Severinghaus family

Yes, We Do Do School

Lest anyone think we never do school. Here is a picture of us talking about Latin translations while sipping hot cocoa with marshmallows. It is chilly inside, and we need to use up our cocoa powder!

Most people walk to do errands here. We often see men carrying oil and water using a large stick resting on the shoulders. Women are frequently seen with a basket on their backs, filled with groceries or occupied by a young child. Incredible handiwork.

Football

Lukas and Noah have played football with the two boys upstairs. These frequent impromptu games attract Chinese nationals and at times even the dads - Bob and Jeff. The field is often wet, and the turf has seen its better days. Slipping and sliding is not uncommon but fortunately rarely result in any serious injuries to anything but the pride. Yet, when first aid is needed, Lukas is ready with his portable kit and Scout training.

Christmas Decoration

By now, most stores in the US are fully decorated for Christmas, and many families have set up the tree and hung the lights. The Chinese are eagerly adopting American traditions but is keeping it a bit more low key. The selection of Christmas decoration at our local store consists of one shelf - these are true Charlie Brown trees. The display was right next to toilet paper...

each about 12 inches tall, perfect for the small Chinese apartments

InterContinental Thanksgiving

The InterContinental hotel put on a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and ham along with all the fixings, soups, roasted vegetables, and mac'n'cheese. The appetizers brought tasty treats from other areas of the world, such as smoked salmon, Irish cheese, and Italian cold cuts. The desserts and the fruit platters were equisitively decorated. The food was great, and we met many expats who now call Chongqing home. Food coma set in on the bus ride back home :-)

One of the many bridges in town - never seen the Yangtze that color....

Exploring Chongqing

We were invited to join the traditional Expat Thanksgiving Dinner at the Inter Continental hotel downtown. We headed out early in the afternoon to explore a bit more of the city and pick up a few souvenirs. The view of the bridge is becoming familiar to us. The sky revealed a bit of blue making it even more pleasant to watch the skyline. We walked through a large shopping area complete with food stalls, little shops selling everything from antiques to toy fo the moment - all at prices begging to be bargained over. We also walked an architecturally interesting building housing an art gallery and theater. Before heading to our dinner, we captured one more selfie by the People's Liberation Monument.

map on the ground - if we only could read Chinese...

It was remarkably empty in the shopping area

Fun sculpture and play area

People's Liberation Monument in the distance

Happy Thanksgiving

It is an interesting thing, this living outside of the US. Some of the events that take on a life of their own can pass by without barely a thought when overseas. The fourth Thursday of November is just an ordinary day here in China, but it is a good reason to gather up a few Americans and celebrate. It is our first Thanksgiving without turkey. At $10 per pound and a toaster oven as our only means of cooking up a turkey, it was out of the question. However, we made a few other quintessential American holiday dishes such as mac'n'cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, and steamed broccoli with cheese. Lukas whipped up tasty rolls which we enjoyed with real butter, and for dessert, we served pecan squares with whip cream. Some careful planning and farming out of the reheating of food allowed us to enjoy a warm meal with friends and family.