17 April 2011: Rod's Tenor Tuba playing in the Park...and other adventures!

17 April 2011

Greetings all from Rainy Shenyang,

Thank God for the rain today here in Shenyang.  After a long, cold, dry winter, Spring is trying to arrive in Shenyang!  The wild plum trees are blooming along with the beginnings of Forsythia now and hopefully with this rain, it will green up!  Many of you know, I've been traveling a lot lately, mostly to France in preparation for a major milestone in my work.  I'll have to go back to France in a week, so for the moment, I'm taking advantage of my time here at home...jetlag and all!

While I was away, Rod was busy here in Shenyang!  Many of you have asked what he does...well, in this update, I'll give you a bit of a glimpse into my wonderful husbands life here!  Many of you know that we met in the 202nd KY Army National Guard Band.  He was, and continues to be, a tuba player and I was a trumpet player (we will celebrate 28 years of marriage in a few days!).  Music continues to be an important part of our life together...and Rod continues to play, and draw a crowd here in China!

Rod goes to the local park and plays his horn (which we bought in Austria, when we lived in France...it's a smaller horn than the tuba, so it's easier to move it around!) When he starts to play, other musicians just show up and join in!  In this case, there is an accordion player, singer and a drummer...then the crowd just showed up. The grapevine must be pretty efficient here!

 

Rod and the accordian player in the park at Shenyang

Rod again with the accordian player

Rod drawing a crowd at the park in Shenyang

The musicians with Rod at the park...and their audience!

When he's not in the park, he's out exploring and taking snapshots of our surroundings.  This time, he went to some of the local markets.  1st stop was the fabric market (when he saw my fabrics, he had to go for himself!  He didn't buy anything this time, but took a nice picture of some of the fabrics!

Silks at the fabric market in Shenyang

I'm pretty sure one or two of these silk fabrics will become a Chinese silk jacket some day!

Once through with the fabric market, he then went right next door to the spice market.   In the spice market, there were all kinds of spices, in bulk. The pictures are interesting...but the smells just can't be described!

Peppers at the spice market in Shenyang

Peppers...peppers and more peppers at the spice market in Shenyang

Dried fruits and nuts at the spice market in Shenyang

Dried fruits and nuts at the spice market in Shenyang

Just outside the spice market, was another street market...by vendors for vendors!  Always interesting to see what the local, locals eat!

The meat market behind the fabric market...get your lunch meat here!

Buy your pork here on the street...I don't think this would pass the FDA cleanliness test...take a look around behind the meat on the table!

Once you buy your meat, then get your shoe or purse fixed in the market!

The Shoe repair man...at your local market here in Shenyang

So as you can see, Rod keeps himself busy while I'm working or traveling!  

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and thoughts as we've now passed our 1 year milestone here in Shenyang!  Keep those emails coming!

Sarah & Rod

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