Monday, October 27, 2008

Molly's Field Trip


Molly had her first field trip the last week in October and I was very happy to be able to go along. We went to the Shanghai Organic Farm which is about a 45 minute bus ride from her school. It was fun to sit with Molly on the ride there and look out the window and talk about what we were seeing. It was also nice to meet some of the other moms. When we arrived, we toured the farm, planted some seeds, fed some goats, had lunch and even did some vegetable shopping. We left the farm very tired, but with lots of great organic vegetables to eat.

Benjamin Learns to Ride a Bike

After a month of riding around town on training wheels, Benjamin has learned to ride a bike all by himself. It was very exciting to see him take off the training wheels and begin riding with Michael by his side. As time went on, his confidence grew. It was also helpful to have his new friend, Aidan, by his side encouraging and helping him all the way. Now, Benjamin rides all around our community and can even ride his bike to school and into town. We have a bike with a seat in the back for Molly so the whole family can go out and ride together. Bikes are a necessity here as that is how we get around the neighborhood. It is such a great feeling to go out and ride in the cool fall air. I am sure it will not be so thrilling in the winter. When I met some friends for dinner a while back I had to laugh as we all pulled up on our bikes. It was hard not to remember the Dubai days when we all pulled up in our SUV's. Our life has definitely changed.

Pictures of the School

I finally left my office and took some pictures around the SAS campus. It is one of the most amazing campuses I have seen, with 3 distinct buildings for elementary, middle and high school, a cafeteria divided into two sections for older kids, two gymnasiums, a swimming pool, performing arts center and lots of play areas and fields. If you look beyond the field in one of the pictures you can see our apartment complex in the background. We are across the street from the elementary gate so it is an easy commute for Benjamin and me. Michael has to go to the other side of campus, though, which can take five minutes to walk.