Beijing Bloggers

So who wants to be driven around all day by a twenty-six year old,  basketball loving, never made the final cut at the university, whose father is an engineer, who has resided in beijing his whole life as a doted on only child,  would rather be hang’n with his girlfriend,  who breaths with a great sigh of annoyance when asked to drive some place, smokes, occasionally smells strongly of garlic, and only speaks Chinese?

Who wants to drive a loud,  big nosed, opinionated, American lady whose three children bicker, fight, annoy, constantly crawl all over the seats, leave crumbs , spill and sing, who never takes the lunch break at the right time, who is always trying to speak Chinese but please!!!! can she get the tones at least once in a while and does she have to ask so many questions, and whose husband needs a ride at the wee hours in the morning and late hours at night,  and can she just let the driver do the bargaining and his job!!!?

Sounds like a recipe for disaster!  So… we’ve had our good times and we’ve definitely had our bad times. We are going home for the summer so the poor dude gets a great big break and he still gets paid.  3000 smackers a month should be enough.  That’s in Ren min bi by the way.  Thats $491.14  in American doallars by the way.   Seems surreal doesn’t it?

So the duties of a driver -called a si ji (sih gee) -are of course the obvious chauffeur around and… do the grocery shopping with or without the Ayi (house helper),  carry bags, open and close doors,  know where everything is,  accompany to any market, museum, park etc and act as guide or protector.  I also think he should act like he enjoys his job and should drive with care.  At the rate we are going I think my si ji is headed for taxi territory.  Taxi drivers maneuver with alarming circuitousness  and grunt at any request and sigh with annoyance the whole length of the journey.  They also come within centimeters and nano seconds of hitting pregnant women and helpless children. Hmmm it’s a perfect match.

To be fair to poor Xiao He (said with a forceful breathy huh! to pronounce correctly) he has been very kind to the children and enjoys Anthea’s crazy antics.  He has worked until very late  several days in a row and been up very early the next morning taking Kent to the airport.  He has worked everyday since we’ve arrived and rarely gets to eat when he is hungry.  Sometimes he even has to eat with me and boy  am I a lot of fun.  What a way to spend your lunch break!  Plus, we are the strange Americans who seem to spend a lot of money and travel  a great deal (Kent that is) when he our si ji has to stay here doing the same old same old.  He asks a lot of questions about other countries and what they are like and about Kent’s job.  He says he wished he could have been an airline pilot and see Paris.  I told him  Paris schmaris- China is as good as it’s going to get.  I’ve been to a lot of countries but China is AMAZING and there’s more to see and do here than anywhere else I have been.  I said China is a treasure and he is lucky he is part of it.  I meant it too!

So to help alleviate the work load and comply with human right’s laws  (he he he) Kent is going to work on getting his driver’s license so he can take the car on weekends and be able to  drive us to church on Sundays.  I am going to take the subway more often  and learn the bus routes since it only cost 6  American cents to ride.  Wowzer!!!! The buses go everywhere and are clean and easy to use.  The subway is  29 American cents and is also clean and easy to use.  Transportation should not be an issue and… I have my bike.  We all want happy workers, right?  I also thinks he needs to stop dilly-dallying and  just get married.

So little princess Anthea got in a little accident with her scooter  and sliced up her hand, broke the bone and tore the tendon.  It was a bloody gushy mess but we got her to the  English speaking hospital and there just happened to be a hand specialist there that night and he did the surgery.  With very few people there  we were in at 9:00 and out at 4:00 am.  It was expensive but it was nice to see some western faces assure us all was well.  So much ado for a little finger.  The hard part is Anthea only has a half cast because they have to change the bandages every three days.  It still oozes a bit and it looked horrible the first few days, but the last visit the finger looked great.  I could finally tell where the cut was and see the stitches clearly and see how the pin is holding the finger together.  It sticks out about 1/2 a centimeter with a hook on the end.  It’s really weird.

Anthea was cheerful the whole night and loved all the attention.  She enjoyed wearing the hospital jammies and getting a popsicle on the way to the hospital.  Right when the injury happen she screamed “Am I going to die!!!”.  When they told her it was bad but that she was going to be just fine then she really began to enjoy herself.

So Anthea has to be really careful because there is only a little protection.  Sooo… how has Anthea behaved you ask?  Well she has been extra naughty and delights in jumping off the couches and beds and doing all the sneaky things she can think of.  At the last visit the doctor Daifu Yue commented in Chinese  ”this little girl I think is very tao qi (naughty).  Isn’t that the truth!  Good thing she is cute.  The doctor was kind but the nurse was stern and I felt I was being admonished with her stare alone to correct the situation.  I told her I would talk to Anthea and explain the seriousness of the situation.  I wish Kent were here!!!

So getting a haircut here means getting the royal treatment.  I myself haven’t experienced it but all three kids have and it is a major ceremony.  First as we enter we are greeted by three or four “greeters” who actually motion with their arms guiding us to a lovely and modernly appointed lounge area where a couple of servers await our order of tea, warm water, juice, coffee or whatever.  Then the stylist’s assistant comes to discuss what we want in the haircut.  After some discussion in Chinese with 2nd, 3rd assistants they announce sharply “come this way”.  A robe is chosen that will fit the best and of course there is more discussion in Chinese-maybe they are complaining about the lack of sizes or the loss of time it is taking to find the right one, who know’s.

Then with a serious smile they wrap my child in the robe and lead them to the shampoo room.  This room is entered by going through hanging jewels  much like the tacky hanging door beads but fancy schmancy.  After about twenty minutes of massage and shampoo and luxurios relaxation my child is lead to the stylist chair and with expert clips and snips the experienced stylist takes his time getting every hair just perfect. One of the greeters whispers to me and assures me he (the stylist) is the best -he studied in London.  ”Oh” I say as if that really means a lot.  Well then it better be good I think.

Every worker is dressed extremely hip, right out of a rock star magazine and many of the customers look they are going to the red carpet.  We are just plain jane Americans and feel way out of place yet they all crowd around my child to see his hair float in the air as it’s being cut and comment on the process, giggle quietly, and stare as if it’s  open heart surgery going on live.

Now it’s time for the blow dry until.. it’s perfect. My child’s back and neck is being brushed by 2nd and 3rd assistants the whole time. They wait on the stylist like the nurse assists the doctor. I am then ceremoniously  asked if I am satisfied.  What else can I say after all that and the crowd awaiting my answer.  Then with  a few short quick words my child is sent back to the shampoo room and his hair is washed again!!!  What is going on!!!  They say it is to get rid of all loose hairs.  But we spent so much time on the blow dry.  This time only the 2nd assistant blowdries the hair until almost all the hair is dry then the stylist is called back and he finishes the style quick and fast.

We thank him in Chinese and he moves on to the next customer.  I take a few pictures and because it was such a relaxing affair my child has almost fallen asleep.  I pay the money which isn’t cheap for Chinese standards but great for American.  It was $20.00 and  no tipping allowed.  I am jazzed!  It was a little time consuming though.  I think it was great for Conley and they loved Anthea’s hair but Dayne just needs a buzz and he’s good to go.   So… it felt a bit indulgent  but it was still fun.  I don’t know if I could take that kind of attention but I will need a  haircut sometime and I  sure hope nobody watches.