A breath of fresh air

One of the big concerns about living in China is the pollution - both air and water! Air pollution numbers in most cities are routinely in the 'Unhealthy' range, and Beijing has been known to report 'Hazardous' at times! Even a place like Suzhou, with so much greenery, has really poor air quality - so much so that our schools here check the pollution numbers before letting the children out to play!

I didn't really take the numbers too seriously when we moved here. It's China - the blue skies and pristine air of the USA are miles away - but of course, the air quality is not as good here! Besides, how is knowing the daily pollution level going to make a difference? We still have to leave the house, go about our daily chores, we still have to breathe in the air - pollutants and all! And it's only for a couple of years, right? And if it hadn't been for my nose, I would have happily spent my days here in blissful ignorance!

Now you would think that with a honker like mine, I would have no problem sucking in my fair share of the atmosphere! Sadly, that's no longer true. My nose saga started on a day, long long ago - in the pristine air of our very own Peoria! A walk along the Rock Island trial ended in red itchy eyes and fits of sneezing - the culprit? Pollen! For the first couple of years, I was in stubborn denial - I grew up in India, I have a strong immune system, I am the last person in the world to have allergies - and I suffered through the spring blossoms and the fall harvests!

When I finally did go to the doctor, he offered to prescribe a nasal cortisone spray - I'm sorry, but isn't cortisone a steroid? Don't tell me how harmless it is - I'm not inhaling a steroid for anything in the world! The other option was to take OTC anti-histamines - Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, tried them all before settling on Benadryl. For a while, things got better - the Benadryl worked like a charm - and then we moved to Grenoble, France. Located in a picturesque valley, with majestic mountains all around - a  world removed from Peoria - just a whole new set of allergens! Once again, I dragged my feet for a couple of years before seeing a doctor - the French doctor, to my relief, advised against taking cortisone, but he did bring up the possibility of surgery! Yikes!

Thankfully, Caterpillar came to the rescue - we moved to Chennai, and the wonderful humidity and the salt air were like a balm to my ravaged nose! Fast forward 3 years, we returned to Peoria - and all my troubles returned in full force! After a miserable autumn, I was ready for anything - yes, even the steroids, if I could only breathe freely again! I stayed true to character though - I procrastinated enough that by the time I was ready for the doctor, we were on a plane to China! I don't know why I was hoping that this move would be better for my allergies -  it most certainly wasn't!!

So much for blissful ignorance - there's only so many nights that you can wake up gasping for air, unable to take a single breath! To add to my woes, I discovered that I was growing increasingly more allergic to my beloved Sunny! Finally bit the bullet, saw a ENT specialist in Pune for the final diagnosis - deviated septum and nasal polyps - I'm completely choked up! The surgery will take care of the structural problems, but the question of allergies still remains! And when Ajey started sneezing almost all the time, we knew we had to do something!

New BlueAir 303 air purifier

Cue my new best friends - the BlueAir air purifiers that we recently ordered. After much vacillating, and even more price-checking we ordered the BlueAir 303 and 510D from taobao.com. The smaller unit will be in our bedroom, and the larger one will do double duty - Manasi's bedroom at bedtime, the living room during the day! Is the air noticeably better in the house? Well, it doesn't smell any different, for sure! What I will say is that since the purifier has been running, I have slept through the night without any sniffles or sneezes or itches - and that is all I ever really wanted!

This post has been a bit 'nosey' - but jokes apart, I would seriously recommend these air purifiers for anyone living in China. Some of our friends have one for very room in the house, and while I initially thought that was a bit much - I'm beginning to reconsider! After all, a breath of fresh air is absolutely priceless!!

Year 4 at Dulwich

New Senior School at Dulwich

Beginning of a new school year, a new school term is always chaotic! New class, new friends, new schedules - just so much going on! Besides this year was the grand opening of the Senior School at Dulwich. The new building is just across the street from the old, and the entire Senior school has moved - giving the Junior school some stretching room. With the new building, also come brand new facilities - new pool, new gym and - can't wait to get there - a new library!

Every year, the classes get shuffled as they move up to the next grade. The kids do get to pick a couple of friends that they would like to be with - but almost everyone gets moved around. This is done to ensure the even distribution of different nationalities across all the sections, but I think it also underlines the ephemeral quality of our lives here. Even the teachers move around - they teach different classes every year, and there are always new teachers coming in to replace those that have left! Manasi's new teacher is really new - she flew in to China a week before school started - and I'm sure it's going to be a month or two before she fully settles in!

Last year, Manasi was the new kid on the block - this year, she's more sure of herself, more confident. She has volunteered to help a couple of new girls in her class - show them around the school, eat lunch with them, things like that. Each class elects representatives for the Eco Council and the Student Council - candidates have to make a little speech, and then the class votes - and Manasi is the Eco Council Rep for her class this year. Actually, what she really wanted was to be on the Student Council - but she couldn't do both, so Eco Rep it is! She's taking it pretty seriously too - 'Go Green' is the motto in our house these days!

With the new swimming pool, came the excitement of the new swimming teams! The school announced there would be 3 teams - an 'Elite' team, a Junior school team and a Senior school team. There was a huge turnout for the swimming trials - almost 80 kids for about 20 spots on the team. Manasi did make it to the JS team, but as can be imagined, there were a lot of disappointed kids and parents. What made it worse was the letter - 'We regret to inform you that your child has not been selected....'!!! Seriously, these are 8-10 year old kids - there isn't a better way to let them down gently? And besides, if a kid really wants to swim, who cares about timing and making the cut? Without a doubt, the school has to have a team - but I feel it would have been better if they had kept the selection a bit low-key - and avoided a lot of hurt feelings!

Speaking of hurt feelings - our share was just around the corner! Ever since they announced that this year's production would be 'Aladin', Manasi has been in a fever of excitement! Of course, what 8 year old girl wouldn't want to be Jasmine - and Manasi with her beautiful voice thought she had a fair chance of landing the role! When she made it to the second callback, expectations soared through the roof - it did worry me a little bit, and I tried my best to keep her grounded, but in vain! She was - forgive the pun - in 'A Whole New World', and it was really hard when she didn't get Jasmine. She couldn't see that making it to the second callback was an achievement in itself, and that her dad and I were so proud of her!

I'll admit that this post would have had a completely different tone if Manasi had got the part - but she didn't, and as she raged about how unfair everything was - we, as parents, struggled to turn this experience into a Life Lesson. Rejection is a bitter pill to swallow - how do you explain to a child that not being picked doesn't mean 'not good enough'? How do you explain that an audition for a school play is merely the first of many, many hurdles that life will bring along - and even when you stumble, you have to find the strength to dust yourself off and keep going. Life Lessons - sooner or later, our children have to brave the world, learn to face disappointment and make the best of things. I only wish it could be later than sooner!

This whole week - first the swim team, then the production - served to sharply contrast the British and American styles of education. Here in Dulwich, and back when I was a kid in India, the emphasis is on excellence and competition. Children are made aware of their shortcomings very early on - only the best walk away with the accolades and honors, everyone else is but a spectator. While this style does encourage students to strive to be their best, it can also stifle creativity and lower morale. American schools, on the other hand, promote individuality. All students are taught to believe that they are perfect just the way they are! Manasi's 2nd grade class back in Peoria had their own play at the end of the year - there were no auditions, no callbacks - every single child got to be on stage, if only to say a couple of words. This system might hold back the individuals who are truly gifted, but the vast majority of children enter the real world armed with tremendous confidence and self-esteem. Now, wouldn't an American school with British discipline be just the perfect solution?!

Anyway, with all this drama, Year 4 in Dulwich is off to a bit of a rocky start! Plenty of things to look forward to in this term though - a field trip to the Natural History Museum in Shanghai, and the big trip to Shan-shan island at the end of the month! More homework this year, more stress on responsibility and time-management - and hopefully, more Math (sorry, Manasi!). Here's to another great school year!

Golden Lough

SIP skyline

 After a relentless summer, Suzhou is enjoying a spell of really mild weather! Cool breezes, gentle sunshine, and an absolute rarity - clear blue skies! Manasi and I took advantage of the fine day to take pictures around our neighborhood - and then it occurred to me - in this entire year, I have somehow been remiss about writing about our compound and our locality! So here goes, let's take a walk around Golden Lough!

The Chinese name for Golden Lough is Jin Shui Wan - which kind of translates as Gold Water Park. It is located right on Jinjihu lake, and we have magnificent view of the SIP skyline from our side of the lake! Of course, not all houses have lake views - but the lake is only a few minutes walk away! About 200 houses, set in a circle with the main entrance off of Jinjihu Avenue - the Chinese are not very imaginative when it comes to naming roads! - which is one of the main thoroughfares in Suzhou! There's no fancy gate like some of the new developments in Suzhou, but the guard's cabin seems to be security enough!

Main entrance - Golden Lough

As you drive inside, the first impression is of a cool, green and shady haven. Plenty of trees line the little streets and sidewalks, each house has a tiny patch of green out front, and most families have planters with colorful blooms. The houses all look almost identical - brown brick, whitewash, and a faded blue trim with plenty of windows! The second impression - the houses seem to be just a teeny bit shabby. I doubt the exteriors of the houses have been painted in years, and the high pollution and dust also add to the grimy look. Don't be fooled by appearances, though - the interiors of most houses are pretty lavish with marble floors, fancy chandeliers and a lot more!

View of our street from the third floor

Same street - different angle!

What's a compound without a clubhouse, right? Well, Golden Lough boasts of a gym, a swimming pool and also a party area! True, the gym is strictly functional - couple of treadmills, couple of weight machines - but the view of the lake is enough to make you want to workout here! The swimming pool is decent sized - the only drawback is that it is not heated - so can't be used when it starts to get cold! You do need a membership to use the pool or the gym - but the convenience is priceless! For younger kids, there's a small playground with a few swings and a slide! For older kids, the entire compound is essentially one big playground!

The gym

Located within the compound are also other very useful facilities. Need a quick manicure or a relaxing massage? - Lucy's Salon is at your service! Tired of cooking dinner - Bellaboats will deliver a pizza to your house in less that 20 minutes! Run out of milk/eggs/onions/sugar? - Yumway is only a hop, skip, jump away! To be honest, I have never been to Lucy's - Yumway and Bellaboats, however, are both lifesavers! Yumway has a wide selection of groceries - lot of imported foods, a variety of fresh breads and a good selection of wines. Sure, you pay a little more than at Auchan - but again, the convenience is priceless! Bellaboats is fairly new here - they do a really good pizza, and their menu, while not extensive, will be sure to satisfy!

Yumway - our neighborhood convenience store

 Our little convenience shops have a new competitor these days - a huge, huge mall has opened up across the street from us - wait, did I say across the street? Let me clarify - you have to cross a busy intersection with 6 lanes of traffic to get there - whole new meaning to 'across the street'!! Anyway, this new mall - Link City - has a Sam's Club (the first in Suzhou), a host of fast food chains - Pizza Hut, Subway, Starbucks, to name a few - and a movie theater to boot! It really is a fun place to walk around and admire the stores!

Link City

Huge intersection outside GL entrance

Of course, like anywhere else in Suzhou, public transport is available to go wherever you might wish. There are usually plenty of taxis around - although you do have to know the Chinese name of the place you want to go to. Most businesses hand out cards with addresses in English on 1 side and in Chinese on the other. Also available are 'taxi books', which have a collection of all possible destinations in Suzhou! Taxis are metered, so there's no hassle of negotiating the fare! An even better option is to travel by the city buses - there's a bus stop right outside Golden Lough, and a bus comes along every few minutes!

Bus stop outside GL

So there it is - our home in China! To be honest, there are better housing options available in Suzhou - bigger houses, better maintained compounds, duplex apartments with breathtaking views - so why Golden Lough? Stop by any time after 4pm or on weekends, and you'll know why! Kids, kids, kids everywhere!! As I said before, the entire compound is one big playground for the kids! It's perfectly safe for them to be out on their own, riding their bikes, running around or when it gets too cold to play outside, just moving from house to house! In fact, the only time I get to see my daughter is when her gaggle of girlfriends decide to play at our house! And on weekends, our doorbell rings nonstop - all Manasi's friends of course!

There's a ton of activities for adults too! Bus drop-offs and pick-ups are almost social events - perfect time to catch up with the other moms, and to chat a bit! A book-club meets every month, aerobics and yoga classes - always something to do! Of course, it isn't all perfect. Most houses have their own quirks, which can be quite exasperating at times! Landlords, like landlords everywhere, are happy to receive the astronomical rent - but really slow to spend it on any maintenance issues! Simple things like cleaning the glass windows, or getting the garden weeded turn into endless waiting games - very frustrating!

Anyway, watching Manasi play with all friends, Sunny stalking through the bushes - can't imagine living anywhere else in Suzhou! At the end of the day, Golden Lough is home - at least for the next 2 years!

Summer roundup

Back home after a long summer vacation - surprising, how just a couple of weeks in the daily routine can make almost 2 months seem like a dream! Was I really gone that long? Actually, this is the longest that I have been away from home for the last 15 years or so - leaving Ajey and Sunny to fend for themselves! And to be honest, I don't think I could do this again - don't get me wrong, being in Pune is always great, but no matter what, home is always home!

My MIL had her long overdue knee replacement surgery this summer - I was on hand to help her get settled and ensure the smooth running of her household while she was incapacitated. So, not a vacation in the truest sense! It is never easy to let someone have a free hand in your house, especially your kitchen - so I'm sure it was quite hard for her to relinquish the reins to me, albeit for a short time! Recuperation after the surgery is slow and painful - it will be at least a couple more months before she's completely back to normal again. However, she was back on her feet by the time I was ready to leave - and I'm glad that I was able to assist in what little way I could!

So no surprise that the summer passed in a blur! Manasi enjoyed herself to the hilt - I had some halfhearted plans to sign her up for dance/vocal/art/swimming lessons - but she absolutely refused to go, and I didn't really push her! Thinking back to the indolent summers I spent as a child - long, languorous days, the white heat of May, the lingering fragrance of mangoes, the long line of mattresses in the living room, bedtime stories, the endless card games, the whir of the fans - and then the first showers, the rich scent of the earth, the monsoon clouds heralding the beginning of a new school year - school bags and shoes brought out for inspection, crisp new stationary, the brown paper covers, excitement mingling with anxiety as the first day of school approached! That absolute sense of nothingness, the complete break from routine, the freedom to be just a child - surely every child deserves a summer like that!

Well, school started last week - and I'm already a little overwhelmed by the number of permission slips and information sheets that Manasi has brought home! Some of our dearest friends left this summer, and I'm finding it especially hard to deal with the absence of familiar friendly faces around the neighborhood. I know this is part and parcel of our transient lifestyle, but knowing doesn't make it any easier! I guess I just have to find new ways to keep myself busy this year - have to think up some new and exciting adventures for our second year in China!

Signing off, for now!

Junior School Production - Annie

Confession time - I had not heard of the musical or movie named Annie until a few months ago. When Manasi came home home with a letter from school asking children to audition for the Junior School Production of Annie, I went online to get more information! And what do you know - Annie is considered to be a classic, all the songs in the musical are extremely popular, and everyone has seen at least one version of 'Little Orphan Annie'!

The story in a nutshell  - Annie is an orphan living in 1930s New York in the care of Mrs. Hannigan, who runs a City Orphanage. Annie and her other orphan friends are terribly mistreated (of course!), but they still hold onto their hopes and dreams! One Christmas, Annie's life changes drastically when she is invited to be a guest at the Warbucks mansion. Oliver 'Daddy' Warbucks is a multi-billionaire, a rich but lonely man (sigh - cliches, cliches!) who falls under Annie's spell, and decides to adopt her. Annie, however, is still waiting for her parents who had left her a note promising to come back. This leads to another subplot involving Mrs. Hannigan's brother, Rooster, and his girlfriend who are out to make a quick buck. There's the obviously happy ending, with a strange cameo by none other than the President, Mr. Roosevelt! Sound familiar? Of course it does - Oliver Twist, anyone?

This post is not about Annie per se, but rather the version of Annie that our Junior School performed. So getting back on track - Manasi came home with a letter asking for kids to audition. When I was growing up, my school didn't do too much in the way of extra curricular stuff, and I have always felt the lack thereof - so I'm always pushing Manasi to participate in all the myriad activities that her school has to offer - carpe diem, and all that! Manasi, however, wants to only do things that her friends are also doing - and that did not include auditioning for Annie, much to my dismay! Undeterred, I signed her up for an after-school club for the choir of Annie! Luckily, most of her friends were also in the club, so there were no fireworks! Some kids from the choir were also needed to be 'extras' on stage as part of the group songs, and this time, Manasi did volunteer - she was going to be on stage for 2 songs!

The rehearsals started off pretty low-key. The choir club met once a week - and soon all we were hearing at home were the Annie songs! Entire play-dates were spent acting as orphans waiting to be saved by fairy godmothers! Annie fever was raging! Then came the request for costumes - since Manasi was to be a servant, she needed something blue. Yes, 'something blue' was all the information I was given. I must have sent in every piece of blue clothing that Manasi owns - too shiny, too stripey, too blue - everything was turned down by the producers! The costume for the orphan 'extras' was a little easier I thought - equally cryptic, 'something grey', but it didn't have to match anything else! I finally gave up - you know what, if they want Manasi in a costume, they can sent me detailed information on what they exactly need, or they can have it made, and I would gladly pay for it! As can be imagined, this attitude of mine did not exactly endear me to Manasi, but much as I wanted to co-operate, I'm not a mind-reader!

Then in April, the schedule for extra rehearsals came out - either Saturday or Sunday for the next 8 weekends, 4 hours at a stretch! I appreciate the desire and need to have everyone word-perfect, and well, perfect - but isn't this taking it a bit too far? It is a school play, after all! I guess there were other parents who thought the same way, and the schedule was reduced to only 2 weekend rehearsals close to the date of the performance. What I didn't anticipate that the extra rehearsals would still happen - just not on weekends. Now where, one might ask, would the kids find the time to fit in these rehearsals? Well, you know that little thing known as classes, which is why most of us send our kids to school - never knew it was optional for the cast of Annie! That's right, our kids were pulled out of class for Annie practice, for the last few weeks! Didn't know how to react to that one - since I had practically coerced Manasi into joining the cast, I could hardly complain now that she was getting so excited about the performance! The worst part is, Manasi was to be on stage for barely 10 minutes (remember, 2 songs!), so for the rest of the rehearsal, she was sitting around, doing absolutely nothing! Oh well, at least she's having fun!

Soon, I too, was singing the songs - I, of course, didn't really know all the lyrics, so I would just make up my own, to much giggling and eye-rolling! Things were falling into place, though. The costumes had all been sorted out - the teachers decided to make all of them, which must have been a ton of work! Our girls had all the songs down beautifully - I had been to one rehearsal, and I have to admit, the singing gave me goose bumps!  Posters were up on all the buses, a couple of the expat magazines had the show advertised! Although admission was free, we still had to get tickets. Ajey's calendar had the evening blocked out for the performance, and we were ready! Hopefully, the cast and crew were all ready, too!

Front page of the program

The evening of the performance - we made our way to the theatre, where we were greeted by Year 6 students. They handed out programs, and then an usher took us to our seats! Very professional, these kids - I'm impressed already! It was a thrill to find Manasi's name in the program - I'm sure prouder parents would have been hard to find! The show started exactly at 6pm, and we watched spellbound for the next 90 minutes. The songs - 'Maybe', 'Tomorrow', 'Hard-knock Life', 'Little Girls', 'I think I'm going to like it here', 'NYC', 'Easy Street' - all very melodious and sung so wonderfully! I have to say my favorite was 'Little Girls' - the little girl who performed it is all of 11, and yet, what a voice! Manasi was in 'I think I'm going to like it here' and 'NYC', and she did a great job! It was a somewhat humbling experience to watch these kids - all between 8 and 11 - take to the stage like true professionals, absolutely owning the script, never skipping a beat! What confidence, what poise - these kids are better than our generation ever was, and they will surely go far beyond what we are today! The finale brought the entire audience to its feet - a well deserved standing ovation!

Manasi in 'I think I'm going to like it here'

The entire cast taking a bow

5 months, endless rehearsals, lots of hard work - I must say that the result was clear for all to see! And a word for the unsung heroes of this impressive production - all the teachers who must have worked day and night to pull this off! A cast of 160 children, not including all the backstage workers, who did the stage design and the lighting, the costumes, the props, the music - and the organizers who made it all work! What an experience - for us, for our children - and what an opportunity! Next year, our Senior School building will be done, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a huge auditorium and a bigger show! Manasi had such a great time, she's all geared up to audition next year! To be honest, I'm tempted to volunteer too - to be a part of something so magical, how great would that be?! Never too late to 'carpe diem' right?

Exploring Suzhou - Field trip to Tiger Hill

Suzhou is one of the most beautiful cities in China - in spite of its growing urban population, it still has a very strong historical heritage. The classical gardens of Suzhou have been named as UNESCO World Heritage sites, and its numerous waterways and ancient stone bridges have earned it the moniker of 'Venice of China'! It's been almost 10 months since we've moved here, and I'm almost ashamed to admit that so far, I haven't really tried to explore this wondrous city!

So when Manasi's class announced a field trip to Tiger Hill, I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer! I have always enjoyed volunteering in Manasi's school - be it helping with the Guided Reading, or working as Parent Librarian, or going on field trips - it's a wonderful opportunity to see Manasi interact with her peers and observe the class dynamic as a whole! Of course, it doesn't hurt that Manasi thinks it's really cool to have her mom volunteer! And every time I come back from one of these things, it is with a new found respect for teachers - to make a career out of spending all your time with kids - this is something I could never, ever manage!

Tiger Hill and the YunYan Pagoda on top are one of the most recognizable sights in Suzhou. The hill is so named because it (apparently) resembles a crouching tiger - I for one did not get it! Another legend behind the name is that a white tiger appeared to guard the hill after a powerful emperor was buried here. Whatever you choose to believe, Tiger Hill is a must-see in Suzhou - it has been a popular tourist destination for hundreds of years!

South entrance to the park with the Pagoda in the background

 

The field trip started early - buses started from the school at 8:30 am, and it was a ride of about 25 minutes. All adults had been assigned 3-4 kids - I had Manasi and 2 of her classmates. The kids had been given a worksheet to fill out as they walked past all the sites. Of course, I didn't make a very auspicious start - as I was getting out of the bus, I slipped and fell really hard - I'm sure the teachers were all wondering if they would be better off without me! Anyway, no permanent damage done, so off we went! 

There are plenty of scenic spots to be seen as you walk up to the Pagoda - the Sword Testing Rock, the Spring of Simplicity and Honesty, the Thousand People Rock, the Lu Yu well, the Zhen Niang tomb, the Verdure Embracing Mountain Villa - beautiful names, but all, I repeat, all the information signs were in Chinese. So none of us really knew what we're looking at! A guide would have been really helpful, but that wasn't an option with the size of our group. The only sign I could read was the one in this picture - though it made me laugh, I wish they would put up some of these in India!

 The Sword Pond is one of the more intrigiung sights on Tiger Hill. It is a deep rectangular pool, crossed by an imposing arching bridge. It is believed that the tomb of King Helu along with a cache of more than 3000 swords is buried in its depths. The mystery remains unsolved, as the site cannot be excavated - there is danger of disturbing the foundation of the Pagoda! Try as I might, I have been unable to gather any more information on this - there is nothing more exciting to me than a historical mystery! Again, a guide would have probably been able to explain further - I guess I just have to go back one more time!

Bridge over Sword Pond

Gardener working on a bonsai

Tiger Hill is also home to one of the largest collections of Suzhou style bonsai - the bonsai garden is located around the picturesque Mountain Villa. This was a perfect place for the kids to rest a bit, and have a snack. The blue sky, the sea of green all around, and the imposing Mountain Villa nestling against the hill - very peaceful, very soothing! Except that bonsai - Suzhou style or otherwise - really, really sets me on edge. I know it is considered to be a fine art - but I think it is a perversion against nature! Twisting off bits of root and stem with wire to physically stunt what could potentially be a magnificent, soaring giant! I am simply unable to see any beauty in these poor plants! Anyway, deep breath, moving on...

Mountain Villa & Bonsai Garden

With the kids straggling by now, we finally made it up to the Yunyan Temple Pagoda. Really surprised to find that this structure actually is tilted, and believe it or not, is known as 'Second Leaning Tower' - I'm guessing this is in reference to Pisa, which is really weird considering that this tower most certainly existed before the one in Pisa! The Tiger Hill Pagoda is ocatgonal, and not very tall - only about 7 stories, less than 50 m. It exists today as a symbol of ancient Suzhou. It is fenced off, so no climbing up - but the foot of the pagoda is a good place to sit and catch your breath before heading back down.

We were now headed to the North Entrance where our buses were waiting. The walk back was also very pleasant, plenty of shady trees, a light breeze - and just as I turned a corner, to my absolute delight, a smallish tea plantation. Close my eyes, and I could have been in Munnar or even Darjeeling! The name of this garden was sheer poetry - Cloud over Lingering Tea Fragrance - what I would do to just float away on that cloud! The green, green tea bushes, the sunshine dappling through the tall willows - a place to sit and dream!

'Cloud over Lingering Tea Fragrance' garden

We ended the field trip with a picnic lunch in a neighboring park - back in school at 2pm. It had been a really hot day - even though all the walkways are shaded by trees, it still is a long way to walk in the sun! There are some incredible views of Suzhou from the top of the hill, but we stayed away from these lookouts - kids and balconies at a height don't really mix well! I'm totally convinced that Tiger Hill merits another visit - without so many kids, and most certainly, with a guide! Of the 2 main festivals held at Tiger Hill, I've missed the Spring Flower Show - but Autumn Temple Fair, here I come!

A Night at the Aquarium

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear 'Girl Scouts'? Hands down, the answer has to be those delicious cookies that they sell every spring - their shortbread is absolutely divine, not to mention the lemon cookies!  Here in Suzhou, I had Manasi join the Girl Scouts mainly because a friend of mine was Troop Leader - too bad we don't get the cookies here, but they still do tons of different activities, like the Daddy-Daughter dance just last month! Being part of something like this is such a fun way to learn about being responsible and helping people!

Shanghai Aquarium

The biggest and I think, the best Girl Scout event this year was last weekend - spend a night at the aquarium in Shanghai! Of course, Manasi wanted to go - and when the organizers were short of parent chaperons, I signed up to go as well! Now, normally I stay far away from anything that sounds like camping - I don't mind hiking or trekking or doing any other out door things all day long, but come bed time, I need a comfortable bed, and the assurance of running water and reasonably clean toilets the morning after. I know, I know - I'm a wimp! I didn't really think it through before I agreed to go - and this was kind of indoor camping, might not be too bad?!

So there I was, Saturday morning, sorting out sleeping bags and pillow - hey, I might sleep on the floor, but I have to have my down pillow! I had a suitcase all ready for my things, but Ajey 'convinced' me to take a backpack instead! Didn't have too many things to pack - a change of clothes, toiletries and food. Funny story about the food. The sleepover package at the aquarium included dinner and breakfast the next day. The chicken burgers that we were supposed to have for dinner were cancelled because of the Bird Flu scare, so we were to have a choice of fish or shrimp. The irony of eating fish in an aquarium would have been lost on most people (including me), but Manasi was totally freaked out! She just could not get over it! So, finally I decided to pack dinner for us - and maybe a little breakfast too!

A Dulwich school bus had been arranged to take us to the aquarium and back, and shortly before 3pm we were on our way. I was surprised at how big the group was - 32 girls, from ages 7 to 14, and 8 moms! The girls were all in high spirits, chattering away - thankfully, there was no singing! At the aquarium, we were taken straight to the cafeteria to have dinner - I was expecting a concession stand where they would hand out food, but this was a regular cafeteria with a regular menu. We, of course, had a set menu - which, to be honest, wasn't all that bad! French fries, soda, an egg tart (hmm, no chicken - but eggs are ok?) and the fish sandwich - It did look like a Filet-o-Fish from McDonald's, only here the fillet had bits of grey scales and skin still on it - we are in China, people! The girls were persuaded to eat the sandwich bun without the fish, and along with the packed food that most of us had brought, we did just fine!

The aquarium usually closes at 6pm, so by the time we finished eating, we had the place to ourselves! After dropping off our bags in the Information Room, we were free to explore! The girls were given a little quiz to answer about the fish that they were about to see - and they fairly tore through the exhibits searching for the answers. Kind of beat the purpose, I thought - they weren't looking at the fish, just reading the signs! The Shanghai Aquarium is not that huge - about an hour should suffice to walk through at a leisurely pace, maybe a little more if you took time to really look at all the fish! There's a really amazing jellyfish gallery - strange how something so beautiful can be so dangerous! The main attraction, of course, is the shark tunnel - again, so sleek, yet, so deadly!

In the shark tunnel...

The girls went absolutely crazy, of course! They were running back and forth, talking loudly, posing for pictures - the poor fish must have been scared out of their wits! I really enjoyed the absence of crowds - it was so nice to get right up to the displays, and not have to compete with jostling hordes to get a look, let alone a picture! The aquarium also has spotted seals - how adorable are these animals? They were swimming furiously in their tank, occasionally getting close to the glass to look at us - they have the softest, brownest eyes I have ever seen! I was really disappointed that I couldn't get a good picture of them! And the penguins - I think this is the first time I have ever seen live penguins! They can be so still, it took me a minute to realize they were real, and not just models! And this is absolutely my imagination, but I did think that the penguins were staring a bit wistfully at the painted ice mountain backdrop in their enclosure!

Posing with the penguins!

After we had our fill of fish - sorry, couldn't resist that one - we headed back to the information room. A very nice, soft spoken Aquarium lady gave us a presentation about sharks, and of course, the answers to the quiz! Then the high point of the evening - the girls actually got to pet the sharks, White Spotted Bamboo Sharks, to be very precise! With much squealing and giggling, the girls really enjoyed this - the sharks not so much! One of them was so startled that it actually leaped in the air, splashing wildly back - I think it was trying to get away from our gaggle of girls!

Petting the sharks...

Too soon, it was time to turn in! We trooped back to the shark tunnel to lay out our sleeping bags - about half the girls chose to sleep in the actual tunnel, and the rest of us were in a big area right next to a stingray display. The girls wee still in no mood to sleep, even after the lights were turned off - there was much whispering and giggling, until finally, at 11pm our troop leader asked them to stop talking! The lights on our side of the aquarium were off, but the lights in the aquarium were just dimmed - it was almost ethereal - the serene blue tank, and the fish that kept swimming, glowing a pearly white against the water! I woke up a couple of times, and it was just so breathtakingly beautiful! I had never thought of fish as being diurnal or nocturnal, and I had read that most fish need to keep swimming all the time - so it was a little surprising to see so many of them, including some of the sharks, laying down on the floors of the tanks for a snooze!

Craziness at bed time...

An early wakeup call next morning - we had to be out of there before the aquarium opened its doors at 9am! Breakfast was orange juice and a ham and egg sandwich - again, with the egg? - most of these were uneaten! Thankfully, there was coffee for the adults - caffeine badly needed! The girls were all such troopers - rolling up their sleeping bags, getting dressed, and then carrying all their stuff without a word of complaint! We were on the bus, and back in Suzhou before 10am! Sure, I was tired - but nothing that a nap wouldn't take care of, and sleeping on the floor wasn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be! Most of the other moms that came along, I met for the first time, and it's always interesting to meet new people! Bottom line, I had a really good time! Can't wait to sign up for the next excursion!!