Jenny at the village

There is a famous restaurant in the area called “The Village”. It’s famous because it serves decent western food; our dining there is not rare. :)

However, this is not the village Jenny went to. She went to an actual village. This was a little while back while I was out of town working at a camp for two weeks. She was crazy/incredible enough to take our two small boys there! It’s an hour-long bus ride each way.

You can see a video of it here! If you are not on our site, you can come watch the video by clicking here.

Hope you got a good idea of what a village looks like here in the Xi’An, China region!

Until next time,

Jeremy, Jenny, Levi, & Liam

No Pigeons Are Safe

Sorry for the delay! We have our last bit of content from our Hong Kong trip here!

On our last day in Hong Kong, we went to Victoria Park. It was a beautiful park with an amazing cityscape in the distance. Check out the pictures we took here.

Also, you can watch a video of Levi chasing the pigeons here! If you can't see the video because you are on Facebook or email, come to our site and watch it!





Until next time,
Jeremy, Jenny, Levi, & Liam

Cheung Kong Park

On the fifth of May, we all took a stroll down to Cheung Kong Park. We really enjoyed ourselves! The park was multi-leveled and the nature was all around you, even though you could see amazing skyscrapers so close by.

Check out the pictures here!

Until next time,
Jeremy, Jenny, Levi, & Liam

The Hotel & Peak Tram

I am just getting over a sickness, so I haven't posted anything for the past couple days. Let's get right back into it, and post about our May 3rd in Hong Kong!

We took many pictures here. We started out eating some ice cream in the hotel in the morning. (It was SO hot/humid outside!)

After the afternoon naps, we snagged a bus to take us to the Peak Tram. What an incredible experience! It is beautiful up on top of that mountain! We spent some time in the mall which is up there, then went to the top floor to eat at Bubba Gump Shrimp. MMMmm!

After that, we spent some time looking at the city as the sun slowly set. We went to the McDonald's outside playplace, then returned home. What a great time! I recommend everyone goes to the Peak Tram if they find themselves in Hong Kong some day. Below is a video of us looking at the city from the mountaintop. If you are reading this via email or Facebook, click here to go to our blog so you can see it!





Until next time,
Jeremy, Jenny, Levi, & Liam

Outback Steakhouse

We have a new video up at the end of our first day in Hong Kong.

We originally flew in to Hong Kong on May 1st, which is a holiday here in China. Many Chinese were travelling to Hong Kong, so it was a little crazy with the amount of people.

We flew into Shenzhen, China, then rode a bus to Hong Kong. Partway through your bus ride, you need to get off the bus and go through customs. That's where we were stuck for a couple hours.

Outback was REALLY good, for those of you who were curious. ;)







If you want to watch this video and are reading this post via Facebook or email, click here to go to our site.

Until next time,
Jeremy, Jenny, Levi, & Liam

The Small Goose Pagoda

Yesterday, we went to the Small Goose Pagoda with our landlords from the last time we were in China. We have a good relationship with them now - we are very happy about that. They were also the people who took us to a village a while back. (I tutor their daughter every week, for those of you who may not remember.)

We had a great time! Levi had a little rough time because this "park" was more like an outdoor museum - you just go there to look, not touch! :) He enjoyed sitting on some horse statues and checking out some other ones as well. Afterwards we went to a restaurant and had some great food. They said they have a lot more places to take us to, so we are excited about that!

This coming Saturday we are going to be off to Hong Kong! We have to get my visa switched over to a working visa, so I can get paid while in China. I will be working at an Elementary School and a Kindergarden school as well. I'm so excited about all this! We'll be there for seven days total. We should have internet at the hotel, so I'm sure we'll be updating you guys while we are there!

Please check out our pictures from our time at the Small Goose Pagoda by clicking here.

Until next time, Jeremy, Jenny, Levi, & Liam

中国！！！

We've arrived in Xi'an!

Sorry it's been a couple days to write this, but it's been incredibly hectic, as I'm sure you'll all understand. Since this will be a hefty post, I'll separate the paragraphs by topic. Enjoy!

How did all that travelling go? Our flights were as awesome as they could be! Levi and Liam were CHAMPS! Levi happily got on plane after plane, despite the incredible length of time we spent on them. We flew from Minneapolis to Tokyo to Beijing (spent the night) to Xi'an. What was it like seeing your friends and brother's family again? It was amazing! We saw them when we were coming down to the baggage claim and everyone involved was beaming with happiness. Levi was pulling his little luggage along and I showed him Sydney and he ran to her with happiness and was not shy of anyone! In fact, we immediately left him with them while we went and "claimed" our luggage. He was completely okay with it! Seeing everyone again was such a great experience.

Where are you living now? We have taken over a place that our friend had while she was here. She moved back to America for now, so we just moved right in! Jenny and I LOVE it!!! We had the landlord over today and after some bartering and discussion we reached a great deal! We have signed a TWO YEAR lease on this apartment, which we are both very excited about. We can now "officially" move in! Can we see pictures? Definitely! Just please give us some time and we'll get you all the pictures you need! :) Since we didn't officially rent the apartment until today, we haven't focused on unpacking yet. We'll start all that tomorrow, and I'll take some pictures as soon as we get the place looking pretty nice. :)

What is next for you guys? We are going to focus on getting settled in and making our apartment a home. After that, the next task will be Jeremy getting his job teaching English and we'll both get set up with a Chinese tutor/school so we can get our learning going. Things move slowly here though, so we need to be patient and move forward with the progress we are allowed here in China.

How is the family feeling? All the boys are sick with a cold. I blame myself (Jeremy) because I got it in Minnesota and I was not being careful around the boys. Levi has a rough cough going on and Liam has coughs as well. Other than all that, we are really really happy to be here!

I hope that caught most of you up to date on us here in China! We'll be posting more as things progress around here!

Until next time,
Jeremy, Jenny, Levi, & Liam

So I Dated This Girl Once...

Jenny and I got a chance to go on a date tonight!

My awesome brother, Matt (http://petersonchina.blogspot.com) came over and stuck around with our sleeping boy, Levi. This gave us the opportunity to spend some quality time together!

We left at about 6:30 and went to a real fancy-schmancy restaraunt nearby known to the locals as "Pizza Hut." I think it's a restaurant chain from Italy or something. Anyways, we had a fantastic stuffed crust pizza with pepperoni and sausage and it was phenomenal. We downed a pitcher of Coke, which is probably disgusting to the Chinese to see... (And maybe Americans, also.) It should be said that Jenny had maybe 1 1/2 glasses, and I drank the rest.

After that we sauntered over to another local hotspot (brought here from Canada or something) known as "DQ." They serve ice cream treats which are called something weird, but it translates into English directly as "Blizzards." They are great. I had an Oreo Blizzard and Jenny had a Caramel Moolatte. By the way, in China, when you walk into almost any store, all the workers in the store yell out (translated) "Hello! Welcome!" But at DQ, they say (translated) "Hello, Welcome to DQ!" It's so cute, truly.

Afer that, we went to a few stores, and we were teaching some of the workers some words about clothes in English. She kept pointing and asking, "What's that? What's that?" It felt a lot like Levi was there, and we missed him at that moment. (Levi says "Wassat?" all the time now, and points at random things. It's very cute.) It's always fun to me to get those little teaching moments, and now she knows how to say "Purse, scarf, leggings, coat, necklace, and blouse." I don't know how, but I guarantee she'll remember those words. They are very smart over here.

China's not always that different from the states. We had a very normal, casual, fun time. It was cheaper, too! We hope to enjoy many more times like this. (That's a subtle hint for my brother... Kidding, Matt!)

Until next time,
Jeremy

So I Dated This Girl Once...

Jenny and I got a chance to go on a date tonight!

My awesome brother, Matt (http://petersonchina.blogspot.com) came over and stuck around with our sleeping boy, Levi. This gave us the opportunity to spend some quality time together!

We left at about 6:30 and went to a real fancy-schmancy restaraunt nearby known to the locals as "Pizza Hut." I think it's a restaurant chain from Italy or something. Anyways, we had a fantastic stuffed crust pizza with pepperoni and sausage and it was phenomenal. We downed a pitcher of Coke, which is probably disgusting to the Chinese to see... (And maybe Americans, also.) It should be said that Jenny had maybe 1 1/2 glasses, and I drank the rest.

After that we sauntered over to another local hotspot (brought here from Canada or something) known as "DQ." They serve ice cream treats which are called something weird, but it translates into English directly as "Blizzards." They are great. I had an Oreo Blizzard and Jenny had a Caramel Moolatte. By the way, in China, when you walk into almost any store, all the workers in the store yell out (translated) "Hello! Welcome!" But at DQ, they say (translated) "Hello, Welcome to DQ!" It's so cute, truly.

Afer that, we went to a few stores, and we were teaching some of the workers some words about clothes in English. She kept pointing and asking, "What's that? What's that?" It felt a lot like Levi was there, and we missed him at that moment. (Levi says "Wassat?" all the time now, and points at random things. It's very cute.) It's always fun to me to get those little teaching moments, and now she knows how to say "Purse, scarf, leggings, coat, necklace, and blouse." I don't know how, but I guarantee she'll remember those words. They are very smart over here.

China's not always that different from the states. We had a very normal, casual, fun time. It was cheaper, too! We hope to enjoy many more times like this. (That's a subtle hint for my brother... Kidding, Matt!)

Until next time,
Jeremy

At The Orphanage

Hello!

So on the 5th of this month, we went to an orphanage! It took two bus rides, which can be up to 1 1/2 hours of travel. Quite an adventure. :)

The orphanage was run really well. They had a great group of staff members, and great children. Many of the children there had nothing too wrong with them. Lip issues are incredibly cheap and easy to fix, but still, the children end up here for whatever reason. Others have issues that the parents cannot afford, so they are forced to surrender the children. Sometimes the children make a full recovery, but still get adopted away. It's incredibly sad. It was great to see a couple of the children were about to be adopted. We saw one girl who was in a vegetative state due to a momentary lack of blood flow to her brain. She was only a few years old. Another had a heart issue which was fixed, and she's about to be sent to America to her new family. Another had an incredibly expensive pacemaker inside of him.

It was a great experience. Due to scheduling, only I (Jeremy) could go, along with some friends. Levi and Jenny stayed home this time around, but when Jenny gets a chance, she really wants to go visit with the children, so I'll stay back that time.

Levi is growing up fast! He's on the brink of walking. He does the motions very well, but just doesn't want to try to walk. We'll keep you posted on that! :)

This week we do not have much planned, however I will be getting a new phone (because a cheap phone in China means it's a reallycheap phone! Which means it worked for three months, and then the speaker broke. Also, our heating will begin to work on the 15th. Here, everyone lives in apartments, and nobody has heating (except for space heaters) until the 15th of November, and sometimes sooner. The thing is, you can't control the heat, nor can you shut it off. It's pretty exciting!

Until next time!
Jeremy

At The Orphanage

Hello!

So on the 5th of this month, we went to an orphanage! It took two bus rides, which can be up to 1 1/2 hours of travel. Quite an adventure. :)

The orphanage was run really well. They had a great group of staff members, and great children. Many of the children there had nothing too wrong with them. Lip issues are incredibly cheap and easy to fix, but still, the children end up here for whatever reason. Others have issues that the parents cannot afford, so they are forced to surrender the children. Sometimes the children make a full recovery, but still get adopted away. It's incredibly sad. It was great to see a couple of the children were about to be adopted. We saw one girl who was in a vegetative state due to a momentary lack of blood flow to her brain. She was only a few years old. Another had a heart issue which was fixed, and she's about to be sent to America to her new family. Another had an incredibly expensive pacemaker inside of him.

It was a great experience. Due to scheduling, only I (Jeremy) could go, along with some friends. Levi and Jenny stayed home this time around, but when Jenny gets a chance, she really wants to go visit with the children, so I'll stay back that time.

Levi is growing up fast! He's on the brink of walking. He does the motions very well, but just doesn't want to try to walk. We'll keep you posted on that! :)

This week we do not have much planned, however I will be getting a new phone (because a cheap phone in China means it's a reallycheap phone! Which means it worked for three months, and then the speaker broke. Also, our heating will begin to work on the 15th. Here, everyone lives in apartments, and nobody has heating (except for space heaters) until the 15th of November, and sometimes sooner. The thing is, you can't control the heat, nor can you shut it off. It's pretty exciting!

Until next time!
Jeremy

a village and mountainside temples

We are back from our short trip! We had such a good time! The Zhao family picked us up just outside our apartment building. We packed into their car and drove about forty-five minutes south of Xi'an. They have an older Buick. They really take care of their cars here. It felt really new by how well it was cared for. I think it's just because it's one of the nicest things they get, so they really appreciate it. We pulled into a village, but it didn't look like I thought it would. This is more of a "modern" village. They have paved roads, shops, and anything else, except it's a smaller community, and it seemed like they pretty much relied on the community itself. It was quite beautiful. They constructed a small area next to the street, which the river flows into. So the river flows throughout their town, and it's a great touch. They also have a lot of trees, and the mountains are just behind the village.

We ate a variety of things, all of which had a great taste. They had a type of potato noodle, they had peppers, bread, chicken, carrots, noodles, leafy vegetables, etc. They all had a unique taste and were all enjoyable. It's difficult to eat chicken with chopsticks, by the way. Somehow they eat it without using their hands; They are talented people.

After the meal we strolled the streets for a few minutes, then we drove to a different area of the mountains. We got out of our car and walked the road that directed us along the mountainside. This is what China looked like in my mind. The architecture is ancient and precise, mountains surround you, monks are here and there, and their is a slight sweet-smelling breeze. What an experience! You will have to see the pictures we are posting as I am typing this to really get the full idea of this destination. We went throughout several temples, (I couldn't take pictures inside them, I apologize.) and climbed several stairs to see a huge Buddhist statue.

There is one specific area I thought was amazing. It was a large area completely made of bridges. Water was beneath you everywhere you looked, and several hundred goldfish and other varieties were following beneath you as you'd walk, peeking up through the water while opening their mouths, hoping for a little food.


Levi was tuckered out, so we had to go. We were all tired from the walking anyways. However, we have been invited for another trip soon. (They do this every weekend!) We are hoping to hit some other destinations with them soon.

Until next time,
Jeremy, Jenny, and Levi

a village and mountainside temples

We are back from our short trip! We had such a good time! The Zhao family picked us up just outside our apartment building. We packed into their car and drove about forty-five minutes south of Xi'an. They have an older Buick. They really take care of their cars here. It felt really new by how well it was cared for. I think it's just because it's one of the nicest things they get, so they really appreciate it. We pulled into a village, but it didn't look like I thought it would. This is more of a "modern" village. They have paved roads, shops, and anything else, except it's a smaller community, and it seemed like they pretty much relied on the community itself. It was quite beautiful. They constructed a small area next to the street, which the river flows into. So the river flows throughout their town, and it's a great touch. They also have a lot of trees, and the mountains are just behind the village.

We ate a variety of things, all of which had a great taste. They had a type of potato noodle, they had peppers, bread, chicken, carrots, noodles, leafy vegetables, etc. They all had a unique taste and were all enjoyable. It's difficult to eat chicken with chopsticks, by the way. Somehow they eat it without using their hands; They are talented people.

After the meal we strolled the streets for a few minutes, then we drove to a different area of the mountains. We got out of our car and walked the road that directed us along the mountainside. This is what China looked like in my mind. The architecture is ancient and precise, mountains surround you, monks are here and there, and their is a slight sweet-smelling breeze. What an experience! You will have to see the pictures we are posting as I am typing this to really get the full idea of this destination. We went throughout several temples, (I couldn't take pictures inside them, I apologize.) and climbed several stairs to see a huge Buddhist statue.

There is one specific area I thought was amazing. It was a large area completely made of bridges. Water was beneath you everywhere you looked, and several hundred goldfish and other varieties were following beneath you as you'd walk, peeking up through the water while opening their mouths, hoping for a little food.


Levi was tuckered out, so we had to go. We were all tired from the walking anyways. However, we have been invited for another trip soon. (They do this every weekend!) We are hoping to hit some other destinations with them soon.

Until next time,
Jeremy, Jenny, and Levi