Wednesday, June 6

Alex won a lollipop from Julia in a game of chance this morning, and then he taught her how to say ‘one lollipop.’  It was great to listen to because he just kept repeating it over and over, and she kept trying to imitate his words/sounds.  She was really hitting the tones; I felt heartened by that, and motivated to make sure that she keeps working on Chinese when we get home—do you suppose there is a smart 7 year old willing to take on the job?   By the way, one element of ‘one lollipop’ was a ‘word’ that marked the part of speech—so a sound in the phrase that wasn’t part of the word but was part of the grammar.  Got that?  Therein lies hazard number 2 to speak Chinese!  Lollipop was composed of the characters for ‘candy’ and ‘stick.’ 

6 kids again today—3 of whom are our youngest 3s.  We did a few ‘typical’ things, and then brought them altogether to make and play with playdough. The kids loved it! And stayed on task for more than an hour.  Interestingly, no one offered to let them ‘make’ the dough—they had to watch the teachers mix the water and flour together. 

While we sat with the kids, we discussed cooking and marriage.  The dough resembled the dough used to make the ubiquitous steamed buns that function as the basic bread in most Chinese households.  Sabrina described the fantastic animals and flora that her grandmother would create out of the dough before steaming it, when Sabrina was a child.  The conversation prompted me to ask for the recipe, because making steamed bun bunnies would be a great thing to do!  Steaming them just involves a bamboo steamer and a pot; who couldn’t do that?  Molds are also used (perhaps what we saw at the Saturday market weeks ago?); Sabrina offered to buy me several this weekend at her local market.  Hurrah.  Apparently, moon cakes, also a traditional dish, are more complex to make, so I will start with this simple bread and see where it takes me.

On the topic of marriage, I learned that the Chinese typically hold a big party to celebrate a ‘civil’ marriage.  The party is held at noon, and guests pay a ‘fee’ of 200-300 yuan; relatives might pay as much as 600 yuan.  Then, later in the evening, the bride and groom throw a party for friends and family who assisted with throwing the party; this is free and smaller.  Sabrina’s in-laws pushed for a bigger party than she and her fiancé wanted to manage; in-laws are a universal concept, apparently. 

Was there a storm out at sea today? Something was riling the ocean, which crashed against the retaining wall all day; it was a stirring sound.  Because of the ongoing fog, we changed our plans for the afternoon, heading up the boardwalk. I took this fabulous photo of crashing waves just by the school; there were many watchers and a few hardy fools attempting to get near but not wetted by the waves. 

Crashing waves along the boardwalk

A very stormy looking sea!

We were on a mission to buy some packets of lead for mechanical pencils which the girls in grade 2 had ‘ordered’ from Julia, in imitation of the packets she had bought herself.  I took this as a good sign of some fellowship.  While watching the waves at 2 pm, I noticed Julia’s group in gym on the soccer field right below me; she was thoroughly involved in a Calvin-ball type of game which was pitting the girls against the boys.  Again, it was heartening, as she has tended to skip the recess time outdoor play, which made me wonder if it was too active or too clique-ish for her.  During this class, at any rate, she was totally engaged and active. 

Scooting through Music Square, I decided to take Julia’s photo by the statue of Beethoven since we scoot past it several times a week.  In getting close to it, I realized that there were some bars of music on the pathway; it was visually attractive.  The Beethoven is so recognizable to me; to the Chinese as well?

The impressive Beethoven bust

Isn't this lovely? A universal language.

As past through Kite Flying Park, I succumbed to the request to buy a kite—why am I waiting on this? The sooner we buy it, the more we can fly it and ‘get our money’s worth out of it.’  It turned out to be a total of 40 yuan, since we doubled the cost in buying a string reel, increasing greatly the quantity of string available.  The kite seller, someone with whom we have had other contacts, helped get it started, and it went right up and stayed up for a good 15 minutes.  Julia got it really high; I took several stage photos, hoping to convey the distance.  As it reached its first high point, a mockingbird dive bombed it!  (the mockingbirds have fascinated me; they make this harsh clacking sound.  For the longest time, I thought it was some old machinery still in use at the community, like old air conditioners.  But in fact, it is the mockingbird call!).  Julia gave the task of flying a kite her typical obsessive, detail oriented attention.  She really wanted to use the reel properly and knew that my solutions were not the right ones.  Another seller approached us and offered to show her the technique; I believe he had been watching and could see that she didn’t have it quite right.  It was a helpful assist because with very little effort she could hold the reel in a locked position.  She enjoyed yanking on the string to make the kite flutter, and she reeled it in a bit over and over, to get it to zoom up higher.  She pulled it in finally with the intention of walking it along the boardwalk on a short string.  Since that was hazardous to various things, we packed it up (in a free kite bag that the vendor brought over to us; people are nice) and zipped along to get our errands done.  

Getting the kite up

Launching help from the kite vendor

Lots of concentration for kite flying!

The mocking bird diving at our kite!

Keeping the kite moving - and away from the bird, maybe!

Careful attention to holding the reel just right

Bringing the kite in - see the May 4 sculpture, too?

Our goal was to get on the bus before the rush hour crush; whew, we made it at 5:15, a totally different bus ride than yesterday’s, from the same bus stop at 6:40 pm.  There was enough open space for Julia to have the opportunity to hang on the strap—she doesn’t tire of this! 

Heading home with scooter and the long, thin, green kite bag tucked in Julia's backpack

Happily hanging on the bus!

We are sending good exam karma to Elinor, who is taking her first high school year-end exams today and tomorrow.  Hard to believe this school year is finished; last August, soccer season, a new school building—it all seems so long ago!