Our Chinese teacher, Mary, is very nice and brought us some lovely presents on the day before New Year. We thought that she was just going to come over on her own at some point in the afternoon but she arrived at lunchtime with her husband and son so we had an impromptu New Year's lunch (well done Lou).
Saturday, 24 January 2009
New Year's lunch
Our Chinese teacher, Mary, is very nice and brought us some lovely presents on the day before New Year. We thought that she was just going to come over on her own at some point in the afternoon but she arrived at lunchtime with her husband and son so we had an impromptu New Year's lunch (well done Lou).
Friday, 23 January 2009
Flour or flower?
Verity hardly ate a lunch at school last term because they don't really have vegetarians in China and the Chinese cook thought it would be fine to just give her a bit of vegetable and a cold fried egg. Lou decided to help them improve the menu; surveyed the pupils and staff; created a two-week menu and kept going in to school to make sure that the caterers were following the new programme. The school said 'thank you' with flowers.
The boys have a rough week
On one level, Tris had a great week: He was elected Class Rep; came top in several of his exams and had the most positive parent's evening of his career in which almost all of his teachers said that he could do really well or was already doing really well at their subject. On another level, it was his worst week ever: The problem with the girls teasing him on the bus continued and two of his friends cut him out of things and then took his lunch and laughed about it - we've never seen him so down. Hopefully, things will improve after the New Year's holiday.
At work, Tim was busy trying to get his company's prospective Chinese partner to answer questions so that the two companies can sign an agreement when the Chinese team flies to London in two week's time; he was also trying to procure consultants to help him run the two projects that the Foreign Office is funding and was working horrible hours. All week, he was sandwiched between the UK Team that kept pushing for progress and generating new documents and the Chinese Team that kept failing to respond - value added = tiny; effort required = huge; extent to which he is enjoying his job = almost zero.
At work, Tim was busy trying to get his company's prospective Chinese partner to answer questions so that the two companies can sign an agreement when the Chinese team flies to London in two week's time; he was also trying to procure consultants to help him run the two projects that the Foreign Office is funding and was working horrible hours. All week, he was sandwiched between the UK Team that kept pushing for progress and generating new documents and the Chinese Team that kept failing to respond - value added = tiny; effort required = huge; extent to which he is enjoying his job = almost zero.
In Chinese dress
The children's schools are good at everything except providing warning - Lou got a day's warning that she needed to find a Chinese costume for Verity but both she and Verity rose to the occasion.
New Year's play
2009 Is the year of the Ox so Verity was, umm, a chicken in her school play. Katie got a better costume as a follower of the Emperor and Tristan (not pictured) had a really rough week.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Wind stops play
Beijing is cold in the winter, very cold. Add strong wind and Tian'anmen Square becomes uninhabitable. Mum & Dad were intending to go to the Forbidden City but they only got as far as KFC.
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
What goes up must come down ... slowly
We were amazed she tried it; she was amazed that she spent the whole ride trying to get it to go faster.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)