Blog 23 - Dixon's take the China challenge

You can take people out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the people.  Leaving the USA for the first time is a bit tough… making China your first destination is kind of ridiculous.  China is just really, really foreign; the characters, the congestion, the communication, the internet, and the smog all make it harder than most international trips.   Still they did it. 

They started the 10-day trek on early Monday morning and arrived mid-day Tuesday.  I met them at the airport with our driver and then we motored home.  It took a bit of time getting through customs, but they did it like champs.  Traffic on the way home, however was horrible so we didn’t get to the house until 4:30pm. 

The kids (both ours and theirs) were so excited to see one another.  They instantly returned to friend mode and immediately ran around the house giving tours and playing at the same time.  Amanda prepared pulled pork sandwiches for dinner and three dozen freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (great smells!).  Jacob had soccer at 6:30pm, so I made a quick run to drop him off and then zipped back to pick up Ericka, Scott, and Emma because they wanted to see him play.  That was nice of them and a fun treat for Jacob. 

The next three days were delicately planned to maximize every moment.  I took a day off on Wednesday and Amanda and I just spent time with the Dixons.  The weather was nice so the walking tour was a good way to show off the neighborhood.  We dropped the kids off at school, ate lunch at our favorite spot (Pizza Marzano), went for a quick neighborhood tour, and then picked the kids up from school.  It was low key, but also a good catchup day for them. 

That night, compliments of Caroline’s birthday present, we treated everyone to a spa day at ShaNana.  Everyone (except me, because I think massages are a complete waste of money) indulged in a 60 minute foot massage.  I think everyone loved it. 

The next morning, I went to work at Suzhou, the kids went to school, and Amanda / Dixons set off for Zhu Zhai Zhou.  They basically did the same circuit that we did with Phil, but added a fish pedicure to the mix.  This was their first experience outside of our bubble and into “real China”.   I think they were a bit shell-shocked. 

In general, they did great pushing through jet lag.  They followed the script (3 nights in a row of sleep aids) and then pushed through each day well.  Scott’s allergies flared up and then turned into a sinus infection, so he was sleeping more than most, but other than that, they were champs. 

Day 4 was all about teaching and Shanghai.  I went to work downtown (like normal), Ericka/Ava/Emma audited Caroline’s class in the morning, and then Amanda pulled everyone out of class early so they could see Shanghai.  They first headed to Tianzi Fang to see old-school China shopping, then to the Science and Tech museum for new-school shopping at the fake market, and then to downtown Shanghai for dinner and sky-scraper sightseeing. 

I met them at the fake market and we started to negotiate.  This was not their element, but as you know, it is fully my environment.  After a few rounds of negotiation, everyone (except Scott) seemed to get into it and landed a pile of cool China gear. 

We took a subway to dinner (first for the Dixons) and exited at Lujiazou exit in downtown Shanghai just after dusk… this was the highlight of the week.  When the emerged from the subway, their breath was taken away.  The splendor of downtown Shanghai was on full display with wispy clouds and a pollution-free night.  It is just a cool thing to do.  They loved it and will remember it forever. 

We finished the night with dinner at Din Tia Fung, the Olson kids continued to try to teach the Dixon’s how to eat with Chopsticks, and we ended 1hr too late.  It was a great day.

We got home at 11:00pm with partially packed bags and an alarm clock set for 5:45am to catch our train ride to Beijing. 

Picture 1:  The arrival - There's no stopping jet lag.  But, the Dixon's did a pretty good job managing the fatigue.  They also did a great job navigating through a foreign airport.

Picture 2:  Our neighborhood - You have to take day 1 easy, so we just spent the day hanging around the house and eating at our favorite restaurant Pizza Marzano.

Picture 3:  Caroline's Special Birthday Present - We just HAD to take them to the neighborhood spa.  For me, I skipped.  I just can't stand foot massages... For all 8 of them, they loved it.

Picture 4 - Real China - We live in a western bubble... to truly experience China you have to get outside of the bubble an into the mainland.  While this isn't the full experience, it is still a nice stop with all of the normal tourist trappings.

Picture 5:  Learning and experiencing - You have to learn chopsticks... and the Dixon's were pros.  They didn't go hungry and neither did the fish during the fish pedicure.

Picture 6:  Education, Shanghai-style - My sister is an elementary principal in Missouri, so what better way to collaborate than by spending a day in Caroline's class.  Ms. Negley was super cool and generous with this experience.

Picture 7:  Zhu Zhai Zhou - more fun at the local water town.

Picture 8:  Country living?  - If you live in the country, then chances are you haven't experienced a subway.  This was the Dixon's first "relaxing" ride on the subway... which was needed after an exhausting afternoon negotiating at the Fake Market.

Picture 9:  Shanghai skyline impresses - Nothing is more impressive than Shanghai's skyline.  It just blows you away at first sight.  I still pinch myself every time I see it.

Picture 10:  Final Stop - You have to see downtown Shanghai from both the ground and the sky.  This is a great stop on the 87th floor of the Grand Hyatt hotel lounge.  We even got to see the clouds roll in.