John and Wendys Adventure

It has been almost three months since I left China. With that said I am going to reflect on the final weeks of my time in Tianjin and then some. Most of my final 9 weeks were spent working, walking the park and visiting the downtown of Tianjin.

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Pictured here is the beautiful parks (I had the pleasure of walking everyday), Teda Tower (the land mark for Binhai) and yes that’s me swimming in the He Ho river. I had watched the locals many time swim in this river even with ice on the banks so I decided to give it a try. This day it was about 90 degrees so the water was pleasant.

Wendy left May 1st and I had a week off. We were allowed to leave Tianjin as China was very safe at this time so I decided to visit the great city of Beijing one last time. It was very eventful and a full day of travel.

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Pictured here is the Egg, the great performing arts center of Beijing (I attended many concerts), St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wangfujing (I attended a couple of masses there), The Forbidden City (visited twice) and of course the Temple of Heaven (lost track of my number of visits there). It was a great day and I came back tired with a memorable story but I will leave that out of the blog.

I also had a Principal’s Meeting in Shanghai in late May. It was a great 4 day event and I was able to meet my principal colleagues from all over China and enjoy the city that Wendy and I visited two years prior.

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Pictured is the tallest building in China The Shanghai Tower, The Oriental Pearl and a bird’s eye view of the city from the observation deck of the Tower. I spent some time in meetings but enjoyed walking the Bund and playing tourist.

My final month in China was uneventful and I had final dinners with colleagues, graduation and final goodbyes.

My departure was not very exciting. I picked up my negative test results, started my Can App, taxied to Beijing with Panda (driver), flew to Xi’an, Toronto and quarantined at the same hotel as Wendy.

Many pictures and few words for my final blog. I am a little emotional writing this but the smile on my face with my family around says it all. China will always be a special place for myself and Wendy. We still talk about the people, the places, and the memories will always be with us.

Wendy is now safe at home. Her travels were not easy but well planned. As I write this blog she is in the final stages of her quarantine and doing well. She is thrilled with the house!!

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I am now navigating China on my own. My first week was spent on holiday and I had time to climatize myself to living alone. I did this by visiting our same old sites in Binhai, Tianjin city and took the train to Beijing to fill my week. Rather than tax a taxi to Eco-City Park I road my bike. A nice day for a ride. Eco-City is a very new upscale suburb of Tianjin that is very eco-friendly with new buildings and malls. The park is very large, beautiful and is still under construction.

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Mybtrip to Beijing was just for the day but I took a lot in. Here are some of the sites I visited.

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There is a story with my final visit at this most popular China tourist site The Forbidden City that I shall only state in conversation.

Like any final chapter it is hard to put into words how one feels about moving on. All that I can say at this point is that I am not leaving sad or glad but just leaving with a good life ahead just like the good life I am leaving behind. Of course there are things I will not miss about living here in China but equally there will be things I will miss. When I think about living freely and moving about and going where I want I feel that this is as much about life here as normal life would be in retirement. Waking up each day with the day ahead, planned or unplanned, but with your own agenda. Having breakfast where and when you want and basically the other meals as well. Sometimes feeling like it is time to eat out and other times like it is time to cook a meal and spend the time preparing it. That is not to say that there are no responsibilities still to family and friends but obviously a freedom when not having to get ready for work and live the day to day grind. I also recognize that as anyone moves from work life to retirement life there is a transition period where you want to feel needed still and contribute yet want the freedom as well so finding the balance is key. How does one feel useful to society yet not carry the burden of work and responsibility on their shoulders in a workplace? How does one fulfill what they want to accomplish each day and perhaps delve into hobbies that they haven’t had time for before but not let it take over their life? Again, balance is key.

During my time in China, starting back to when I first came in the fall of 2019 to live with John in Beijing, I had been afforded the opportunity to explore not only China but also to figure out what I wanted to explore for myself in retirement. One thing I was faced with when living in China was limited access to supplies that I would normally use to take up my time. I was unable to find material or a sewing machine. I was unable to find wool or knitting needles and I was not working anywhere on a regular basis so I volunteered a little bit at John’s school and I got into replacing sewing and knitting with photography experiences I had never had before. Amid going to some wonderful sites like Tiananmen Square, Summer Palace, Solana, Dongcheng, Wangfujing, Taoranting Park, Huairou, Dongzhimen in Beijing as well as going to Seoul, Korea and Xian, China all in just the fall of 2019 I was able to start new skills in drawing, painting and writing. This led me to creating the character of Felicity Mouse based on my childhood back home and led to three books with her as the main character. Perhaps having the time to create this series of books was a comfort to me as I held onto the memories of living in Ontario as a child for quite some time and finally I had the time to put them down on paper. I’m sure it also helped me escape the day to day loneliness while John worked each day and although I did do day trips on my own and got comfortable with the idea, I also had to have my downtime routine and projects to complete.

Summing up a period of time leads to so many thoughts it is hard to stay on track but living in Tianjin brought us another fresh start and definitely a positive one. We were happy to explore a new city, a new neighborhood and a new staff and school for John. Definitely a more prestigious position for John to end his career with Maple Leaf International Schools. Although it is not leading to the original pathway to Brockville and the school they purchased there, we would never want this opportunity taken away from us. After a long two weeks of quarantine in Zhengzhou, we hit the road exploring and immediately went to see the Tianjin Eye, the Italian district and explored our own neighborhood of Binhai New Area. We did a practical run to Beijing to our old apartment to pick up various items, mainly my bike and enjoyed going to restaurants which we frequented during our time there. Wonderful, traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners were enjoyed with John’s new staff and even cat sitting was on the agenda for me as we welcomed Tino for 10 days into our apartment. We took a fast train to an Italian Style shopping district and also attended the local arts centre for a performance of Academy Award winning songs brought to life by the orchestra and screen shots of the movies behind. We took in a couple of local museums and Eco City during some cold winter days in January. For my birthday we stayed in the upscale Shangri La Hotel which was such a lovely luxury to experience and get through the dull winter. Here at the hotel it was so quiet as there was no one able to travel in from foreign countries that they knew our names within the hour and catered to us whenever we needed something. Life became rather routine after this visit and I once again took to drawing, painting and writing and created my book about Pickles and Parker, the two stray dogs from the corner park. I enjoyed writing this book as much as I did the Felicity Mouse books as I was able to explore a little more about Tianjin and the chinese culture even though it was only in the slightest way.

February we had the whole month off together as John had his winter break to end the second semester of school. We mostly stayed in our own area and discovered the area of Tanguu a couple of subway stops away from us and here John enjoyed bartering for his tobacco supplies and seeking out deals with the vendors for other products. We went downtown again and this time stayed at the Holiday Inn Riverside with a view of the Tianjin Eye and went out in the evening and took a ride on it in a gondola. I took some beautiful night time pictures of Tianjin, so worth the ride. We happened upon food street and antique street which were lively enough for this time of year. Again, two foreigners walking around, we get a lot of attention and eventually we like to retreat to our own quarters after awhile so we spent most of the rest of February in our neighborhood.

Spring arrived and it was time for a last trip to The Great Wall. I did write of it earlier and so suffice it to say that the wall never disappoints. We had a great blue sky day after a night of rain. Lucky for sure! And then the blooms came out on all the cherry, apple and lilac trees and the picture taking has been non stop. What a wonderful time to experience China especially after a full season of winter. The sights and smells seem to come overnight and now with the trees in full form the area looks prepped for the summer. The next two weeks promise double digit temperatures and what a nice way to end my experience. Not too far into the heat of the summer and returning to Ontario to experience their spring in a new house. An exciting time for me to get to see my mom and my boys once again and get my new life underway with John following in early July.

During our time here it was important for us to share our adventure with others and I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who supported us on Facebook by liking our posts as it meant more to us than you think. We had consistent chats with some of you by messenger, We Chat and Zoom and we thank you for taking the time to chat with us live and be updated on your lives at home in Ontario and for listening to us when we needed to hear a voice from home. It will be great to catch up in real time and perhaps even face to face at some point though time will tell when that will be. I am signing off from Tianjin posts for now…it’s up to John to finish the blog in style.

Bye for now from Wendy, a Canadian in Tianjin, China.

As I write this blog it is clear to me that my time in Tianjin and in China will soon be coming to an end as I have my ticket booked for May 1, 2021. I titled this entry ‘the long and the short of it’ as I find the days are long however the weeks seem to by passing quickly. Since my last entry we have experienced a few more unique weather days, one of which we are experiencing today. The winds are blustery today and bringing in and tossing around a lot of dust so we have decided to remain in the apartment for most of the day and get some housekeeping done. I have one and a half bags packed, ready for my trip home, basically all my winter clothes that I will not wear again. Speaking of winter, we did have it pretty good this year with only a couple of snowfalls however one occurred exactly on March 1 so truly in ‘like a lion’ so of course this week we are hoping it goes ‘out like a lamb’. We have already had double digit days however it hasn’t been consistent for one total week yet.

Our big trip this month was a trip to the Great Wall. It was my third time and John’s fifth. We get wiser each time we go as this time we rented a driver from John’s school to take us so we didn’t have to figure out the subway, taxis or busses that would normally be a challenge in getting there. So our day trip started at 8 am and we arrived back home by around 4 pm. The road trip itself was pretty straight forward with travelling mostly on 4 lane highways and then as we got closer, say within 45 minutes, we travelled through some towns and villages up the mountainous area which felt to me like a trip on the Canadian Cabot trail. There was some steep embankments once we reached the Great Wall where we then entered a small bus with others to the top and walked a winding, hilly trail back to the other entrance to the wall. Trying to get out of a Chinese tourist site is always tricky with alleyways and gates and cubicles filled with trinkets. At this point my legs were not cooperating so I just wanted out!

The total trip by car took us about 2.5 hours and this section of the wall was called Huangyaguan Pass. One inscription read as follows: ‘The abutment built in the early Ming dynasty is the best integrated round one within the jurisdiction of Tianjin. It is built in rubbles. It is round and solid, diameter of 9.3 metres, 7.4 metres high. It is not only the war machine to defence, but also the smoke pier to give beacon alarm.”

We also felt this wall walk was similar to our last walk outside of Beijing. Lots of stairs and up and down hiking. It was certainly not as rugged as my first wall hike where the sides were crumbling away and there was no side walls for safety. (I was certainly a more nervous hiker then but at least my legs lasted) I think the stairs are leg burners but safer so it’s a ‘give and take’ situation when you hike different parts of the wall. This experience was very safe with railings and places to stop and sit for a bit. At one point there were even some village people that were offering horse rides around the wall. It was nice to see the horses on the trail in their colourful blankets but we didn’t venture to ride them. Our day was sunny after a night of rain so overall a very enjoyable trip except perhaps the last ten minutes when my leg muscles were done and I didn’t want to walk anymore. Nonetheless we finished and met our driver at an agreed upon location and headed home.
Another experience this month that I had the ‘pleasure’ of doing was a Chinese spa to get a massage. John had ventured into this place one time we were passing by to go to dinner. I got brave one afternoon and walked over and went for it. I was led to a room in the very back of the spa for my treatment. Having had more than a few massages back in Canada I was expecting the usual disrobing and massage table with lovely scented oils and a relaxing experience. With the help of my translate ap on my phone I told them I wanted a female masseuse and my visit went from there. They basically led me to a room with a hard double bed in it and a bathroom and gave me a bottle of water. I waited until the lady came in and she signaled for me to sit upright on the bed which I did, fully clothed. So through my clothes she kneaded and punched every part of my body with muscles and then asked me to lie down flat. When I did this she patted my belly and gently massaged my stomach and then asked me to roll over. Again she massaged every part of my body that had muscles and the whole process took about 50 minutes. I wouldn’t say I was comfortable the whole time but I believe now that the ‘after affects’ are better when given a Chinese massage rather than the immediate experience like a Canadian massage. There were times when it really burned as there was no lotions used just clothes on skin but I made it through. Total cost $30. That was an added bonus. In Canada we would pay probably $130 for this service.
About a week and a half later my Chinese friend, Yo Yo and I decided to go into the same Chinese spa for a foot massage. Yo Yo is the wife of John’s vice principal Matt Zavala who is from New Hampshire, US and we have all enjoyed each other’s company during our stay here. So Yo Yo can speak Chinese so we got settled into the room that clearly looked like we were going to get foot massages only but this again was not the case. At first the ladies massaged our shoulders then soaked our feet and cleaned them up and rubbed them down. I don’t think I have ever experienced such foot pain in my whole life. I fully hope to never have an arch issue the rest of my life given how much they poked and prodded and rubbed until my feet were burning. But we weren’t finished yet. They had us lie on our stomachs with the chairs made flat and massaged our backs and legs as well. And then as we turned over to sip our water and put our socks and shoes back on, I figured we were done but no! The lady at the end of my ottoman was lighting a suction cup on fire with a flamed torch. I have not had this experience before nor had I even seen it, I had heard about it but didn’t sign up for this! She heated the cups with the flame and adhered them to the bottom of each of my feet to ‘rid my body of toxins’ I believe. Yo Yo was laughing telling me to relax and that it was ‘Chinese magic’, to get rid of the white gases in my body. Needless to say I will not be a returning customer! A bit too much unexpected heat for me! I’m glad Yo Yo was with me to explain because when I saw the torch I envisioned walking across hot rocks or something next! Gosh. What a day!

So in the end, I am hoping my last month in Tianjin will be a memorable one but with less heat except for nice temperatures outside. We will probably do one last trip to Beijing and hope to see the Summer Palace again and the Botanical Gardens and then the long flight home to Toronto and to the Canadian Covid experience.

Thinking back to when we celebrated our ‘homeland’ New Year’s Eve we remembered how we had spent it going to a restaurant that we had only been to once before and met a couple of couples and it was very simple and quiet. At that time I didn’t really care that it was quiet because my vision of the coming of the Chinese New Year was in my head as I thought of fireworks, red lanterns and parades with dragons and oxen and other various characters roaming the streets. Now that we are in the middle of our Chinese New Year holiday I am over the fact that this New Year will be quiet as well. Save for a few fireworks nightly, that are mostly obstructed by the tall buildings it had been pretty lacklustre compared to my vision. So quiet in fact we didn’t realize that most of the restaurants would be closing by 5 pm on February 11th so we ended up eating at a Volleyball themed Kentucky Fried Chicken because we had left deciding where we would eat dinner and it got too late. Oh well there were plenty of other nights to enjoy when the weather gets better so we headed back home to the apartment on the subway for the hour ride home.

We got into a routine of coffee, breakfast sandwiches at the corner venue and maybe a cigar or two a little earlier than usual. The weather has been all over the map this holiday as we have experienced cold, blustery winds with the threat of another snow up to sitting on the rooftop on our lawnchairs in tshirts and shorts and sunhats with 15 degrees and sunny outside. Bring it on we said! Enough of the cold we are ready to get into better shape and enjoy the sunshine and warmth. The next three days are to be golden! Temperatures from 15 to 18! We will take it!

As for the remaining week and a half of John’s holiday we have planned an outing tomorrow to a zoo, another day we have planned to bike ride at Eco City and two nights we are booked into the Holiday Inn downtown. On New Year’s we got so tired of trying to find a restaurant that I didn’t get to taking any downtown bridge pictures at night that I was wanting to get. So staying downtown next week will give me a second opportunity and perhaps a redo of New Year’s is in order. We aren’t really sure if the quiet is due to the pandemic or New Year’s here is ordinarily quiet, hard to tell, or ask for that matter. We also plan to ride the Tianjin Eye which is the huge ferris wheel seen in many pictures of Tianjin. I will save the details of how big it is…til we actually do ride it. I’m not overly keen on the height we will be going up but counting on an unbelievable photo opportunity will help me along.

John and I have also taken it upon ourselves to write a couple of songs together. We have enjoyed it for the most part and a song or two have been produced and recorded and shared on our phones and on Instagram. I have also started the long task of illustrating my next book about the two stray dogs we have been watching since we arrived in Tianjin in September. Every few weeks I would write a chapter based on the goings on in the park near our apartment. I named the dogs Pickles and Parker and I have already completed the narrative and have enjoyed writing about characters other than Felicity Mouse. I figured while I was still in China I should write a story about it and add some culture to my stories.

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My time in China has been anything but predictable. I will be finishing my time here in Tianjin and I would never have thought I would move cities. My assimilation to China has been a gradual one; sometimes good and sometimes difficult. My previous blogs can attest to that. Your acceptance to this place is slow and you do become comfortable in what was first a very strange land.

Since coming to Tianjin myself and Wendy seemed to be tourists on a very long working vacation. In Tianjin we became residents and have fallen in to a routine life enjoying the neighborhood and are less inclined to travel or go into the city. There is a settleness in me that I have not had in China. My work is going well and Wendy and I are preparing for our time when we return back home.

I feel I have changed but it is hard to describe. I do see life differently. I will not get into the details but I do. When I return home I do not want to just go back to the old me. I want to make sure this experience continues to shape me.

We still have plenty of time to be in China but I know it will move quickly. Not being able to travel due to COVID has not bothered us as I thought it would. You become very connected to your partner when living abroad. I feel we have embraced this well. Home at the moment is going through a tough time and I feel they have and are living similar life altering experiences that will change their view. Funny and strange times.

I do believe we should “never say never” and we need to go with what life brings us. There are no guarantees so don’t get disappointed if things don’t go as planned and don’t think you are deserving of a better life. Accept what you are given and change what can or needs to be changed.

So today I noticed two things about our blog/journey/adventure. I had never really expressed how I was feeling. How I was doing in my day to day life here and so now as I sit here halfway through our last stint here in China I feel it is a good time to check in on me. I’m not really used to writing about myself so this will be a new experience and one that probably will not happen again but who knows? Because who knew that I would be retired and living in China during a world pandemic, certainly not me. And if there is one thing the whole world can say at this point in time is that each of us has had some alone time. We have had time to take a break from the regular routine of the life that we were living and experience a different life, a life a bit more sheltered and a bit quieter than say the usual running around that we do. I do not necessarily feel this is a bad time in our lives just time to be more reflective and find out what makes us content but also what we miss and want to get back to.
As I walked a lot today I thought about what I would put in my blog so I could remember how I felt today and what I felt about this whole experience. Going out into the world in China brings lots of challenges as one would expect but being a foreigner and also being a woman opens up even more challenges but as in most cases it is your attitude towards those challenges that makes it a positive or negative experience. First off I want to say that I have always felt safe and confident I can live a pretty normal life here but I had to get used to things. I had to get used to being stared at for one. And like any human, some days I don’t mind and some days I do mind but I have learned to adapt and not react. I never feel intimidated but maybe a little more vulnerable than I would be living in Canada obviously. Secondly, I have no ability to communicate except for the few interactions I engage in when I buy something. They talk in Chinese and I simply say ‘English only’ and they continue to talk to me in Chinese and I smile and just say I have cash and that’s it. So when I leave a store or a restaurant I go back to being mute. Except for when John and I are together or when we go out with his staff there is no connection with anyone. It certainly is an odd feeling but I wouldn’t say that I am an extrovert anyway so I go about my day in this silent way. Maybe since I am ‘on mute’ the thoughts in my head run overtime because they are not expressed and this blog is my way of letting it out. Anyway, these are just a couple of thoughts that are part of my experience.
I thought today about being in Canada and if and how I would be different. Obviously I would be among my own ‘tribe’ however due to the pandemic we would not be visiting, eating out or involved in a group setting in any way due to the lockdowns in Ontario. So I wonder what I would be doing at home and I realized I would likely be walking, doing yoga, painting, writing, sewing and taking pictures just like I am here but at least I would understand everything that is going on around me. I wouldn’t be wondering about what is coming around the corner and I know it would be comforting yet a little bit boring because seeing people on a regular basis and going on a trip would be important to us in Ontario.
So this leads me to feel like I have it pretty good. I can shop, eat out and take in sites in the fine city of Tianjin. I have to appreciate what I have instead of what I don’t have. I have to realize that this adventure will come to an end and I will wonder if I put everything into it that I should have. So far I think I have but I find in the months of January and February like many others we look to staying inside more because of the weather and that’s just the way it is. We are in the middle of winter anyway you look at it and we might as well take on a new hobby or watch a series on Netflix or try to remember what we said our New Year’s resolution was and get at it.
I have taken the time to put a ‘to do’ list on our fridge to remind myself what to do when I am bored and that I shouldn’t succumb to the boredom. I honestly will try to engage in this experience to the fullest and come home with no regrets.
If you have read this until the end you are a very patient and kind person to ‘listen’ to me and I thank you as I go back into ‘mute mode’ and hope that I haven’t turned you off of this blog as I promise more adventures are on the horizon! Take care.

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If we were on a racetrack then I guess you could say that we are around the bend when considering our last few months here in Tianjin, China. The year 2020 is behind us and there is minimal talk of Covid 19 in this area however China continues to have pockets of outbreaks so we are warned against travelling out of the city. This is fine with us as we continue to explore Tianjin and it is a big enough centre to keep us busy. Today, for instance, we are going to the Tianjin Museum on a subway ride which usually takes us about 45 minutes to city centre. When we happened down there last time we ended up in the favoured Italian quarter again and it was undergoing a major renovation so we haven’t returned but will during the Spring Festival which is now a month away.

December has been an event filled month with dinners out with John’s staff on a regular basis. We are always welcome at their weekly dinners at the Chinese BBQ however do not always attend as we like to explore new restaurants and also enjoy cooking at home. Although it is officially winter here we have only experienced a couple of really cold days with high winds and so haven’t been forced to stay indoors for any length of time. We are still enjoying our walks in the park and to local restaurants and shopping centres.

For the past couple of weeks I have taken on the responsibility of looking after a kitten, Tino. I answered an ad on Tianjin expats and a couple from Brazil were looking for care for their kitten so I took him in. He has provided me with some companionship for the past two weeks and he leaves tomorrow as they return from their holiday in Sanya, China…known for its beautiful weather and beaches.

The usual Christmas events have now finished. We attended a traditional Christmas dinner at Bouquet with John’s staff and then we also went out for a fancy Peking Duck dinner with the Chinese staff. We have also celebrated our New Years in a quiet fashion like many people this year and enjoyed an evening out with one of John’s Vice Principals and his wife and child, Matt, YouYou and Aliya. We also met another couple when dining with them, Shawn and his girlfriend. Shawn is a Tai Kwon Do instructor from the UK and his girlfriend is from Mongolia where YouYou is from. Both couples have been together for 7 years. It is hard for John and I to remember being together only 7 years…we are now at 32 years married…that is crazy to think about. We met when some of these people were just born…Ha!

We have just been informed that John’s holiday will be extended for one more week during the Spring festival and that will start the fourth week of January and extend to the end of February. With the travel warnings we will only be allowed to venture out in Tianjin so we will have to get into a routine at that time. One outing we have booked is a 3 night stay at the Shangri La Hotel for my birthday. Sounds and looks very nice according to others who have been there.

A couple of things I hope for during this trip to China is to experience another trip to the wall and to visit Tibet or Mongolia. Simple enough I think. Here’s hoping they come to reality in 2021.

Happy New Year all!

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As with everyone I’m sure we can’t believe Christmas is on the horizon. We have been in Tianjin for two solid months and we are solidly getting things accomplished and adapting to life here in a new city. While we must admit to be being a bit lazier in our travelling we have made up for this in getting to know the neighborhood and the staff. To be honest we didn’t have this sense of community during our time in Beijing so this will help us get through the Christmas season. There has been a few Covid hiccups here but nothing that a week or two of living low hasn’t solved. We can attend dinners with the foodie club if we want, we can go on bike ride adventures with others as well. There is a badminton club but we prefer to bike although I think today at plus 3 might have been my last ride. Getting into the single digits and biking do not go hand in hand with me. So the gatherings we do attend are usually large dinners and we did have another one this month with a great meal once again at Cassa Cafe with turkey and all the trimmings celebrating the American Thanksgiving. I want to make a note here that the stuffing was made into little balls like the size of meatballs and it was a unique and tasty way to do the stuffing so I want to make sure I have it written down somewhere to do this so here it is in the blog.
Of course John is working and my weeks I have to get creative. I have started to decorate with painting some recycled materials as I don’t want to buy anything that I will want to take home. I found some decorations in the stores but again there’s no point in buying items that reflect a temporary season during a temporary stay. Which leads me to the next news…!

We plan to return to Ontario, Canada for good by July 2021! The decision has been made based on the fact that John will not necessarily step into the job at Maple Leaf School in Brockville as they have stalled the renovations due to the Covid issue and the fact that it will be very hard to have any kind of enrolment from China. Some of the more established schools have closed down as well so that is our news of the month. Now in our excitement of coming home we have been looking at houses and have taken up the hunt for the next Healey household as a part time job for me. It has had its frustrations but we will find something suitable in the Eastern Ontario region. We may even venture into living with my mom in a new dwelling for the three of us but that remains to be decided as of yet.
People ask what I have been up to and I am now working on books 3, 4 and 5 so I am not bored as this has been a great opportunity for me to delve into something that I hadn’t had time for before. Two of the books are based on the continuing life of Felicity Mouse and the third is based on the life of two stray dogs here in Tianjin whom I named Pickles and Parker. So I am currently finishing the artwork for the Felicity Mouse stories and have finished most of the writing for the Pickles and Parker book but have not started the artwork for that one yet.
Of course like many Canadians we have been fortunate to have Netflix so have knocked off a few series and some great movies. Looking forward to possibly seeing the Mel Gibson one that was filmed in Carleton Place and Almonte as a treat for the Christmas season movies.
Time is going by quickly and no doubt the next 6 months will as well. We hope to travel during our month break in February but haven’t solidified any plans yet. Stay tuned!!!

I guess one could say that six weeks into anything you’re pretty well on your way to knowing what’s going on and some of your plans have been realized and others have been dismissed. I still find it hard to feel that this is home. There is still lots of city to discover obviously and routines to follow through on. We feel we have figured out the neighbourhood when it comes to shopping, eating out and where to walk and bike for exercise but other than this we feel still new to the area.

We went on our first fast train to Beijing on the October 30th weekend and visited some old haunts like John’s favorite restaurants mostly and managed to meet the new principal from John’s old school and he let us go into our old apartment and rummage through items that belonged to us. We had purchased a suitcase at the Pearl Market on Saturday which was part of our plan and managed to fill it with items that were not packed up previously. The main reason we went was to get my fold up bike so we did that and the trip was a success. For me, I was able to put some closure on Beijing. It is definitely faster paced than Tianjin and everyone did their own thing and we were just part of the running around. Beijing is known for its historic sites and we had taken in enough of them by this point that we were ready to put it to rest after this weekend. We will continue to explore Tianjin and area from now on. It felt good leaving Beijing behind knowing we had wrapped it up as best we could and move on from it. I know John had some tough times in Beijing on his first year and so seeing it from this perspective as just a weekend trip allowed him to move on from the school and the city as well.

Life during the week is starting to have a rhythm to it. John and I walk to his workplace in the morning and I usually come back and eat breakfast, watch some Netflix, work on my books, paint a bit and make a plan for an activity in the afternoon. Discovering a new park or a new way to the mall is sometimes all that is accomplished but that’s just what I expect from life right now. Today, for instance, I plan to take the subway on my own to IKEA. We have been there once by van when we first arrived but it is a short trip by subway and it just gets me comfortable travelling on my own again.

People have asked about COVID here and there was one reported case today in fact and John was sent a memo and asked to wear a mask upon entering the school. When we enter a mall or subway system we are asked to wear a mask and prove that we have had our COVID test. It seems to have gone smoothly here in Tianjin so far but in Beijing we were held up for a few minutes if we didn’t have the right app or the right info according to the person at the entry. Sometimes it is just a matter of writing your name and phone number down so they can contact you should something arise. Overall we found Beijing rather quiet compared to when we were there before. Probably COVID based.

This past weekend we joined a group Saturday morning for a bike ride to a location that the organizer suggested. After about an hour on our bikes we decided to head back on our own. A beautiful day and a good ride but it was getting too long for us to endure and get back home. We took our time on the way back, connected with the boys a little bit and enjoyed the morning.

Sunday was again another sunny clear day, but cooler. We headed to a park on our bikes then walked quite a bit then went to breakfast at a place we had discovered on a previous walk. Returned home and then headed out to the Aeon Mall which John had never been to and I had only been once. It is reasonably close but we took the scenic route through a wooded area and around another huge mall called the Teda Mall which looked deserted which was odd but we do find that we stumble on areas that just look like they’ve been let go for 10 years and they don’t know what to do with them.

At any rate, six weeks in and we feel we are content with the apartment, the area and John likes his workplace and staff. We are fortunate to be able to travel and live a day to day life that is not really restricted by COVID and we are thankful for this. I’m sure like everyone, we have learned to not take our freedom for granted but live each day to the fullest.