Sitting by the Roadside

We went to FuZhou late April/early May for about two weeks.  I have a few quick photos from our time there: Lots of people on Nan Hou Jie  on Labor Day (5/1).  I think  it's International Labor Day, but I'm not totally sure. Library in FuZhou.  The sign says "FuJian Library for Youth and Children". Street-washing truck (the building in the background is an idol temple).  It spews out water on the street.  None of the cars seem to pay any attention to it; they just drive through. (It also plays music, so you can be aware of its approaching.  However, the music sounds  similar to that of an ice cream truck's, so it is easy to get confused about whether an ice cream truck or street-washing truck is coming.) Subway in China.  The Chinese words under the sign say "sa bai wei".

Here are some highlights from my "regular life" on the other side of the world (April 2017)... Loaf of bread-cake (as we call it) my sister made for my mom's birthday. Two lemurs my siblings saw on their trip to the Beijing Zoo (an expedition I chose not to attend). Our PM2.5 smog tester (the number in the middle row (118 here) is the amount of PM2.5). A delicious dish, one of my favorites.  It consists of nian gao pian  (the white stuff), vegetables, and onions. A magnetic Chinese Chess (a game I do not  like to play) board we acquired recently.  There are small magnets on the bottom of the pieces, so the board is easy to use when travelling.  The game is somewhat similar to chess.  You have a general (when he is captured the game is over), two of his shi , two elephants, two horses, two cannons, two cars, and five soldiers. Our friend gave us this Chilean Rose Hair tarantula a couple weeks ago.  We had some trouble finding...

The Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday in China.  Most students have a three-week break, and everyone returns to the place they were born to celebrate the New Year together.  This year, my family and I spent the New Year in FuZhou with my grandparents (on my dad's side). We had planned to take the high-speed rail (eight hours at least) there, since it was way  cheaper, but tickets ran out.  So we ended up flying a plane. Living Quarters Our flight was in the afternoon, and we arrived somewhere in the evening.  Since our grandparents had two apartments in FuZhou, they lived in one and let us stay in another. Even though the apartment was a little small and situated on the fifth floor of an elevatorless building, I had always liked the feeling of wonder I experienced every time our family stayed there. I loved the (as I called it) "ancient" sugar pot, the clocks that wouldn't run unless you wound them, the desk drawers, and closet drawers...

2016 seemed to pass too quickly!  Each year seems to pass quicker and quicker and quicker… =   In January I competed in Season 2 of the National Bible Bee Game Show (which hasn’t been aired yet).  It was a time for me to trust in G-d and experience His amazing power! =   My family and I flew to Asia again in the spring.  I resumed teaching my dance and Bible Study classes.  We studied the book of John this year. =  My birthday passed in April,  and I started thinking a lot about the times “when I was little”.  I like[d] going through old photos a lot! =   In June my family and I gave talks at a 3-day Homeschool meeting in Asia.  I spoke about how homeschooling was like for me, and I also answered some people’s questions.  We also met a lot of families who were deciding between homeschool and public school education for their kids. =   We returned to the States in July and took a road trip to Oregon.  I re...

More travel!  This time, though, it's for a very long time... My family and I are getting ready to fly to Asia.  Our flight is at night, so someone comes to pick us up at around nine o'clock in the evening.  We pile all the luggage and boxes into the van and start off for the Los Angeles International Airport. Boxes full of books packed and ready to go (six in total)! We check in our baggage and pass our backpacks (and ourselves) through the security check quickly.  There is about an hour left before boarding time for our flight comes. Waiting in the airport. I review a few of my National Bible Bee passages (for Game Show, just in case!), then get tired and decide to play an anatomy game on the kindle. Slowly the minutes tick by, and it is time for us to board the plane (midnight!).  Even though it is our eighth time to Asia, my siblings and I still get excited about flying planes, even if it means losing some sleep because the seats ca...

The National Bible Bee Competition ( www.biblebee.org ) this year took place in San Antonio, Texas, November 16-20.  My sister and I were competing in the Junior division and my two younger siblings in the Primary division. My family drove across two states to Texas in our eight-passenger van packed with our personal belongings and a good amount of cookware (my brother has severe allergy to soy, eggs, milk, nuts, and peanuts, so we have to cook all his food).  We took a one-night stop in El Paso before continuing on to San Antonio. Registration (Wed. 11/16) When we arrived in San Antonio, I didn't feel much of the "Bible Bee spirit" yet; it was more like living in a dream.  Until Wednesday afternoon, that is. On the sixteenth (Wed.) we registered and got our name tags.  Our family photo was taken, and right after that a camera crew came up to us and interviewed my siblings and I.  I didn't mind, because I liked interviews, and they said they m...

We leave Israel tonight!  It has been a wonderful time to be in the Holy Land.  Here are some highlights from my trip: Monopoly (in Hebrew!!).  Our family does not have a set, though my siblings and I play it at friends' houses sometimes.  I had to try to recall how Monopoly was played and guess our way around the board.  I could only read a word or two on the "community chest" and "chance" cards ("lose" and "win"), so we had to take a couple of them out of the deck when I couldn't figure out what was written on it. Popcorn popped the "old-fashioned way"--on the stovetop!  The previous residents of our rented apartment left a bag of popcorn kernels in the cabinet (my family usually doesn't buy popcorn). The gigantic sand volcano my siblings built at a beach next to the Mediterranean Sea. Eggs!  What a treat since I don't get them often (my brother is severely allergic to them). Delicious chocola...