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West Coast Girl
My baby chicken is way out west this morning, ready for rain in Seattle. Surprisingly, she took my advice and packed only two pair of jeans and one pair of sweat pants. But she still packed her own towels to use on the trip. She just isn't comfortable using towels that belong to someone else, or towels that are provided by a hotel.
But she still got it all in one suitcase. Is it more than 50 pounds? She asked me when it was full. I picked it up. No Sweetie, it is well under 50 pounds. I thought she might to add more things but she was happy with a lighter bag to wrestle around.
I can see her graduation photo reflected in the window in front of me. I picked it up yesterday but haven't hung it on the wall yet because we are about to take down one of the walls of my office and expand the size to almost double its present size. Once that is done and the painting and new carpeting is done, I have the perfect place to hang it already drawn on the floor plan for the expanded office. For the time being it is propped against the wall on top of the furniture behind me.
The photo is professionally framed like the valuable piece of artwork that it is, right down to the museum glass that protects it from UV rays and ensures there is no glare when one looks at the photo. In this way, it looks more like a painting than a 14 x 20 photo. The next step will be to do what is typically done with paintings, which is to write a story about the photo and encase it in protective plastic on the back of the photo so that future generations will have no doubt about who has been framed so beautifully.
But she still got it all in one suitcase. Is it more than 50 pounds? She asked me when it was full. I picked it up. No Sweetie, it is well under 50 pounds. I thought she might to add more things but she was happy with a lighter bag to wrestle around.
I can see her graduation photo reflected in the window in front of me. I picked it up yesterday but haven't hung it on the wall yet because we are about to take down one of the walls of my office and expand the size to almost double its present size. Once that is done and the painting and new carpeting is done, I have the perfect place to hang it already drawn on the floor plan for the expanded office. For the time being it is propped against the wall on top of the furniture behind me.
The photo is professionally framed like the valuable piece of artwork that it is, right down to the museum glass that protects it from UV rays and ensures there is no glare when one looks at the photo. In this way, it looks more like a painting than a 14 x 20 photo. The next step will be to do what is typically done with paintings, which is to write a story about the photo and encase it in protective plastic on the back of the photo so that future generations will have no doubt about who has been framed so beautifully.
Another Routine First
Cici called me yesterday morning to let me know that she had taken first place again in the TAPPS state music competition in the flute category. She picked up another first place award in the duet category. But then it was on to more important things - like getting her nails done in preparation for her trip to the West coast.
I am so, so, so excited, Cici said last night. She was packing two suitcases for a six day trip. Let's see, she said, I should take 4 pair of jeans and 2 sweat pants. How about just 2 pair of jeans, I suggested. Are you crazy, Papa? I have to change every day. And I have to take my towels, so I don't have much room. Maybe my classmate and I can decide who will take shampoo and other things that we can share and then we can each pack less. This is her flute playing competition partner and they are trip buddies.
Ping and I had the pleasure of being driven around by Cici yesterday afternoon. She drove us to the mall and then to dinner in Chinatown. I love my car, she said about the Pilot. She looks pretty small sitting behind the wheel because she is so slim, but she is comfortable handling the vehicle. You need to show me how to put gasoline in the car tonight, she said as she was driving us back to our house. So we stopped and she filled up the tank. Next I need to give her a few lessons about how to check the oil and how to read the gauges. Owning a vehicle is a whole new life experience for her and she is trying to learn how to take care of it.
I have been watching an American show on my iPad recently, Cici told me at dinner last night. Have you heard of Glee? She asked. Sure I have heard of it. Do you enjoy watching it? Yes, I like it. And I am going to meet one of my friends at the AMC theaters and see an American movie tomorrow afternoon, she added. I think I have a Western girl now, but the Eastern roots are still there. She is all grown up now.
I am so, so, so excited, Cici said last night. She was packing two suitcases for a six day trip. Let's see, she said, I should take 4 pair of jeans and 2 sweat pants. How about just 2 pair of jeans, I suggested. Are you crazy, Papa? I have to change every day. And I have to take my towels, so I don't have much room. Maybe my classmate and I can decide who will take shampoo and other things that we can share and then we can each pack less. This is her flute playing competition partner and they are trip buddies.
Ping and I had the pleasure of being driven around by Cici yesterday afternoon. She drove us to the mall and then to dinner in Chinatown. I love my car, she said about the Pilot. She looks pretty small sitting behind the wheel because she is so slim, but she is comfortable handling the vehicle. You need to show me how to put gasoline in the car tonight, she said as she was driving us back to our house. So we stopped and she filled up the tank. Next I need to give her a few lessons about how to check the oil and how to read the gauges. Owning a vehicle is a whole new life experience for her and she is trying to learn how to take care of it.
I have been watching an American show on my iPad recently, Cici told me at dinner last night. Have you heard of Glee? She asked. Sure I have heard of it. Do you enjoy watching it? Yes, I like it. And I am going to meet one of my friends at the AMC theaters and see an American movie tomorrow afternoon, she added. I think I have a Western girl now, but the Eastern roots are still there. She is all grown up now.
This Way
Cici has a TAPPS competition today and had to be at school by 7:00 a.m. Last night she asked about my schedule today, and wanted to know if I was going to get my car washed at the place near her school. You know me so well, I said. I am going to get my car washed; does that mean you want me to take you to school? No, she replied. I will drive to school because I will finish before you leave the office, but I am not sure I know the way to school.
What? After nearly four years of driving to school you still don't know the way? Well, I am always sleeping, she said with a laugh. So I thought maybe I could drive behind you and follow you to school.
Not gonna happen, I said. You will drive to school and I will follow you, because I think you know the way to your school. If you have a problem on the way I will let you know because I will be right behind you.
We left the house early this morning with Cici leading the way. I was able to watch how she drives from a new perspective. She signaled properly, changed lanes safely, stayed within the speed limit, and drove to school with no problem at all. She hopped out of the Pilot when we arrived and laughed. It wasn't so hard, was it? I asked. No Papa, I guess I knew the way after all.
Well, at least I got my car washed early. I was the first one to arrive at the car wash.
What? After nearly four years of driving to school you still don't know the way? Well, I am always sleeping, she said with a laugh. So I thought maybe I could drive behind you and follow you to school.
Not gonna happen, I said. You will drive to school and I will follow you, because I think you know the way to your school. If you have a problem on the way I will let you know because I will be right behind you.
We left the house early this morning with Cici leading the way. I was able to watch how she drives from a new perspective. She signaled properly, changed lanes safely, stayed within the speed limit, and drove to school with no problem at all. She hopped out of the Pilot when we arrived and laughed. It wasn't so hard, was it? I asked. No Papa, I guess I knew the way after all.
Well, at least I got my car washed early. I was the first one to arrive at the car wash.
Under her Thumb
Ping and I laugh and talk about how Cici keeps me under her thumb these days. You are like an ant, Ping says, and you are under her thumb. But she walks beside me at night in the neighborhood, arm linked through my arm, protecting me in case I step on a rock or something. Ping walks the same way on the other side of me. But the minute a dog comes toward us, Cici instinctively makes sure I am between her and the dog so I can protect her.
Sometimes, like this evening, Cici comes to me and asks me if I am hungry for something, such as Vietnamese noodle soup. Let's go to 99 Ranch, she said tonight. I know you want some Pho. I laughed, because I know who really wanted some Pho, but it sounded good to me as well so off we went. We have long since lost our sense of being from different countries and don't wonder what people think about a teenage Chinese girl chatting happily with a Western man as we walk along together.
Do you think you have changed since you came to America? I asked Cici tonight. No, she replied, I think I am the same. You have changed so much, I told her. You are not the same person who came to America, and Mama is not the same person either. Both of you have changed a lot. I know the girls can't see it or feel it the way I can, but they are very confident living in America now, whereas at the beginning they were just feeling their way along.
Their vocabularies are also much different, which is to be expected since both of them have worked hard on them, but sometimes they still surprise me. Cici said something earlier this week about someone being irresponsible about something, using a word that surprised me. And we have been cleaning up the few words that she was still mispronouncing after several years because I didn't correct her at the beginning. So "towel" is no longer "tower" and "straw" is no longer "strawer."
You don't still write stories about us in your blog, do you Papa? Cici asked tonight as we walked through the neighborhood. Yes he does, Ping replied. I know he does because I read what he writes. So they both checked on me when we got home when they saw I was at the computer writing something. Papa, I can't believe you are telling stories about us. Niu Bao, I can't believe you are writing about something that just happened, Ping added.
But they left me at my work, seemingly content to know that our family is still a topic of interest to me. And if the daily stats about the number of visits can be believed, of interest to others.
Sometimes, like this evening, Cici comes to me and asks me if I am hungry for something, such as Vietnamese noodle soup. Let's go to 99 Ranch, she said tonight. I know you want some Pho. I laughed, because I know who really wanted some Pho, but it sounded good to me as well so off we went. We have long since lost our sense of being from different countries and don't wonder what people think about a teenage Chinese girl chatting happily with a Western man as we walk along together.
Do you think you have changed since you came to America? I asked Cici tonight. No, she replied, I think I am the same. You have changed so much, I told her. You are not the same person who came to America, and Mama is not the same person either. Both of you have changed a lot. I know the girls can't see it or feel it the way I can, but they are very confident living in America now, whereas at the beginning they were just feeling their way along.
Their vocabularies are also much different, which is to be expected since both of them have worked hard on them, but sometimes they still surprise me. Cici said something earlier this week about someone being irresponsible about something, using a word that surprised me. And we have been cleaning up the few words that she was still mispronouncing after several years because I didn't correct her at the beginning. So "towel" is no longer "tower" and "straw" is no longer "strawer."
You don't still write stories about us in your blog, do you Papa? Cici asked tonight as we walked through the neighborhood. Yes he does, Ping replied. I know he does because I read what he writes. So they both checked on me when we got home when they saw I was at the computer writing something. Papa, I can't believe you are telling stories about us. Niu Bao, I can't believe you are writing about something that just happened, Ping added.
But they left me at my work, seemingly content to know that our family is still a topic of interest to me. And if the daily stats about the number of visits can be believed, of interest to others.
Chickens Flew the Coop
With no school yesterday, Cici made plans to meet one of her classmates to do some shopping for her upcoming band tour. Relieved of the need for chauffeuring Cici around, Ping had her own shopping plans with one of her girlfriends. I discovered this when I arrived home to find both my chickens were gone and both cars were gone.
I had to get some rain boots, Cici told me when she arrived home. But first, can you re-park my car by the curb? She asked. I have tried for five minutes and it is still too far away from the curb and I don't want Mama to scold me. I moved the Pilot and went back inside the house. Cici had a red pair of all weather boots to show me, sort of like the galoshes of yesteryear but without the buckles on the sides, and much more refined looking.
It rains a lot in March in Seattle, Cici explained to me. We were told to bring many pairs of shoes so we could change out of wet shoes frequently, but I didn't want to take lots of pairs of shoes, so I got these boots. Sounds reasonable to me, I said, but it also gave you a chance to add to your magnificent collection of shoes and boots, I teased her with a laugh. She blushed only a little when she laughed - busted again.
So what are you doing, Papa? Cici asked after she put the boots away. Well, I picked up this book and read a few pages and it was so interesting that I just kept reading. I showed her the book: No Price Too Great, she read. Papa, you're crazy! How can you read our story again? Because it is a good story, I told her, and it reminds me how lucky we are to be together.
I had to get some rain boots, Cici told me when she arrived home. But first, can you re-park my car by the curb? She asked. I have tried for five minutes and it is still too far away from the curb and I don't want Mama to scold me. I moved the Pilot and went back inside the house. Cici had a red pair of all weather boots to show me, sort of like the galoshes of yesteryear but without the buckles on the sides, and much more refined looking.
It rains a lot in March in Seattle, Cici explained to me. We were told to bring many pairs of shoes so we could change out of wet shoes frequently, but I didn't want to take lots of pairs of shoes, so I got these boots. Sounds reasonable to me, I said, but it also gave you a chance to add to your magnificent collection of shoes and boots, I teased her with a laugh. She blushed only a little when she laughed - busted again.
So what are you doing, Papa? Cici asked after she put the boots away. Well, I picked up this book and read a few pages and it was so interesting that I just kept reading. I showed her the book: No Price Too Great, she read. Papa, you're crazy! How can you read our story again? Because it is a good story, I told her, and it reminds me how lucky we are to be together.
Gig 'Em Aggies
And just like that, everything fell into place.
Yesterday was the annual Aggieland Saturday at Texas A&M University. We had been planning to go for months, but on Friday morning when I took Cici to school I told her that we weren't going on Saturday because the weather was going to be too bad. Thunderstorms, continuous rain, high winds, and a colder day were predicted. So you can plan on sleeping in on Saturday morning and I will go to the office to work. Sleeping in sounded fine to her, so we told Ping of the change in plans.
Sure enough, the thunderstorms rolled into Houston about an hour or so before daybreak and the rain came down hard. The first big storm moved on and I got to the office before the next storm hit. But the weather in College Station was predicted to be even worse, at least until mid-day.
I left the office to go back home in between two of the thunderstorms around 11:00 a.m. I checked the University of Texas website again, just as I had done the previous day and evening, and every day for the past month, to see if they had made a decision about business school for Cici. I was relieved to see that the decision was posted, congratulating her for being admitted to the School of Undergraduate Studies, which is the general admission that is offered to most applicants. This was the news I had been hoping for and I printed the page and took it to Cici's room to awaken her.
I told her the news and she immediately said with a smile, let's reject the offer from UT. She came with me to our home office and took pleasure in handling the rejection. Then she accepted the offer from A&M, which also allowed us to sign her up for the required new student conference. I had cautioned her that by waiting for UT's decision that the earliest dates might be filled up and I was right. The earliest dates were June 19&20 so we chose those conference dates. That is our wedding anniversary, so it is a lucky date for you, I told her.
Now, I said, the thunderstorms have passed through and the rain is not too hard, so why don't we drive to A&M. We can be there before the last tour of the residence halls and you can make your decision about where you want to live on campus. Are you serious? Yes, Sweetie, let's get Mama and go now.
It took the girls half an hour to get ready but we headed off in time to make the last tour as I had suggested. Cici satisfied herself that the modular residence halls are the ones she likes best, and she was thrilled to see the video they showed of the new residence hall that they are building. It will be ready in time for her sophomore year and she is already making plans to live there.
Then we ducked into the bookstore and all things Aggie store on campus just as the rain started to fall harder again, but Cici was starving so we put up the umbrella and headed for the car. An Aggie client emailed me last week about a Chinese restaurant near campus that he thinks is the best in the area so we drove there to check it out. He was right - a portion of its menu was real Chinese food and we were able to order some of our favorite foods.
We drove back to Houston in a light rain and I went to work on the residence housing website. I confirmed that Cici's priority date for housing was established as October 2 when we first signed up and paid the fee after she received her admission letter, and not the date that she accepted the offer of admission. You should be one of the first in line for choosing your housing, I told her, so in all likelihood you will get your first choice. She was delighted.
But there was more work to be done. Now that Cici knew her new student conference dates we could book flights to China, so I got a commitment from the girls about their preferred departure and return dates and got on line to check on flights. I was glad to see that there are good choices now to fly from Houston to Guangzhou without going to Hong Kong and bussing to Guangzhou as we have done in the past.
I called Platinum Card Travel Services at American Express to book the flights. Let me see what I can do for you, the man said. He was friendly and talkative but seemed a bit inept about making the travel arrangements. He was talking about American Airlines connecting with a Delta Airlines flight in some convoluted way, so I suggested he check Continental Airlines from Houston to Los Angeles, connecting with China Southern to Guangzhou, and returning to Houston using the same airlines.
As we talked I figured out the agent was having difficulty saying and spelling Guangzhou so I told him just to use the airport code CAN for Guangzhou, short for Canton, which is its former name. That solved the problem and he immediately booked the same flights that I had found on line before I called him. But by doing it this way, I was able to use some of the points that had built up in my American Express account to pay for the tickets. But you can't pay the ticket fees of $39 each using points, he said, so that will be your only out of pocket cost for the travel.
Done, I told the girls. How much for the tickets? Ping asked. $39 each, I replied. Not possible she said. True, I said, and explained what I had done. Smart Niu Bao, she said, while Cici was already on her iPad sending news to her friends about the trip.
I felt a sense of relief because in a matter of four days we bought a car so we could give the Pilot to Cici and she can drive it and become comfortable with it before she drives it off to college, we finalized the decision about college and locked in the acceptance and the new student conference, and we booked the tickets for the girls to make their trip to China this summer.
Oh, and we also found Chef Cao's, which we will undoubtedly frequent on our trips to College Station during the next five years.
Yesterday was the annual Aggieland Saturday at Texas A&M University. We had been planning to go for months, but on Friday morning when I took Cici to school I told her that we weren't going on Saturday because the weather was going to be too bad. Thunderstorms, continuous rain, high winds, and a colder day were predicted. So you can plan on sleeping in on Saturday morning and I will go to the office to work. Sleeping in sounded fine to her, so we told Ping of the change in plans.
Sure enough, the thunderstorms rolled into Houston about an hour or so before daybreak and the rain came down hard. The first big storm moved on and I got to the office before the next storm hit. But the weather in College Station was predicted to be even worse, at least until mid-day.
I left the office to go back home in between two of the thunderstorms around 11:00 a.m. I checked the University of Texas website again, just as I had done the previous day and evening, and every day for the past month, to see if they had made a decision about business school for Cici. I was relieved to see that the decision was posted, congratulating her for being admitted to the School of Undergraduate Studies, which is the general admission that is offered to most applicants. This was the news I had been hoping for and I printed the page and took it to Cici's room to awaken her.
I told her the news and she immediately said with a smile, let's reject the offer from UT. She came with me to our home office and took pleasure in handling the rejection. Then she accepted the offer from A&M, which also allowed us to sign her up for the required new student conference. I had cautioned her that by waiting for UT's decision that the earliest dates might be filled up and I was right. The earliest dates were June 19&20 so we chose those conference dates. That is our wedding anniversary, so it is a lucky date for you, I told her.
Now, I said, the thunderstorms have passed through and the rain is not too hard, so why don't we drive to A&M. We can be there before the last tour of the residence halls and you can make your decision about where you want to live on campus. Are you serious? Yes, Sweetie, let's get Mama and go now.
It took the girls half an hour to get ready but we headed off in time to make the last tour as I had suggested. Cici satisfied herself that the modular residence halls are the ones she likes best, and she was thrilled to see the video they showed of the new residence hall that they are building. It will be ready in time for her sophomore year and she is already making plans to live there.
Then we ducked into the bookstore and all things Aggie store on campus just as the rain started to fall harder again, but Cici was starving so we put up the umbrella and headed for the car. An Aggie client emailed me last week about a Chinese restaurant near campus that he thinks is the best in the area so we drove there to check it out. He was right - a portion of its menu was real Chinese food and we were able to order some of our favorite foods.
We drove back to Houston in a light rain and I went to work on the residence housing website. I confirmed that Cici's priority date for housing was established as October 2 when we first signed up and paid the fee after she received her admission letter, and not the date that she accepted the offer of admission. You should be one of the first in line for choosing your housing, I told her, so in all likelihood you will get your first choice. She was delighted.
But there was more work to be done. Now that Cici knew her new student conference dates we could book flights to China, so I got a commitment from the girls about their preferred departure and return dates and got on line to check on flights. I was glad to see that there are good choices now to fly from Houston to Guangzhou without going to Hong Kong and bussing to Guangzhou as we have done in the past.
I called Platinum Card Travel Services at American Express to book the flights. Let me see what I can do for you, the man said. He was friendly and talkative but seemed a bit inept about making the travel arrangements. He was talking about American Airlines connecting with a Delta Airlines flight in some convoluted way, so I suggested he check Continental Airlines from Houston to Los Angeles, connecting with China Southern to Guangzhou, and returning to Houston using the same airlines.
As we talked I figured out the agent was having difficulty saying and spelling Guangzhou so I told him just to use the airport code CAN for Guangzhou, short for Canton, which is its former name. That solved the problem and he immediately booked the same flights that I had found on line before I called him. But by doing it this way, I was able to use some of the points that had built up in my American Express account to pay for the tickets. But you can't pay the ticket fees of $39 each using points, he said, so that will be your only out of pocket cost for the travel.
Done, I told the girls. How much for the tickets? Ping asked. $39 each, I replied. Not possible she said. True, I said, and explained what I had done. Smart Niu Bao, she said, while Cici was already on her iPad sending news to her friends about the trip.
I felt a sense of relief because in a matter of four days we bought a car so we could give the Pilot to Cici and she can drive it and become comfortable with it before she drives it off to college, we finalized the decision about college and locked in the acceptance and the new student conference, and we booked the tickets for the girls to make their trip to China this summer.
Oh, and we also found Chef Cao's, which we will undoubtedly frequent on our trips to College Station during the next five years.
It's Really Gonna Happen
Graduation, that is. Last night Cici came to me with a box of graduation goodies - invitations, envelopes, cards with her name on them to pass out or put in the slits in the invitations. Oh, and one more thing, Papa, she said. What do you think?
It was the proof of her graduation photo, and let me tell you that it is one of the best photos I have ever seen of her. She has a big smile that shows her perfect teeth, and her hair is so long that it falls below the level of the camera. She looks confident, poised, and happy. I like it so much that I ordered a 15 x 20 to hang on the wall.
Last night I sent Cici a text message that she needed to move her car out of the garage to leave a place for me to park our new car. She complied, but when I got home she had me drive around to the front of the house in the new car so she could check on her lonely car sitting outside her bedroom window. I think the realization is sinking in that she has a car now, and is responsible for its well being.
I know the first thing she will do is clean it inside and out because she keeps everything very clean and tidy. The next thing she will do is personalize it, which I am sure will include a sticker for whichever college she decides to attend. She wanted to keep Eeyore hanging from the rearview mirror, which I think is appropriate even though she put him there for me. He is like a covenant that runs with the land at this point, and neither of us could see removing him from his home.
Don't forget that you need a sticker for the toll roads, Cici reminded me. I appreciated the reminder because I hadn't thought of that little detail yet.
The big issue was red or white. Ping suggested red and said that she believed Cici would also prefer red, but Cici vetoed red and suggested white or black. I vetoed black because I wanted to change colors. So by committee action, we ended up with white. By a vote of 2 to 1 against me we ended up with a CRV instead of a Prius v, though it was a toss up for me once we narrowed it to these two choices.
But back to this graduation thing. It is no longer some distant event. It is almost right on top of us. I know we will still have the summer after graduation but the girls will be in China most of the summer. I can already picture us with the Pilot loaded with Cici's things and us heading off to college with me wondering where all the time has gone.
It was the proof of her graduation photo, and let me tell you that it is one of the best photos I have ever seen of her. She has a big smile that shows her perfect teeth, and her hair is so long that it falls below the level of the camera. She looks confident, poised, and happy. I like it so much that I ordered a 15 x 20 to hang on the wall.
Last night I sent Cici a text message that she needed to move her car out of the garage to leave a place for me to park our new car. She complied, but when I got home she had me drive around to the front of the house in the new car so she could check on her lonely car sitting outside her bedroom window. I think the realization is sinking in that she has a car now, and is responsible for its well being.
I know the first thing she will do is clean it inside and out because she keeps everything very clean and tidy. The next thing she will do is personalize it, which I am sure will include a sticker for whichever college she decides to attend. She wanted to keep Eeyore hanging from the rearview mirror, which I think is appropriate even though she put him there for me. He is like a covenant that runs with the land at this point, and neither of us could see removing him from his home.
Don't forget that you need a sticker for the toll roads, Cici reminded me. I appreciated the reminder because I hadn't thought of that little detail yet.
The big issue was red or white. Ping suggested red and said that she believed Cici would also prefer red, but Cici vetoed red and suggested white or black. I vetoed black because I wanted to change colors. So by committee action, we ended up with white. By a vote of 2 to 1 against me we ended up with a CRV instead of a Prius v, though it was a toss up for me once we narrowed it to these two choices.
But back to this graduation thing. It is no longer some distant event. It is almost right on top of us. I know we will still have the summer after graduation but the girls will be in China most of the summer. I can already picture us with the Pilot loaded with Cici's things and us heading off to college with me wondering where all the time has gone.
Not Gonna Happen
When we arrived at school a couple of days ago, Cici woke up as usual and shouldered her backpack and grabbed her large purse that is more like a tote bag than a purse. Just think, Sweetie, I said. In a couple of weeks you will take the driving test and will be able to drive yourself to school each morning.
Without missing a beat she replied. Not gonna happen, Papa. I want to sleep while you drive me to school. I knew that would be her answer, but I got a kick out of the slang she has picked up from her classmates.
Ping works diligently as well trying to pick up all the idioms, phrases, and expressions that we use in every day language. She insists that I correct every mispronunciation, every misuse of a word these days because she is determined to continue improving her English.
Well, this post sat in the draft folder for a while so I will add to it. Cici passed the driving portion of the licensing test today as expected, though she was pretty discouraged last night after making one last practice run at parallel parking with Ping. You will do fine, I assured her. Just get a good night's sleep. When she saw it was raining this morning she was afraid that would make it more difficult for her, but she passed with no problems.
Without missing a beat she replied. Not gonna happen, Papa. I want to sleep while you drive me to school. I knew that would be her answer, but I got a kick out of the slang she has picked up from her classmates.
Ping works diligently as well trying to pick up all the idioms, phrases, and expressions that we use in every day language. She insists that I correct every mispronunciation, every misuse of a word these days because she is determined to continue improving her English.
Well, this post sat in the draft folder for a while so I will add to it. Cici passed the driving portion of the licensing test today as expected, though she was pretty discouraged last night after making one last practice run at parallel parking with Ping. You will do fine, I assured her. Just get a good night's sleep. When she saw it was raining this morning she was afraid that would make it more difficult for her, but she passed with no problems.
Little Moneybags
After we opened a checking and savings account for Cici today I teased her that she is a moneybags now, which led to a discussion of the meaning of the word. She also took out her first loan, in her name only, so that she can begin building a credit history. This was done at our credit union, which has different rules than those that govern banks. As soon as she is enrolled in her first college courses they will even issue a credit card, also solely in her name with no guarantor.
Little steps toward an independent future. Big steps toward learning about money and managing credit and understanding interest rates. We are following the tried and true path that we used to establish a credit history for Ping.
I heard steady chopping in the kitchen about 4:30 this morning and gave up on sleeping. Ping worked all night again preparing food for a group of her friends who are here now visiting with her. They had a great time talking while they made dumplings with all the ingredients that Ping prepared last night. Cici and I were treated to the hot steamed dumplings along with a teenage Chinese girl who is a daughter of one of Ping's friends. She is a few years younger than Cici, but she is a nice, polite girl and they seem to be suited to become friends.
I am thinking some fresh fruit might be in order. Maybe if I cut some orange wedges and serve them to the ladies it will be a hit.
Little steps toward an independent future. Big steps toward learning about money and managing credit and understanding interest rates. We are following the tried and true path that we used to establish a credit history for Ping.
I heard steady chopping in the kitchen about 4:30 this morning and gave up on sleeping. Ping worked all night again preparing food for a group of her friends who are here now visiting with her. They had a great time talking while they made dumplings with all the ingredients that Ping prepared last night. Cici and I were treated to the hot steamed dumplings along with a teenage Chinese girl who is a daughter of one of Ping's friends. She is a few years younger than Cici, but she is a nice, polite girl and they seem to be suited to become friends.
I am thinking some fresh fruit might be in order. Maybe if I cut some orange wedges and serve them to the ladies it will be a hit.
Scary Thought
Papa, you don't know me that well, Cici teased at dinner earlier this week. We both laughed because we knew it was the shortened version of the old Flip Wilson routine where he dressed like a woman. A regular laugh line was something like "Don't touch me! Don't ever touch me! You don't know me that well."
Then a thought hit me. Sweetie, I said, do you realize that I know you better than anyone else in the world knows you? I know you even better than Mama knows you. Think about it, I said, and watched as the realization that what I said was true spread across her face.
We both sat there thinking about the implications of what we were discussing. Then with a sly smile she said, so you know I really love sports, right? We laughed, because we know she has no interest in sports. Nice try, I said, but you know that we have spent far more time together since you arrived than you have spent with Mama. You and I have talked more than you have talked with anyone. You and I have planned your education and your future.
Let's face it. There is not one person anywhere in the world who knows you as well as I know you. Scary thought, huh? Ping listened to the discussion and smiled. Papa is right, she said.
Then a thought hit me. Sweetie, I said, do you realize that I know you better than anyone else in the world knows you? I know you even better than Mama knows you. Think about it, I said, and watched as the realization that what I said was true spread across her face.
We both sat there thinking about the implications of what we were discussing. Then with a sly smile she said, so you know I really love sports, right? We laughed, because we know she has no interest in sports. Nice try, I said, but you know that we have spent far more time together since you arrived than you have spent with Mama. You and I have talked more than you have talked with anyone. You and I have planned your education and your future.
Let's face it. There is not one person anywhere in the world who knows you as well as I know you. Scary thought, huh? Ping listened to the discussion and smiled. Papa is right, she said.
