Family Reunions

As I posted before, I shared that my family came to visit us just a few days after Christmas.  The coolest thing was that both my parents and my brother found a time that worked for all of them. The coldest thing was that it was the coldest weather ever. It's a bit challenging trying to enjoy the sights when you cannot feel your legs. We made it work though, frequent coffee/warm-up pit stops at KFC got us through.

We had planned my family's visit around the New Year holiday. It was perfect. They came in before the weekend, which was two days longer for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Then, we had a 3 day work week, in which my family would take their own little trip to Beijing to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. Then, they would come back to Shanghai where we'd enjoy the weekend together and celebrate my brother's birthday before they left on Monday. That is not how things worked out.

The Chinese government thought that it made more sense to have everyone have a normal weekend, come in for one day on the 31st (Monday) and then give the working world three weekdays off (Tuesday through Thursday. Then we came in for Friday. And Saturday. And Sunday. And then the next regular work week.

I don't swear often...but China, wtf? Seriously. What is that? How does that make sense to ANYONE? Do you think any kid is going to enjoy going to school for EIGHT days in a row? Absolutely not. And let me tell you, they didn't.

But anyway, back to my family's trip. After the national holiday switch around, we ended up having one day off less- one day less with my family.  Thankfully, the administration let Josh and I take a half day so we could have a little more time together. And, Josh and I ended up going to Beijing with them too.

The first few days, we took them to all our hotspots in our neighborhood: the local market, our favorite restaurants, and Wal-Mart of course. It rained. Cold, slushy, thinks it is snow, rain.

Shanghai

I'm SO HAPPY!!

Buses stop for no one.

Christmas came late!

Classic Tourist Picture

It rained and rained.

Walmart is different here

Candy aisle at Walmart

Beijing

I don't think I've ever been as cold as I was when we went to Beijing. The wind felt like ice. I wore: 3 pairs of socks, leggings, jeans, two t-shirts, a turtleneck, two sweaters, two scarves, ear muffs, a hat, a face mask, and my coat. Result: Still freezing.

The first day Mom, Dad, and Aaron went to the Forbidden City without us. I kid you not, the weather was sucking the life out of me. I slept all morning. Then, in the afternoon we all enjoyed a nice bowl of donkey soup. 

Welcoming 2013 on an overnight train!

The next day, we all headed to the Great Wall. It wasn't my first rodeo, but a completely different experience nonetheless. (Check out our last trip to Beijing here) This time, was a diy trip. Josh was our personal tour guide, he figured out the train we needed to take, and we were on our way. We met a nice fellow, Mattheus from Denmark who was traveling all over Asia alone. He and Aaron really hit it off. We went to the part of the wall near Badaling. It is one of the most famous tourist spots because you can see the wall wrap around like a snake. Because this is such a tourist hot spot, it's super accessible. Talk about a happy surprise! I was imagining an hour long hike up a mountain, before even getting the the wall on which you still have to climb cobble stone steps. Instead, it was a quick walk up a modern staircase to the ticket booth, and once we were in, we were on the wall! So, we made it to the first part that you can see in the picture below, and called it a day. I made the mistake of removing my glove to take a picture on my ipod, and I could not feel my finger for about 10 minutes after.

Aaron and Mattheus

Aaron just has to show off.

Dang, windburned cheeks

 After gaining our strength back at KFC (mashed potatoes and milk tea for me!), we headed back to the heart of Beijing to see Mao's grand portrait at Tiananmen Square. But it was so cold, and much like  going to the wall, this was a hit and run expedition. "We're close enough, take a picture!"

Brit and Aaron sing "My Little Buttercup"

Aaron and Dad in a Tibetan store

We had a great little trip. It was nice to see Beijing again, but I DO NOT recommend going in the winter. Seriously, don't do it. 

Getting back to Shanghai was a wee dramatic. We took the subway back to the train station with our already purchased tickets in hand. But for some reason, we were cutting it close (the Mager way) that we literally ran down to the platform and on to our train ONE minute before it left. It was really funny because some of the attendants seemed like they were cheering for us- You can do it! Others just seemed annoyed. But, we made it, and Josh and I were back in time for work the following day.

Back to Shanghai

Though we had to work for the last few days my family was in town, we still managed to have a great time. While I was away, Dad got acquainted with the local market and little vendors. Then he proceeded to weatherproof our apartment. He stuffed pillow stuffing in the windows then covering them with plastic, weather stripping on doors, the works. One thing that really stinks here is that most of these old apartment buildings are just solid concrete. So they just soak up the cold (and the heat in the summer!) My family did come to the school one day and meet my 3rd graders. I think everyone had a lot of fun.

Dancing in the bank?

Yuyuan Garden

Flirting with two Korean girls on the bus

We had to show them the Bund at night!

It was vacation of epic proportions. I apologize that this post is ....4 months late. Now, be prepared for a flood of new posts about our Chinese New Year holiday with Josh's brother Jon, among other things.