Sick Day

This Monday morning Mr. Johnson and I put three perfectly healthy girlies on the bus, and then nestled on the couch in our living room to convalesce in our self-imposed quarantine. We kept the Kleenex close by, and big mugs of our favorite hot beverages (Starbucks being mine, loose green LaoShan cha is Mr. Johnson's.) We waited dutifully for 9:00 a.m. and then called for a joint appointment at the Korean Clinic the moment they opened.

Later this a.m., when we walked through the door, the nurses smirked that we were childless. For the first year we were here, they only called me "Beatrice's mother." So here was her mother (and father) sans any one of the kids they usually see! Our appointment was scheduled directly after Monday morning immunizations, so a chorus of cute Korean kiddos were sobbing about their jabs. Giving their parents betrayed looks. Casting daggers at Dr. Kim.

The presence of Good Family Hospital in Qingdao, and the fact that they set up shop roughly the same time we arrived here in 2006, has been a life-saver for us. (Not perhaps, technically life saving for us personally, but as parents we certainly have let out a collective sigh of relief more than once that friendly Dr. Kim and his colleague Dr. Kim who rotates in for a month now and then have been on hand.)

The clinic is open Monday to Saturdays 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. When the kids start playing some dangerous game, like... let's-see-if-we-can-jump-from-the-couch-to-the-ottoman (across our marble floors) or Bei Bei decides to play Nancy Drew and slide down the curtains like her favorite teen sleuth, all it takes to get them to resume reasonable behavior is to cast a disapproving look offer a stern query, "Do you think Dr. Kim is in his office right now?" My Korean friends say they threaten their kids in the same way.

I love Dr. Kim. I love that he always offers a reassuring smile. I love the antibiotics he dispenses. Mr. Johnson had acute tonsillitis. And here's something else I love about our dr. He called me over to take a peek. He used his stainless steel tongue depressor, shone the flashlight and invited me to be part of my husband's diagnosis. Ahh... I said knowingly. He smiled, nodded his head and ordered an antibiotic. I was there for a recheck of my sinus infection. More meds for me too, and then we went happily on our way.

We felt like we were playing hookie as we lunched @ the Sushi joint with the little conveyor belt that tempts us with sashimi and sushi and little rice balls. We then hit the supermarket, piling our grocery cart with fresh fruit, milk and cereal. We'd had a weekend of take away food and Tai Tai Johnson's cupboards were bare!

Then we headed home. Perched on our respective computers. Knocked out respective work assignments. And then Mr. Johnson went to greet the girls on their afternoon bus.

A sick day, but a good day. And now, on our way to feeling well!

Qingdao Dian Shi Ta (QD TV Tower)

At night it glows in bright neon colors from its perch on Taiping Hill. During the day it sits in all its modern glory juxtaposed to the colonial buildings left over from the Germans' days in Tsingtau.

On a clear day last week, Bei Bei and I ventured to the top. We bought tickets inclusive of a meal in the rotating restaurant, and zoomed to the top of the 348 meter tower. The meal was mediocre, but the views were stellar! We saw Buddhist Temple complex, Fushan Mountain, the Central Business District, the Olympic Venue, Fushan Bay, all the beaches, the zoo (Bei Bei was disappointed to not be able to spot any lao hus -- tigers--but we were able to make out their enclosures), Little Qingdao island and Zhanqiao pier. We glimpsed Huangdao across the waters, saw Taidong and the famed Tsingtau brewery. As we continuing our panoramic view, we looked north, and I was astounded again, just how many apartments fill our city. They stretched as far as the eye could see.

Stuff I wish I'd Written

Google "Ikea in Beijing", and you'll get a variety of articles, most notably one by a reporter in LA. I wish I had written this story first, and to be fair, I actually had it tucked away in my mind as a blog post.

My first trip to an IKEA in China was to the Beijing Store. There it stood like a Scandinavian beacon, off one Beijing's utilitarian rings roads. And it made sense that a no-nonsense, lets see how we can live-in-the-smallest place possible and have fun and a sense of style at the same time kind of shop would set up in a place where people actually live in tiny spaces, albeit often without iconic IKEA style.

But, what was overwhelming to me was how many people just came to hang out. Babies asleep in the cribs, parents sitting beside them. Lovers cuddling on the Ektorps. Grandmas playing cards in the comfy chairs in the cafe. They came to make a day of it. The next time I took pictures!

(I especially like how the cafe is making an attempt to break into the Asian market. Along side Sweedish classics like baked salmon and Sweedish meatballs, comes Preserved Vegetables. Only the sign indicates "Pre-served", preserved or served in advance I don't want any!)

The 800 pound gorilla in the Room

Yesterday Mr. Johnson received a sad e-mail. One that had circled the globe... gone company wide... but that hit us profoundly as the implication is more local. Three Chinese colleagues were killed when the commuter bus (provided by the company) collided with a large truck. There were other severe injuries in addition to the fatalities. It was not in our city, but it was nearby.

In a practice that is left-over from the iron rice bowl days, many companies provide their employees with their noon meal and transportation to and from their work place. Its a practical solution and common practice. Yesterday's tragedy was reminder of what we are often reluctant to discuss openly here. The roads in this country are treacherous.

In 2004 it was estimated there were 300 traffic fatalities a day in China (China Daily 12 April 2004). More recent estimates put that number at 600. According to the website: chinaurbantransport.com, traffic accidents are the leading cause of death in China for the 15 - 45 year old age bracket.

Its not the first time we've known of auto accidents in China. Not the first time such accidents have touched close to home or our hearts. Not the first, and probably not the last. It was just there again, the 800 pound gorilla breathing silently in the corner reminding us to buckle up, drive slowly, and take a train or plane whenever possible. And for a day or two anyway, people will talk about it.

A Lovely Sunday...

Our bikers

Under the 2008 Olympics Sculpture

Our bikers

@ Louis Vuitton

Mr. Johnson on a caffeine run

So... after our morning rendezvous with the printer (I met with the guy for the seventh time this week! I literally pulled my editor away her seaside walk with her husband, and sent my family to Sunday morning fellowship without me .. I later joined them for a refreshing service) ... it was nice to chill out and enjoy the great weather.

September is definitely right around the corner, I can feel it in the air. The undertones of the breeze are cool. The sky is bright. You can see the horizon. September is my favorite month in Qingdao, and its arriving... I can feel it in my bones.

We dined alfresco at our favorite German joint ... Cheese krainer and bretzels, cold lemonade and hot potato salad. We came home and cleaned the fish bowl in the back yard, we deadheaded flowers, and Mr. Johnson and I played rummy on the patio table and made silly faces at the girls who were peaking at us from their second floor bedroom window. They came back out to flip the fish into the ceramic bowl. They watered their sunflowers (one bloom so far!) They swang and jumped rope and reveled in the feel of a nearly-autumn day.

Then, we hailed a taxi, threw their bicycles in the back and headed toward the closest Starbucks. Refueled with afternoon caffeine, the mommala and daddy-O where perked up enough to keep their stride in line with the mad peddling of the youngest Johnson girlies. On to pick up MGJ who had a play date with her hao pengyou. Then: playtime at her complex jungle gym, chatting amongst the parents, enjoying the exotic swirl of languages... Italian, Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, Parents scolding and calling out to their little ones, laughing and chatting together, enjoying a great Sunday afternoon.

It was a lovely day.

Printing Problems

It hasn't been a great week. We've run into problems with our printer... language barrier mostly, and the Chinese cultural phenomenon known as "saving face," which means they weren't keen to let on there was a problem until it became an emergency. The nice thing, its that most of our readership of the Qingdao Expat Magazine is on-line, and so we can still upload the mag, but for the meager number of copies we print 400 - 500 monthly, it was a nerve wracking week.

So... I've been absent from the blog world, and in general distancing myself from anything computer related except that which is completely necessary.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. If the 400 hard copies that arrive in my living room around 5:00 are better than the 400 that arrived Friday afternoon (they were abysmal!)

Kindie

I rode the bus to school with the girlies this morning. It was Bei Bei's trial run. She loved it. She asked if she could go tomorrow. She requested I stay home.

Unfortunately, she'll have to wait for her tuition to kick in before she can enroll. Per the company's pre-school policy, we have to foot part of the bill, and they pick up the hefty remainder.

She could literatlly:

• go to this International School's Early Childhood Education program for a year
• or enroll in the University of Illinois for TWO years, per the Undergrad Base Tuition Rate (her Dad's alma mater ... go Illini)
• or nearly a full year tuition at her momma's alma mater .

Astonded? so were we! Such is the life when educating a child abroad. Its higher still in bigger cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

Thankfully, the company picks up most of the bill.