I helped chaperone a field trip for Olivia's class to Chinatown. I was so impressed with how the 2nd grade teachers turned the field trip into a scavenger hunt. We had to explore Chinatown and hunt for Chinese New Year symbols. When something on our list was found I snapped a picture of it with Olivia and her partner. The next week they used these pictures in computer class to create a presentation about Chinatown! Pretty cool! Olivia also had to speak Mandarin to a street vendor and purchase something. She had to ask how much the item was, pay for it and say thank you. For being here only a few weeks she did GREAT! Photos below show some of the things we had to find and what Olivia purchased!
Olivia and her partner had to find:
 A CHINESE TEMPLE  SOMETHING RED.....RED SYMBOLIZES HAPPINESS IN ASIA |
CHINESE NEW YEAR DECORATIONS..THE GOLD SYMBOLIZES
POWER AND THE RED ONCE AGAIN HAPPINESS
SOME SORT OF DRIED MEAT...(ewwwww)
A DRAGON MASK (IT IS THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON)
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THEIR MANDARIN TEACHER A FRUIT STAND SELLING ORANGES |
SOMETHING TO PURCHASE! THE GIRLS CHOSE THESE
ADORABLE CHINESE BARBIES
LIV MADE THE PURCHASE ALL BY HERSELF
SPEAKING MANDARIN. GO LIV!
XIE XIE...THANK YOU IN MANDARIN!
WE STOPPED AND ATE OUR LUNCH BY A CAGE OF
THESE POOR FELLOWS. CHILI CRAB ANYONE?
IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST FIELD TRIPS I HAVE BEEN ON!
OLIVIA'S CLASS IN CHINATOWN
SOME OF THE NAMES OF THE STORES IN CHINATOWN
MADE ME LAUGH...I GUESS ONLY THE "MANLY" BUY CAMERAS
THE NEXT DAY AT SCHOOL OLIVIA HAD A CHINESE NEW
YEAR CELEBRATION.
So we have been having to get used to the rain again. It rains a lot here.
I have GOT to remember to grab an umbrella when I leave which coming from
the desert has been hard to do! I was fearful we were at war the first
time I experienced a thunderstorm from the 24th floor.
It sounded like bombs were going off!
However, loud storms are okay if afterwards you get to see:
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| RAINBOW VIEW FROM OUR APARTMENT...IT WAS ACTUALLY A DOUBLE RAINBOW! |
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| VIEW FROM DOWNSTAIRS We are really enjoying our apartment. I still wake up everyday and can't believe that I am living on the 24th floor of a high rise apartment! It has become home to us and is starting to feel quite cozy as you can see below. |
I guess though Dad thought it needed to be a little bit cozier. This is what happens when he is left in charge while I go in search of food. A tent goes up in the living room. We had lots of school days off for Chinese New Year and this was quite the entertainment. The kids slept in it every night!
Speaking of Chinese New Year...Man do they celebrate big here! We experienced new foods symbolizing luck and good fortune and saw our first dragon dance at The American Club. The dragon performers were amazing. However Lilly would like you to know that they are too loud.
(drums, loud loud drums!)
We had a special lunch during the Chinese New Year with some new Nalco friends where we made a Yu Sheng salad together. This is a Chinese New Year tradition where you toss different ingredients into a salad with your friends and family. It is fun because the higher you toss the better your luck and wealth. The word Yu Sheng means “abundance of wealth and long life.” The tossing action symbolizes “tossing luck”. Here is a list of some of the items you can use in your salad and what they symbolize. As you can see it's all about the MONEY, MONEY, MONEY here in Asia!
- Fish – abundance
- Pomelo – luck
- Pepper – money
- Oil – excess of profits
- Carrots – blessings of good luck
- Radish – prosperity in business and promotion at work
- Peanut crumbs – gold and silver or eternal youth
- Sesame seeds – flourishing business
- Deep fried flour crisps – gold
- Noodles – Long life
LET'S SEE HOW WELL WE CAN TOSS THE LUCK!
KIDS LOVED THIS!
So we had our New Year salad and now we need to see some dragon dancing! We headed to The American Club for just this. It was awesome! We were bummed at first about our spots to watch the dragons dance. Little did we know though they were going to come right inside the door where we were for a tasty treat! It is good luck to feed the dragons when they come visit you...more wealth!
TOO LOUD DADDY!
HERE THEY COME!
AFTER THE DRAGONS WE HEADED TO THE POOL FOR SOME
LUNCH AND SWIMMING. THEY PUT THIS SLIDE OUT
EVERY SUNDAY AND THE KIDS LOVE IT! I THINK THE
DRAGONS WANTED IN ON THE POOL FUN TOO!
SUCH A FUN DAY!
After the New Year Olivia invited me to her class for a writer's
celebration. I was so proud of the non-fiction story she wrote all about
Dubai! The other parents who read her story kept coming up to tell
me how much they enjoyed her book and how it made them want to
visit Dubai!
I will end this post with some monkey business. Last Saturday we set out for
the Bukit Timah (Boo-ka Teema) Nature Reserve. We had heard from many that we
might stumble upon some wild monkeys here as well as get to hike through
a beautiful rainforest. I had read online that you must NEVER feed the monkeys
or you will get to see their aggressive side!
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| LET'S START OUR HIKE! BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MONKEYS! (BTW, THIS WAS NOT A GOOD-FOR- LILLY OUTING...) |
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| AFTER LOTS AND LOTS OF WALKING WE HAD SEEN LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL THINGS BUT NO MONKEYS.. |
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| ARE THOSE SOME TEXAS MONKEYS!? |
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| WHOOP So we finished our very long hike..(No! my kids didn't whine or complain at all!) without seeing any monkeys. We were all a little bummed as we headed out of the reserve in search of a cab. Wait, what is that near the residential area? MONKEYS! |
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| DO YOU SEE THE BABY ON THE FENCE? |
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| DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT (HA) |
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| HERE, LET ME GET THAT FOR YOU |
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| THIS WAS AMAZING TO SEE! |
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| THEY WERE CUTE AND ALL BUT THESE WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAVORITE MONKEYS.... CHEERS FROM SINGAPORE! |
What an awesome experience for you kiddos! You do a great job creating memories for your family, Emily. I always look forward to updates.
ReplyDeleteTyra
Love Lilly sitting in the basket! The kids all look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMiss you so much....can't wait to see you all soon...