Bike Club!

Andre and I had our bikes shipped here from the US, and received them shortly before we headed home for Christmas. When we returned from the US, after Christmas, several other friends of ours purchased bikes. We decided to start a "bike club" and just recently took our first ride. During the ride, someones tire blew-out! Luckily enough, Andre came prepared for this type of problem. Here are a few pictures of our 1st bike adventure.

Here we are, beginning our ride.

Stoplight photo op.

Our friend, Dave, consulting his map.

Hot, sweaty, and TOTALLY cheesy!!

Andre, to the rescue!!!

Amber takes a moment to climb the nearest tree!

Representing the D...all the way across the world!

This is our friend, Zar, who is from Australia. We had a long conversation about Detroit with a group of our friends here in Dongguan. She was particularly interested in the city of Detroit, so we brought her this little gem from Andre's hometown.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Congratulations and be prosperous! Happy Chinese New Year! This year, January 22nd, was the first day of the New Year....which is based on the first day of the first month in the Lunar Calendar. It is customary for family and friends to gather and share in traditional food (dumplings) & festivities to welcome the New Year. Chinese New Year festivities last for two weeks, although most people return to work after the first week.
A special tradition at this time of the year is for children to receive red envelopes filled with money, as a way of wishing them success and a Happy New Year. Everyone is expected to be in good spirits, since displaying unpleasant attitudes or speaking unlucky words is thought to bring on an unsuccessful year. Cleaning is to be done before New Year's Day, because if you do it on the first day of the New Year it is said that you are "sweeping your luck away." The same goes for cooking, because if you use knives or scissors it is said that you are "cutting you luck."
Mandarin orange trees can be found everywhere, as they are thought to be "lucky trees bearing fruit." The fruit is symbolic of good fortune, and exchanged often throughout this holiday.

These are the mandarin orange trees that were placed outside of our building.


Red paper lanterns also lined our streets. Most decorations used during Chinese New Year are red because this color will scare away evil spirits and bad fortune.


Firecrackers are also a big part of the Chinese New Year celebration. They are strung together by the hundreds and then lit, creating deafening explosions that "scare away evil spirits." This photo is the aftermath of firecrackers set off at midnight at our local pub.

If you are interested in learning more about Chinese New Year, just search those words on Google. I found all the information EXTREMELY interesting, but obviously...I can't go on here forever!! :)

Where does the time go?

I have to start off by apologizing for my lack of blogging since I returned home to China. Things have just begun to calm down...who knew???
The day I returned from the US (January 21st), Andre started his Chinese New Year vacation. He was off work from the January 22nd until he returned on February 2nd. He was off for over a week and we had a LOVELY vacation. **See future Chinese New Year post for more details.**
The day he returned to work, we found out that his Grandpa had suffered a stroke and was at the hospital in the ICU. We stayed posted to our computers and phones, only to learn late that night that he had passed away. We spent Tuesday morning making travel plans, and left to head back to the US on Thursday morning. We arrived in Michigan on Friday morning and spent the weekend with family...celebrating the life of Fred Law. He was a GREAT guy! We left Michigan on Tuesday morning, and arrived back in China on Wednesday evening, February 11th.
Now, here I sit...5 days later, finally feeling like I have recovered and that my body is rested. Hopefully, things have returned to normal and we can begin to enjoy life in China again! :)


RIP Grandpa Fred...we love you!!