Remembering

Two and a half years ago I lived in China. When I left, I promised I'd return to visit. Finally, at the end of our China visit, I kept that promise and travelled to Shijiazhuang. The short trip was a trip about remembering: remembering people, places, food, and language! The language bit was funny actually...I think I remembered more Mandarin in the 2 ½ days we were in Shijiazhuang than in the 2 ½ weeks previous. It's amazing how having all your senses engaged can help your memory recall.

We stayed with my Chinese family while in Shijiazhuang. It was so great to see them all again! My “brother” and “sister-in-law,” Jack and Anny, now have the cutest daughter named Rachel. She is adorable! She took a little while to warm up to us, but once she did, she was sure we were there for her own private amusement. She had us read books to her, play catch, sing songs (we taught her Head and Shoulders, Ring Around the Rosie, and the Chicken Dance), and just generally play! She called us Ai-ee (“aunt” in Mandarin).






Besides playing with Rachel, we also hung out with the whole family, played badminton with my “sister” Tina, and made dumplings with Mrs Wang. The dumpling-making was lots of fun. However, it's a lot more difficult than it looks. And, when I say we made dumplings, I mean the whole shebang!




We started with a trip to the market to buy supplies...















then mixed the filling...
















made the dough...












put the dumplings together...












and then cooked and ate some for lunch...and dinner...and breakfast! They were fabulous! I'm now expected to make them when I return to Canada—we'll see if I still remember how to make them when we get back home in a year or so. :)






Visiting my family again was awesome; equally awesome was seeing some of my friends. We met Linda at the park in Shijiazhuang for a short time (too short!) and caught up on what was happening. Then, when we got back to Beijing, we met my friend Li, her mother, and her boyfriend. They are from Shijiazhuang but live in Beijing now.

I wish I'd had more time to spend with everyone—but I guess that gives me yet another reason to visit China again!