, we had to send the kids without us to his cousin Amy's wedding.

All the guys had fun toasting him and Kirk publicly set the record clean with Mrs. Chesna.....it was Steve's can of tobacco....not Kirk's.

The day after the wedding, we hung out at Pelton's and finally got to meet her sister Deborah's twins, Anna and Claire. You can also see pictures of Clare and Kate Cronley.

Trip to Metro Beach Splash Park

Labor Day weekend was spent with a trip to Metro Beach. We took the kids to the spray park again and had a picnic. This time Kirk, Kevin, and PopPop joined us. I'm not sure who had more fun, the kids or the adults.

Romeo Peach Festival

We took the kids to the Romeo Peach festival. They were able to ride carnival rides and dance to music. Elizabeth went on the ferris wheel again, she loves this. Alex and Ethan found a couple fun rides that they went on over and over again. It was a really hot day so we didn't stay long, but the kids really enjoyed it.

Chesna & Beth Pre-Wedding Get Together

We got together before their wedding with Chesna and Beth in Royal Oak. Nichoel and Justin Wasik, Jeff and Andrea Harris, Cronley, and Beth's sister Lori and husband Carlos came. We had dinner at Bastone and then just walked around a litte. We aren't really that exciting anymore.

Dufon Farm

Here are more pictures from the kids time and our time at the farm. We went back up when Kirk came to the US. We were able to get together with Bumpa's sisters. Aunt Chick (Dolores), Aunt Hotch (Marcellin), Aunt Tootie (Charlotte) and Aunt Honey (Audrianne)were able to stop by after a school reunion that they had. It was great for the kids to be able to meet up with them.

We were also able to meet the Thompson's exchange student from Thailand, Jazz. She is a really nice girl who is living with them right now. The girls just adore her.

Thomas the Tank Engine & Frankenmuth

Thomas the Tank Engine came to Crossroads Village again. We went with Kevin, Chrystal, Ethan, Nolan, Grammy and PopPop. Kirk was still on his golf trip. All the kids loved the train ride as well as the bounce houses and train sets. Elizabeth went on a ferris wheel ride for her first time and she really liked it. After the day at Crossroads, we went to Frankenmuth and you can see the kids loved eating the ice cream.

Kirk's Golf Trip

Every year that we lived in the States my friend Dave Klein arranged a golf trip to northern Michigan. This year we played and stayed at Treeptops in Gaylord. We also played a round at Forest Dunes. We had great weather and seeing everyone made this a good weekend. My golfing was a little impaired since I just started walking due to my ankle injury. It took me 6 shots to get out of a sand trap on the final day! Steve Toelke was the big winner for the weekend so he took home the trophy.

Fun @ Dufon Farm

Aunt Cole update of the kids at the Dufon Farm:

The kids enjoy their daily golf cart rides "over the bridge" to look for berries, swimming in the pool, and playing on the swing set. Today, Alex and Olivia helped break the green beans in half after Ali, GiGi and I picked and snipped the ends of the green beans. Bumpa and I tried to get Alex and Olivia to stand in the tractor wheel so we could get their pictures, but they wouldn't, so Bumpa had to do it himself. Well, I guess I should get back to helping Bumpa...we are going through scrap. Until tomorrow...

Olympics Are Here!

It seems like this has been a long time coming, but they are finally here. When we moved here there were 683 days until the Olympics started. It is hard to believe we have lived here this long!

If you remember back to pictures in Beijing and Xi'an, we were 100 days away. This city is very excited about this. The whole country is. I'm very proud for my Chinese friends as this is a great source of pride for them.

We watched the opening ceremony at the Irishman's Pub and it was a great time with a lot of people there.

We had talked about flying up to Beijing for a day or so just to experience the atmosphere in Beijing. However, that changed with Kirk's ankle. China is not so handicapper friendly.
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Night & Day View from Our Apartment

The weather here has been pretty nice recently. These pictures were taken at dusk and at dawn over the last couple weeks. Air has been pretty clear early in the morning and the sunsets have been quite spectacular. For those who haven't seen this on our blog before, this is the view out the front window of our apartment.