MagLev Train

Maglev train, just the sound of it is cool. It is only the fastest commercial train on the planet!!!! It uses magnetic levitation with a maximum commercial speed of 268 mph. For all you boys (girls too) out there that still love trains, this is quite an experience. The train was designed to move travelers from the city to the outlying international airport, which in car can take about 35 minutes without traffic. The train makes no stops, it leaves from Pudong on outskirts of the city center, actually very close to where I live, and drops you off at the airport in 7 minutes. Because the kids were off in the middle of the week for moon festival, we decided to take a ride on the maglev train. First of all it is very slick. It was clean and efficient. We bought VIP tickets so we had big windows and comfy seats. Getting moving is not like on airplane, so you don't get as much of a G-force rush but you do get moving quickly. What is different about the train is the perception of speed. You can appreciate your speed so much more when the houses are flying by you. Even more impressive is when you pass by an oncoming maglev train. Isn't it the theory of relativity that helps define motion. Well, if you never understood it in physics, you can ride the maglev train and experience it, because when we passed the oncoming maglev at greater tha 250 mph, it almost felt like it was traveling at light speed. Seriously it was a blink of an eye and the train was gone, so cool.

I must say however, if you are one to get dizzy or have a seizure disorder, the maglev is not for you. The rapid flashing of outside world from houses to trees etc can get your head spinning as your eyes continually try to find a place to focus. Anyway, we were out to the airport and back in less than an hour.

Kiddo update, I sent the kids to school on Thursday everything seemed fine. Jackson complained of headache and upset tummy Thursday night. On Friday, no fever JP still complained but I figured he was just at the tail end and was fine. I sent him to school... Less than on hour later the phone call....JP threw up in class. Home again! Emmy's boo boo is looking much better.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Not that I want to continue to blog about the kids, but most of you readers are friends and family and this is the best way to keep everyone updated. Emmy is doing well, her cut is healing I am not sure how much will scar, will keep you posted. The Chinese Virus factory AKA our home continues to be quite productive. To make it short this time we had a body ache, headache and fever virus. It started with Emmy, then me followed by Anderson and Jackson. The boys have missed the last two days of school and tomorrow is a holiday. Yes, Wednesday, the middle of the week is national holiday to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival also known as the moon festival.

"Celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival is strongly associated with the legend of Houyi and Chang'e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality. Tradition places these two figures from Chinese mythology around 2170 BCE, during the reign of the legendary Emperor Yao, shortly after that of Huangdi. Unlike many lunar deities in other cultures who personify the moon, Chang'e simply lives on the moon but is not the moon per se." (taken from wikepedia, click on the blog title for a link to the article)

So essentially it is a harvest festival, celebrating the harvest moon. Which we have been learning about in second grade as JP is keeping a moon log. The moon festival is rich with tradition and folklore. All over Pudong, there are lanterns and moons and rabbits. The stores are selling the traditional mooncake. The mooncake seems to be a very important part of the celebration. Tonight and tomorrow families will be together to have dinner and eat mooncake. I find the mooncake an interesting thing. Today at the store I saw people loading their carts with the mooncake. There is even some moon cake scalping going on. So Haagen Daz sells a fancy collection of mooncake. How it works is you buy a coupon that can be redeemed for the moon cake. Now outside of haagen dazs are guys selling the coupons, but I think you can also sell your coupon for cash less than the face value. This way, the worker who may have received the moon cake from there employer can get cash and the buyer gets his moon cake cheaper. Some of the dudes were even hanging out in the Haagen Dazs. It is a totally expected practice. I wonder if creating the market sells more mooncake. Got to love China!

The official working holiday is to have Wed-Friday off, then the Chinese are expected to go back to work on Sat and Sunday to make up for the extra 2 days off. Now that seems uncool, but overall, people in China want to work. My Ayi is coming on the official holiday because she wants the overtime. Our driver left early today to have dinner with his family and is coming in all of the days for the same benefit.

So I did sample the mooncake. It wasn't that bad. Mine was sweet with a coconut flavor with a doughy crust. I kind of reminds me of a fig newton that isn't as crumbly. Well happy Autumn to all. By the next post I will be one year older, but a lot wiser.

What to blog about this week?

So, I want to come to you with a little more meat, but I think the world alternates with boring blog, funny blog. The saga in the Laughlin household continues. I thought we were doing pretty good after all the illnesses and the lice. Then yesterday, under my watch E.R. had a bonk, that resulted in a serious gash on her forehead. I was devastated. As much as this girl climbs and defies gravity, she was no match for tripping on a blanket and falling on a popcorn box from target, which left her with a nasty one inch slice on her forehead. Chaos ensued, I got her in quickly and she is all glued up. but I am sure it will leave a scar. :( At least I was able to get to the local expat clinic. The doc who saw her trained at Cook County no less. Today, she developed a fever. Not likely related to the head wound, but just enough to keep mom worried. Please keep her (and Mom) in your prayers.

On better note, I have been exploring the local markets. I went to one of the fabric markets and commissioned a black cashmere coat for all of 400 RMB (about 60 bucks) I will keep you posted on how it turns out. I am also having a silk dress made. I figure you have to start somewhere to figure out how to maximize this experience.

I also practiced my bargaining skills at one of the underground fake markets. It is definitely an art. They give you a high price, then you lowball them to insult them. Then they try to get you to a middle ground. I am starting to get the hang of it. I am sure I have over payed for some items, but it is all a process. It is funny, at the end of the day,I got tired and I halted the bargaining process too early and the lady got personally offended. She was like, "I am working with your here!!!" And I bought a hair clip for all of 7 US dollars. I also came out with a pair of leather ballet flats that seem comfortable. Ignore the fact that they have "Tods" plastered on them. I am sure that they are not even a replica of a Tod's shoe. The logo is just placed there to entice you.

These are the quirks about living here. Forget about buying legal games or DVDs. You can't find them. You can get video games for less than a buck and movies for about 2 dollars. I am almost embarrassed that I own a real / trendy Juicy Couture purse, because if I wear it out, it would automatically be assumed to be fake. I would rather have what I want custom made without a label than the fake goods that are so prevalent. I am also worried that the real videos that I brought with me will get confiscated going home as they will be assumed to be copies as well.

Well, that about does it. The kids were off on Friday for a teacher inservice. Next week they will be off on Wed. for the Moon Festival. More on that next blog. I don't think my kids have been in a full 5 day week of school since we started. I am still craving a normal routine. I started my digital photography class this week and the instructor informed us that we will have 3 hours of homework weekly. Woo hooo!!!! Back to school for me. So, hopefully I will have more to discuss next time. Also, Mayor Daley is in Shanghai this week, so it feels a little like home in Chicago. If you didn't know he is not running for re-election. Big news in Chicago. Well, I will sign off and promise to get back to basic topics soon.

Driving is crazy!

Before I get started, I have to have a moment to reflect on some bigger issues in the world at the moment. First off is the date. Can you believe it has been 9 years since that horrible day. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was in residency and Steve happened to be in D.C. at the time, it was monumentally frightening. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who lost in in this tragedy, which is essentially the entire American people. Let me also, put out a request for prayers to those who are currently affected by the four mile fire in Boulder. I can only helplessly watch from my computer as homes and wildlife go up in flames so close to where we still call home.

So, I wanted to touch on a basic task that we take for granted every day. It has now been 7 weeks since I have been behind wheel of a motor vehicle. Don't all hoot and holler at once. Seriously, getting from A to B is a critical necessity that we all take for granted. As you may or may not know, we have a car and driver that gets us around. I know you are thinking, "Wow" but it is not as glamorous as you think. It is not as if I am sitting inside a limo with strawberries and champagne being let out at the red carpet. We have a standard issue Buick minivan. Yes, didn't you know that the Buick is the most popular car in China? Our driver only speaks Mandarin, so everyday is a bit like charades. He starts to get to know the places we like to go, so I can just say Fangdian Lu (Lu means road) and he takes me to a popular expat shopping/dining area on that street. He seems to be quite entertained by my children, which is good, because they are not calm and quiet, and so far, I haven't seen a hint of frustration or eye rolling. Which I hope means that we are not annoying or irritating. It is no easy task carting us around. Especially when I am retrieving puking kids from school.

There is a good reason they won't let us drive. Driving is pretty different here. I think of it as a musical concert where there is a constant flow of movement. In and out up and down, all streaming together. One car squeezes a little too close, and you move enough just to let him by. Meanwhile, the motorized bicycles and scooters squeeze in-between like toothpaste. Drivers are always looking for an opportunity to get ahead. In traffic, why waste those empty on coming lanes. No sense in wasting good space just drive on the wrong side of the road for a while. The amazing thing is there is no road rage, you may get an occasional honk for communication, but the people are not laying on there horns aggressively attacking other drivers. It is as if it is a given that all are trying to get somewhere quickly and if you are in that much of a hurry, ok move ahead. We have been in numerous close encounters and my driver never flinches. It is like, O.K. this lady wants to back out into me, I will let her know I am here, then get out of her way.

There are some cool differences. Their left hand turn lanes extend into the intersection, saying it is ok to wait out here until you can turn. Also, the lights give you a warning before they turn green, so you will be ready to go. The yellow light starts to blink along with your red light before the green light comes on tell you to get ready to move. Similarly the yellow light starts to flicker when the green is on to tell you that the yellow light is coming soon. I think it is brilliant actually. It definitely seem to keep things moving.

The worst thing about not being able to drive, is having to depend on someone else to be there at a moments notice. I can't just run to the corner store, without having to call my driver to come get me. And let me tell you, these drivers work hard. They are available 12-14 hours a day. Waiting to take me on my next shopping excursion , or for Steve a dinner meeting. I don't know, everyone says "they want to work." I am not sure I can ever get over that reference, "they." As if they are different from you or belong to some other group.

I felt terrible this week. It was back to school night and I had arranged for the kids to hang out with a neighbor and their Ayi , and I was going to drive. Of course, something got lost in translation, so when I called my driver, he was already at home. He had to leave his home (probably in the middle of dinner) and come pick up Emmy and I and a friend and take us to school for 2 hours. I am certain my driver could not have been happy about this, but he never lets it show.

The other controversy is, where do I sit? With two adults and 3 kids, someone has to sit in the front seat. Is this acceptable? Well, I don't care if it is or not. I sit in the front, all the time. This way, I get to learn where I am going. I do get stares at times, but I don't care, it is more practical, besides, I am the "trailing spouse." When Steve rides to work he is always in the second row, the appropriate place for the client to sit. Now for the first time in our lives together, I always know where we are and where we are going. Plus, if we are traveling as a family, he is closer to the kiddos. Whoooo hooo for me.

From a practical standpoint, I use tour books and taxi cards to communicate where I would like to go. In Shanghai, there is a phone number, called Guanxi. You call it and it will text the directions to you in Chinese. I haven't tried it yet, but heard it works great. So, we are getting around alright. The sites on the road are something to see: Whole families on a scooter, with no helmets, people riding side saddle on a bench behind the seat while the front person pedals. The motorized bikes are different. They are a functional bicycle that also has an electric motor to jet you around. Boy, I would have loved one of those when I was a kid. I hope to post pictures so you can see what I mean.

The joys of motherhood!!!

So this one is not for the faint of heart. As you may recall we were off school on Wed. for Typhoon Kampasu. So Thursday, kids had a bath, are going to bed. What should I discover? Head Lice!!!!!! I know that I am doctor and this is something that happens with kids, it is not that they are unclean blah! blah! blah! I am sorry, but for me after a month in China, taking my hits, this one about threw me over the edge. I can handle blood, guts, vomit, poop, but there is something about infestation that really grosses me out. It is one of those sensitivity buttons for which rational thought is at least 8 hours from surfacing. I can't handle infestation of any kind. I read once about a snake infestation in the south, that made my skin crawl for weeks after. The idea of creepy crawlies in my kids hair....... Of course I may be having flash backs of when I was a kid and came back from camp, having to use the shampoo with my parents checking my scalp. I remember being mortified then. Or is it the fear of being infected as well? My kids get scared or lonely at night, especially in China and come cuddle in bed. The questions start rising in my mind... How are we going to contain this, my washer and drying are the size of a postage stamp? Where do I get the shampoo and tools to kill the nasty buggers? What about disinfecting every inch of my 4 level China villa? This was definitely a China moment, where you feel a little lost and overwhelmed. I feel I am being indoctrinated into stay-at-home motherhood as if I am being hazed for a fraternity.

After I climbed down from the ledge ha ha.... I called the school nurse, who was wonderful, and told me where to get the supplies I need. She was thankful that I reported the problem so as to prevent further spreading. Of course this happened on the morning of the new parent meeting/coffee at school, which I previously was looking forward to. Now I have all my kids home again with a huge task ahead of me. So I went, but was clearly distracted. I met up with another IBM wife, who I barely know, but somehow I felt I could confide in her. She was amazing. Immediately she eased my anxiety, she had just gone through this back at home, she had supplies to share, and sanity that my whole house is not going to be overrun with the creepy crawlies. When I got to the pharmacy and asked for the appropriate product, they smiled, we have been waiting, this is the time of year that we sell lots of our lice kits, you are our first one. Uggggg!!!

Obviously the kids stayed home for a second day this week for head cleansing and and combing. When I got home with all the goods, my Ayi was making progress in the bedding washing department. JP had found some scissors and made a feeble attempt at cutting his hair. Poor guy, he just wanted the buggies out. It wasn't that bad, you can kind of comb over some of it. Anderson is also sporting a new and shorter do, thanks to Dad. I spent the day washing, sanitizing, bagging up toys, in order to contain this mess.

Then the email came out. "Two cases of lice in the Elementary school." If anyone knew that my kids are the subjects in all the health related emails coming out of this school....Really!!! We haven't been in school two weeks. What I didn't blog about is that I got a call from the nurse earlier in the week, Jackson had diarrhea. They gave him some Smecta, I still need to look it up and figure out what it is, and sent him back to class... Please, let it be someone else's turn next.

The good news is that we found a babysitter and we had planned a date night that night. After my day I was looking forward to a nice dinner and a cocktail. We went to a very hip Japanese Restaurant in the French Concession area. I ordered a martini, which is a rarity for me, but the occasion called for it. I got a shot of vodka in a low ball glass. disappointment..... Oh well, this is China.

Gotta go baby is crying and Steve is getting ready to leave, for a meeting. Yes it Sunday morning.......what.... Emmy puked in her bed overnight!!!!!!

Addendum 9/7/10: Mom sick with the stomach flu Sunday night, Jackson in the nurses office on Monday with a tummy ache, Anderson sent home from school on Tues. vomiting. That about does it :^)