Jack's 3rd Birthday

We celebrated Jack's birthday this week. It's amazing to think that he has lived in 3 different countries by the time he turned 3. He had a blast with all his new toys from mimi and poppy. He is now being potty trained (which is a wonderful present for mom and dad!).
Anyway, a traditional hanbok is what Korean kids wear. It finally fits him after 3 years.
We also had a wonderful party at the school at a Sunday lunch time. And many of the teachers and friends joined us in celebrating. Everyone loves Jack, and he is warming up to them.

Teaching blooper...

So today I came to school and walked into class. Everyone was normal, no big deal. Then I looked up and was shocked. I saw on one kid's desk a bottle with what looked like beer in it! I'm thinking, "what's he doing bringing beer into class?" The bottle was shaped like a beer bottle and the insides looked like beer (even the foam!). So I said, "____, no beer in the class." (Take into account that I don't know the legal drinking age in China. Many countries it is a lot lower than America. These kids are between 18 and 22 years old. And just yesterday he told me he liked to play pool and drink beer.) He looked at me puzzled and then the class just laughed.
I had to investigate. So I went over to his desk and opened the bottle to smell it. It wasn't beer. Just a carbonated, funny, "beer-look-a-like" drink, in a bottle shaped like a beer bottle! OOPS! Another mistake to add to the list.
So next time your in a foreign land and see a kid sitting at his desk in school with a bottle in hand...remember to ask what it is first!

LIFE IN CHINA #3

Tumen holds a wonderful pizza place called "Happy Nara". Here you can experience pizza in a whole new way. You can try their amazing combo pizza with corn! Oh, and there is no sauce really...really. Or you could try their volcano pizza. (I thought it was sauce that would explode all over you as you bite into it, sending you into a "tomato sauce heaven" frenzy.) That was too good to be true! It simply means there is yellow cheese in the crust. (I still don't get the "volcano" meaning). Anyway, all the pizzas come with extra grease which is an added bonus to your combo or cheese pizza.
Anyway, when there is no pizza hut around the corner, you find that Happy Nara Pizza is a weekly delight for the whole family. Even the "corn combo"!
So next time you order a pizza, remember the "corn combo" special in China! It comes in extra large with yellow kernels! You could pick them off and make popcorn if you would like. It makes a great dinner/movie date!