Day Trip: Suzhou aquarium

                 

We had BG's dad visiting during the month of April, and although the weather was warming up, we still  found ourselves looking for a few indoor activites. I found the Suzhou aquarium, located in the Suzhou Taihu scenic zone. From Wuxi, it took about forty minutes driving through the back roads.

The aquarium entrance fee is 130 per adult, kids 1.0-1.4m are 90 rmb, and under 1.0m are FREE. Hours are 9:00-16:00, 7 days a week, with live shows at 11:00 and 14:00. 

We did sit through the 11:00 show, but I'm not sure what was on display...the laowai or the dolphins. We were quite the attraction being the only foreigners in the crowd. The music gave us a laugh, as the soundtrack to the dolphin show included Madonna's "La Isla Bonita", played entirely too loud. As far as the show itself--underwhelming. Two dolphins, two trainers. The dolphins each did one jumping trick (hitting a ball in the air with their noses) and swam around in circles. At one point a trainer "rode" the dolphin for a lap, but fell off and seemingly struggled to swim to the side. At this point, I whispered to my husband that I thought the trainer couldn't swim. He agreed. After the dolphins did their thing, we were treated to a clown show. Balloon animals and spoofing on crowd members. We didn't understand much, and weren't sure if there would be more dolphin tricks to come, so we waited to see what came after. The answer? Nothing. 

It took about an hour and a half to wander the aquarium itself. There were quite a few different types of fish, and we really enjoyed watching LG's eyes widen when the big ones swam by. There is a really cool underwater tunnel in the main aquarium tank. We were surprised to see so many scuba (and some free) divers practicing in the tank. Apparently, the aquarium offers diving instruction and practice for those who are interested. LG received many thumbs up and hand waves from the divers in the tank as we passed through the tunnel. 

All in all, it was a good day trip and one to keep in mind for the dog days of summer or a rainy winter day. 

Aquarium (Suzhou Ocean Aquarium) | 苏州海洋馆

 

Address: Suzhou Taihu Scenic Zone, 28 Taihu Lake Avenue, Suzhou
Address for taxi/地址: 苏州市太湖国家旅游度假区环太湖大道28号

 

http://www.th-ww.com

Tel: 0512 6938 0999 or 0512 6938 1000

Pregnant in China: obtaining American citizenship for newborn

Elle Lay here. After lil bit was born, there were a few things that we had to do to register her as an American citizen so that she could obtain her passport and social security number. It takes some planning, but is quite easy. 

I recommend checking your country's rules and regulations for registering a birth abroad shortly after falling pregnant so that you are sure to have all official documents in your possession. US requires official or certified copies of documents. Thankfully, BG and I had all but one already here in China with us. I did however have to obtain a CERTIFIED copy of my divorce decree from my first marriage. I've never needed one before ( only needed a copy for my current marriage certificate) and it proved to be quite the hassle to get it. I'm thankful I had the foresight to look ahead at what documentation would be required, as it took a good month to get that Certified copy in my hands.

Anyhow, the consulate website has all forms available to print out and complete at home. We printed and completed the paperwork as thoroughly as possible so that we would have less to do once lil bit arrived.

Here are the steps:

After birth, Make appointment with consulate for interview CRBA. Both parents and child must be present.

Required papers:

 form DS-2029

ORIGINAL or CERTIFIED COPY of the child's Chinese birth certificate issued by hospital

Both Parental passports

ORIGINAL or CERTIFIED copy of marriage certificate

Evidence of termination of previous marriages ORIGINAL or CERTIFIED copy

Evidence of residence in America (ex. utility bills, pay stubs, house deed, college transcripts, costco club cards or driver licenses)

For passport application:

1. Form DS-11

2. One passport photo on white background measuring 5cm x5cm

For SSN app:

1. Form SS-5-FS (can be completed online, printed and brought to meeting)

I downloaded an iPhone app that helped me get the correct size passport photo. I laid lil bit on a white sheet in her cot. The app has guides on the screen to get the face to fill the frame correctly. Once you're satisfied with the photo, save onto a memory stick and take it to a local developer. If you are American clarify with developer that it MUST be 5x5. I made the mistake of just telling the developer to print 6 passport photos and ended up with the perfect size for a Chinese passport. Not American. 

On the day of your appointment, take all paperwork, both parents and child to the American Citizen Services in Shanghai.  The ACS is located on Nanjing Lu and about a two hour drive from Wuxi. It's located on the 8th floor of bbbbbbbbbb building. As an American citizen, you can bypass the lines and check right through security. You'll need to take a number ( even with an appointment) at the kiosk in the ACS waiting room. You will submit your paperwork, then have a seat and wait for the interview portion. 

The interview takes about twenty minutes. You'll be sworn in and then asked to  answer questions about employment, how you met, how long you will be in a China, etc. We were not asked for proof of US residency, but had our Costco card and driver's licenses with us in case we were asked. 

Once completed, you will take a seat and wait to be called to pay for the services. 

Four to six weeks later you will receive notification that the passport is available. Only one parent need be present to pick it up. The social security card is mailed. We chose to have ours mailed to our US contact for safe keeping as China post is somewhat unreliable.  

Hope this helps!

Wuxi #1 People's Hospital

Hey it's Mitsy mitten here! I'm writing on a very recent hospital experience in Wuxi. This is the same hospital that my fellow expat housewife, Elle Lay, blogged about last year on March 3, '13. Strangely enough, it was her little guy sick, and I am now sick with a similar respiratory infection (bronchitis) a year later.

When I was home in the good 'ol Mitten state for the holidays, I developed bronchitis that lasted about 2 weeks in January. I now have it again. My 6Foot4 and I decided to just get me an antibiotic last week, because that worked so well to clear it in January. Well, long story short, after 6 days using 'Amoxicillin' my coughing was worse, probably because I wasn't resting properly. (I just started learning Chinese intensively, every morning from 8-12, but that story and experience I'll be sharing at another time!)

So, yesterday I called my 6Foot4 during a busy afternoon of work for him, and told him I think I need to go get checked out by a doctor... make sure this isn't turning into pneumonia, and get proper treatment. He immediately, like a good hubby does, asked a few Chinese colleagues where we should go (This was our first hospital experience in Wuxi). 6Foot4's colleague recommended this hospital for us, due to their experience with foreigners, English-speaking nurses, and in her words "this is where you'll get the best care in Wuxi". 

We arrived at the hospital's VIP floor, with 6Foot4's colleague in tow, and there was no one in this area but a front desk/receptionist and nurse. Once the doctor arrived, we went into a clinic room and were asked a lot of questions... Symptoms, medicine, etc, etc. The doctor was Chinese. She wanted to see a blood sample after listening to my lungs. She decided not to do a chest X-ray, because I wasn't wheezing. We were escorted by the English-speaking nurse, to get a blood sample with a single finger prick. Then, we walked back to the VIP area, where the doctor read the results of the blood sample. Everything looked good, other than high White Blood count (due to fighting infection). 

My final results were: 

1. bronchitis, or 'upper respiratory infection', treated with a new antibiotic, expectorant, bronchiole relaxer, and cough syrup (all paid for and picked up right at the hospital - we were walked there by an assistant who took my prescriptions and got it for us while we we waited in seats for 5 min)

2. 500rmb or about $80 for everything

3. 1.5 hours total

4. One happy Mitsy Mitten and her 6Foot4, recommending this hospital to any foreign expat. ;)

Thank you to all of you helping me and giving me advice when I was sick last week and this week! ;) and a special shout out to Elle Lay for picking up produce for me today, and dropping it by on her way home, with two kids ready for lunch. I appreciate every bit.

Talk to ya soon, 

Mitsy 

This hospital is: 

Wuxi #1 Peoples Hospital, aka "Wuxi RenMin (Peoples) Yi Yuan (hospital)"

Contact information:

Wuxi No. 1 People's Hospital

Tel: 0510-82700775 
Add: 299 Qingyang Rd.
Nanchang Dist. 

清扬路299号 

Culture Shock: hocking loogies

I'll never forget my first cab ride.

BG and I hailed a cab in front of our apartment and showed the driver the taxi card with our destination written on it. At that point, he could have driven me in a full circle and I'd never know it. I was doing my best to note different landmarks for future reference, until I heard the most disgusting phlemy throat clearing from up front. 

Even though it was disgusting, I thought to myself, " Poor driver, he must have a cold".

That was until  later--I was standing in line and heard that noise again. This time behind me...I turned around and narrowly missed being the recipient of the old lady behind me's lugie! Yes, that's right..she cleared her throat and SPIT.ON.THE.SUPERMARKET.FLOOR!  

Turns out that it's totally normal and acceptable to clear ones throat and spit anywhere. I've seen people spit on the subway, in train cars, supermarket floors, restaurant tables and even in the Doctor's office. 

Now I know why the Chinese leave their shoes outside their doors...

Giving birth in China: Redleaf Women's & Infant Hospital

Elle Lay here.

Between keeping LG from climbing the curtains, and feeding our new lil bit, I've neglected to share my experience of giving birth in China. I'll spare the details, since that's just a little bit too much information, but to make a long story short, I had an extremely easy and problem free delivery.

I had been seeing Dr. Shen for the duration of my pregnancy, however, as timing would have it, she was scheduled to travel to the states for a medical conference during my due date. I was passed on to a fellow OB/GYN in which I did not feel comfortable with--after a minor meltdown over this OB's bedside manner and a discussion with Dr. Shen's nurse, I was escorted in to the office of Dr. Lu-Ferguson. She looked over my record and agreed to take me as her own patient with only hours left in my pregnancy. 

I am beyond grateful for the staff at Redleaf. I felt that Dr. Shen's nurse went above and beyond the call of duty to make me feel confident and comfortable...and it's not just the nurse, but the personal butler and most of the physicians as well. 

As far as delivery day, it went much as expected. I was scheduled to be induced, but when I arrived, I was already contracting, so the baby would have arrived that day regardless. I was hooked up to monitors and checked periodically by the nursing staff and Dr. ferguson or her assistant. I did receive an epidural, which was a bit of a circus act, since the anesthesiologist didn't speak very good English and was trying to instruct me how to lay (in America we sit up for the administration of the epidural--in China, they are administered with the patient on her side). Language barriers aside, she did a good job, and my pain subsided quickly. I was quite pleased that Dr. ferguson came in to check on me regularly. In the states, I only saw my OB twice during my 13 hour labor. Dr. ferguson came in at least four or five times during my 6 hour labor. 

After delivery, the baby was placed on my chest and then assessed a minute or two later. My husband was able to be present while they suctioned baby and wiped her down. He even cut the cord (and was offered to assist in the delivery of the baby, but declined). The staff made it a family oriented experience, which was different than my experience at the local Wuxi hospital (BG wasn't allowed in to view my ultrasound). A neonatologist was present at birth, and checked the baby again the next day.

       My recovery room

My only complaint with the aftercare, was that a couple (not all-some were fantastic) of nurses seemed unsure of themselves, and when we asked questions that required a direct answer, we were answered with the inappropriate response of "okay". We just pressed on for answers and didn't care if it came across rude. I do feel that this is due to a language barrier, and would most likely occur in any hospital we chose. 

             Kitchenette in the recovery room

Redleaf has a wonderful midwife/lactation consultant named Lisa. She was a godsend. She came in and addressed all of our questions in a clear, concise matter and helped us rest easy, as did Dr. Ferguson and the neonatologist. 

My meals were provided, and were excellent. I had risotto for lunch one afternoon that surpassed anything other risotto I've had in China (and I come from an Italian family, so I know a good risotto when I have one).  My husband frequented the local Element Fresh, as well as a French bakery on Donghu Lu and Zapata's cantina nearby. 

If we had to do it all again, I would choose Redleaf again. It was hands down the perfect fit for my family and our needs. 

Sanya - Haitang Bay / China's Beaches

Hey Ya'll! 

I wanted to share with you today one of Tractor Man and my favorite China getaways, Sanya - Haitang Bay! 

The pools are amazing! 

We have gone down south twice in our 2 years here and each time we have stayed at the Doubletree.  It was amazing! Blue skies, warm water and great food. The hotel was wonderful too, but I found that I took most of my pictures of the beautiful grounds. The rooms though were really clean and very roomy! We stayed in a suite and it was fabulous. Aiden slept in the living room so we all had our own space. The bathroom is huge! 

The Manager of this resort is Markus Kosch. 

markus.kosch@conradhotels.com

(He gave me his permission to pass along his email address and let you know to email him to make your reservations or to ask questions.)

Doubletree by Hilton

To get down to Sanya, we booked our tickets on www.ctrip.com. It is a 3 hour flight from Shanghai Hongqiao airport and then a 30 minute drive to the hotel. We booked the resort car to come pick us up and then take us back at the end of our trip. 

Pickle enjoying the big boy pool. 

The beach is nice, quiet and very clean. 

This was the view from our hotel room, needless to say, I never wanted to leave. 

All of the hotel's amenities are great as well. We have eaten at every restaurant the Double Tree has and let me say, YUM! My personal favorite is Pacifica. This is a wonderful seafood restaurant. We had Christmas Eve dinner there as well as my birthday dinner. They also have a noodle restaurant and one called Taste that has a little something for everyone. Everything that we have ever had is delicious. 

Caesar Salad

Our surf and turf spread we had on my birthday. Delicious! 

View of the hotel from the pool. 

Pickle's favorite part was the heated toddler pool. 

The staff at the hotel has always gone above and beyond for us. They are friendly, helpful and extremely polite. If you are looking for a wonderful getaway while in China I highly recommend the Doubletree Hotel in Sanya! 

Enjoy the Sun! 

Belle

Din Tai Fung - Taiwanese restaurant - A fabulous meal.

Hey Ya'll!

 Tractor Man, Pickle and I had lunch with some dear friends this weekend at a place that I want to share with you. Din Tai Fung. It was delicious.

It is located in the new Center 66 mall, Heng Long Guang Chang, on the 6th floor. This mall is brand new and wonderful. After your meal, you should walk around and explore.

Center 66 无锡恒隆广场

---

051081807111
Renmin Rd and Jiangkang Rd
无锡市人民中路和健康路

This place specializes in Xiao Long Bao, steamed dumplings. Our friends, from Singapore, suggested this restaurant since they have it there and they really like it. So we went, and we loved it. Every dish we ordered was delicious, the place was very clean and they have baby chairs.

Instructions on how to properly eat Xiao Long Bao

Appetizers, green beans and chili cucumbers. 

Hairy Crab filled Xiao Long Bao - wasn't sure what I would think, but it was wonderful! 

Fried Rice

Pork 

Shrimp dumplings

A page from the menu. 

The entrance to the restaurant, you will want to call for a reservation as it is very popular. 

The prices were pretty good as well. We had 4 adults and 1 kid in our party and the total bill was 315rmb. Not cheap, but not expensive either. All in all it was a wonderful experience and I would highly recommend it for a good meal out. Go enjoy!

Thanks Ya'll,

Belle

Abendbrot Bakery

Hey all, Elle Lay again.

A few weeks ago BG learned about a Shanghai based German bakery that delivers to Wuxi on Saturdays, so we decided to place an order and I have to say--we're hooked.

Wuxi has many bakeries, and places to buy fresh bread, but many bakers use way too much sugar and the bread that we've been able to buy up until now was all pretty much white bread. It's okay for a while, but sometimes a girl just wants grilled cheese on sourdough.

Enter Abendbrot bakery.

I'm in Heaven. 

The prices are not cheap, but for a variety of hearty, lower sugar breads, the price of 27rmb for a loaf of sourdough(approx 10-12 slices) is totally worth it. As a comparison, I was buying a loaf of 8 slices of white bread at Xinya bakery (located in the promenade in front of Changjiang GuoJi ErQi) for 10rmb. 

They have delicious bretzel rolls and bretzels, baguettes, brown bread, rye bread and nut bread amongst others. 

They deliver to Venice garden complex first, and then around 1:45-2:00p they deliver to the Changjiang  GuoJi ErQi complex outside building 3. They accept payment online as well as cash on delivery. 

Check them out at www.abendbrot.com.cn