Tales
Fish
mm joined the swim team with one of her favorite coaches, jesus. in the same month, she bravely swam her first swim meet, barely able to dive or blow bubbles. terren got her first B time in po po's best stroke as taiwan swimming champion - the backstroke. between 2 swim meets and a triathlon, may was full of swimming (and a big soccer tournament)!
it was a wonderful month of social gatherings with luella and emmett's family, a staycation with john and molly's family, birthdays for sarah and azadeh, bbq with the ings/chens/dela torres and gattis', and hanging at the herron's beach home with soccer friends.
the girls proudly placed third in their age group (6 and under, 9-10), despite mm being in the lowest gear on her bike, and terren being a snail during transitions.
Back to ancient roots….
April could only be defined by our once-in-a-lifetime trip back to China with Martha, Nando, Amili and Diego. Thanks to Baba and his years of teaching English and learning Chinese in China, we all enjoyed an amazing personally-guided tour through some of the best parts of China. Although this was a chance for the girls to visit the land of their ancestors, it truly could not have happened without Baba’s expertise. China is more Baba’s country than anyone else’s. His ease with reading and speaking Chinese, his internal GPS and external phone, and his boldness made him the best tour guide ever. There is too much to write about, so many stories to tell, but the briefest of bullets are down below. Go see the photos and chat with us in person.
- MM breaks her head falling down the Great Wall of China. Baba (with the assistance of Martha and Nando) glues her head together. The angel who caught MM saved her life, and Dad’s education and training as an ER doc came tremendously in handy.
- The karst topography, bike ganging, the bamboo rafts, and the shopping in Yangshuo
- TangYaMing and his sons hosting us in Baba’s old hometown. The generosity and effort were second to none. Getting a view into real life in China.
- Boat rides in Suzhou with mama’s all time favorite fresh dragon candy.
- Shanghai with Raina and Devra and Wang Ping and Fan Fan. The tremendous amount of Boba tea and coffee consumed bounded by discussions over politics, life, and pros and cons of China.
- The food, the food, and the food. We miss the food.
