Thursday, February 5th 2009

Eating dumplings!

Hot, steamy, dumplings

Cooking the dumplings

I finally did it!! I made it just right! It passed Helen's test!

Not too much, not too little, just right.

I
About to start making dumplings

Helping Helen in her kitchen

You have to hold the cup like this....

Helen is pouring our tea

o
Market

Forbidden City

Tienanmen Square

Carlton is eating dried squid, and yes, I tasted it too! Tasted like dried tuna fish??

Llama Temple

Carlton and I both were wide awake this morning at 3:00am!! What is it with 3:00am?? We went a head and got up and were able to talk to some friends and our children this morning on Skype!! How amazing is that?? We are half way around the world and we can talk to people back home for free!! It was so good to hear familiar voices. We had breakfast this morning at the hotel and I tried a bowl of rice congee. I know that Lily eats this for breakfast so I wanted to taste and try it for myself. Helen is going to teach me how to make congee also. It tasted really bland...kinda like a porridge of some sort. Not bad, just really bland.


After breakfast, we were planning to start touring right away. But...at 9:00am this morning, I hit a wall!! All of the sudden I couldn't put one foot in front of the other! I was so tired. I called Helen and we decided to start our day at 12:00pm. I fell on the bed and passed out. All I remember is my body making weird jerking movements from pure exhaustion. When I woke up, I felt so much better. We met Helen in the lobby and planned out our day. First, we went to Llama Temple. This is the oldest Llama temple in Beijing. It is also famous because it has the largest Buddha statue carved from a tree. Many people worship here each day. We spent about 2 hours at the Temple. Next, we went to Tienanmen Square. This square is between the government buildings, the people's congress, the history museum and the great hall. Helen explained the history of the square and then we walked to Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was the emperors palace for the Ming and Ching Dynastys. Twenty-four emperors lived in Forbidden City. It was huge, it has 9,999 1/2 rooms. Its impossible to explain how beautiful and how big the city is. The pictures do not do justice, trust me on this one. We stayed about 3 hours here. Helen is so wonderful. She explains everything to us. Since Carlton has an undergrad in History, he is really loving this. Its like a History text book coming to life. Next, Helen took us to a local market in her neighborhood to get the items we needed to cook dinner. The market is not like your ordinary Wal-mart. You buy the items and pay for them at each counter. For example, you pay for your fruit in the fruit section. I know those people thought I was nutso for taking pictures of their grocery store!!! We bought a large amount of food and it cost $3.50 US. We could probably feed 6 people with what we bought. Helen told us that we were the first couple she has cooked for at her home!! We felt extremely honored. Helen is a terrific cook and I learned so much. One thing I have learned, is that people in China eat so healthy!! They do not even have desert. She said, "Why do you want to eat something sweet when you are full?" I just said, "hmmmm..I don't know, because it tastes good???" OH, and by the way, the white stuff we ate yesterday was tofu or bean curd. I never knew I liked tofu. It is really not that bad and it is very, very good for you. When we first got to Helen's house, she sat her table down and we all sat around the table while she served us 2 different kinds of tea. The first tea was good for your stomach and the second tea was good for your liver. (No wonder these people live to be well over 100) The tea was really good. She also taught me how to hold the cup and how to sip it. Believe me, you have to practice. I am so glad I am learning these things so I can teach it to Lily. I really love learning the traditional Chinese practices. We had some really great conversations about traditions and her life growing up. I am just like a sponge, really soaking it all in.... Once again, I am amazed at how close the families are. She told me that when they finished eating supper, they just sat around the table and talked. She is very close to her mother and father. She also said that the Chinese people do not understand why people in USA do not take care of their parents when they get old. Its not even an option in China, you just do it. You take care of your parents. They come and live with you and you also support them financially. Its a totally different mind set over here. I really do love the way they love family and their sense of community. Helen also taught me how to make traditional Chinese dumplings (also called pot stickers in USA). Oh....they were heavenly!!! I think I ate about 10! They were filled with beef and cabbage and were boiled, not fried. She also made us homemade egg drop soup and some kind of leafy vegetable that was sauteed in oil and garlic. Yummy!! We dipped our dumplings in vinegar and soy sauce. We were so thankful for our time with Helen. It was such a special treat for us. I am really coming to see that we are having an experience of a lifetime. We would never have this experience if we were in a big travel group. I love that it is just us and Helen. So special. She takes such good care of us. Thank you Green family for this amazing recommendation!!! I have been instructed by Helen to come to your house and teach you how to make dumplings. She made sure that I knew what I was doing, since I was going back home to teach!!!
We are really enjoying our time here in China. We love seeing all the historical sights...BUT...my mind just cant stop thinking of my baby girl!! Today, I saw many, many little girls and my heart nearly stopped!! I just can't wait to hold her in my arms!!! I also checked the weather for Guangzhou, and its supposed to be 80 degrees!! I started having a fit because I didn't bring Lily any summer outfits. I did not realize that it would be that warm. Then Carlton reminded me that we can just take her shopping and buy her whatever she likes. Oh, I do love that man!! Speaking of weather...the weather in Beijing is fabulous!! I think its around 45-50. But, its a different kind of cold. Its colder than what it sounds like. I am wearing jeans with tights underneath and 2 shirts and coat. I haven't gotten cold one time. Perfect weather, just perfect!

There are many, many other things that we want to share about today...but time will not allow us. We look forward to coming home and sharing our hearts with you all.

Tomorrow, we are off to the Great Wall! We will also stop at the Jade Factory (thanks Kim for the tip..I will hold off on purchasing jade until Guangzhou). I do plan to purchase a piece of jade jewelry for Lily and Hananah Grace. This is a very traditional gift that families give thier daughters. Helen has a jade bracelet that has been passed down in her family for many, many, many years. She wears it every day. We will be spending the day at the Great Wall. Helen said we will have lots of time to climb and she knows just where to take us. Supposedy, there are many spots that you can climb and some are better than others. What would I do without Helen??? I am really looking forward to seeing the Great Wall... I am going to the GREAT WALL OF CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!....this trip is just too amazing.

Love to you all,
Aimee and Carlton

Hannah Grace and Noah,
We loved hearing your voice this morning. I am so glad that you had a fun day and got to go to the movies. Noah, I know you loved eating all that cotton candy. I hope you remember to brush your teeth really good tonight! We are very proud of how good you are being for Aunt Susie. Ya'll are the best children in the world! We will talk to you soon, We love you very, very, very, very, much!!!! We are sending you a big kiss!
Mommy and Daddy

Thank you for all your comments. Reading your comments is the first thing we do each morning. We laugh and cry at the same time. It makes us feel at home. Thank you!

Enjoy all the pictures... I will upload a video in the morning. Too tired to wait on it to download!