- Alice is extremely bright
- A confident nod yes when asked a question does not necessarily mean she understood the question (in fact, most times she has no clue what was said, even when using a translator program)
- She is a quick study when it comes to anything computer
- She can play piano a little bit, but apparently has never had any formal instruction
- Alice likes to sing along with Chinese songs on the computer (especially when wearing head phones)
- She also likes to dance or move along with some of the songs that have Chinese sign language or look to be kids' exercise songs
- She has tried (unsuccessfully) to pull the "I didn't really understand that 2 really means 2" when it comes to how many episodes of her Chinese show she can watch
- "I forgot Mom said ..." doesn't work as an excuse with Mom or Dad
- Mom and Dad are brighter than they look
- Jet lag makes getting up at 4 AM a breeze and staying awake until 8:30 PM impossible for a certain 12 year old (one 50-something DH is doing only slightly better, but he's using his cold as his excuse)
- American food doesn't look, smell, or taste anything like Chinese food - and apparently it is an acquired taste someone has not yet acquired
- Moms can be fun when they take girls shopping for clothes and food, but a real pain when they expect girls to take care of those clothes and eat the food
- Dads have softer hearts than Moms
- Phone calls to China are important
- School is very appealing when you having nothing else to do
- Having side by side computers for chatting with google translate is very convenient
Last night we had all 4 kids here and our twin sons were wonderful with their new sister. One of them had a Wii system he hasn't used much since he bought it, so he set it up for Alice downstairs. The boys and Alice played for a while after supper. Apparently she's better at tennis and bowling than her brothers. I am very impressed with how at ease the kids are with each other.
Long time family friends (who happen to share our last name) have a daughter very close in age to Alice. I was able to arrange a brief get together for the 2 girls today. Barely a word was spoken aloud, but there was communication - thanks to Google Translate!
I've really enjoyed following your journey! Glad you made it back home!
ReplyDeleteLeslee (Doc33 from RQ)
If Alice is that small, I can't imagine how small Jack is... in the picture I have of them both, Jack is a full head smaller than she is...
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy, I've really enjoyed following your China travels. Being just 10 months ahead of you, I have the following advice (learned from my own mistakes) for your early days. Write down simple family rules, and have them translated. I will share the ones I did (they're even translated!), but you can make your own which might be different -- like something about phone to China time! :) Focus on the big stuff, not the little stuff. There are going to be a lot of things that will annoy you and/or drive you crazy. Just focus on the biggies -- like being respectful. :) We had a lot of food battles/issues at the beginning, and he's gotten a lot better now. But, I've had to adjust my parenting style. My other kids lived with "This is what's being served, so eat it." But I've had to think about how everything is so new to John and how our food must taste/smell as weird as all the food in China seemed to us. Also, he's also small so I really want him to be eating and not skip meals. After some time, you'll land on some foods that you approve of that Alice likes. John loves all fruit and salad (lettuce with a simple vineagrette dressing). But I wish I had been a bit more compassionate. John is small, too, and I was so concerned about getting all the food groups, and enough food, into him, that I think I got a little too frustrated/caught up in his pickiness. The other thing I went overboard with was trying to get him to read/learn English right away. Best to get some of your favorite kids' picture books and read them to her, just like you did when your other kids were little. Other than that, I say take a deep breath and pray for the patience of Job. We did not have to deal with phone calls to China, and John has not really wanted to write to/connect with his friends from China. I'm sure Alice is really clinging to those connections because she can communicate with them. Do you have someone who could come over once a week and translate for you? I had that in the beginning and it helped a lot. I could also call her and have her get on the phone with John when I really needed him to know something. It's crazy, but now that John's been here so long and understands pretty much everything, it's hard to remember that early time. I will continue to follow your blog and pray for your family! Warmly, Audrey
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