Band

This afternoon a marching band comprised of old people and folks dressed as ninjas passed through our neighborhood. I don't know why.

Congrats!

Congratulations Alex and Jen!!!

My little brother has fallen in love, and in May we will be adding Jen Alley to the Ritzman clan. Congratulations! We love you guys and are super happy for you!

Always low prices

Always low prices, Always at Wal-Mart.

(it's whole dried chicken)

Superbowl

The game started at 7:30am in China but that didn't stop us from throwing an awesome Superbowl party complete with chips and salsa, coke, cookies, veggie platter etc. I'd like to give a shout out to Doug and Jane Easton for pointing their computer at the TV and letting us watch the game via Skype.

Grillin' like a Villan

Have you ever had a great idea but didn't do it because you'd get in lots of trouble or the fire department would get called on you? Well one of the great things about China is that you don't really have to worry about things like that.

For example..

Em: I was thinking burgers for dinner tonight.
Mike: Sweet I'll go get the grill started.
Em: Do you think it'll be ok going downstairs by itself?
Our Tutor: You don't have to take it downstairs, you can just do it in the hallway. I think I've seen people do this at least 2 times. It's ok.
Mike: Hmm... sounds like a plan
Em: yeah, I saw something on fire in the hallway a couple weeks ago.

After dinner Mike was cleaning the grill. He was a little concerned about putting the slightly smoldering coals in the trash can full of paper, but then he saw that there was already a fire on the street and no one seemed to notice that one... and shortly after he put the coals in the trash or neighbor who owns a restaurant (which he runs out of his garage) put some similar stuff in the trash also - so apparently it was fine. I heart China.

Wedding Fireworks

A few pics from the wedding we went to

The party got started with some pr. songs and some performances. Just about everyone in attendance did some sort of song, dance, MC, or played and instrument.

The wedding was inside a church, but the building was not heated, so everyone had their coats on. Suddenly these three girls stood up in the audience and took off their coats to reveal matching outfits. Surprise bridesmaids!

The ceremony was pretty standard. Unity candle, music, i do's, crying, etc. The only noticeable differences were the really loud fireworks and that the groom stepped out for a second during one of the songs to talk on his cell phone.

Emily's Travels

I also was invited to a friends house in a neighboring city. My friend and I spent the afternoon shopping, then awesome pictures in the photo booth. It really felt like I was reliving my high school days. After shopping we headed to her house where her mom had prepared us a feast. They even had a knife, spoon and fork for me, which actually proved to be more difficult than the chopsticks would have been, but it was still very hospitable.

Half way through the meal I was presented with something curious in my bowl. Grey. Squishy on the outside. Bones in the middle. Claws. I knew it was a foot, but from what?... My friend smiled excitedly and said "have a try, it is good for health" I smiled graciously at my friend and took a bite. Hmm, dark meat with a seafood flavor. My friend looked it up in her dictionary. Ahh yes, of course soft-shell turtle.

Dinner was tons of fun. I did my best to speak Chinese, and felt pretty good about it. My friend's father thought my Chinese more and more hilarious throughout the night, but that could have been all the alcohol he was drinking.

Mike's travels

During Spring Festival aka Chinese New Year, we have a little more free time. Mike was recently invited to a friend's home town to visit for a few days. Seeing our friends' homes and meeting their family is a really great way to help us gain a better understanding of the culture, so Mike accepted an invitation to go to Kevin Smith's house. (It's common for Chinese students to give themselves an English name but this guy is extra ambitious because he also gave himself a last name. Hilarious. Plus one of my good friends just started dating a Kevin Smith. The whole thing always makes me giggle.)

A pagoda

Dang it feels good to be a gangster... or a pirate... I can't really tell which look he is going for. I think the pigeon is going for gangster.

Mike was also "blessed" with the opportunity to try new and "unique" cuisine while on his trip. Pictured above is whole squid on a stick. His dining adventures also included dog, nasty hot dog, chicken stomach, raw meatball, fat, various roots, and duck neck. Needless to say he spent most of Thursday night and Friday morning harfing. Yikes!

Around the Hood

Just a few pics from the neighborhood...

The old ladies that congregate on the corner any time it gets above 50 degrees
(That is when they're not busy sifting through our trash for plastic bottles and cardboard.)

Our street filled with restaurants, fruit stands, bakeries, and salons

The sweet potato lady. She cooks them over an open wood fire. I don't personally like sweet potatoes but I've heard they're delish. It always makes me laugh when these gas-powered carts cruise down the street with an open flame on the back.

We discovered this box left open on the first floor of our apartment building.
We're pretty sure it's our internet.

Mike and I really like our neighborhood. I promise it's not as ghetto as it looks.