School Homework

But it isn't really a “golden week” holiday – school believes this time is best spent doing homework (our friends in an older class had to go to the aquarium). And so it was that we (and I say we because there was no way a 4.5 year old could do this all on their own) found ourselves at the english library seeking books on the history of building construction, suitable for a 4 year old, and discussing all manner of buildings. Alex seemed most taken by discussion of the slums and of the international space station – two extremes. There was also much comparison with the story of the three little pigs.

We had to take photos of Alex near different buildings. We photographed her near old houses, new houses and a one-room house where a little old lady lives - what you see is all there is and it's the same depth too.

We pass by it every time we come from the bus stop and she is often sitting in a plastic chair outside her door. One of her forearms is bent as though from a poorly healed break. Alex is almost as amazed with her house (the size of which is easily comparable to our kitchen) as the discussion of slum dwellers who build their homes out of what they can salvage from rubbish heaps “because they can't afford to buy a house”.

We also had to describe the history of house construction (ie first there were caves and now there is the international space station...or something like that) - in chinese. We had to look through magazines and online to get pictures of special houses/buildings.

Then we had to make a house out of whatever is lying around the house. Here we have our materials gathered (I should mention at this point that several toilet rolls had been cannibalised for their cores and it was some time before we were to enjoy a “roll” of toilet paper) for what Alex decided would be a castle. Here Mummy was envisaging a cereal box made into a traditional Aussie house...

Great concentration was needed to cut out those circles traced for the conical rooves/roofs of the turrets. Mummy did the fancy battlements cutting out as it was in thicker shoebox cardboard and required adult scissors. Although Mummy filled her in on the purpose of the windows in a castle, Alex decided slits were not de rigeur and made lots of lovely big ones to see out of. We even managed a drawbridge – Alex being sad that we ran out of time to make a moat.

Here is the finished product – Alex took it to school and we hope to see it when we go visit her classroom, sometime this semester. We aren't sure what her teachers were expecting her to bring, but we're pretty certain it wasn't a castle.

You've got mail!

If there is one thing we like around here, it's mail. Sebastien was happy to get a couple of parcels in the mail for his birthday and he is now very adept at opening them. Even better - they also had little presents for Alex too, so fewer fights.

Sebastien's main game with his new dinosaurs is the "into the tube, out of the tube" game. That was until Alex introduced him to putting them in the cars in the toyroom.

Sebastien (and Alex too) really likes his new train track - he checked it all out at ground level. But within a few days he'd decided that it needed some additions. Then about ten days later Mummy walked past to see this:

When Alex is at home, Mumy often hears "Share! Share!" from the toyroom as Sebastien insistently asks for Alex to return one of the Thomas trains to his use.

We have also started our postcard wall. Just as we had in Champaign-Urbana. We're slowly accumulating postcards from different people and having them up here often starts conversations with Alex about where they're from, what that place is like and who sent them to us.

Tong 'an - Folk Song and Dance Festival

Part of the golden week festivities, Tong 'an district of Xiamen was advertising a cultural show at its Film Studio City – basically a replica of different sites around China where television shows are filmed. We decided to make our way over there on the last day it was advertised for – we had little idea what an expedition it would turn out to be!

It seemed as though it would be easy to get there - get on one bus here and go straight there. But it was not to be. Here we are taking a break in the shade for a snack whilst waiting for the second bus we got onto. It's at these times that Alex decides she needs to go to the toilet - with not a toilet in sight.We caught several buses to arrive – in the middle of nowhere. Literally the bus terminated in the midst of what appeared to be a currently being constructed industrial area. We got off the bus – there were a couple of street vendors selling food and a multitude of motorbike “taxis”. Hmm, this did not look good. Immediately the kids were set upon and we spent the next ten minutes answering the usual questions before deciding to jump on the next bus (of which there were only two) and hope it took us somewhere with more bus choices. It did so we jumped off to catch the correct bus to get to our destination – having first fobbed off invitations to take a motorbike taxi, or two, there from another lot of motorbike taxis. Indeed, we hadn't seen a car taxi since coming off island. There was a certain time when we were both thinking we might chance the motorbikes but thankfully didn't convey this to each other.

We arrived after just under three hours bus travel – including waiting and mucking around with changing buses and promptly went inside. The floats we had seen in the parade were standing in the front section and then we went inside the “Forbidden City” and, later, onto the "Great Wall". It was a pretty good replica and very interesting.

Sebastien and Alex enjoyed running around the place - Sebastien once again a target for photographers - and they enjoyed watching the little show put on by performers. They got up on the stage afterwards and danced around to the music blaring through the loudspeakers, and it was very loud!

They had a lovely set-up in one of the buildings where for a fee you could dress up in traditional clothing and be photographed - we didn't do that...this time.

We found a little restaurant and sat down for some lunch - it seems after a year here we can order a decent meal without needing a photo or english menu - and we even managed to get a local delicacy:Tong'an Fengrou or pork belly square. I guess that comes of just asking for a "pork meat" dish. As Sebastien had fallen asleep on Mummy's lap, we were in no hurry to move on and into the sun. Alex played with two young boys whose parents were some of the many merchants there.

Eventually we moved on as our table was needed for others. We ventured past the seesaw and onto the water garden.
Then we passed the archery targets (Mummy was a little concerned to see archery set up against the Great Wall with no real supervision...and had visions of getting skewered by some child or unskilled person).and checked out the Great Wall.
Then we moved on to the beautiful grounds and enjoyed just walking without an aim in mind. We saw some fishermen fishing for waterplant roots on the river.We took a break in the shaded walkways along with many other visitors, some trying to surreptitiously take Alex and Sebastien's photos.
And just enjoyed the surroundings.
We stopped to buy some more water because it was really hot - and afterwards ventured into several museum rooms. Alex really enjoyed this and told us which ones were her favourite amongst them all. One room had a tiny piano - just Alex's size so she told us. Mummy's favourite was the supposed antique desk with assorted writing paraphenalia that had everything sticky-taped down so light-fingered visitors wouldn't make off with choice items.

Daddy's favourite, well one of them, was the Guan yin bodhisattva image - or the Goddess of Mercy with 1000 arms.

It was very telling when we came to the ceramics room and she was gaily tripping around the room pointing out her favourites only to come to a screaming halt in front of a cabinet with broken remains of very old pottery. Her eyes widened and her comment: "Oh no! Look what someone's done! They've broken them Mummy! That's a bad choice isn't it? It wasn't me."

Exhibit A:

We also saw the "Mao" room with very many red books - none in english. Before we left, we again passed the performance area of the Complex and watched the parts of the performance we'd missed the first time. We found it amusing that audience members vied to be chosen for photo opportunities with "Chairman Mao". There was dancing there was kungfu action, and there was another chance to dance on the big stage. The kids were joined each time by other kids who obviously felt if the strange laowai kids were up there doing it then...

It had been a long but enjoyable day. We rounded it off with some bing qi ling - one a traditional green bean flavour which tasted, different.

Getting home was easier than coming to Tong'an as we jumped on a bus that went somewhere on the island and then changed when we knew where we were. Mummy was thankful that it is customary for people with small children to be offered a seat if none are available - as this allowed Sebastien to sleep on a crowded bus.