Last Weekend

We have had a very busy weekend. Saturday we hosted a big pot-luck
swim party here at the consulate for about 80 people. It turned out
great although I am a little tired. So many people helped so as my Ayi
said, I do more work when it is only one family coming over. The
weather cooperated and it only threatened rain towards the end. It
poured that night. I am hoping to do it again later this summer.

Friday was children's day here in China. It is a very big deal
apparently, and all the parents went to their children's school to see
some kind of performance, and then took their kids out to eat. We took
our kids to see Snow White the ballet that afternoon- not realizing it
was children's day. Watching performances in China is really
interesting. People take pictures, answer their cell phones, talk
whenever they feel like it, eat snacks with loud wrappers... and
that's just the adults. At the ballet I think the kids outnumbered the
adults 2 to 1. The performers compensated by turning the sound track
up really loud so that on the 17th row we sometimes had to plug our
ears. The girls really enjoyed it. It was put on by what must be a
school troupe from somewhere. They weren't Chinese. There were lots
of animals, the wicked queen and her devils, Snow White and her
prince, a fairy, and the dwarfs who stole the show. The girls came
home and Zoe got out her "how to do ballet" book and showed me all of
the poses she recognized from the show. It was fun that we could take
them for a fraction of the price we would have paid in the US.