It's a brave, new world for Ryan...

Youchien 

ようちえん Graduation

After two years at Gekkouhara Youchien, it was time to take a moment to say good-bye to the friends, families, and teachers who had welcomed us with kindness and grace.  This was especially true for Sakamoto-sensei, also known as Atsuka-sensei.

It was also a time to reflect on how far Ryan has come in his 2 years in Japan.

Two years ago - Ryan at his youchien opening ceremony

And 2 years later... at youchien graduation.

Two years ago,
- Ryan could not speak a word of Japanese.  Today, he was loud and clear and vibrant and a very active and proud member of the youchien class.  He sang the loudest and accepted his "diploma" with gusto and precision (see below about the precision required).  People constantly comment on how much Ryan sounds like a native speaker - his pronunciation, mannerisms, choice of words.  This comment from others is often followed by chuckles of laughter at something they were surprised to hear come out of a little American boy's mouth.
- Ryan looked shy and nervous at the opening ceremony, and rightfully so.  Today, he smiled and laughed and was excited to be moving on to elementary school.  While others were sad and scared of leaving kindergarten, Ryan seemed happy to be on the brink of a new adventure.
- Ryan had to take both a fork/spoon and chopsticks to school for bento.  Today, he is a master of the chopsticks and even the other Japanese moms are impressed with his chopstick skills.  His youchien teachers get all the credit for that; we had nothing to do with it.

March 19, 2014 - Youchien Graduation Day

And then, there are some things that haven't changed at all in the last 2 years...  or maybe in the last 2 centuries...

Family roles:  At the youchien opening ceremony 2 years ago, Kevin and I were struck by the fact that the moms were all ushered into the front row and the dads basically had to just find a seat in the back somewhere.  As with much of what was happening around us during that time, we didn't really understand it, but we just played along.

At the youchien graduation ceremony, however, the symbolism seemed much more clear to me.  At the graduation information meetings, we learned that each child had 1 seat reserved at the front  - for the mother ONLY.  Again, the fathers were relegated to seats in the back of the bus.  This time, because I had finally started to see the trend, I was really appalled by this.

So, I started asking questions, as politely as possible.  Why is it only the mother?  Why are not both parents involved and recognized?

The answer I got from other youchien moms and the Director of the youchien: Because the dad is not really involved.  Wh-wh-wh-what?

Really? From the very beginning, the day of the opening ceremony, you treat the fathers like second-class citizens - literally being told to sit in the back of the room.  Is this not a self-fulfilling prophecy?  And what message does this send to the children about the roles of men and women in a family?

And the even sadder part of it is that the moms I spoke to, all smart, well-educated, women, did not even recognize it as odd.  It was simply the way it's always done.  Wowza.  My jaw still drops when I think about it.  This culture has some serious thinking to do; it is the year 2014 after all.

Ryan accepting his youchien diploma

Precision for 6 year olds:   The kids had practiced many times the "correct" way to accept the diploma from the principal - a very specific motion that included right hand outstretched first, left hand outstretched second, take hold of the certificate, draw it in towards the body at a 90 degree angle while taking one step backward, bow to the principal, then swivel on the right foot to turn 180 degrees, bow to the mom, and march the 10 steps to present the certificate to the mom (see above).  They looked a little like robots - but very, very cute robots - with rather serious and expressionless faces - except for Ryan, whose eye twinkle and upturned smile could not be hidden for long.

A short while later, after watching a tea ceremony, it occurred to me that this correct, precise way of accepting a kindergarten diploma also mirrored the precise, artistic, ritualistic motions of the age-old Japanese tea ceremony.  This made me feel a little better about it, but not entirely....

Ryan's Himawari (sunflower) class and all the parents

The graduation ceremony itself was a very sweet combination of the kids singing songs interspersed with each child saying/singing their own special line that they had written themselves about their 2 years at youchien.  Ryan was a rock star!

Higashine Elementary School Entrance Ceremonyにゅがくしき

Two days after returning from our China trip, Ryan had another big day!  The Higashine Elementary School Opening Ceremony on April (April 7, 2014).  At least we knew what to expect this time (and we knew we had to bring slippers this time).

Despite the fact that this was our SECOND opening ceremony and it is well known to be one of the most formal, celebrated events in Japanese life, somehow, Kevin seemed to think that it was OK not to wear a tie.  In a culture where everyone wears suits and ties alllllllll the time.  He tried to convince me that it was fine not to wear a tie, but no dice.  If Ryan had to wear a tie, so did he. I must admit, however, that the upside of this eleventh hour domestic dispute (literally as we walked out the door) was that it gave us something to do during the 1.5 hour long ceremony - namely to constantly scan the crowd to see if we could find anyone else not wearing a tie.  And in case you're wondering - I was right.

When we got to school, we had to find Ryan's name on the class list to find out which class he is in.  Ichi-nen, 2-kumi, Niwa-sensei.  He headed inside the school to his classroom and we made our way to the gymnasium (to sit in our assigned seats with all the other 1-2 family members).

The kids processed in, sat in the front with their class, listened to many, many, many congratulations from lots of different people.  They introduced the Higashine teachers and staff, and this was our first glimpse of Ryan's first grade teacher.  1)  She is tall - as in very tall. 2) She is new to the school, which is not surprising since they seem to transfer teachers like military hotcakes here), and 3) She was wearing PANTS!  As the only woman in the entire gymnasium wearing pants, I immediately liked her just for being different (and the irony is not lost on me with respect to Kevin and the tie situation).

This time the ceremony was a lot more fun - mostly because we were slightly less clueless than during Ethan's ceremony.  And Kevin and I both commented that we were pleasantly surprised that we could understand most, if not all, of the Principal's words to the incoming first-graders.  The fact that we consider it note-worthy/impressive that we could understand a speech intended for 6 year-olds is quite depressing, but alas...

This poor kid sitting next to Ryan didn't quite know what to make of Ryan's exuberance...

1-nen, 2-kumi - Niwa Sensei's class and all the parents

Higashine Elementary School will never be the same!

At the end of the ceremony, the kids processed out and then all the parents joined the kids in the classroom to receive their books, other assorted school supplies, and of course, the ichi-nensei yellow hats!

The Ichi-nensei Yellow Hat (and cherry blossoms in the schoolyard)

I looooove Ryan in his yellow hat!  It's so incredibly cute.  Ryan is now walking to and from school by himself. He and Ethan leave together, but from what I can tell, Ryan often leaves Ethan and his friends behind because "they walk too slow."

All SMILES walking to school on the first day.
And I wasn't too sad about not having to bike him to and from school every day either... win-win!

Learning to ride a bike

The boy is on a roll.  Just weeks after starting first grade, Ryan finally learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. So I had to make good on my promise to buy him a new bike...

Ryan and his new wheels

And even in learning to ride a bike, we discovered a cultural difference.  My friend, Iris, was visiting from the US and we were all helping Ryan practice riding a bike without training wheels.  When Iris, Kevin, or I helped him, we grabbed the back of the bike seat to hold it steady while running alongside Ryan as he pedaled.  Then one day, we were at the bike park and there were lots of Japanese parents also helping their kids learn to ride, as well as a Japanese-grandpa who worked at the bike park and was very invested in helping Ryan to learn.  The difference:  every Japanese person we saw helping a child learn to ride a bike grabbed the back of the child's shirt as they pedaled, not the bike seat.  I wonder how this happens in other countries... any comments from the peanut gallery as to how other countries do it?

Hajime no Kotoba (Opening Speech) at Ryan's First Undoukai

It was Ryan's first Undoukai and guess who was chosen to say the Opening Words in front of the whole school of 650 kids and all the parents?  Yep, the little first-grader American kid.  With a microphone.  On a raised platform.  In Japanese.  By memory.  We were quite proud.... 

To be honest, Ryan hadn't really made a big deal out of it and I didn't even realize what a big deal it was until one of my friends was asking him questions about it (in Japanese) and it suddenly became clear that this was a solo speaking part in front of everyone... Turns out that all the kids had to try out for the honor and Ryan was selected.

And Ethan had to share Undoukai with his little brother this year - and much to his dismay, Ryan's team (the white team) won!

My sweet Ethan at Undoukai 2014...

Starting Taiko

First grade brings lots of new opportunities.  Ryan recently joined the Meguro Bayashi Taiko Group - and he seems to be enjoying it.  Just a few weeks after he joined, the group performed at an all-school assembly at Higashine. Nothing like learning under pressure!

A little Lizzy Love...

Last week, it was a rainy Saturday and we were hanging out at home.  Lizzy was hanging out on the couch with Kevin and I was upstairs, when I hear, "Come quick, Lizzy is shedding!"  And this is what we saw - we were mesmerized.

Note:  As always, sorry for the delay.  After months of trying to resolve our iphoto spinning rainbow of death problems, we were finally able to rebuild the database last week.  Hope it was worth the wait!

Who Knew....#5?

WHO KNEW....

.... that a Christmas tree in Japan costs 40,000 yen aka FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS? 

Needless to say, I am very, very pleased that we brought with us our $9.99 artificial tree that I've had since college!!!  

And obviously, since this includes a picture of a live Christmas tree, this blog post has been in the Drafts folder for a verrrrrry long time!

... that KFC is the Japanese Christmas dinner of choice?  

Here's a story to prove it - a colleague of Kevin's who used to live in Japan and is married to a Japanese woman asked Kevin about our plans for Thanksgiving, to which Kevin replied that a turkey wasn't going to happen and so we'd probably "splurge" on Kentucky Fried Chicken.  

His colleague's response: What? You can't do that - KFC is for Christmas!

.... all the things you could do with rice?

It became my substitute for grits (before my parents sent me real grits - yippeee!).  Fried eggs and rice for breakfast anyone? We made rice pudding in our toaster oven.  And we used leftover rice as a "crust" for a homemade quiche.

 ... that there is an ancient Japanese tradition of archery on horseback?

It's called Yabusame and we watched a demonstration in Tokyo several months ago.  It involves galloping full-speed on horseback while trying to shoot at 3 consecutive targets over a 255 meter long track.

... that in the school calendar for Fall, there are 8 out of 10 weeks of school with at least one school holiday?

How is that possible????  Seriously, this list of DAYS OFF school gives you an idea of what I'm talking about: 9/15, 9/23, 10/1, 10/13, 10/20, 11/3, 11/17, 11/24. And this is just another example of how having 2 working parents in Japan has its added challenges.  

... that the fear of influenza is incredibly strong here? 

This past year, two of the second grade classes were closed for 3 days due to influenza, but thankfully not Ethan's class.  Ryan's class, on the other hand, was closed for 3 days, then re-opened on a Friday.  But when we came to pick up the kids on Friday afternoon, they said, "Still too many kids in the class with influenza (but presumably at home sick), so we're closed until Wednesday."  

What the???? Clearly this gakkyuheisa thing (学級閉鎖 - there's actually a word for it - temporary closure of classes due to illness) doesn't work if they had to do it twice in a row.  If someone can explain the medical logic of keeping healthy children at home, please enlighten me.

... that there are REFRIGERATED lockers in the major train stations?  I've seem them in Kyoto and in Shibuya.

... that the vending machines (at least some of them) have motion sensor lights that only come on when you stand in front of them?

... that escalators also only start moving when someone steps on them?  OK, maybe this is common in many other places, but this is the first place I've noticed it.

... that the stirrups/tables for a gyno exam are actually AUTOMATED and quite effective?

Perhaps TMI, but amusing and impressive nonetheless.  Needless to say, I DID not take a picture, but basically, when the doctor presses a button,  the padded leg rests spread apart, the seat part drops out and the seat raises to eye level of the doctor.  Kinda like a dentist chair with many more moving parts...

.... that the dentist places a warm towel over your eyes while working on your teeth?  It is surprisingly relaxing and prevents the weird situation of staring into the nostrils of your dentist.

.... that in some restaurants, when you close the bathroom door, the lights come on, the toilet seat raises automatically, and mood music starts to play?  OK, that last part about the music is an exaggeration, but the rest is totally true.

... that even Hide-and-Seek in Japan is more polite than in the US?

In the US, kids count to some number and say "Ready or not, here I come."  In Japan, they count and then say, "Are you ready?  Should I count again?"  And if anyone says they're not ready, they immediately start counting again.

.... that you can buy fruit-scented toilet paper in Japan?  Peach and grape just to name a few.  Maybe this is common in the US as well, and I've just never noticed it??

...that there is a  stamped message stamped on the empty toilet roll that says "Maido arigatou gozaimasu" or "thank you for your continued patronage"?  I was amused...

... that a Japanese fast food chain had to develop a polite way for women to eat hamburgers?  Seriously, this is hilarious! Watch this!

.... that Japanese kids' play is so incredibly physical, almost to the point of violence?

It seems like such a peaceful culture, until you glimpse inside a classroom and see kids literally wrestling each other on the floor, hitting each other with umbrellas, and kicking and hitting.  Apparently "keep your hands to yourself" is not a value taught in Japanese homes or nursery schools or youchiens or elementary schools.  Yet, somehow, it's the US that has so many huge problems with violence, while Japan has relatively few (at least, openly).  

After many, many, many discussions with Ethan's teacher, other teacher friends, as well as meeting with the Principal of a different school and the Principal of Ethan's school (to ask about the discipline process and policy in local Japanese schools - the answer: there is NO discipline process or policy, they just say "gomen ne" (sorry), we have come to the conclusion that this is a cultural difference.   If Ethan was not happy at school, we would pull him out immediately, but the odd, yet also very good, thing is that he loves his school and is happy to go everyday - he just doesn't like it when kids hit and kick and all they have to do is say "I'm sorry" until they do it again.  And to be clear, I have been to the school many times to observe, and EVERY time I have been there, I have seen major, physical altercations in Ethan's class (including kids kicking the teacher), none of which involved Ethan.  So it's not about him - it just seems to be how these kids operate.  We truly don't understand it and are a bit baffled by this cultural difference.

Important Update: This blog post has been in the drafts folder for quite some time (as in more than 6 months I think) and the situation has gotten much, much better for Ethan in 3rd grade.  He has different kids in his class, a young, male teacher, and everyone was on high alert that we were concerned about this issue of hitting and kicking with no consequences.  So, somehow, someway, the stars have realigned and Ethan seems to have cut a break (though now the boys seem to enjoy teasing Ethan about liking a girl - and we've had to explain that we can't really help him with that as that's just part of being a kid and figuring out how to handle it.  It's only made more amusing by the fact that Ethan's eyes twinkle and cheeks blush every time her name is mentioned).

And during the very first class / parent meeting for Ryan's first grade class, I laid it on the line and explained that, though we understand that it is simply a cultural difference, we had experienced this problem with Ethan and were really hoping to avoid it with Ryan.  And I am incredibly happy to report that so far, it has been much, much better for Ryan.  

Spring Break in China!

Finally...

Together again, and finally in Ruth's corner of the world!

I had been waiting for this day ever since we thought there might be even a remote possibility that we move anywhere in Asia.  My fabulous friend, Ruth, from waaaaay back in the days of Webster Jr. High in Waukegan, has been living in China for more than 15 years.  It was top of my list to visit her and her family, and we finally managed it!  And reconnecting with her and watching our kids get along so famously was worth every penny, yen, yuan, and RMB.  I'm just sorry it took us so darn long, Ruthie.  

[And by the way, what is the US government doing to China to cause them to charge $200 per tourist visa for American citizens?  That is crazy-making.]

It was tricky to find a good time to make the trek to China - when the kids were out of school and the weather wasn't either too hot and humid or too freezing cold in China.  This haruyasumi (spring break) was our chance.

We left at the crack of dawn, hailed a taxi to Haneda airport (I am still surprised how amazingly easy it is to find a taxi at incredibly odd hours in the middle of our very residential neighborhood), and our adventure began!  We flew through Seoul (which is a very nice airport, by the way - they even had interactive cultural arts and crafts activities and the boys both did a Korean ink-rubbing, though I wondered at the sign that clearly stated "for foreigners only").

Uneventful flight and arrived in Shanghai to a very rainy day.  Decided to take a taxi to Ruth's house, and was immediately reminded that we're not in Japan anymore.  No black-suit, white-glove wearing taxi drivers with pristinely clean GPS-equipped taxi cars.

We gave the taxi driver the address and directions in Chinese that Ruth had sent to us.  He got us in the general neighborhood (though we had no way of knowing that) but he did not really seem too interested in getting us to the right place.  It wasn't until he realized that we weren't getting out of the cab until we were in the right place that he opened the glove compartment, took out his glasses, and decided it might be helpful to actually read the address we had given him.  Ummm... yeah... that's a good idea.  And of course, our language skills were zilch.  Anyway, we made it to her housing complex, but he dropped us off at the completely opposite entrance than taxis are supposed to, such that our directions to Ruth's apartment were also completely opposite.  And, as luck would have it, it started pouring down rain just as we got out of the taxi.  We looked like drenched rats by the time we found Ruth's house and she barely believed we had come by taxi.

Just as I had expected, seeing Ruth was just like old times.  Decades, years, weeks, days - it all seems to fade away in the presence of of a true friend.  We settled into Ruth's place for a little bit, hoped for better weather, and since her family was gone for the day, we ventured out to explore with Ruth as our Fearless Leader!

Shanghai

First stop was Lujiazui, the financial district of Shanghai - supermodern and funky and new skyscrapers seeming to appear by the day.  Nearby is also the river bank area, called the Bund, on the Pudong side of the river.  It was a bit cloudy and misty which made for an interesting ambiance as we walked around before dinner.

The "Oriental Pearl" Radio and TV Tower - and yep, it's really called that!

We walked along the Huangpu river - with old Shanghai seemingly showcased on the other side of the river and modern Shanghai at its finest on our side of the river.

We then headed to Kevin's favorite place, Din Tai Feng, to eat Shangai dumplings (called xiaolongbao).  These are the little dumplings with a thin wrapper and the most delicious steaming soup inside.  We watched them make the dumplings - each one by hand - which only added to our appreciation for the absolute deliciousness.

We arrived home just as Gerie and the kids were getting home - and thus began the weekend of joy that was my kids playing with Ruth's kids.  Though how in heavens I manage NOT to have a picture of all the kids together is beyond me. It is my only regret (though it's a big one) of the entire trip.  Benjamin, Fianna, and Olivia - thank you so much for such a wonderful weekend!

The next day was Sunday, and again Ruth was our spectacular tour guide! [Ruth also helped me remember all that we did for this blog since so much time has passed and my memory has failed me.] 

Today was all about the Old City area of Shanghai.  We took the metro down to the Yuyuan area – drank some sugar cane juice – walked around the area near Yu Garden but didn’t actually go in.  We then walked through across the zig-zag Nine Turn bridge to the super-old and super-traditional Huxinting Tea House. If I remember correctly, Ruth told us that the legend goes that one should cross the nine turns of the bridge so that evil spirits could not follow.  After crossing the bridge, I turned around, but Kevin and the kids were still there - no such luck for me.  Just kidding.

We fed the fish swimming below the bridge, and then ate some surprisingly yummy shengjian (the dumplings with the thick fluffy breadlike wrappers and a little soup inside) and some spring rolls from a random street stall. They even gave us a straw to slurp the juice from the dumplings.  

Then we walked by the Temple of the City Gods and through the streets of the Old City, down the food stall street eating some other snacks. We walked to the Bird & Flower (and Bug) Market. Then over to Xintiandi - the upscale, trendy neighborhood - just perfect for an afternoon snack and a little time to rest our weary feet. 

Ryan takes a little "Opa Gangnam Style" dance break in the market

The Chinese seem to have a thing for pet crickets -
which is amusing as I am listening to the not-so-quiet-chirping of 100 crickets in our living room as I write this.
All for the love of Lizzy (and Ryan).

After a post-snack energy boost, we headed to the Confucious Temple. I quite loved this temple and garden and we were practically the only ones there.  

Ethan taking a book break as the rest of us explore the temple grounds...

By this time, it was time to meet Gerie & kids at a Taiwanese restaurant, complete with Shaved Ice Mountain and Mango ice.   We were pretty pooped by the end of this day, so taxi home! 

The next day was Monday, so Gerie and the kids headed to work and school and we headed out for our last day of exploring Shanghai with Ruth and Olivia.  We went down to the Bund and got a great view of the modern Shanghai skyline on the other side of the river.  It was so pleasant just to walk along the riverwalk, chat with Ruth, and let the kids explore on their own.  

Exploring the Bund - view of the Shanghai skyline
(Ruth took this photo - cool, hunh! All the good photos are courtesy of Ruth)

After leaving the river area, we happened upon a super-duper hole-in-the wall eatery with an old guy making shengjian in the window.  Our crew didn't take much convincing and sure enough, only minutes later, Ruth and I were inside ordering dumplings for everyone.  Plus, we couldn't bare to end our streak of eating dumplings almost every meal (and often between meals as well, but who's keeping track?).  Of course, after sitting on steps of some random establishment (might have been a bank) to have our dumpling snack, we were in search of a place to eat (again).  

We strolled along the fancy pedestrian shopping street of East Nanjing Road, and if I remember correctly, we ate dumplings AGAIN!  Ruth then pointed out an egg tart bakery and I immediately just haaaaad to have some - it was my favorite street food treat on my little rendezvous in Macau with Sandy - so I had to relive the experience.  Delicious!

We headed home to pick the kids up from school, which was quite interesting in and of itself.  Kids played on the playground at the school before we headed home and ate our last meal together - at a local neighborhood beef noodle place.  We also finally tried the "stinky tofu" that we had heard a lot about.  It was ok, but not something I'm gonna wake up in the middle of the night craving.

Beijing-Bound

After making it to our train with approximately 60 seconds to spare (and much to my dismay, no time for a real good-bye to Ruth and Olivia), we climbed aboard and at 302 km/hour, made our way to Beijing.

So, so, so many adventures in Beijing:

• Wandering through our hutong, the alley neighborhoods of old Beijing
• Tiananmen Square
• Seeing Mao's embalmed body
• The many, many questions from Ethan about communism
• The Forbidden City (imperial palace)
• A cool urban park with a magnificent view of the mind-blowing expansiveness of the Forbidden City
• Temple of Heaven (Tian Tan), built in 1420 as a place to pray for good harvests
• Chinese acrobatic show (sorry no photos of this)
• Making dumplings with Angela, the woman from our hutong courtyard guesthouse 

Goofing around at the guesthouse...

Just exploring our neighborhood - a few blocks from our guesthouse

Entrance to the Forbidden City at night

After exiting the rather odd viewing area to see Mao's embalmed body - quiet, eery, just follow the line of people and be quiet - type of experience.  Of course, I did tell the kids the legend that Mao's ear had fallen off during the embalming process and they had to sew it back on, so that gave us something very specific to look for.  That said, we couldn't really tell if his ear looked sewed or not...

Tiananmen Square, looking towards the Forbidden Palace

Entering the Forbidden City, under the watchful eye of Mao and lots of guards

Starting our exploration of the Forbidden Palace - it seemed to go on and on forever - and clearly a symbol of power and wealth for the very few.

Hiking up the hill across from the Forbidden City 

View of Forbidden City from atop a hill / park across the street

Temple of Heaven - this was our favorite temple - and was the site of annual prayers for good harvests

It was also the site of many, many people of all ages playing park games - a Chinese version of hackysack complete with feathers and bells, paddle ball, etc

And lots and lots of card games! We spent quite a bit of the day playing around in this park...

Back at the guesthouse, learning to make dumplings

Our finished product!

Great Wall of CHINA

I loved our time in Beijing, and I especially loved our journey to the Great Wall.  We headed to the Mutianyu section of the wall, a little bit further afield and less touristy with the added benefit of a toboggan slide down the mountain.  We had been warned of how crowded it would be and we were very pleasantly surprised - sure, there were people there but it was far from crowded.

I was all set to navigate random mini-buses and local buses and some bus changes on random road corners to make the trek out of Beijing to the Wall.  Because that's how I travel.  That's how I roll.  Until Kevin's level-headedness entered the planning and we just booked a car to drive us there instead.  Yeah, I gotta admit, that was waaaaaaay easier and allowed us to spend our time and energy and kids' good graces at the Wall itself.

Having done a little Great Wall research, Kevin was armed with some entertaining factoids for the kids.  Did you know...

• that the length of the Wall is the same distance as from Japan to California?  5,500 miles.  It is also the longest man-made structure on Earth.
• that it was built over many, many years across several dynasties to protect China's northern boundary from invaders?
• that it's not one long continuous wall? (and thus the Mongol invaders and Genghis Khan were able to easily go around it until extensions were built much later by the Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644)
• that is was called "the longest cemetery on earth" because so many people died building it? Some day more than 1 million people died building the Great Wall.
• that the Chinese invented the wheelbarrow and used it often during the construction of the Great Wall?
• that there are more than 10,000 watchtowers along the Great Wall?  The section we explored was 24 watchtowers and still took us several hours to hike end to end.
• that the mortar was made out of rice flour?

We took the cable car / ropeway up, which I must admit was a rather odd feeling to be riding a ski lift up to the Great Wall of China.

And at the top, we were amazed by the sight of this phenomenal structure... on and on and on...

With each watchtower seeming to have a different architectural style...

We trekked and trekked and trekked some more.  Up and down, steps and stones, guard towers and watch towers.

 And we were pleasantly surprised by the sight of cherry blossoms (especially since we were missing the prime cherry blossom season in Japan).

 Ryan was the motivator to keep going.  As we looked faaaar into the distance, Ryan was the one who insisted that we could make it to the end of the Mutianyu section - 24 watchtowers later.

 Getting closer, but not quite there ...

Are we there yet?

WE MADE IT!

And our reward for a job well done? A ride down the toboggan slide, of course!

This was one of those days that I will look back upon and smile and revel in the wonder that is exploring new places and being in the moment with my favorite people on the planet.  I only hope that Ethan and Ryan will do the same.

Chinese Street Food, more street food, and then some more!

Let your eyes feast, my friends!  China is heaven for street-food lovers of all persuasions...

The start of street food street extraordinaire!

I've never seen such a HUGE wheel of bread!

One of our varied breakfasts at the guesthouse

Eels for breakfast, anyone? Fresh and squirmy...

Thanks to a tip from Ruth, we discovered these ceramic jugs of cold, fresh yogurt sold on the street everywhere.

Enjoying our yogurt - we ate at least 1 everyday!

Rice in creative shapes and colors

Same with dumplings...these are crab, I think.

Some freaky fruit drink that gives off vapors???

Snacks of the creepy-crawly variety... starfish, lizards, beetles, scorpions, seahorses,,,

I kid you not, those bugs' legs were running in full force while skewered to a cabbage...

Crab...

And lots and lots of intestines!

Some very, very cool sugar art - how can one eat that? [Of course, most people might say that about a scorpion too.]

A special treat - carmelized fruit - that's healthy, right?

More sugar art - too bad our poor, deprived children could only look from afar...

Very Japan-like - with all the food cuteness.

Do we have these in America?  Because if not, I think it'd be a fabulous carnival / state fair food.
What's not to love about a spiral potato chip on a stick???

Another guesthouse breakfast - LOVED them!

Favorite Random Scenes in China

More laundry...

Here's one of those kid "claw" games on a small little village-like shopping street in Shanghai - the thing is if you look closely, you can see that one can win a stuffed animal OR a pack of cigarettes.

Fresh meat!

Pedestrian bridges

Reminded me of Africa - it's amazing what can be hauled when it needs to be.

Gourds hanging from a storefront in Shanghai

Another street food snack - that big contraption spits out some pretty tasty popcorn!

The popcorn man

No words really, just a chuckle.

Ahhh, the painful truth

Well-manicured neighborhood walkway - apparently close to lots of housing built for the Beijing Olympics - much of which now sits empty.

Bike parking in Beijing

One of my favorite signs in all of China - in Beijing, close to our Hutong neighborhood

More fresh meat... and a bicycle, of course.