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!