26 March 2011: Silk blouses and small toilets!

26 March 2011

Greetings all from almost Spring in Shenyang!

I'd like to welcome some new people who just got added to "the list" of this update.  Seems it's getting rather popular!  Just to set the record straight..I feel no pressure!   I write these things spontaneously..whatever comes out comes out...I rarely edit!

We've been here almost 1 year...our visas are now renewed we're good for another year.  Hard to imagine we've been here a year already!

When I last wrote, I was getting ready to hit the road and before I left, I had bought some fabrics to have some blouses made...they turned out beautifully!

Silk blouses made for me and ready when I came back to town!

It is almost spring here in Shenyang...lots of sunshine and 46 deg F today.  I think everyone is out and about, and we were out with them!  Today, we went to a part of town where we've been before, but never to just look and shop.  It's called "Middle street" and it has some nice shops and stores and a huge upscale mall.  

The Mall at Zhong Jia in Shenyang

Mall on Zhong Jia (Middle street) in Shenyang.  Yes,  those are marble floors and it's still very clean!

On of the other very interesting things inside this mall was the bathroom.  Many of you have heard us tell that the bathrooms here in Shenyang are not good...not clean and smell horrible...well, today, I found a wonderful exception.  Clean bathroom ...and it had toilet paper!  Rod went into the men's room and came saying he "saw a first"!  Now coming out of a toilet and hearing that I admit, I was almost afraid to ask...well, almost!  When he told me, I sent him back in to get a photo!  Check out the "kiddie toilets" in the mens room...they didn't have these in the women's side...

Rodney in awe of the little toilet in the mall

Check out the size of the kiddie toilet in the Zhong Jia Mall men's room!

It's always interesting to see things on the Middle street where the mall is...

Rod trying his hand at sweeping the pedestrian walkway on Middle street (he said the broom didn't quite fit his hand!)

 The brooms are all hand made with lots of twigs...nothing goes to waste here!  The most amazing thing I've seen is the people who sweep the streets...with these brooms! People buzzing by in cars and trucks etc...and there these people are sweeping the streets seemingly oblivious.

Right down the way from the broom was a construction site on the Zhong Jia.   Some of you all know that my previous job with Michelin was in the Health and Safety area...well, suffice to say that this sling would not have passed inspection in our manufacturing plants...but here it just keeps on giving...

Worn out sling at an active construction site here in Shenyang

A sling that should have long been out of service ("when the red is showing, it's time to throw it away" is the OSHA rule)   I'm sure there is an equivalent rule here in China...but enforcement is, shall we say...a bit lax...or maybe it's that since they couldn't see any red, it's OK...they obviously couldn't see the red...because it was too greasy to see any red!)  Let's just hope that bucket doesn't drop on someone working below when this thing is in service!

Sarah on the Zhong Jia in Shenyang

Still late winter here in Shenyang, but spring is on the way, shopping on the Zhong Jia (middle street) 

That's about all for this week.

Thanks for all the prayers and emails.  We really do enjoy hearing from you!

Rod & Sarah

13 March 2011: Fabric market shopping in Shenyang

Greetings all,

As the devastation is revealed after the earthquake and tsunami, our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of Japan.  I cannot begin to imagine how they feel now and are coping.  Hurricane Katrina was bed, however it seems to pale in comparison to this from the pictures we are starting to see.  May God bless them all.  Thanks to everyone who sent us a note following my "we're all fine" email.  Your notes mean so much to us!

Here in China, life goes on somewhat oblivious...except that with all the political unrest in North Africa, the internet here in China is further restricted.  Our VPN does not work anymore, so, for the moment, I'm cut off from Facebook again :-(.  Again, a small problem compared to those in Japan.

Yesterday, I went to a fabric market here in Shenyang.  It wasn't far from our apartment, and we probably should have walked...because it took the driver quite a long time to get there!  Anyway, on the way, there are always interesting things to see!  Like the following moving operation:

2nd floor moving...Shenyang style

Moving in China:  Boxes are packed, on the 2nd floor apartment, then through the window, slid down the chute that the person down below is holding.  Then this same person, takes the boxes and stacks them in the 3 wheeled cart (which incidentally is about as wide as the street on which we were trying to drive)!  No big truck, no 2 wheel dollies, just boxes, gravity, a strong back and a 3 wheeled cart!

3 wheeled bikes are the standard local delivery truck here!

The same narrow street has cars, 3 wheeled loaded trikes. But, at least yesterday the weather was nice..I think everyone in the city was out!  Not much padding on that seat!

The fabric market was on the top floor of another market, and had you never been there, you would have never known to look!  Thankfully my friend Karen, who is very well versed in all things Shenyang, took me! (Thanks Karen!). Lots of nice fabrics, especially silks and suit materials.  

Fabric market...not glitzy and not too nicely displayed, but nice quality (I think?!) and like most all markets in China price is negotiable!

Sarah Miller with the vendor at the fabric market where I bought some silk material.  

This is my selection of silk materials...some dressy, some "fun" and all at a good price.

Fabric market

Fabric vendor and Sarah Miller (after I bought some silk...notice the big smile!)

Silks for summer blouses!

Karen also has connected me with a tailor...(you really didn't think I was going to sew them did you?  My mother was a wonderful seamstress and she made most all of our clothes growing up in KY...I can only think of one item she made from silk though and it was my wedding dress...can't top that!  Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to learn the fine art of sewing from my mother...I made the obligatory apron in home-economics and that was about it.  Too many other sports to do outside that over rode any desire to sew!)   Also interesting was the way my pieces were "cut" from the bolt of fabric...in fact she used scissors to start the cut,then she just pulled and ripped it apart.  There are several strings, but the fabric seems no worse the wear!

Last summer it was pretty hot here in Shenyang, and I had only a few short sleeve shirts...and my size does not exist in the chinese markets...well, now with my buys yesterday, and a good tailor, I'll have some nice short sleeve silk blouses to add to my cotton shirts!

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be traveling again...for those of you who are following my passport saga from Thailand, I am to pick up my passport tomorrow (Monday) and it should have my new Chinese work visa inside!  Then Tuesday, I leave on another business trip...nothing like "just in time"!  Rod will get his visa 1 week later and then we should both be back to "normal" as far as passports and visas etc go!  Thank God for that!

Thats about all from this side of our little world!    Keep those emails coming!

Sarah & Rod

7 March 2011: The thaw is still a long way off!

7 March 2011

Greeting all!

I feel like I've been a slacker lately when it comes to writing updates...just over come by events I guess!  Thanks to everyone for continuing to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We've been here almost a year now..my, how time flies when you're having fun...or at least really busy!

Rod and I are doing OK.  You may remember from last note that I had my passport stolen in Thailand when we were on vacation. Well, I finally have my new US passport in hand and am going tomorrow to get my new work visa application and I should be good for another year!

Today, it's 39F and sunny and will get down in the 20's tonight...Spring is on the way, but it's still a ways off!   Still some lingering ice on the ground and we're all still wearing leather coats..not like the weather in SC right now..no 70's for us yet!

Rod and I went out to my work construction site..things are starting to unthaw there too!

Storm water retention pond at the new plant site...not started yet!

Rod & Sarah at the entrance to the new site

this is the storm water retention pond at the new plant site. Notice the ice is still here!   Off in the far distance in orange steel is the beginnings of our plant.

This will be a big manufacturing plant when it's all said and done!  1st class Michelin tires for our Chinese market!

After kicking the dirt, we drove around a little and then stopped at a flea market..always interesting!

 Here are our pictures from the flea markets!

Cardboard recycling Chinese style

Sarah and her old Chinese basket

A Shenyang flea market...lots of people!

Cardboard recycling...pedal power!

Junk man...recycling for a living...The junk men walk up and down the streets hitting a pan on the handlebars to make noise and yell out

(sounds like a wolf call to me!) These guys have hard way to go...glad they do it, but not for me!  At the flea market, it's always interesting...always.  This time, I bought another old basket..OK, I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with it, but I liked it...for those of you counting...this makes number 2...by the way, lots of people commented on my basket walking through the rest of the market...not sure it was because  they really liked it, or as a foreigner, I just looked so strange...either way, didn't matter...I got my basket!

So that's about all for today.  My travel schedule is pretty heaving starting mid March until Mid May...so updates may be a mixed bag over the next 2 months!

Take care yawl and keep those emails coming!

Sarah & Rod