Journey of a Kumquat: Week 41

So I have survived my first trip away from Charlotte. I thought I was strong willed and all but was missing Charlotte really badly on the flight to China - probably because of all of the other kids on the plane on top of the fact that I was reading a tear jerker of a book Let's Take the Long Way Home, which made me really happy that I have a dear and wonderful friend in Nicole, and how lucky I am to have her as a light in my life.

I was in Xiamen to finish sourcing some things for our house in the US. Ji Hong, a colleague of one of Matt's colleagues in Beijing, met me and took me around for 4 days. I had curtains made, outdoor furnishings made, various bathroom items purchased, stainless steel piping made - a trip not for the faint of heart and one I probably could not easily do again.

Ji Hong was very hardworking and sweet. My Chinese is no good and her English was equal to my Chinese - so there was a lot of phone calls to people in Beijing and Taiwan to assist in our communication. We first got me a phone card (as my pay as you go Singapore one did not work in China) and then had lunch. It was hot pot and it was funny. I feel like I am pretty adventurous (let's say on a scale of 1 to 10 I am about a 7) in terms of food and this lunch was definitely an 8 or higher. You picked your own meat at the buffet, lots of it was largely unrecognizable (though I think that there was some brains there). Everything ended up being cooked in a hot pot in the center of the table. Ji Hong asked me if I wanted some of the frog legs, which I respectfully declined. There was also fresh shrimp - so fresh that the stronger ones were jumping off the table to save themselves! After this trip I believe that dying in a vat of boiling broth is the least desirable way to die, for me anyway.

My last night I met up with Thomas and we had dinner and coffee together. I also got a wicked bout of food poisoning (this sometimes happens when I go from eating no Chinese food to eating several days worth of Chinese food - this is what happened when I moved to Hong Kong in 2004). I am amazed that I still have my internal organs as I was convinced at four in the morning that there was nothing left inside of me. Yesterday was rough. I tried to sleep on the airplane but my hands and feet were freezing cold. Luckily I feel more like myself today.

Happier times in Charlotteville. She is shaking her head no (yet she scoffs at us when we shake our heads no to her) and is using her walker, and her friend Hero's walker in the park (there is a cute video link here via Facebook - not sure if everyone can see it. Thanks Lee for taping it in my absence). Sadly our local park is closed for renovation - for 6 to 7 months! Must find a new stomping ground..

Charlotte is also cruising the furniture - videos to come soon...

Wow, I am so happy to be home! Singapore is a wonderful place....

Xiamen pics:

Frog legs: