tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79225877306947478982024-03-05T02:53:54.424-08:00Sheehan ShenanigansKris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-69835556734789897442009-12-28T16:28:00.001-08:002009-12-28T16:38:27.506-08:00Merry Christmas 2009Hi Everyone,<br /><br />We hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We are enjoying our time in Phoenix with my family. Please enjoy our annual Sheehan Shenanigans Christmas letter and our card. We hope 2010 brings you great things!<br /><br />Love,<br />Kris and Michael<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG63RqkqMbZLZD0354n1EUfGqr0Vddg7nM2p_x_C5MUi9rqPKuI-YbWx2GVcL3Gllc9DT-N_LLIUZB4q0SlXMlvF94ONJh1ht41pBKGYz3lUEQ0ibTJTYp7Al6x3ML86j-6EIMn97aTDSA/s1600-h/Christmas+Card+09.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 205px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG63RqkqMbZLZD0354n1EUfGqr0Vddg7nM2p_x_C5MUi9rqPKuI-YbWx2GVcL3Gllc9DT-N_LLIUZB4q0SlXMlvF94ONJh1ht41pBKGYz3lUEQ0ibTJTYp7Al6x3ML86j-6EIMn97aTDSA/s400/Christmas+Card+09.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420450485982665906" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong>Sheehan Shenanigans</strong><br /><br />Worn down the other night by reading pages upon pages of monotonous high school essays, I succumbed to a bout of procrastination and stopped by Facebook and stumbled upon a status update by my old University of Maine graduate school roommate Bill, who reported that he too was working on his annual family Christmas letter. I proceeded to ask him if he had any ideas I could use for the 2009 edition of the Sheehan Shenanigans, promising that I would give him full credit if he would agree to act as my muse. Bill responded with two suggestions from which my theme could emanate: the 1986 movie <em>Shanghai Surprise</em>, starring Madonna and Sean Penn; and the recent Dubai financial meltdown. But do I really want to do that – create some kind of weird parallel between those entertainment and fiscal disasters and this message of holiday goodwill and cheer? It would go over as well as a Tiger Woods endorsement for…well…just about anything at this point. Perhaps it’s better to make this letter theme-less and simply tell some stories about the Sheehans and what we’ve been up to this year. I can guarantee that we have not been nominated for any Golden Raspberry Awards, caused any financial consternation in the Middle East or beyond, or crashed into any trees or fire hydrants. No, our mishaps and misfortunes have been much less calamitous and certainly contained well within our four-person world. And really, it’s only troubling when we’re in the “Molly Zone” – those times when soon-to-be-five Molly has the household so amped with emotion and energy that we’ve all turned on each other, yelling, screaming, crying, throwing tantrums, and acting like…well…Molly. Allow me to set the scene: the apartment is calm and quiet throughout. Harmony reigns. Hark! A simple, melodious call to dinner. And then it happens…we’ve entered…The Molly Zone. <em>I’m not hungry! I can’t walk! I’m tired! I don’t like this food! Benjamin looked at me! Where’s my pink fork? My tummy hurts! Oooowweeee! My chair isn’t pushed in! Where’s my orange juice? I wanted the Little Einsteins cup! Stop calling me Linda Blair!</em> And soon the behavior becomes contagious, enveloping us all like an insidious mutant strain of H1N1. Quickly, Benjamin is lured into the Zone and begins his own rant, and before long I’m glaring at Kris and she at me, and we both fume inside, wondering whose side of the family we can blame for these outbursts. We both swear we never acted like this as children. Never. <em>YOU let them play Wii too much! YOU give them too much candy! YOU never discipline them! YOU give them diet coke! YOU let them stay up too late! And then I try to think of a retort. Yeah, well, you, YOU make them do their homework!</em> However, as quickly as we entered the Zone, the maelstrom has suddenly and inexplicably abated…and we are out of it. It’s as if, magically, a switch is flipped, and the kids are as happy and content as they’ve ever been, the perfect children we imagined and hoped they would be when they were babes in swaddling clothes. They take one last bite of dinner, excuse themselves, and run off to take a bath. But that doesn’t mean the two of us are fine. Noo waaaay. You see, being in the Molly Zone is like getting hit by an emotional tsunami. No warnings, no overt signs…just WHAM…and you’re swallowed up by it. And even when the waters have long since crashed over us and mostly receded, we still reel and wallow in the residue and remnants of the bickering, complaining, and whining. It’s a weird post-traumatic experience that most parents of young children can identify with – and most parents of older children can laugh about. Now it would be unfair to lay blame entirely on Molly for the occasional volatility of our household, for besides our parental misfires, she had a wonderful teacher and mentor in Benjamin. Just a year ago, for example, we were ready to skip Christmas dinner with some friends because Benjamin refused to wear anything other than the pair of ripped red sweat pants that he had worn every single day for two months. Seriously. It was a meltdown of epic proportions, one that could easily be included in the Children’s Emotional Breakdowns Hall of Fame. Even Molly, several weeks shy of her fourth birthday, was rolling her eyes at him. But what a difference a year makes, because now he, at seven-years old, is so much more eventempered and self-sufficient. And he even chooses from among four pairs of pants instead of just one. The irony in all of this is that the Molly Zone, as well as the previously inferred Benjamin Zone, takes place only when we, the loving and doting parents, are present. At school for example, the kids are nearly perfect, both getting glowing marks for their performance and behavior from their respective teachers. Molly has even been called, and I’m not making this up, a leader for the positive example she sets among her pre-kindergarten peers. In fact, both of them have excelled in school and are reaping the greatest benefit from our incredible international experience – a top-notch private education. They’re even learning Mandarin and have made enormous strides toward becoming bilingual. When Xiao Cao, our Chinese nanny who does not know a lick of English, tries to speak to me, I have to look to Molly for a translation, which she is more than happy to do. So, as much as her behavior can confound and befuddle us – which is about 68.2 percent of the time, we have high hopes that she’s turning the corner…and that the Molly Zone will soon be a distant memory, much like Benjamin’s affinity for his tattered red sweat pants. And that, dear friends and family, is our year in Shanghai – not exactly the stuff of tabloids, but, to us at least, somewhat surprising, mildly unpredictable, and a bit out of the ordinary. Thus, we wish you all a wonderful holiday season, and we do hope that our paths can cross in 2010 – if not in person, then at least on Facebook. And until we meet again, be well, and do your best to stay out of the Zone.Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-85699368154016132512009-11-16T17:31:00.000-08:002009-11-16T17:52:04.029-08:00Benjamin's Soccer SeasonBenjamin is just finishing up his second year of soccer and has made some great improvements this year in his skill and confidence. It is fun to watch him learn and enjoy a team sport. We finished the season at a tournament in Gubai with several other teams. Our boys were stunned by the competition as our friendly teams in Zhudi team are not nearly as aggressive as those in Gubei. By the final game, though, they had made huge improvements and had learned to be much more aggressive when playing. I am very happy that we are playing in our small little area as the competition was a bit too intense for my taste. It was a fun experience, though.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwlv8vBfeeTfFIObiqiuu9KtKxeaMvsl2m59v7kpeg4L4T1rMhe0UpD1K37Vtp73JW3uVZhtJJHnRe6MRkI2A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-65107146554654585302009-04-01T22:48:00.000-07:002009-04-02T06:36:39.840-07:00Kindergarten Career UnitIn March, the kindergarten students at SAS studied careers. Benjamin really enjoyed the unit and chose to "become" a photographer. Michael was the guest speaker for the photographer group. As yearbook advisor, Michael is often seen around campus with his camera so is also considered to be a photographer.<br /><br /><embed src='http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/Main.swf' quality='high' width='410' height='300' FlashVars='conf=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/playerConfigEmbed/4446.xml&guide=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/guide/4446.xml&banner=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/banner.xml&commercial=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/commercial/4446.xml' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='sameDomain' type='application/x-shockwave-flash'></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-15453758599507506402009-03-18T05:32:00.000-07:002009-04-02T06:28:39.175-07:00K-2 ConcertsEach month at SAS there is an assembly for all K-2 students. Each grade level performs and students from each class receive awards. In February, Benjamin was very excited to earn an award for good behavior. Then, in March, his class did a Dr. Seuss presentation. It was pretty cute. Benjamin is the one in all red in the middle group. He really had his moves down!<br /><br /><embed src="http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/Main.swf" quality="high" flashvars="conf=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/playerConfigEmbed/4698.xml&guide=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/guide/4698.xml&banner=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/banner.xml&commercial=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/commercial/4698.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" width="410" height="300"></embed><br /><br />A slideshow of the preparation for the assembly:<br /><br /><embed src="http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/Main.swf" quality="high" flashvars="conf=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/playerConfigEmbed/4684.xml&guide=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/guide/4684.xml&banner=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/banner.xml&commercial=http://portal.saschina.org/video/flv_player/data/commercial/4684.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" width="410" height="300"></embed><br /><br />Receiving his award in February:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHo-0b9Sai55668L3UHZpmW_dhaVcoWqlzcuImGPAyp3lXTqJOGfOeYWqkTCLKuJlde9yBoEMRTwZz1YCUmM4fxkgnQkteCCKTO2jeN49QbAzIvRHkqThiASHXdlQGsfYnOSRmEd2nZWO/s1600-h/IMG_4078.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHo-0b9Sai55668L3UHZpmW_dhaVcoWqlzcuImGPAyp3lXTqJOGfOeYWqkTCLKuJlde9yBoEMRTwZz1YCUmM4fxkgnQkteCCKTO2jeN49QbAzIvRHkqThiASHXdlQGsfYnOSRmEd2nZWO/s400/IMG_4078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320085353012951922" border="0" /></a>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-42248577841417145002009-02-07T01:43:00.000-08:002009-02-07T01:47:36.560-08:00Molly Turns 4Molly turned 4 on January 30 and we had a party for her in our apartment. She invited 5 friends, their siblings and parents and we ended up with quite a party. We grilled and talked and ate. At the end, we even had fireworks in the street. It was a pretty amazing site and the kids loved it. Molly was excited by the new camera she got as well as all of the Barbies. She loves playing with her Barbies and acting things out. She is also having fun playing with her new puppet theater! Now, I am hoping 4 is easier than 3.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5299986607796688433%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DvA-LuG3Scuo" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-82889304452868811912009-02-07T01:37:00.001-08:002009-02-07T01:48:35.990-08:00Chinese New YearWe had a week off during the Chinese New Year holiday and we decided to head downtown for a few days with some friends. We stayed in an apartment/hotel near Old Town and had a great time. We went to Yu Yuan Garden, wandered around the Old Town Area, went to the Bund and went through the sightseeing tunnel and had lunch in Pudong. We even attended a circus and watched in awe as a bike broke away from one of the riders and flew into the front row and landed on a lady in the audience. It was an action-packed few days and it was fun to play tourist for a while.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5299986796895982193%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DzeCAMclqjrc" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-53072550991754136562009-01-21T06:46:00.000-08:002009-01-21T06:50:01.481-08:00Chinese New YearWe are looking forward to experiencing our first Chinese New Year next week. The elementary school had two assemblies and Benjamin participated in the primary grade assembly. The kids also made Chinese lanterns, wore traditional Chinese clothing -- Benjamin stuck with his red sweats since red is the color for Chinese New Year. It is fun to see the city decorated for this important holiday. We are looking forward to a week off from school.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F6DbyVPEsoU&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F6DbyVPEsoU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-1645916543333017562009-01-11T04:04:00.000-08:002009-01-11T04:08:23.259-08:00Ice on the PondIt finally got cold enough for a bit of ice to form on the pond. Benjamin and Molly were amazed to see the pond frozen over and spent a lot of time throwing rocks on the ice, breaking off large sheets of ice and shattering them, and even standing on top of the ice at the very edge of the pond. Benjamin wanted to go back to the pond constantly for two days. He filled the freezer with sheets of ice to save for later. Now, if we could just get a bit of snow his life would be complete.<br /><br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5290003128825675393%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DyVGwM94CUXY" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-30114864984729042972009-01-05T04:25:00.000-08:002009-01-11T04:31:06.219-08:00Shanghai AquariumWe finally made it to the Shanghai Aquarium in Pudong and it was as exciting as we had heard. Sharks and stingrays floated overhead as we rode down the elevator. We saw turtles, penguins, and tons of fish. After the aquarium, we headed to a noodle shop and had our first experience in a restaurant where no one spoke English. We managed to get what we wanted and successfully ate our meals with chopsticks. The kids will try almost anything.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5290012247726361745%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DS2vSJ9IImis" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-29835287525693548592009-01-02T03:55:00.000-08:002009-01-11T04:24:31.911-08:00Christmas Season 2008We decided to stay in Shanghai for Christmas so we could have some time to finish settling in and we could do a bit of sightseeing. We spent the first week hanging pictures, shopping for presents, visiting with friends and getting organized. By the time Christmas came, we were tired, but settled. We spent Christmas Eve at a party with other teachers and their families. On Christmas morning, Santa brought everything the kids were hoping for: Wii, Star Wars Legos, doll house. Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny, Mom and Dad provided most of what Santa forgot: more Legos, doll, Dora stuff, clothes, Ben 10 watch, Bakugan. It was a hectic morning. We headed to SRC for brunch with a few other families and returned home to continue playing with toys. The Wii was a big hit that the whole family could play with. Even though it was cold, we were able to golf, bowl, and play tennis. We spent the rest of the vacation doing a bit of sightseeing, swimming (inside), playing more Wii and visiting with friends. We missed our families and our Dubai friends!<br /><br />Christmas Photos<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5290010116731660785%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DKK4Kzw_Kv54" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-7937304750816389222008-12-25T02:31:00.000-08:002008-12-25T03:02:18.905-08:00Merry Christmas 2008Happy Holidays, Everyone. We made it to winter break and the annual Christmas letter is complete and ready to read. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2009. Click on the picture below to see a larger version of our card.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUm522HhxlX4DTD0KmsWy_d4ISuyK6bld2QuzvVjz_243Sgfsl3jHkOjPRpAU6arKy44Ue8m11RAWKfZ8zv72tyCNtqqT8KTZTy6h8zPy03s2FekLxYjCtNMxVe1B9tEnsmDlcT98N_3s/s1600-h/ChristmasCard2008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUm522HhxlX4DTD0KmsWy_d4ISuyK6bld2QuzvVjz_243Sgfsl3jHkOjPRpAU6arKy44Ue8m11RAWKfZ8zv72tyCNtqqT8KTZTy6h8zPy03s2FekLxYjCtNMxVe1B9tEnsmDlcT98N_3s/s400/ChristmasCard2008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283674093405755682" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Sheehan Shenanigans</span><br /><br />I’ve always been able to write the annual edition of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sheehan Shenanigans</span>, but given that it’s the wee hours of Christmas Eve and the kids will be up in a few hours to ravage the gifts beneath the tree, the prospects are pretty grim. I don’t know what’s gotten into to me. My ability to write has been – please forgive me – <span style="font-style: italic;">Shanghaied</span>. I type a sentence, sometimes merely a word or two, and then I hit delete…reach for whatever food I’ve just scrounged from the kitchen (presently I’m working my way through a bag of Goldfish and a bottle of sparkling water)…and lean back and stare at the screen. Then every ten minutes or so I’ll check various websites and blogs to see how the Red Sox will respond to the signing of free agent Mark Texieria by the Evil Empire Yankees, and then go back to this letter and try again, until I’m in the kitchen again doing my Yogi Bear impersonation. It’s good that clothes and tailoring are so inexpensive here, because I’ll need to have my pants let out if this writer’s block persists. I might also need some makeup to cover up the bruises from the beating I’ll get from Kris. You see, this dry spell has been going on for two weeks. Aaaaand there goes the bag of Goldfish. Writing my Master’s thesis earlier this year was a cinch compared to writing this letter. Something is definitely in the air here.<br /><br />Literally, though, <span style="font-style: italic;">something is in the air</span>. How else can we account for being sick so often since we arrived here in August? Among the four of us, we’ve had – and this is no exaggeration – over 20 illnesses in the last five months. From the skitters to sinus infections, maladies mysteriously abound in the Sheehan household. We even went out and purchased, at no small price, an air purifier: the Swiss-made IQAir Healthpro 250 Air Cleaning System. And the day after we got it both Kris and I came down with colds. I suppose we’re destined to go around hucking loogies on the sidewalk like every other Ri, Feng, and Xiu Li in the country. Nice.<br /><br />There have been a plethora of challenges with this new phase of life. I’ll begin with the kids. For some weird reason we thought they would have the easier transition to China. Wrong. Turns out they had very strong attachments to Dubai, so they cried a lot when we got here. And cried. Imagine how thrilled we were when we got a note from Molly’s nursery school teacher saying that Molly had finally stopped crying – and that was in early November. Benjamin, on the other hand, is lucky to have Kris walk him to school 98 percent of the mornings (and have an office down the hallway from his classroom), or else he might possibly cry every day. However, despite those emotional outbursts and the aforementioned sicknesses, they are adjusting exceptionally well. In fact, Molly steeled herself enough to land the lead in her school’s Nativity play; in fact, you can check out her riveting performance as Mary in the video Kris uploaded to the blog. “I’m so tired…where can we stay?” Those particular words were actually not a big stretch for her, considering the first part of that line has been her mantra for the last several months. Benjamin,<br />meanwhile, is also coming into his own, receiving glowing reports from his kindergarten teacher. He’s a great kid at school, and he’s…well…<span style="font-style: italic;">pretty good</span> at home. If he’d only wear a different pair of pants, then we’d be over the moon. For two months he’s worn the same pair of red sweatpants, sans underwear, and a blue Gap hooded sweatshirt – the true picture of a street urchin if ever there was one. He does have innumerable redeeming qualities, such as not waking us up anymore when he gets out of bed at 5:30 am. He’s even thoughtful enough to close his door and play quietly, usually drawing pictures, creatively writing short “books”, and constructing elaborate Lego scenes.<br /><br />Speaking of arts and crafts, Molly is also into drawing and writing. Her most infamous work is entitled “Purple Marker on the Brand New Couch”. A close second is “Now I’ll Draw on My Bedspread While Daddy Tries to Clean the Couch.” It’s a shame the Chinese haven’t discovered Scotch Guard. But when she’s not coloring the apartment she can usually be found in Benjamin’s shadow, following, helping, mimicking, or needling him. They like to have little competitions with<br />each other, such as seeing who can count higher or faster in Chinese. In fact, both kids are doing remarkably well with the language. They have Chinese instruction at school and get an extra dose of learning at home with our ayi (nanny and housekeeper) Mrs. Chen. She’s very good with the kids, and after a rough start – arriving late for work a few times, asking for more money after a month of employment, ruining Kris’s favorite pair of pants with bleach – she is beginning to grow on us too. She speaks a fair amount of English, but we still have some trouble communicating with her…or I should say <span style="font-style: italic;">Kris has trouble</span>. I try to stay out of it. No need to muddy the waters, I say, plus it’s pure entertainment to watch Kris battle through a simple conversation with her. Although she is no Belinda, who was our nanny and housekeeper in Dubai, Mrs. Chen is a pleasant, kind, patient, and resourceful woman who cooks some mean local food, which is always nice to come home to after a long day at school.<br /><br />And speaking of school, our jobs, while busy and challenging like everything else in Shanghai, have been great. Kris loves being a technology integrationist in the elementary school, and I have been enjoying the formidable task of being the school’s yearbook coordinator and teaching a few English classes on the side. Shanghai American School is truly a giant step up for the both of us, and we’re especially happy that our kids are receiving a first-rate education. All in all, despite the periodic surge of emotions in the apartment, the occasional illness, and the challenge of communicating with Mrs. Chen and the rest of Shanghai’s 18 million residents, we are getting along just fine. We really like the people, the culture, the food, the shopping, the ease and expense of traveling by taxi everywhere, the opportunity to ride bikes in the neighborhood, and the soft bread (that was Kris’s addition to the list) among other things. We promise you’ll have a good time if you visit, which you should seriously think about. Molly will be happy to loan you her room – she can sleep in Benjamin’s new bunk bed; Benjamin will let you play with his new Wii; Kris will guide you through the city with her burgeoning knowledge of the language; and I will teach you how to get out of a taxi without hitting an old woman who might be racing by on her scooter a little too close to the taxi door. And if the door does happen to nick her handlebars and send her flying through the air, I will teach you how to barter for the cost of her injuries. No problem. It’s just another one of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sheehans’ Shanghai Shenanigans</span>. And what do you know, the Eve has turned into Day, and I have finally broken through and written this letter. Time to put down the fistful of food and retire to bed. Merry Christmas, EveryoneKris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-85128381366305180222008-12-22T04:09:00.000-08:002008-12-22T16:35:36.414-08:00Molly's Acting DebutMolly's school put on the nativity play for their Christmas party. They had a sneak preview for the parents the night before the party. The actors all did very well and there were some cute moments. Molly was thrilled to play Mary and in case you can't hear her, her two lines are, "I am so tired. Where shall we stay." and "His name is Jesus". She is now telling me that she wishes I had named her Mary.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zpVRL2TOVvQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zpVRL2TOVvQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-23440158357300918742008-12-10T06:36:00.000-08:002008-12-10T03:07:55.633-08:00Benjamin's Soccer TeamBenjamin just finished his first soccer season. He had never played soccer before and was not very excited about attending during the first practice, but decided to give it a shot. He spent the first half of that practice watching from the sidelines. He finally built up the nerve to participate and has loved it ever since. He loves to run and seems to have endless energy so this is definitely a good sport for him. After the first few weeks of practice, he got his uniform and real soccer cleats. It was pretty exciting. His friend, Aidan, is on his team and Michael and Jeff (Aidan's dad) are the coaches. The kids have a lot of fun and are actually looking a bit like they know what they are doing on the field. As the weather turns colder, though, it will be nice to spend our Sundays on some inside activities.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHRNw5-phmRkDKQfg-eZcg_QRAVm5XkaVART_wkRiNpfR9TvtbzgTz6pns2xMH4oPprt8i9Rvkj_BbZ2OndIGo7Io93ViPwF9wbWZgxcViWTsQ1WF5SMAGiOBUP2ehPcZERW4cJL9NwvP/s1600-h/Soccer.jpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNHRNw5-phmRkDKQfg-eZcg_QRAVm5XkaVART_wkRiNpfR9TvtbzgTz6pns2xMH4oPprt8i9Rvkj_BbZ2OndIGo7Io93ViPwF9wbWZgxcViWTsQ1WF5SMAGiOBUP2ehPcZERW4cJL9NwvP/s320/Soccer.jpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278115916182237346" border="0" /></a>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-12031175875746903312008-12-10T03:08:00.000-08:002008-12-10T04:09:43.043-08:00Our First Thanksgiving in ShanghaiThis was the first time since we have been overseas that we had to work on Thanksgiving. It was a bit disappointing to be at work, but we made the best of it and had a fun day. Friday was a half day so we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday instead of Thursday. After school on Friday, Kathryn and I started our Thanksgiving by heading to the nearest massage parlor for one of their famous foot massages. This was a big help in putting us in the holiday mood. Then, I went home to prepare for dinner with two families, each with two kids about the same age as ours. Molly's friend Vicki showed up for a surprise visit and she also stayed for dinner. Everyone arrived around 4 pm and we spent an hour talking and cooking. Our turkey was delivered (our oven just isn't big enough) right around 4 and we all sat down to eat around 5. After dinner, while the guys cleaned up, we took the kids for a walk around the compound and let them run for a while. We were actually able to make the evening last until about 9:30 and then it was a quick exit before all sense of order was lost. <br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&captions=1&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5278129575934396401%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3Dz9lcSLznbAw" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-20087851315542718962008-11-07T06:35:00.000-08:002008-11-25T05:43:55.341-08:00A Day in the Park<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZeZT8RsbTpI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZeZT8RsbTpI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />We finally felt settled enough to get out of our neighborhood and do a bit of sightseeing with the kids. We took a taxi to Zhongshang Park, which is about 30 minutes from our home. One of the best parts of living overseas for me is to see new and interesting neighborhoods and this is definitely a neighborhood I would like to visit again. We had the kids with us, though, so we headed straight into the park and started looking around. We first went into a climbing/playing area which was indoors. The kids did not want to go to the climbing area, but they were happy to play a few of the games. After this, we wandered around outside and watched all of the people enjoying the day. There were groups dancing to music, flying kites, riding on the lake in boats, and playing games. The kids and Michael went on the carousel and Molly spent quite a bit of time in a bouncy castle. There were not a lot of expats in the park and it was fun to hang out and watch people on a typical Sunday in China.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSk9LNvZZOIg24U53rOZmVj4vtHE2Cmr0MEYvFWzvyvoB0-cYkTqRrtOPSBsGRKlfObjSUA8Ca3GYCoeHXCHWpPIvS4lowJGTsvbNMlP4hMZ3zsfp4hBYpbhTH_MwlfL69C7jMADzT0zMs/s1600-h/ParkCollageSmall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSk9LNvZZOIg24U53rOZmVj4vtHE2Cmr0MEYvFWzvyvoB0-cYkTqRrtOPSBsGRKlfObjSUA8Ca3GYCoeHXCHWpPIvS4lowJGTsvbNMlP4hMZ3zsfp4hBYpbhTH_MwlfL69C7jMADzT0zMs/s400/ParkCollageSmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272581551804471362" border="0" /></a>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-85832678333085485342008-11-05T05:28:00.000-08:002008-11-25T05:43:35.003-08:00Girls' Day OutAt the end of October we had a much needed girls' day out. Jenn, my upstairs friend, and I headed out with our daughters -- Molly and Jaya. We took the WWG shuttle into a neighborhood nearby and had coffee and breakfast. Then we climbed into a taxi and Jenn told the driver where to go -- it is nice to know someone who has been here a while and speaks Chinese. We headed downtown to H&M to try to find some sweaters and fall clothes for Molly and me. The little girls even stayed calm enough for Jenn and I to try on some clothes. I actually left with a few purchases for me and even more purchases for Molly. Then, the four of us headed to lunch nearby and ate and chatted. Finally, when the younger girls seemed like they had had enough, we headed home to show off our purchases.<br /><br />Kris and Molly<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8XWCVsFVLOUrxXYRuqv9xT4xQ6XbjX4_S1PIXl3ZnJOLDwF-BOdvLECkceR-lte1O2SR01gvK6IOj58o6zbpK6wFhwoGPFafkQpMaECU6o-8ztPNiHsC8m9hchFdFcT-DBKs6AN-0I3Z/s1600-h/krismolly.jpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 243px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8XWCVsFVLOUrxXYRuqv9xT4xQ6XbjX4_S1PIXl3ZnJOLDwF-BOdvLECkceR-lte1O2SR01gvK6IOj58o6zbpK6wFhwoGPFafkQpMaECU6o-8ztPNiHsC8m9hchFdFcT-DBKs6AN-0I3Z/s320/krismolly.jpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272589655858195746" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Jenn and Jaya<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTRRU4S5Pn9z7VyLhgKAX6s39S9j4VtSIYlA73GC8yWb71wEcIMlzx86jEeBXCtjRmV3MGsa4hAmoMa5bhoOUTLjInvG8O4X5BSloiGFNGqch0N_6VnVE07eC08JpenpXm-lXofH_9ThV/s1600-h/JennJayasmall.jpg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTRRU4S5Pn9z7VyLhgKAX6s39S9j4VtSIYlA73GC8yWb71wEcIMlzx86jEeBXCtjRmV3MGsa4hAmoMa5bhoOUTLjInvG8O4X5BSloiGFNGqch0N_6VnVE07eC08JpenpXm-lXofH_9ThV/s320/JennJayasmall.jpg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272589653129547506" border="0" /></a>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-5342803216764001902008-11-01T03:56:00.000-07:002008-12-10T03:26:48.762-08:00Halloween in Shanghai<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbGmzmkC4jPCHHOkqkiYxUrCdg5VU9AtKU49iSjLnsqLGiNu5SBoOUHZIEaIdkcAsds0IGxt_WZ7X5_bTQSxeJdYp42urcayDTbDLSSm5EV3lGsNnqaTCB3JNngYAbuSvjVvl1vHRDRbM/s1600-h/halloween+004resized.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbGmzmkC4jPCHHOkqkiYxUrCdg5VU9AtKU49iSjLnsqLGiNu5SBoOUHZIEaIdkcAsds0IGxt_WZ7X5_bTQSxeJdYp42urcayDTbDLSSm5EV3lGsNnqaTCB3JNngYAbuSvjVvl1vHRDRbM/s400/halloween+004resized.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272567094939985378" border="0" /></a><br />We had a great first Halloween in Shanghai. Molly's school was closed due to Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease so her party was postponed. Luckily, she was able to come to SAS with me that day and watch the parade and attend much of Benjamin's party. For costumes, we headed to the Children's Market which is downtown. This market is full of shops of toys and clothes for kids. We found a costume store and Benjamin was very excited to see two Ben 10 costumes hanging on the rack. He chose to be Heat Blast and was thrilled. Molly looked at all of the beautiful princess costumes and chose the slightly dirty dalmation costume.<br /><br />School started with a parade around campus. We were supposed to go all over the school, but rain forced us to stay in the elementary building. The kindergarteners started the parade and headed through the halls. I stayed with Benjamin's class as we walked by all of the classes. Then, we headed to a party in Benjamin's room where they played games and made Halloween projects.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">That afternoon we headed to Shanghai Racquet Club for some trick-or-treating. This was the first "real" trick-or-treating the kids have done. We went to over 10 apartments and then headed to a party at the Monk -- a bar/restaurant in the neighborhood. The place was filled with families and there was food and drink for everyone. It was a fun and exhausting day.<br /><br />Pictures from the Day<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5278119308405559361%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3DWlCnKzacqqo" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br /><br /><br /></div>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-6003352763400420802008-10-27T06:34:00.001-07:002008-11-25T04:50:16.506-08:00Molly's Field Trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjjw08E3NyzqsIjWZRHw0eJl_1e9Sr8oGTd2j1fue6jeGMJM_LXmL5hd4zM_tn4TBdTL7JsO4QNXtrXhW8wVc4UjG4t_Z_xpaKLds41ReEXeN8f86qjkvDaNUQwsAniO1zoeC2GQSUctK/s1600-h/MollyFieldtripCollageSmall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjjw08E3NyzqsIjWZRHw0eJl_1e9Sr8oGTd2j1fue6jeGMJM_LXmL5hd4zM_tn4TBdTL7JsO4QNXtrXhW8wVc4UjG4t_Z_xpaKLds41ReEXeN8f86qjkvDaNUQwsAniO1zoeC2GQSUctK/s400/MollyFieldtripCollageSmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272576508647899938" border="0" /></a><br />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.Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-26797306958205965762008-10-27T05:50:00.000-07:002008-10-27T05:58:54.704-07:00Benjamin Learns to Ride a BikeAfter 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.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KlipALB25crp_IO2tHzOKFiVjhGaTByanayRoks8OyBqCQX1KRTNtRM0mPs5R07yuTte6N_wt16yqRp0OEN5KinmHoIkp5ywSAUwpSG4kMSKIcAl412yZOP2X5PAp9El_aMnpM_l4b2y/s1600-h/BenjaminBikeCollagesmall.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KlipALB25crp_IO2tHzOKFiVjhGaTByanayRoks8OyBqCQX1KRTNtRM0mPs5R07yuTte6N_wt16yqRp0OEN5KinmHoIkp5ywSAUwpSG4kMSKIcAl412yZOP2X5PAp9El_aMnpM_l4b2y/s400/BenjaminBikeCollagesmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5261817242386078178" border="0" /></a>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-64162982928849316012008-10-27T05:27:00.000-07:002008-10-27T06:23:54.094-07:00Pictures of the SchoolI 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.<br /><br /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fkirshee%2Falbumid%2F5261822422661601553%3Fkind%3Dphoto%26alt%3Drss%26authkey%3De1Wm4iMahyM" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="400" height="267"></embed>Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-10052764417252176212008-09-20T21:55:00.000-07:002008-09-20T22:41:04.063-07:00Holiday WeekendWe had a three day weekend for the Moon Festival in the middle of September and took this opportunity to finally do a bit of sightseeing. On Sunday afternoon, we had Jessica, our first babysitter ever, come to our house at 3:00 and Michael and I headed to the Bund. We took a taxi to the nearest subway station (about 20 minutes away) and then took the subway to the Bund. This seems to be the easiest way to get into the city. Michael and I spent a couple of hours wandering around the Bund shopping area and then walked to the viewpoint and looked at the Pearl Tower and buildings in the Pudong area across the river. It was raining and fairly miserable, but it was nice to get out. We then stopped at a local Chinese restaurant where no one spoke English and had a disappointing meal. When we arrived home, the kids were in bed and the house was clean.<br /><br />Heading to the Subway Station<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8nwR4xDH_IOSLofRVtUA4kQh3TX36BbR3TPVCohOODX8ocKNkeq6FkKaY1ys_uuTaR-msnxnYfx59MdtyYIZR-6Wxlo6oTUKd_SKH7SMo6jGx0vTlU0VKZYvb-Jwavsn4kwKhLrGTQWE/s1600-h/P1000441.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8nwR4xDH_IOSLofRVtUA4kQh3TX36BbR3TPVCohOODX8ocKNkeq6FkKaY1ys_uuTaR-msnxnYfx59MdtyYIZR-6Wxlo6oTUKd_SKH7SMo6jGx0vTlU0VKZYvb-Jwavsn4kwKhLrGTQWE/s320/P1000441.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248338005443380674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Nanjing Road East -- Pedestrian Shopping Area<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhTdKSa2Vqv7MMAW12uNNT4h1KaMZmDZoTuSdwut7Nq2k_yNxyJMqJAeEDraEsAN22AoNxHuL-XKLQzrFNUO9DV7_YP0VPtz7rKxrWcflfecXDGDfqmeLomTT6co0lbQPBzB4BpnZ7qnQ/s1600-h/P1000445.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhTdKSa2Vqv7MMAW12uNNT4h1KaMZmDZoTuSdwut7Nq2k_yNxyJMqJAeEDraEsAN22AoNxHuL-XKLQzrFNUO9DV7_YP0VPtz7rKxrWcflfecXDGDfqmeLomTT6co0lbQPBzB4BpnZ7qnQ/s320/P1000445.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248338007040685890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Pearl Tower in Pudong<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq5HGTrLEuhI-e6SQ0-ojrAb8j8bA7E7vuaCvPnL5XSLPQUZNj_C8iTCcsSCzEi3VSoNWp_1xgxDVuI0YfrNghGEnLaVepmqcZOh5K1uKLaL3f97D9J4PsaPvO-5nquvtNsoj35cqM995/s1600-h/P1000447.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq5HGTrLEuhI-e6SQ0-ojrAb8j8bA7E7vuaCvPnL5XSLPQUZNj_C8iTCcsSCzEi3VSoNWp_1xgxDVuI0YfrNghGEnLaVepmqcZOh5K1uKLaL3f97D9J4PsaPvO-5nquvtNsoj35cqM995/s320/P1000447.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248339516341974130" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On Monday, Michael participated in an SAS golf tournament so I decided to take the kids to the Shanghai Zoo. It rained on the way to the zoo, but stopped by the time we arrived. The zoo is quite big and has a lot of animals. We saw pandas, snakes, lions, tigers, and we even attended an elephant show. After two hours of wandering around, we were all hot, tired and cranky so we slowly made our way to the exit and fortunately found a quick taxi home.<br /><br />Elephant Show<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIk6DBVUlqSOjsN-IQl5YmCJ0OaV36ifcQPTzx8ci7S0HXmUqzGhwTZhtv3O9tGtJxPx9PJszzyrmkVuIn3ao3oW9m_06l-Dawss5zPVLnACQPMNag1WQDQ5nBx71jpuKLPOVrznHRLdg/s1600-h/P1000460.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIk6DBVUlqSOjsN-IQl5YmCJ0OaV36ifcQPTzx8ci7S0HXmUqzGhwTZhtv3O9tGtJxPx9PJszzyrmkVuIn3ao3oW9m_06l-Dawss5zPVLnACQPMNag1WQDQ5nBx71jpuKLPOVrznHRLdg/s320/P1000460.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248342633935269970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Pandas at the Zoo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgkkrxrl1-526lT5cJ-GT4LWE8nVRd-YDmOJcYW3BucNzydUMaiJYrpKnShk9jdiuRohUJkOoiMX4QhiczfZmBmObHXsF_0bjuiMoajtiffWqB7pziTqjxdQ0D2wMT6UvrTefdC7GVmUi/s1600-h/P1000466.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgkkrxrl1-526lT5cJ-GT4LWE8nVRd-YDmOJcYW3BucNzydUMaiJYrpKnShk9jdiuRohUJkOoiMX4QhiczfZmBmObHXsF_0bjuiMoajtiffWqB7pziTqjxdQ0D2wMT6UvrTefdC7GVmUi/s320/P1000466.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248342648179380834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Duck Pond at the Zoo<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD6E6mACxdPNw5NZtbUNm-D2-gL8iJI_2IG8YqySYffzFKRrlzO7aoSZjBbfM58oGKveZTL1bxtCz1mSFfK3oD-xdHylgoBgmV-52KHgfciiGClfCec_aX_ivSyskACC3Rdr9iTB1ROHf/s1600-h/P1000464.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD6E6mACxdPNw5NZtbUNm-D2-gL8iJI_2IG8YqySYffzFKRrlzO7aoSZjBbfM58oGKveZTL1bxtCz1mSFfK3oD-xdHylgoBgmV-52KHgfciiGClfCec_aX_ivSyskACC3Rdr9iTB1ROHf/s320/P1000464.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248342639995387298" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We arrived home just in time for a huge storm to start. There was heavy rainfall, lightning and thunder. The storm caused Michael's golf game to end early and also caused a power outage in our apartment for three hours. The kids took a bath by candlelight which was a new experience and the power went on just in time for bed.Kris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922587730694747898.post-33462394357627428032008-09-09T05:41:00.000-07:002008-09-20T21:44:56.717-07:00Settling into ChinaWe arrived in China over a month ago and I am finally setting up our family blog. It has been quite a roller coaster month, but we are very happy here. We have not yet been able to do much sightseeing, unless you consider Carrefour and Ikea tourist destinations. For the most part, it has been shopping, working, playing and meeting new friends.<br /><br />Our first challenge was communicating with our nanny, Mrs. Chen. She does speak a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0mU2PyX0ZaTRUV5iHSgfsvXcUFHeKb-vcmqmTA4OL6fL2LeixuHthkNNmdY6lyVB-wnafWwY0XCPLezC5N1ReYwKKYRbCFpDNqLOHruKdFvDwSLJBSihxGHtCYLC8sjv6Q-WDp3anlTw/s1600-h/P1000324.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0mU2PyX0ZaTRUV5iHSgfsvXcUFHeKb-vcmqmTA4OL6fL2LeixuHthkNNmdY6lyVB-wnafWwY0XCPLezC5N1ReYwKKYRbCFpDNqLOHruKdFvDwSLJBSihxGHtCYLC8sjv6Q-WDp3anlTw/s200/P1000324.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248327716870566130" border="0" /></a>bit of English, but we have had many misunderstandings as we have tried to communicate with each other. Fortunately, our school secretary is always willing to act as translator. One of our biggest miscommunications came on Benjamin's first day of school. We had told Mrs. Chen that she would be staying that night until 10 or 11 pm because we were going to go out to dinner for the first time since our arrival. She understood that we did not need her to come in until 10 or 11 in the morning. Needless to say, we started Benjamin's first day a bit stressed. I didn't even get pictures of him on his first day of kindergarten. As time has passed, though, we have become happy with Mrs. Chen and feel she will be a nice addition to our family. The kids like her, she is teaching them Chinese, she cooks Chinese food for us twice a week, and she is a kind and gentle woman.<br /><br />The kids are handling the transition quite well. The first day Mrs. Chen showed up at our home, Benjamin wanted to stay home with her. They continue to amaze me with their flexibility and courage as they face new challenges. It hasn't all been easy, though, as they both had a rough transition to the beginning of school. Molly started school first and had a very tough a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXpNWPuprG4OIeWSSwF4U-ok_Oxe8iO0MpamsmJxIP5gXPPQ8cNL9Ij0-CA0IUFacHW2kqyEB1jLapSRI7EDBARVge_xITLdJi1cdKaLx00R1cj9_NmG1-cedxOMw5uNXk-G8YzJeNj0G/s1600-h/P1000326.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXpNWPuprG4OIeWSSwF4U-ok_Oxe8iO0MpamsmJxIP5gXPPQ8cNL9Ij0-CA0IUFacHW2kqyEB1jLapSRI7EDBARVge_xITLdJi1cdKaLx00R1cj9_NmG1-cedxOMw5uNXk-G8YzJeNj0G/s200/P1000326.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248328953488811410" border="0" /></a>djustment period. She is attending nursery school at the Shanghai Racquet Club which is near to our school and to where we live. Her first day was great. I dropped her off and played with her for a bit of time and she happily went off with Ms. Rachel, her teacher. The trouble started on her second day, though, when she had a very hard time adjusting. It was difficult to explain to Mrs. Chen that Molly did not get to stay home from school just because she did not want to go. She is now in her fourth week of school and she finally had her first day without crying. Once she is there, she loves it and we are happy with the school and with her teachers. She gets quite a bit of Chinese each day and even came home singing her first Chinese song the other day.<br /><br />Benjamin has also had a tough time getting into the school routine. He is in kindergarten at our school so I am able to drop him off each day. We are still waiting for a day without c<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuUPruskDpafGp1azSS6fcVctIO6gRkvTyLNlu5hkfeF0Va4upSgtyidxZiPzsJt1kWv-RbffZciBMeqQbo-GhQUQx8CgOLcEcC1PY7xtudmNn2Wa1HUXZwhxVxEvJiqt26bu_Hqh7Dfb/s1600-h/P1000341.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuUPruskDpafGp1azSS6fcVctIO6gRkvTyLNlu5hkfeF0Va4upSgtyidxZiPzsJt1kWv-RbffZciBMeqQbo-GhQUQx8CgOLcEcC1PY7xtudmNn2Wa1HUXZwhxVxEvJiqt26bu_Hqh7Dfb/s200/P1000341.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248328962948566914" border="0" /></a>rying. He does get better each day and now only sniffles a bit when I drop him off. We really like his teacher, who is also new to the school. She has been very patient and supportive. I am the tech integration specialist for his grade so I get to work with his class at least once a week. I am really looking forward to that. It is so much fun seeing him every day, although I usually hide when I see him coming because he tends to burst into tears. Benjamin just started playing on a soccer team last weekend and after half an hour of watching from the sidelines, Michael was able to convince him that it might be fun to actually play. Once he got involved he had a great time. Benjamin has made a good friend who is also new to Shanghai and lives across the street from us. This has been a great help in his adjustment.<br /><br />So far the jobs have been good for both of us. Michael is teaching grade 9 English and doing yearbook and I am the technology integration specialist at the elementary school. We have both been busy trying to figure out the workings of our new school, but are happy with our jobs. I know I will remain challenged as I work to help the teachers integrate technology into their existing curriculum and as I conduct training sessions with my teaching partner, Jeff. The first month included a lot of learning on my part, but I am finally feeling somewhat caught up. The teachers I am working with are very dedicated and open about using technology and they have some great ideas.<br /><br />We are making some friends, especially with some of the new teachers who arrived with us. There are two other new kindergarten boys who live down the street. Benjamin gets along well with them. They spend quite a bit of time together after school. We like all of the new teachers and there are many families here, which has been fun for us. We all have bikes and we ride around the neighborhood after school and on weekends. Benjamin is learning to ride and Molly has a seat on the back of our bikes for long trips. Michael and I ride our bikes to school which is very different from the cars we had in Dubai.<br /><br />Overall it has been a fairly smooth transition and I am sure we will continue to meet many new challenges as our year progresses.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgty4NB9UXqNHY72PDFx-bSNbxLFQPYLcYZG27MqzxxCPLbHCxmq7CeYIAo3iNYREp4RWMWjsxozz5UAhtBCRaPCWci_xZ6EMlmv9wN9dXVCzQ6RF5Rwq-cAimo3TuF_Nt5IAkz7xcnsuhC/s1600-h/P1000375.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgty4NB9UXqNHY72PDFx-bSNbxLFQPYLcYZG27MqzxxCPLbHCxmq7CeYIAo3iNYREp4RWMWjsxozz5UAhtBCRaPCWci_xZ6EMlmv9wN9dXVCzQ6RF5Rwq-cAimo3TuF_Nt5IAkz7xcnsuhC/s320/P1000375.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248330514273857570" border="0" /></a><br />Elementary SchoolKris Sheehanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00792218309902835012noreply@blogger.com1