JOLÍN

New Blog

Dear Readers,

I have finally decided to abandon "lissaswedishblog" and move to a more appropriate name since, um, I don´t live in Sweden anymore nor do I continue to blog about living in Sweden.

So, here´s the new-and-hopefully-improved (at least more appropriately named) blog.

Take care!

rv-ing

as my mother used to say, "home again, home again, jiggity-jig." jiggity-jig is right. i'm glad to be free of all mobile homes for a while (though my father DOES live in florida which means that i still have to LOOK at them). but, we three survived the 33 day journey...somehow.

we lived here*

inside the rv

the trip...what can i say? there were good moments, and okay moments, and then there were moments in which i seriously considered stabbing myself if only it would bring respite from living in such close quarters (but, really, how much of an improvement would a hospital bring). well, it is something i can chalk up to experience, remember (somewhat) fondly, and never consider doing again!

we started in florida and stopped at various places along the way. i visited iu's campus, escaped for a couple of days to chicago (then road the train to mi) where met up with the family at the beach. we all headed over to benton harbor ostensibly to show carrie where we grew up (though derek and i secretly wanted to race to the attic to see just how small those "midget" doors seem now!)

1335 miami rd. benton harbor, mi

(childhood home)

at some point, a rather nasty storm hit. the power blew right as we had begun to watch a movie. the neighbors (clearly inexperienced, if you were to ask my father) ran their loud generator (probably producing noxious fumes like carbon monoxide, but at least they had air-conditioning) and we found a leak in the slide-out--right above my head. there was also something about a cover missing for the roof. so we feared the refrigerator would fill with water. we "fixed" the problem with some duct tape and tupperware.

later on...

dad and i went out for a day-hike on the AT. but first, a nice drive on the skyline drive. and the car overheated and we thought we were in for it. but, after turning off the air-conditioner, all was well.

of course, there were more things. many more stories. feel free to email and i'll be glad to share any.

*actually, dad's rv is a bit bigger.

Nada

Long Time, No Write

So many things to catch up on. Blogger wasn't working for a while in China, and then I got so wrapped up in life that I forgot to relive it here on blogger for all to see =)

Let's start with the most recent events. I am now home in Florida. I arrived just before midnight on the 14th of July. Add a long wait for my bags (there were three flights on the same carousel) and a drive from Orlando and that made for a 2:30 am arrival to Spring Hill. Some emails and a snack later and I was in bed by 3:45 am. I slept until 4 pm, got up, had pizza, unpacked, and then tried to go back to sleep. That was not possible and at 6 am on the 16th I decided to call it morning. And here I am.

Things I have found odd in two days of living in "my" country (a country that seems foreign yet oddly familiar at the same time):

*Drinking tap water? What's that? I won't die? Awesome. It tastes good? Even better.
*Flushing toilet paper down the toilet. I have only successfully remembered to do that three times in the fifty odd times I've gone to the bathroom.
*The height of my father's kitchen counter. It actually comes to my waist. I feel like all of my motions are exaggerated because I've been living in a miniature world for 10 months.
*Riding in a car instead of walking. It does make for quick journeys, but where's the fun?
*Fat-free, no sugar added foods. Having to worry about high fructose corn syrup and other dangerous additives. And people wonder why Americans are so uptight about what they eat--we have so much crap in our food we have to look out for it. The pressure was right there waiting for me at my first meal.
*Air-conditioning. My dad keeps his house at 78 F, and still I feel like I'm living in a polar ice world. Glad I have my nifty fleece.

That's all for now--off to study GRE stuff. Blah.

Seaside Picnic/Sora's Bday

Last Saturday we met on the beach for a picnic in celebration of Sora's life. We had a blast. First came the presents. Then the Sangria and Subs and Fruit. Then "Catch Ball" and Frisbee. Lots of Frisbee. Then the "Ha Game." Credits to Sujin for coming up with the penalty: writing your name in the sky with your butt-n-hips. Just imagine this with Asian names...you know Korean characters have circles and all....

A Birthday Toast, "Wedding Style"

Two glasses of Neal's Sangria and Sora is goooooooone...

Everyone knows it. Everyone except two curious Chinese men who intently watched the entire event.

Nadeige, runner-up, writes an "a"

Tomorrow evening we're off on the night ferry north to Dalian. Dalian is supposed to be the "Most Suitable for Living" of all Chinese cities. Weihai is one of the top ten, so we'll see how they compare. I'm just in for a change of scenery and, of course, to ride a Chinese ferry at night. Promises to be an adventure.

The Trandem

We rented The Trandem for a seaside tour. Need I say more?

Rather tardy...

Sumin's Tuna Creation

Today is the eve of the one monthiversary of my birthday. I never posted any pictures about that event (or, events), so here we go before any more time passes, and I look even more self-glorifying than I fear I do right now.

I have a sinking feeling that I've related this story already, but after a quick search on Blogger I am reassured that I haven't and that I must be losing my mind. That's not particularly comforting. Anywho...to the story.

Friday night before my birthday was the usual--a run with Sujin followed by a super-quick shower and nibble before heading to the Friday French Movie. Afterwards, Nadeige and I shared some chatter. It was a late night and Sujin and I had a date for yoga at 8 am so I wasn't really looking forward to getting up early. I needn't have worried, however. The aforementioned run was a bit strenuous so I had taken a Chinese painkiller a few hours before preparing to sleep. I don't know what it was (but it was sold to me by what appeared to be a legitimate drug store...operative word being "drug," I suppose). From the way I felt, I am assuming it had something aking to speed in it (not that I've taken this drug...basing this assumption on the stories I've heard/movies I've seen). I found myself completely unable to sleep, and worse, in the mood to clean and rearrange my appartment. So, from 2 am until 4.30 am, I swept, mopped, moved all my furniture, prepped dishes for the upcoming party, and listened to some new French cds I had just purchased. I fell asleep sometime after that, with difficulty and was up and roaring to go at 7.30 am. Sujin backed out, and I had that glorious feeling of an extra couple of hours. I used them to accompany Nadeige to Da Fu Yuan and purchase goodies for my birthday gig that evening. We actually made several trips to the store: Da Fu Yuan (for imported goods and French bread), LiQun (for some candies, rice, etc.), open-air vegetable market (for, duh, fruit and veggies) and the open-air fish market (for fish). Between each trip we had a sit-down with a snack and some coffee. haha.

Then began the task of cooking all this food. Nadeige kindly offered her kitchen so that my clean apartment could remain so. We prepared vegatable and fruit sushi, steamed fish, a cheese plate, and some veggie dishes. Meanwhile, Neal was hard at work preparing chicken and pineapple. All arrived around 7 pm and we were eating around 8. It was a crazy scene--Neal and I had moved Nadeige's coffee table and sofa into my apartment to create a dinner table. I also had my two armchairs plus desk chair in the room. Stuff that full with lots of food (mysteriously, everyone showed up with food as well...what can I say, they are Korean and Japanese...they cannot come empty-handed) and 14 people and whew!!

We had some cake--I was asked to bite it, hence the smashed cake-face picture. Shared some champagne. In true Chinese-style, I was asked to make a speech. That was nothing to write home about. After some conversation, the party trickled to an end. Fabulous time!

The spread:

Friends check out the food:

Nadeige's Mystery "Sushi" (our Japanese friends, though they enjoyed it, refused to call this sushi)

Surprise Cake:

Muerda! Muerda! (Nadeige and Maddy smash my face as I take a bite)

Did someone hire a clown?

Sora displays the HUGE champagne bottle (that was just enough for all 14 to have a glass)

Golden Week Pics: Four

Everyone ready for a tour? Despite my look of disgust, I was really pumped about the tour even though the day didn't start off too hot. We waited for an hour for the bus and then spent another 30 minutes picking up others before rendez-vousing with the other bus and combining forces. The girl behind us was Dutch, Jewel.

Finally, after a full day of touring (the hotsprings, the tomb, the giftshop) we made it to the site of primary interest: The Terracotta Warriors. Excuse the blurriness. I think I was bumped.

From terracotta warriors to living-breathing ones:

Gently nudging in for a shot:

Nadeige desperately fights with her camera settings. You see, it was quite dark and we did have 2 hours to take pictures to our hearts' content. So we did =)

Some headless (not fully reconstructed yet) warriors in Pit 3

From the yard at the Terracotta Wariors, notice the "Don't walk on the grass" sign. Classic.

Though this was our first stop, I give it to you last: the museum/giftshop detailing how the Warriors are made. Though truly fascinating, I was not pursuaded to buy the pricey gifts.

Golden Week Pics: Three

Beginning of climb up Warrior/Soldier's Path (can't recall but it clearly indicated a rough two hours ahead)

One nearly vertical section:

At the top of the North Peak. Meaningful red ribbons and locks signify something significant, I'm sure. (Such locks and ribbons were conveniently on sale the entire way up). haha. Just kidding, I think the deal is something about promised-couples to hike up and put the lock on the chain and then toss the key off the cliff. Something about eternity.

Safely at the top (did I mention my co-hikee is afraid of heights? Or rather, of plummeting to a death because of them?) and in a moderately secluded area, we dined on our packed lunch of cheese, bread, meat, and dried tomatoes.

One last view of the top before hustled down the stairs.

Golden Week Pics: Two

One temple section at the Great Mosque, Xi'an

Classic doorway scene at Great Mosque. Nadeige, who has lived in Turkey, found this mosque to be rather "Chinesey" and not so "Mosquey"

Lunch on Muslim Street Market, Xi'an. That's mutton kebabs, mutton pita, and spiced rice cubes--yangroutwar, yangroumapiao, and shenme-shenme-dongxi (what-what-stuff)

Upstairs looking down on entrance to Xi'an's ancient wall.

On top of Old Smokey. I had a dream of scaling the wall and renting bikes to ride around. According to Lonely Planet this should have taken about 2 hours. When we finally found the entrance gate, we encountered a small brawl that a Chinese couple was having with the guards. For whatever reason, they demanded their money back. I was afraid they hadn't been able to climb to their hearts' content so was reluctant to buy entrance. But, after another couple who clearly understood the situation purchased tickets, we figured all must be well. Furthermore, we asked the guard and were assured "keyi" that the bikes were there and it wasn't too late to rent them. Unfortunately, the gate guard was either wrong or knowingly sold us tickets too late in the evening. Though disappointed, we walked along the wall for several hours. I was quite GLAD to find toilets on top (Nadeige had warned me against drinking so much water...but darn it if I wasn't thirsty!!)