Canada – Page 10 – Just An East Coast Girl

TWO days!

I NEED 2 days this year to get my Christmas baking done!!

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Even though I decided before I went to China that I would bake less this year, and only make a few of our absolute favourites and nothing too fancy that is too stressful…I NEED 2 days, when otherwise I could do it all in one.

I’m just too tired! The jet leg on this end coming back is so brutal. I ALWAYS find it harder!!!

Stay tuned tomorrow I should be able to finish up and post some pics. But right now I need to lay my head down for a quick rest before I continue today’s goodies.

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Twelve Days until Christmas!

I’m home! We got in late last night( rather 3am this morning) and this week I KNOW I will be dealing with a bit of jet leg… yep, I’m heading to bed right after I post this at 7:30pm.

BUT with only 12 days til Christmas…

I’ve gotta get busy! Baking, wrapping , last errands…and there are a couple of events to attend this week.

But today it was relax and rest up a bit, open mail, and shop for groceries and baking ingredients.

Tomorrow, yes tomorrow I’ll get at it!

Top of the World!

It’s up and over …most of the time.

The trip from Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada to Shenyang, Laioning in China and return is a long one. It usually is about 29 hours from start to finish one way with wait times and long airport lays in Beijing and if there is weather like today’s flights, it’s even longer!!

Today is the return flight. I was up at 4 am Monday December 12 China time ( 4 am seems to be “my” wake time in China) It was that way when we lived there and last year when I visited, and same this year. I’m up and ready…and sad to be going…

We left the hotel at 8:30, arrived at Shenyang Taoxian Airport at 9:30.

Our flight was supposed to leave at 11:15 am but snow and ice conditions in Shenyang meant de icing before we could take off. It was almost 12 before we left and arrived in Beijing at Beijing Capital Airport at 1:30 ish.

Beijing is always a long lay on this trip anyway but when we landed we found out our flight was delayed because of snow in Toronto. An even longer lay over! So we wandered around browsing the shops, enjoyed the quaint spots to have a coffee, had a bowl of wonton soup and a Portuguese egg tart and coffee and had a massage. I opted for a 30 minute foot massage followed by a 15 minute shoulders and neck massage. I curled up under a cozy blanket and had a little nap , it was wonderful!! The guys had a body massage and while they enjoyed it, I don’t think they napped like I did.

Our flight revised time for take off was 19:50 Beijing time but it was 20:50 before we got away. A long 12 hour flight! I learn to pace the time by enjoying the hot meal, watching a movie and sleeping, getting up and down a bit and stretching. This time was great! David and I tried a new strategy seeing it was a Monday flight. We booked a window and an aisle with an empty seat in the middle. It worked this time!!! No body filled the seat and we had more space to stretch and take turns curling up on the seats. This was the best!!! It wasn’t a full flight either so it was a bit quieter.

Mid flight there is a snack of noodles, sandwich and cookies. I used to enjoy the noodles because the hot broth feels great when your throat is so dry. These last few times though I don’t get the noodles because of the salt content. I just carry my thermos bottle filled with hot water. Yep, I’m like the Chinese people. I love my hot water. It really works for so many things.

The flight pattern is generally “up and over “the Arctic and down in to Canada. I remember only one trip we flew over Europe and Russia. It made me nervous that trip because we never did that flight plan before, but I guess occasionally that flight plan is taken depending on air current.

About an hour and a half before landing breakfast is served. Who wants eggs on an airplane? Sorry, not me so I choose the Chinese congee which is like rice porridge with mushrooms. The fresh congee you get in a Chinese home or restaurant is so much better than this, but I prefer it over the eggs and little white sausage.

Then every thing happens quickly. Breakfast cleaned up, paperwork for customs and arrival passed out and needs to be filled out, a quick trip to the WC to wash up and apply a clean face and it’s time to land. The BRUTAL flight is over.

The short flight from Toronto to Halifax is usually a piece of cake, especially if you arrive in time or there’s no weather . Today is Monday December 12th still ( from the future…China time back to Canada time) we arrived at 19:50 lol and were delayed getting to the gate. With only about 20 minutes to make our flight we fast tracked through customs and security running fast all the way!!! Thankfully we had some pretty great Airport Security people.

We arrived at the gate sweaty and out of breath just in time to board. The flight to Halifax was smooth. So happy and thankful to be in Halifax after all the delays, I had to give this bear a quick hug!

The drive home was brutal. The 103 was a mess of ice and snow and very very slippery. Thankfully the guys weren’t driving and we had a chauffeur.

We’re HOME after a VERY long day and My clean fresh bed looks so inviting …Now sleep!!!!

No one likes goodbyes

It’s time! Time to say goodbye to my much loved China.

I can’t express how I feel about this every time. Each time we leave it gets harder. It takes me weeks to come around when we get home. It’s almost as if I am in withdrawal. Hopefully this year will be a little different since it’s Christmas in a couple weeks and I’ll have lots to do to prepare…no time to think!

Last night, our driver and his daughter came to say goodbye.

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And today at the airport my dearest friend came to see us off. He works for China Civil Aviation Authority and has security clearance. So he came right to our gate to see us on our plane.Goodbyes are never easy.

So for now it’s not goodbye…it’s like my driver and friend ALWAYS say…

see you later!

And now we fly!

Good Monday Morning Shenyang!

Good Morning Shenyang! I hope today there are blue skies and warmer temperatures BUT …not likely.

Today is the first day of business meetings for David. So he was up early and ready to go! I was up early, actually earlier than him, and ready to figure out what to do today.

I have been in touch with a few different Chinese friends here and want to try and see them. I also want to go to a couple of parks and shops and of course my favourite Wulihe park but I may have to wait until we have a clear, less smog day. It’s just nice being here so I am trying to relax and savour the quiet moments. So that is exactly what I did today. Nothing much. Just enjoyed being here. I went out for a little, ate lunch at a huge food court, interesting dishes and flavours. It looks like a lot of food for one but it is so cheap that you have to try it, besides I didn’t eat it all. And then I enjoyed a wonderful long nap.

The guys got back at 5:30 and were pooped from their day. Ron, David & I went to Pizza Hut for supper and then the guys had a presentation to prepare so I took a hot bath, I’m writing this post, and then it’s off to bed.

Being Tour Guides

Sunday was another day exploring familiar places in Shenyang. This time David & I were tour guides to USA colleagues as well as Ron, David’s boss from Bridgewater.

We thought early Sunday morning was a good time to show them Wuai Market. “Five Love” market is HUGE!!! Anything and everything you could imagine. Since there was 5 of us travelling it was fun to hail a cab for the three newcomers to Shenyang and tell the driver where to take them and then hail another for David & I and then tell the driver where we were going and as well to “follow that cab”. A lot of fun in a busy city.

I think the guys were amazed at what was to be found on the street and beside the heavy winter curtains at Wuai Market. Floors upon floors, booth after booth of clothes, shoes, purses, watches, clocks,wigs, bedding, other household goods, calendar, paper, decorations….and on and on…

It was fun to watch David assist them with buying a couple things. And…I got a 2017 Calendar for year of the Rooster.

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Next stop Gu gong. Shenyang’s Imperial Palace. I love this tourist area. It’s also the place that David & I did our 2013 Christmas Card dressed in Emperor’s Clothes. We didn’t go inside the Palace, there’s a lot to see outside and time just doesn’t permit to do a thorough tour.

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Here is a pic from when we lived here in 2012…

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And today… she hasn’t changed a bit sweet lady.

About this time it was lunch time and we thought it would be nice to have jiaozi. Dumplings are a staple food but we didn’t want to go to the large famous “expensive” spot. So we asked at a restaurant area if they had jiaozi explaining we wanted a “small hole in the wall” restaurant, we didn’t say “hole in the wall” but he knew what we meant. The Chinese people in general are so very helpful and go out of there way for foreigners. He left his restaurant for a few minutes, took us out on the street, led us down another little side street to a very small place, told the servers what we wanted and then helped order. Small places like this sometimes only have 1 kind of jiaozi. But that is ok. We had pork and celery. I am very surprised at how much of my simple Chinese comes back and what I can communicate when I need to.

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15317775_10154781756851514_8120958454926905999_n After lunch, we went back to the hotel where I stayed for a bit of a nap and the guys got turned around and went out for more exploring…David wanted to show them the Electronics street.

Sunday night we had dinner with our much loved China Family. Our driver, his wife, daughter and the family’s dear friend. This family is so very special to us and helped us more than you can ever imagine living in China. We enjoyed a feast of delicious food, and special memories, laughs and hugs. It’s hard to imagine that two cultures, so different, could be so close. We love them and were so happy to catch up!

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Our driver even had a special gift for me. A little China Bling.

I loved catching up with my China daughter Wan Jia Xiu and hearing about her boyfriend and teaching English in a private school in Shenyang.

It was a pretty AWESOME day. ( I think Ron can see why we enjoyed our expat time living and working here)

Just words for now…

Ok, this might work! I just realized that if I don’t try to add pictures and I just write, then just maybe I can post but add the pictures later. This would be a better option because then I won’t forget.

Yesterday, Saturday in China…I woke up early. Actually I wonder if I even slept much at all. Like I mentioned our first room had such a bad smell ( and I can tolerate a lot here) that it was bothering our breathing. Plus jet leg is a crazy thing to shake. So Saturday morning we were up early and had a nice breakfast at the hotel. Then it was time to hit the streets to show Ron, David’s boss, a few of the sites in Shenyang. A few of the Brazilian colleagues were out and about too. Arriving yesterday they had a head start and in their recovery from flying, so they were headed off to some of the interesting shops. David has experience in these parts and gave them some directions.

First Stop…Mao Square to see Chairman Mao! Born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China, Mao Tse-tung served as chairman of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 1959, and led the Chinese Communist Party from 1935 until his death.

And then stops along Nanjing street, Zhongshan street, Heping, Zhongshan Park, a HUGE flower shop to show Ron the options he would have living here for surprising his partner with flowers lol. haha, I remember the HUGE bouquet David gave me one year for Valentine’s Day.

More exploring of side streets, the Underground ( my how THAT has changed) markets, hole in the wall places…

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…and then our first meal…Hot Pot! I love Hot Pot. Especially at Hai dai lo where they make your noodles in front of you. Just wait till you see the video!

We picked up a few things at Walmart. Gotta see Walmart in China. It’s the best. And guess what? We saw an advertisement for Nova Scotia , Canada lobster!! who would have thought?!

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After dropping off some things to the hotel, we took the Metro ( crowded at evening rush hour) to Middle Street. The oldest, most famous walking street in Shenyang. It was dusk so the lights were beautiful! Oh how I miss this. It was fun to walk the street, popping in some of the high end malls to get warm. The cold bothers David’s back so we stopped often.

When we were finished we took a cab to one of our favourite restaurants for some familiar dishes . Yum!!! This is what I miss!

This afternoon we were making plans with our first driver when we lived here. He and his family have become our China family. We will have dinner with them and he just happened to be close to our hotel so he popped in to say Hi. It was so great to see him, and I forgot to take those initial pictures but we will have dinner with them Sunday and have chance to catch up.

Time for bed…I am exhausted!!!

Just as expected!

It is so wonderful to be back in Shenyang China for a week to visit familiar places to eat some favourite food and to see some of the amazing Chinese people ( our friends) we met when we lived here.

But as expected ( although I kinda forgot) the internet here kinda sucks in places. Our first hotel room we had the night we arrived was pretty good and I thought I would be able to do a blog post every day but the room had such a wonky smell (this is common) that we had to be moved to a different room which thankfully doesn’t smell. However, the internet connection to be able to blog and post pictures or post to Facebook is awful, really awful. So…

I just wanted to say, we are great, having fun, recovering from jet leg , and trying to pack a lot in to a short week. However, pictures and blog will have to wait until I get back.

So take care friends, have a great week.

I am just hanging out here in Shenyang, enjoying the wonderful gift my husband gave me.

Christmas Came Early!!!

eek! So excited I won’t be able to sleep tonight.

WE Day

Today is WE day! What exactly is WE day and WHY have I not heard about this before?

I woke up to lots of posts about WE day and no school today because of inservice and buses running to WE day cancelled because of snowy road conditions….

We’ve had Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday and Dumping Day in Atlantic Canada, today is Wednesday known as Hump Day or as I’ve just learned WE day. So many “days” this last week of November!

So what is WE day?

Here is what Wikipedia said…

WE Day is a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities. WE Schools is the yearlong program that nurtures compassion in young people and gives them the tools to create transformational social change.

Free The Children is a children’s charity founded in 1995 by child’s rights advocate Craig Kielburger. An article in the Toronto Star newspaper quoting Free the Children indicates that WE Day was created to “empower, educate, and above all, inspire”.

Me into WE

We are a movement comprised of individuals with unique gifts, talents and contributions. Together, we are powerful beyond measure, knowing that our strength lies in the uniqueness of us. However, the movement isn’t complete without you. We are capable of doing more together than any one of us could do alone.

I LOVE this concept…ME into WE! I always like to think of others before myself and a movement that encourages people to be themselves with their unique abilities and talents and bring them together to work together for the greater good of our society. Much can be done if we work TOGETHER!

I guess this is a big movement with huge events in cities in 3 countries. Today there is an event for Atlantic Canada in Halifax at the Scotiabank Centre

WE day…Hmm?

Have a great Wednesday!!