Life is Good

So aside from reading crazy headlines, what has been happening in Shanghai and the World of We 5 Chois over the past 6 weeks?

As always we have been very busy with work, school and volunteering. This week the 3 kids are currently on Spring Break, but instead of resting, their wicked mama (me) has enrolled them in Chinese Camp for a week. At least that is what I signed up for. On dropping them off yesterday morning, I realized that it was actually more of a Choi Kids Chinese Camp, since they are the only ones enrolled. I am not complaining at all, they are in a class of 3 receiving personal instruction in Mandarin language and then cultural studies. Yesterday, the cultural part was calligraphy and today it is cooking. All three kids had a blast and came home exhausted. I guess being in a class of 3, even for a shorter school day is more tiring than a regular school day with other kids. They all slept well and I am sure their Chinese tutor did too – lol.
Aimee’s only complaint was that the Mandarin was too easy – Nerdy kid! I am sure it is hard to make a class appropriate for all three of them, but I am grateful the camp seems to be trying. I will let you know how the rest of the week goes.

Other news for Aimee is that I have signed her up with a Yahoo Group here in Shanghai for Kid Modeling. It is basically a group of expat moms who are interested in getting their kids modeling for local photographers and companies. So far Aimee has been to an audition for Singapore Tourism for the chance to be in a tv ad. She didn’t get it, but she and I had fun auditioning. She has also had some photos taken for a casting for a French Disney brand. Again, she didn’t get picked for the job, but each audition is helping Aimee feel more comfortable about herself and the camera. I also think that being rejected and learning to handle it positively is a great life lesson, many of us should learn. She is making new friends and stretching herself personally. Of course, if at any time she does not want to continue, we will talk about it. I have wanted her to try for a longtime, but this is the first time she has been willing to. Her Daddy and I am so proud of her for trying something new.

Over the past weeks we have attended all kinds of fun events with new and older friends here in Shanghai. There is certainly never a dull moment here. Our weekends are usually spent out and about seeing the sights and experiencing new things. Back in February, we attended a Lantern Festival one Sunday afternoon. We had so much fun. I began to feel like Angelina Jolie – we certainly attracted a lot of media attention. The Festival was in a small neighborhood downtown and I was one of the few non-Asians at the event. Everywhere we went; local reporters and photographers were watching our reaction to all the entertainments, we certainly drew a crowd. We had a blast. The kids tried different things such as Chinese yo-yo, playing the drums, and the traditional stick and hoop game. That is way harder that it looks.
At one end of the street, there was a small stage where different people showed off their talents, Chinese comedians (the jokes were lost on me), a female magician, Chinese Opera (again and acquired taste!), musicians, etc. The kids and I made our way to the front to be able to see well. Amazingly, as obvious foreign guests, some of the locals insisted we take their seats for a better and more comfortable view. Hansen and I sat in the second row, where some old Chinese lady that spoke no English insisted he sit on her lap for the whole show, and Cady and Aimee were sent to sit in the first row on the laps of some of the Officials. Again, I have no idea who they were and could not communicate with them at all, other than with the universal smile and nodding of thanks. Poor Richard stood at the back of the crowd for almost an hour the kids and I enjoyed the front row view. At one point I looked behind me to see a sea of maybe 200+ Chinese faces, smiling and nodding at me to enjoy the show. It is moments like that that really make me love China. The Chinese really do want us to feel welcome and to enjoy ourselves learning their culture and being involved in their lives. The great thing about this event was the total acceptance of us as a family and to see the locals going about their daily lives – there were all ages and all social backgrounds. I personally love to see the old toothless grandparents who are smiling from the windows or their stools in the shade.

Here are a few photos of the Lantern Festival in no particular order...