In the blink of an eye

Whew! Another birthday -  big one this time - double digits this year! It's always a challenge to come up with new ideas for the birthday parties - especially with the limited resources here in China. A couple of older kids have had scavenger hunts here in the past year - and I was thinking I would like to do something along those lines, maybe a little simpler - when I remembered a photo-scavenger hunt from a ladies party in Grenoble. Pretty simple concept - try to get a picture of as many things on a list as possible! Of course, back in France, the list was pretty crazy - but it wasn't too hard to come up with a kid friendly version!!

So, 12 girls, 4 teams, 30 photos to take - and an afternoon of outdoor fun! To make it a little more challenging, I had 3 'Mission Impossibles' - solve a math problem to get a house number, and then go to that house, solve another problem! The girls really got into the spirit of adventure, racing around the neighborhood, coming up with some really innovative photos! The real fun was later, when we saw all the pictures - of course, I had blithely declared that we would hook up all the iPods to our TV without actually figuring out how it would all work - lucky for me, my in-house knight-in-shining-armour came to my rescue - spending well over an hour figuring out the technicalities!!

In the midst of all the crazy party planning - I had a quite a few moments of nostalgia. As one of her gifts, Manasi had asked for a photo book made of only her pictures - no family, and definitely no pets! Well, that was good enough excuse for me to trawl through all my pictures - and do I have a lot of pictures!! Spent many teary afternoons at my desk, choked up with emotion, laughing and crying - each photo special, unleashing torrents of memories - and oh those videos, the gurgling baby, the babbling toddler, the sweet baby talk - and then a little kitten playing with my toes, a little puppy with the softest brown eyes - at one point, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to finish, but finish I did, and I have a gorgeous photo book to show for it - most definitely, the hardest and yet the funnest project I've done!!

10 years have passed in the blink of an eye - 10 wonderful, joyous years - 10 years of heartbreaking anxiety. All those laughter filled days, and then the sleepless nights. All those firsts - first smile, first word, first step, first tooth, first day of school. The skinned knees, the bedtime tales, the warm fragrant bath times. The wet sloppy kisses, the tiny hand in mine, the exuberant hugs. The non-stop chatter, the infectious giggles - and yes, the temper tantrums and the sulks!! And the best part - this extraordinary journey is only beginning!! So here's to Manasi - my little angel, my piece of heaven - a very happy 10th birthday!!

A time to give thanks...

For the past few days, I've been stuck at home - downed by an ear infection, of all things! Loaded up with antibiotics, woozy, miserable, laying on the couch all day with no small measure of self-pity - watching endless soaps instead of working on Manasi's birthday party - aargh, I so hate being sick!! Anyway, a good way to shake off a drug-induced depression is always easy - think of everything I have to be grateful for!

Last weekend was Thanksgiving weekend - that most American of holidays!! It's the start of the holiday season, the end of fall - a last weekend before winter finally settles in. When we lived in Peoria, Thanksgiving weekend actually didn't mean too much more than a well-deserved long weekend - but even though the origins of the holiday are really uniquely American, the fundamental idea of setting aside a day just to give thanks deserves more than a passing thought!

This world we live in today - this increasingly material world - where more is always less, this fast-paced world with its eternal, never-ending race - this world makes us all forget that there is more to life than money and possessions. In the quest for happiness, the real meaning of happiness has been eclipsed - real contentment has been lost. I know, too philosophical, right? Blame the meds and an enforced campout on the couch - but counting my blessings seems like a really good idea! So here goes...

A tie for the first place on my list - no prizes for guessing this one - the 2 most important people in my life, Ajey and Manasi. Manasi, the light of my life! There have been times in the past few years when I have hoped for a second child, and been disappointed that things didn't really work out. But then I look at Manasi - and I thank heaven, I couldn't have wished for a more perfect daughter! Manasi has completed us, made us a family - and she is the biggest blessing in my life today.

And Ajey, not only am I thankful for him, but I also want to say thanks to him. In providing for his family, in giving us the best possible way of life, for always being my rock - his hard work, his sacrifices almost always go unnoticed. He's the love of my life, and also my best friend. He can push all my buttons, and yet he's the only one who can bring a smile to my face just like that! So serious when it comes to work, and then again, as playful as a 10 year old! Ok, I'm getting downright maudlin now - so getting to the point - Ajey, Manasi - my cup runneth over!!

On the subject of family, much gratitude there too!! Both sets of grand-parents to spoil Manasi, 2 nephews for me to spoil!! Good health and well-being all around! My parents - my biggest cheerleaders, my sister, S - my sounding board for all things, good and bad and her husband, S - for making her so happy. My in-laws - for all the support over the years, and V & A - for all the good times in Peoria! Parents and siblings - for both Ajey and I - well settled and comfortable in their respective lives! Our extended families - aunts, uncles, cousins, my grand-parents - each person, whether near or far, I am thankful for all of them. And how can I forget my darlings - Snowy and Sunny! Truly, there is no greater blessing than family!

Hand in hand with family goes our large assembly of friends! Our expat friends here in Suzhou, who share our perspectives, our outlook on life - and oh yes, all the parties!! Our dearest friends, who are not physically close to us - but are never further away than a thought! And yes, the FB friends, who with all their likes and comments share our lives, our happiness and sorrow - friends who are always there! Thank you all, all you lovely people - thanks for being a friend!

Nothing like a bout of sickness to be grateful for good health! So firmly on my list, relatively good health. Yes, my nose has given me a truckload of trouble, but I'm grateful that it's still quite a minor thing compared to all the things in the world that can go wrong. And I'm grateful that I have access to good doctors and medication to keep me in my state of relatively good health!!

A big part of our lives for the last 15 years - Caterpillar, Inc. Seems weird to give thanks to a corporation, but I owe so many things to Cat - my first job, to begin with! It has been through Cat that we have been on this extraordinary journey through 4 countries - thanks to Cat that we have been able to travel to so many far-flung places. This unique lifestyle we have today, this unprecedented exposure to various cultures and people - thank you, Caterpillar for all the opportunities!!

And as much as I deride material possessions - there's no hiding the fact that I'm as materialistic as the next person, and I do enjoy my creature comforts! So goes without saying - I'm grateful for my warm house in the winter, thankful for all the comforts of home, for the closet full of clothes, for my books and gadgets - well, to a certain extent, money does buy happiness!! To take it one step further though, I'm also grateful that I am content with my lot in life - kind of makes it easy when it literally is a lot! - grateful that I've never had reason to envy anyone or anything, grateful that I can find peace within myself - and that is something that money cannot buy!!

Thankful doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling - seems incredible that all this happiness is mine, mine alone! Very humbling, actually! Seems impossible to have even a single gray day with all this sunshine! And I hope that I don't wait until next Thanksgiving, but be grateful with every single breath! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and I hope that you have plenty to be thankful for as well!

The price of freedom...

It's been 8 weeks since the protests in Hong Kong started - and what was big news then, the cynosure of eyes around the world - has slowly disappeared from the news. Incredible to think that the protesters are still on the street, still fighting for that inalienable, but yet, elusive right - freedom. Seems like such a little thing to ask for - the freedom to choose their own leaders, the freedom to be a complete democracy.

Taking on the might of Beijing, thousands of students took to the streets - and the world watched with bated breath, bracing for the worst, expecting the Communist juggernaut to steamroll the demonstration - but Beijing's response was unexpected, and perhaps, even more deadly - they did nothing at all. So, 2 months later, while the stalemate continues, the public support for the Hong Kong protests is waning, people losing interest in a cause that seems to be going nowhere.

Our October vacation coincided with the peak of the protests - a day before we flew into HK, the police tear-gassed the crowd, leading to the fear that the so far peaceful demonstrations would turn violent. I was a bit apprehensive about stepping into a potentially massive conflagration, but since our cruise left from Hong Kong, there was no way to avoid going there. To my total surprise, the buzz at the airport was completely normal - the only indication about the disturbance were a couple of signs near the bus depot - "Due to the incident in Hong Kong, certain bus routes will be cancelled"! Incident, indeed!!

And life elsewhere in Hong Kong was completely normal, too. The Metro was running regularly, which meant there was no inconvenience in getting anywhere. A lot of buses were suspended, but information about alternate routes was easily available - a lot of the offices in the financial district were closed - but other than that, all calm! We were easily able to go to Stanley Market, and spend a day there with our Suzhou friends. It was a bit surreal, thousands of protesters fighting for their convictions only a few miles away, and here we were, enjoying a slice of pizza, bargaining over trinkets!!

Also surprising was that we were able to walk right up to the demonstration - I have to admit that my heart was in my mouth as we walked past the barricaded streets, the usually bustling Central district eerily silent and deserted, I wasn't even sure if I should be taking pictures. No police in sight, as we walked on, past the students who had obviously spent the night on the streets, the banners and fliers covering the walls, the Red Cross tents, the food and water tents, the piles of garbage bags - all peaceful, there were some students singing, but most had pitched their tents on the roads, waiting...

To be honest, I was a little uncomfortable taking pictures - at best, a bystander to living history - at worst, a voyeur, trespassing on an intense display of convictions and beliefs. All these people, standing up to injustice, demanding their rights, refusing to accept a fait accompli...where does this strength come from? This is the stuff revolutions are made of - these are the principles that can rock the world. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a solution...Beijing will never lose face by conceding to these protests - I guess only time will tell how this shakes down!

Democracy - the high altar of freedom. Think about it, though - our democracy, the world's largest democracy - and how free are we? Yes, we have universal suffrage, but incredibly, year after year, we vote in the most corrupt politicians. Free speech - but not the courage to raise our voices against injustice. We live in fear - fear to walk the streets of our cities, fear to ride the public transport, fear to stay out late, heck, fear to sometimes even step out of our doors. Is this freedom??

Freedom? The freedom to judge people based on religion, caste and worse, skin color? Freedom to openly abuse and harass those less unfortunate than us? The freedom to litter our streets with impunity - hey, it's a free country, and I'll spit where I want to! Freedom to turn a blind eye and deaf ear, to mind our own business - humanity be damned! The freedom to criticize and complain, but to never lend a helping hand? The freedom to demand, but to never shoulder responsibility. The freedom to ogle and molest women openly, and yes, the freedom to look away - must be her fault, look how she's dressed! Our unique freedom - not exactly a poster child for democracy, is it?

And on the other hand, there's China - yes, a communist country - internet restrictions, absolute government control, no personal rights. But I can take a taxi home from a restaurant at 2am without a thought. I can go for a walk whenever I want, wear what I want, without a second look from anyone. Don't get me wrong - I'm no advocate for communism - but seriously, I would gladly give up access to Facebook if it meant that my mother could go for a walk in the morning without worrying about her mangalsutra being snatched!

I am not naive enough to believe that there is one magic solution to all problems - but there has to be a start somewhere. These Hong Kong students are fighting to preserve their democracy - let us take a good, hard look at ours. No point in blaming the system, after all, we are the system! And together we can make a difference - work towards a better democracy, and the dream of true freedom. Let the change begin!

Cooking up a storm...

Yes, that is me. And yes, that is my class in that advertisement. My class, as in, a class that I taught - to actual people. Nope, not kidding - not even a little bit! I did - I actually, unbelievably, incredibly taught an Indian cooking class!! Now, I consider myself a fairly decent cook - but I'm not winning any prizes anytime for my cooking - and I'm definitely far, far from being an expert!! But as an Indian with a lot of non-Indian friends who love Indian cooking - I'm suddenly an authority on anything even remotely Indian!! Anyway, I don't exactly remember how or when I signed on for this cooking thing - but there it was, I was official an Indian 'cooker' with my own 'cookery class'!!t

The first thing was to decide on the menu. Recipes I was comfortable with, and could easily demonstrate, availability of ingredients, something simple, but yet, with a big wow factor....hmm, tough call!! Tried a whole bunch of different things at home - much to Ajey's delight!, went through my recipe books, even emailed by favorite food blogger - Nupur of One Hot Stove for help! So here's what I came up with - a basic tomato-onion curry with chickpeas, yellow potato bhaji, cucumber raita, vegetable pulao and Indian tea, chai - the last one by popular demand!! It is one of the mysteries of life to me why people pay exorbitant prices for a Chai latte at Starbucks - rather than brew a quick cup at home!!

While planning my menu, it occurred to me that most of my intended audience would have no idea about the various spices we use in Indian cuisine - so I decided to make a presentation explaining different spices, and their importance. I had a lot of fun researching this - learnt many thing too!! Of course, it is common knowledge that turmeric has antiseptic and anti-carcinogenic properties, and that garlic is good for cardiovascular health - but did you know that chili powder helps to increase absorption of iron from beans and legumes, or that cardamom can be used to treat depression?? Fascinating stuff - why we eat what we eat!! And although I do say it myself - I came up with a really good Powerpoint to go with my spice display!

Spice display

Initially, I was thinking that I would be doing the cooking and my 'students' would watch, take notes, ask questions - more like a demo. Then I found out that that everyone would cook together - our lavish school kitchen has 6 cooktops, one for me - and with a total of 15 people signed up, groups of 3 at each of the remaining 5. This meant I had to totally revamp my strategy - get the logistics sorted, putting together grocery lists, making sure I had every little detail down - can someone please remind me why I signed up for this??!!!

With the possibility of so many things going wrong, I decided to do a trial run at home - would get a better feel for the time needed, and also my mock audience - my friends TW, MW and VH - could tell me if I was making any sense, or if I needed to explain something more. That went better than I was expecting - finished cooking all the dishes in just under an hour - add the time for the spice presentation, and the the time needed for everyone else to  cook - another hour for sure! Feeling pretty confident at this time. The other advantage of doing the trial, my friends would be able to walk around and help other people while I was cooking!

Next was the packing!! First, making mini-spice racks for all the work stations - couldn't forget anything - down to oil, sugar and even salt. All the other ingredients - vegetables, yogurt, chick-pea cans, milk, tea, sugar, my cooking vessels, spatulas, it was endless! Once it was all assembled, next step was to get everything in the car - and then into the school. MW and TW to the rescue again - I dropped off 3 bags for them to bring, and my very helpful driver, Chen Shifu, helped me carry the rest to the the school kitchen! Just goes to show how formidably organized I can get if I set my mind to it!!

Ready to go!

Setup in the school kitchen!

Ingredients at each station

In spite of all the preparations, I still ran into a couple of issues! The spice presentation went off pretty smoothly - next I walked everyone through the recipes we would be making, explaining the ingredients and the procedure. Now onto the cooking - and a problem which almost derailed the whole afternoon! The school cooktops are induction, not flame - for safety reasons, obviously - I knew that, I had used one just last week with the Year 4 chapatis. What I did not know - not all pots and pans work on induction stoves - and to my dismay, not a single one that I brought with me was ok. In all of my failure mode analysis - what, I am an engineer! - this had never come up. Verge of panic - saved by my friends, searching for appropriate pans in the school kitchen! Disaster averted!!

It was smooth sailing after that. All my dishes turned out exactly as expected - and I guess my instructions were clear enough that most everyone came up with good food too!! There were a couple of mixups - adding the turmeric too late, forgetting the tomato puree, but no major issues. I did manage to catch one potentially disastrous mistake - I had boxes of Kitchen King masala for everyone to take home - this masala also needed to be added to the chickpea curry - and 1 person almost emptied the entire box into their curry!!! Ok, most important lesson of the day, people - when it comes to spice, less is definitely more!!

In action!

Whew! What a day! I hope that everyone enjoyed the afternoon, and was able to learn something new!! I did get some really good positive feedback - one woman asked me if I was a professional chef, now that really made my day! The most appreciation was for something so trivial that I burst out laughing at all the oohs and aahs - for the raita, I chop cucumbers in a particular way, holding the knife along the length of the cutting board, the blade pointing up - so the chopped cucumber is somewhere between small cubes and fine grated. Nothing special - that's how it's done in countless Indian homes - in this kitchen, it was like I had performed an extraordinary conjuring trick!!

I'm not going to downplay this and say it was a piece of a cake - it most definitely wasn't. There was a lot of work I had to put in - after all, if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right! - the preparations were on a war scale, and needed military precision - not exaggerating, it was crazy how many times I checked and double-checked everything - I was paranoid about reaching school and then finding I forgot something! Really happy that all the hard work paid off!! I got asked if I took orders - no, sorry, I don't - and there were a number of women who asked when the next class would be - but I'm thinking that this is firmly in the 'been-there-done-that' category - no encores in the foreseeable future!!

Yes, I really did - I taught an Indian cooking class! Pinch me, somebody!!

Celebrating Diwali - Suzhou style!

Happy Diwali!!!

Diwali - the most festive time of the year, and also the most nostalgic! It is the time that I miss being away from all my family the most, miss the celebrations and even the phone calls we make to our extended family are so hard - happy that everyone else is together, at the same time, deeply aware of being the only ones far away. Still, there are traditions to follow - the customary Diwali faral, the lighting of the diyas, the sumptuous meals - and although it's just the 3 of us, we always have the best time ever! Happy Diwali, everyone!!

 Making Diwali a little more fun this year - I got an email from Manasi's Year 4 teacher, asking if I could come in and help out on India Day for Year 4. What kind of help? Well, they asked about Bollywood dance - yeah, no - I can't do that - actually, anything other than that...so how about a little Indian cooking for the kids? So thought long and hard, and finally it was Ajey who came up with a plan - have the kids roll out chapatis and then eat with jam! So mixed up a whole lot of dough and headed to school - no surprise that our 5-star school has a fully equipped kitchen for our junior chefs! The kids had a blast rolling out the chapatis - lot of interesting shapes - and they loved eating them too!! One little boy told me - "You eat this every day? You are sooo lucky!!" And in a really sweet gesture, the kids made a lovely thank you card and sent it home with Manasi - really touched!!

Last year, a few of us organized a Diwali party for about 20 Indian families living here in Suzhou - to be honest, I really didn't know many of them, but really enjoyed celebrating with such a large group of people - more the merrier, right?! We had arranged with a popular Indian restaurant in Suzhou, Namaste, for a set dinner menu - and then bought fireworks for the kids. Didn't go as smoothly as planned though - the service was terrible, and a lot of the food we had ordered did not even make it to our tables. Our hungry kids ended up eating plain white rice - it was just really not good at all. What made it worse was all the negative comments - so we really weren't planning for an encore this year!

So here we were planning a smaller get-together, just our regular group of 6 families - but somehow, it didn't feel right - the biggest festival of the year deserves bigger, better, grander! One thing was clear, though - no more Namaste! Luckily for us, a new restaurant just opened up really close to Golden Lough - well, technically it's not new, it's a branch of the Indian restaurant Ganesh, but still! And actually, this whole new area - it's a block away from the Auchan, and is being developed as a new Ligong Di kind of area - canals, old Chinese style construction, lots of restaurants - really, really beautiful place! Anyway, New Ganesh - after a few phone conversations with the manager, we had a reasonable deal! Diwali party is back on!!

And what a party it was!! We had an almost private room to ourselves - with French doors opening to a wide terrace outside. The weather held - no rain, no clouds, and a delicious nip in the air! The food was tasty - and service was really excellent! Best part, the restaurant let us bring our own drinks - beer and soft drinks - which meant a huge saving! Great events - a photo booth for formal family pictures, a rousing game of charades, fireworks - after much debate, it was agreed to keep the fireworks to a minimum - environmental concerns aside, what's Diwali without fireworks!

Photo booth

Good friends, good food!

Cheers!

What's the good word?

Sparklers!

The piece de resistance was undoubtedly - wait for it - our floating Chinese lanterns! In the words of the littlest member of our group "I like it the hot air balloon!" The night before we tried out one at a friends's house - and it was a spectacular failure - the lantern literally went down in flames!! So we didn't really have any high expectations - at the very least, it would be good for a few laughs - and then, one after the other, the lanterns soared up, up and away - filling hearts with joy, tinged with a little nostalgia - sending messages of goodwill and happiness to the world! Such a simple thing, such a profound joy!! The very essence of Diwali!!

Needless to say that this year there were no unhappy customers, no negative comments!! Thanks to New Ganesh and the manager, Daniel - a wonderful job done! Would highly recommend this restaurant to all our Suzhou friends!! A memorable Diwali - one for the books for sure!! Like the past few months, October, too is racing to its end - and like the past months, I'm scrambling to get my posts out in time!! So watch this space - I still have a bunch of exciting October stories to tell!! Until then - a very Happy Diwali to everyone!!

In Manasi's words - "Year 5 goes to NanBei Hu!"

In keeping with their tradition of encouraging independence from a young age, Dulwich College Suzhou organizes China week trips for the students - starting with an overnight sleepover at school for Year 3, moving up to a 3 day outing for Year 4, to 5 day trips for the Year 5 and Year 6 students. Year 5 usually goes to Nan Bei Hu - a scenic lake located about 100kms from Suzhou, a 2 hour bus ride. Manasi and all her friends were on this exciting adventure last week - but here's the best part - Manasi has graciously agreed to write about her China week trip for the blog!! So without further ado, over to my first ever guest blogger - Nan Bei Hu in Manasi's words!!

Day 0 - Sunday
It  was an awesome day today - my mom helped me pack for Nan Bei Hu. I was a little sad to leave my mom because my dad is in America, so she would be alone. I will be sleeping with my friend Edna at Nan Bei Hu. We are going to have a great time!!! I am sooo excited!!!

Day 1 - Monday
Our bus took 4 hours to get to Nan Bei Hu because the driver took the long bridge when he shouldn't have. When we got there, we ate lunch - there was french fries, apples, oranges, rice, coca cola, sprite and fantastic noodles. Then we started games.

'Capture the Flag' was the first game. By the way, at Nan Bei Hu, all the Year 5 students were split into 6 different groups. I was in Group 5, with Mr. Mellows, who is also my class teacher. So, 'Capture the Flag'. Groups 1, 2 and 3 were Team 1 and groups 4, 5 and 6 were Team 2. The game started. The aim of the game is to get the other team's flag without getting tagged by the other team. Team 1 won 2 times, and our team lost both times.

Capture the Flag

Next, we played a game with water balloons. 1 person has to get the balloon without using hands and the second person in line has to pop the balloon, and collect the water. The first team to get the bucket full is the winner. In this game, our group won twice! Then we had to go for a shower before dinner time!

Dinner was ok - I was missing home food. After that we had to make our flag. It took us 10 minutes to think of a name. It was an awesome, fantastic name! It was.... "THE GODS OF AWESOMENESS"!! Then we started designing and making our flag. After 1 hour, it was time to go to bed.

Making the flag

"Gods of Awesomeness"

We got journals to write in every day. They also introduced the points board - we were in the 4th place. We had to vote for a team - so that they could deduct points from that team. I didn't really like that. "Purple people" got 20 points deducted because everyone voted for them. Now they are tied with another team. Going to bed now.

Day 2 - Tuesday
It was very rainy today. Me and Edna woke up at 6:30. In our groups, we ate breakfast. There were banana pancakes and orange juice - well, that's all I ate - there was lots more food.

After breakfast, our group made a rope stretcher. We did it in 10 minutes, so we got 100 points. Next we did shelter building. We used sticks and super glue. The aim of the activity was to build a small model shelter. The glue was soo sticky! Finally, it was lunch - apples, oranges, dumplings and soda - that was a good lunch!

Rope stretcher

Next stop, Leap of Faith! I was soooo excited!! There was the cargo net too. Another team went first onto the Leap of Faith. So our team went on the cargo net. When it was my turn, I was scared to go on the other side of the net. But I did it - and then again, one more time. The second time was fun. The other group was done, so our turn for the Leap of Faith. When I was in line for the Leap of Faith, I gave my camera to Mr. Mellows to take pictures. The whole point of Leap of Faith is to climb this big pole, get to the top and then jump and try to get the swinging trapeze. It was my turn now, I wasn't that scared. I could do it! I started to climb. I reached the top! The pole was wiggly - I just needed to stand up. I jumped, grabbed the trapeze and held on with one hand! It was an amazing feeling! Mr. Mellows got lots of pictures!

Dinner time! Rice, noodles and watermelon!! After eating, we went to set up a campfire. The fire was so big. We all sang songs. We had to copy the instructors. We headed back to the hotel after that. We saw how many points we got. We were second place!!! Today everyone voted for us to deduct points - we had 430 and now 410 points! 20 points lost. I felt so sad. Well going to sleep - tomorrow is tomorrow!

Day 3 - Wednesday
Today after breakfast were the sensory activities. We had to learn to use our 5 senses. First activity was that you had to take off your shoes and smell it, feel it and use other senses to it. Then, close your eyes and the instructor will hand you one shoe. Using your senses, try to guess - if it is your shoe, keep it in front of you. If not, you have to pass it the person on your left. I found my shoe! Next activity!

Blindfolded!

This activity was the real sensory trail. You were blindfolded and you had to try to get a letter from a maze. The rope will lead you to the letters, so you have to feel the rope. I found the letter 'K'. Then, when everyone got a letter, we had to open our eyes, see all the letters and put them together. All the letters together spelled 'Teamwork'. Next - lunch!!

Same lunch everyday!

Next, it was rock-climbing. I was so excited!! There was an easy side and a difficult side. I was a little bit scared, so I did the easy side first. I touched the top - I was so happy!! Then, I did the difficult side and I reached the top for that too!!

We did low ropes after that. You had to take a bucket of water across a small river on a rope. We got 60% of water to the other side - so we got awesome amazing points! Not just 10, 20 - but 60!!

We went to take a shower after. Then we played ambush. Group 1, 2 and 3 went first. They had to put arrows of where they were hiding. But they can misplace 1 arrow. If the hiding group scares the finding group, they win. If the finding group finds the hiding group, they win. Group 1,2,3 scared us and we scared them too.

I am so tired! Time for bed.

Day 4 - Thursday
We had breakfast and then headed on to a good day. It was catapult building first. We made the catapult out of bamboos. Then, we had to fire water balloons at the the other team. Our best one was when the other team was standing under a tree and we fired the water balloon in the branches and everyone got wet! In my opinion, it was AWESOME!

Next, it was laser tag. You had a fake gun and a helmet. The aim of the game was to shoot the other team. That was really fun. I 'died' lots of times. We played 6 games - and it was lunchtime!

Laser tag!

After lunch, we went raft building. Using the equipment that is given, you had to build a raft and then test it. The girls made one raft and the boys made another. Our raft was made of bamboo, ropes and 3 barrels. I was in the middle. Then, we put our life vests on. The girls and boys were ready to sail! It was so cool! The boy's raft was better than the girl's raft because it was more stable. Overall, we got 100 points altogether!

For dinner, we went for a BBQ. I ate mostly chicken and vegetables. At the end, we had marshmallows - I had 3! Disco time now! We started the disco! Sadly, it only lasted 20 minutes. That's 4 songs. After the disco, they were going to announce the group that had won. Drum roll please...

It's PURPLE PEOPLE!!! I knew it! We came 4th. Purple People got a T-shirt. Lucky them! Oh well, I am sleepy. You know the drill - brush your teeth, put on you pjs, and go to bed! I'm going to do just that! Good night!

Day 5 - Friday
I am going to see my mom today! We had breakfast and then went for a hike! We saw a shop that was taken by trees and we saw some cool plants. From up top, we could see our hotel. After 1 hour of the hike, we went to the hotel and ate some lunch. I wanted to see my mom and dad, but I was going to miss Nan Bei Hu.

I don't want to leave!! I'm on the bus - it is going to leave! I loved the experience and all the activities. Going to Nan Bei Hu taught me to overcome my fear of heights. It taught me to be brave about leaving my parents. Bye bye Nan Bei Hu! Bye, bye!!