More surprises in Kunming as cold weather returned yesterday (drats), but… we’ve been meeting one terrific Fulbright family after another, from all over the US, many with children, and having a great time.  It’s good to connect with other families like ours, and I’ve instantly liked them all.  I suppose it helps that we all have a similar mind set… all with the same sort of need to see and learn more about China and to do whatever it takes to make it happen.  All of our lunches and dinners this week are group activities, and the Embassy has spared no expense.  We are dining at all the great places in Kunming, including, so far: Moonlight Corner Thai restaurant and the Jiamuxuan Restaurant (an old authentic, recently restored tea house, which incidentally is the building with the great paint job that I photographed yesterday).

While Art is off at his orientation sessions, the girls and I are participating in the Fulbright sponsored “family activities.”  Yesterday’s activities included a trip to Kunming’s Grand View Park (tulips abound. plus many locals practicing tai chi) and a boat ride around it’s foggy lake, then an afternoon craft session making clay rabbits (everything is about rabbits and bunnies as it’s the year of the rabbit).  The girls are thrilled to have other kids to run around with (at last count, the kid round up includes this group all close in age: Cece, Elle, Nina, Lindsey, Alison, Francesca, Jonah, Reed, Ethan and Ivan… plus adorable 4 year old Lyra-Anne… and very cool 14 year old Amelia who of course is not hanging with the young ones) and they all are literally running around the hotel… having a blast, establishing secret headquarters, swimming, etc.  I am strangely relaxed about letting them run off and out of site…

And yesterday at the pool, Mary Kaye (mom to Nina adopted from China) and Barb (mom to Lindsey and Alison, adopted domestically) and I sat and had a beer while the kids swam… talked about adoption and parenting… and facebook, of all things which I still can’t access from here.  VPN is the secret, but my work VPN doesn’t seem to be connecting, so I am going to try a different VPN utility (turns out everyone does this; cheap and easy, right off the internet).

On Friday we will all separate and go back to our respective host cities.  Only one other family returns to Beijing with us.

A few other observations this morning: 1) we are eating like royalty, and I am feeling so virtuous for all the dark greens and green tea I am consuming.  Haven’t had a diet coke or guilty bite of anything since arriving in China.  That said… Elle, who has never had a single soda pop in her life, has discovered Sprite.  2) Making up for the Sprite is the fact that the girls have watched zero TV since we arrived, and don’t seem to miss it.  3) I will never again live without an electric teakettle.  How have I survived all these years?  4) The Embassy gave us two rooms at this high end hotel, but they are not adjoining.  So this week, Art is “king for the week” with his own room down the hall, while Cece and Elle and I hold fort in the “girls room.”  The girls love this.  ; )  5) I so under-packed and now have to buy so many things that are sitting home in Redlands.  Desperate for my danskos, work out clothes and extra fleece jacket…

Locals at the Grand View Park

More tulips!

Grand View Lake view from the tower...

View 2

Courtyard of the restored tea house...

Professor Svenson

Walking back from the tea house...

Making rabbits...

Hand art...

Green Lake Hotel swimmers...