Flight and Formosa Chang

If I haven't already told you, we bought 2 air cushions for our international flights a few years back and Noah has grown out of it. Here's a look at the cushions and them being used.

I also saw these "new" headrests. Or at least I've never seen them before! 

And the kid's meal were cute and tasted better than ours.

And now, what you've all been waiting for. Our first meal! We got in late and asked the driver where to eat gurou fan and he told us about a popular chain restaurant next to our Airbnb. Oh, how the kids loved it and how CHEAP it was!! For 99NT ($3.33), the meal came with gurou fan, a side dish and daikon soup with Taiwanese pork balls! The food was ok, but super convenient and super cheap.

The kids went to sleep after midnight and woke up at 6a today! So we're off to find breakfast. To be continued...

ONT to TPE - On Our Way!

We just arrived at the Ontario Airport (about 2 hours before our flight) and so far so good. The drive is further but not much traffic so it took us about 40 to 45 minutes. Not too bad compared to LAX with traffic on the 105 and at the airport. Drop off is super easy and the airport is deserted except for the long line at China Airlines check in. It took us 50 minutes to get through the check in line and there were no lines at all at TSA. With a potty break, we were at our gate in an hour. Just one downside is that there were no restaurants on our wing and only one bookstore that sold waters for $5 each. OUCH! Overall, much much much less stress on an already stressful day. I think I will never fly out of LAX again if I don't have to.

Days 26 - 33 Last Post

David and Daniel started school so we tried filling our last week here with last minute shopping and keeping the kids entertained.

The kids were suppose to go swimming but it didn't quite work out so they biked to the community park with their swim clothes on. That night Noah complained about an itchy back and I found a lot of red itchy spots on it. Not knowing what to do I gave him Benedryl and scratched his back. I asked the Ayi the next day if it's "faye-tse" since I remember getting that when I was young. She confirmed it was and all I needed to do was to put baby powder on him. I think he got it because his swim shirt wasn't breathable and the sweat got trapped. Here is a photo of after scratching his back (the bumps turned into hives).

The next day we were able to go swimming. The weather has cooled down quite a bit but still very humid. The main pool was green (I am assuming because the kids started school and they stopped maintaining it as much) so we ended up spending the entire time in the kiddie pool. Here is a photo of Zion blowing up his own floaty.

We also visited another indoor playground. The "sand pit" was filled with black rice.

We had lunch at Johnny Moo which is like a Johnny Rockets. The burgers were pretty good and at the end of the meal they brought the kids cotton candy.

The kids got bored one day when everyone was out of the house and we didn't have a driver. So I broke out a Rainbow Loom that I bought for the airplane ride but we never had to use it. Noah really likes these bracelets that his friends give him but because he doesn't have a sister at home he never had a chance to make them. It looks like Noah was not the only one who had fun with it.

On one of our last days we dropped the kids off at Little Bugz again with the Ayi (how I wish I had an Ayi back home...) and Luda brought me luxury goods bargain shopping. I thought I had made a mistake when we walked in and EVERYONE started following her and yelling at her to buy their stuff. They all saw dollar signs when they saw here blonde hair and white complexion. We found a shop that brought out their "suitcase" with their "special" wallets. When I asked them the price they told me $125. Since Luda had bought these before for $22 she counter offered. She told them that she just bought it 3 months ago and was going to find the other store who sold it for that price. When they refused to lower we walked away and they called us back to make the deal. I'm pretty sure they could've gone lower but it's good enough for me. Here is a look at the only thing I bought for myself in Shanghai.

Our last day in Shanghai was quite special. We celebrated David's 7th birthday. Happy Birthday David!!

As you may have already noticed we didn't go anywhere special. The weather here has been unbearably hot and humid not to mention the blood sucking mosquitos. Also with the local kids on summer vacation I really didn't want to brave the crowds. A part of the reason why we came to Shanghai other than visiting the nephews was so that the kids could be immersed in Chinese culture and practice their Chinese like I did when I was young. Unfortunately, Noah spent most of his time staring at the built in DVD player in the car and played with Expat kids that spoke English. FAIL!

Tonight being our last night in Shanghai, Daniel finally decided that he was going to play with Zion. They were running around having a great time and worked up a head full of sweat. It makes me a bit sad to go now :(  Maybe Daniel will change his mind tomorrow then I will be glad to leave. Fingers crossed. haha  Can't wait to see you guys. Miss you all!

Days 24 & 25

This has been the day that the kids have been waiting for! David and Daniel are back!! Zion has been so excited to see his favorite "video clip star" Daniel, who yells "Wo yao tang guo!" (I want candy!) over and over again. He refers to Daniel by saying "I like Daniel the most!" Boy was he in for a rude awakening! Daniel is not the easiest kid to get along with. The first day was filled with flying fists and crying but this was also the first day I did not hear Zion say that he wants to go home!

Here's a picture of the boys and one of the neighbor's kids.

The second day Joe got us into the exclusive Kid's Gym at the fancy hotel across the street. The kids loved it. We went after breakfast then took a lunch break and went back again. No naps for anyone today! Zion also just loved to follow Daniel around everywhere. And Daniel hated it!

There was also this very scary slide that was basically a 90 degree drop.

Noah tried his very best to face his fear. Oh well, maybe next time. By the way, if you see this please don't ask him about the slide. One of the boys there gave him a hard time about it so he was a bit embarrassed and upset.

Last post coming tomorrow!

Days 17 - 23

We are alone this week. Mom went back and Joe went to Ukraine to pick up the wife and kids. Zion's finger was cut so we couldn't swim. So what else is there left to do? Shop and eat!

We have been sleeping in everyday (until 11am) heehee. We have breakfast around 12p be out by 1 then go shopping for toys. Then after shopping we would grab lunch and head back home for a nap. After our nap we would have dinner and Noah would do some homework. Then baths, get ready for bed, read books and lights out around midnight.

Here are a few mall pictures.

I love how they now know how to get into position when it's time for a photo.

And they told me Pizza Hut was a fancy restaurant here but this is ridiculous.

Our favorite things to do this week was go to Toys R Us at Super Brand Mall then eat at the Curry House (not the same as the one in the US). We did this 3 times!! The lady at the restaurant remembered us and brought us cold water instead of warm water :) The kid's meal was awesome. For about $6 we got a rice and curry or ketchup fried pasta with ham, half an egg, 2 small sausages, 2 chicken nuggets, 2 happy face fried potato fries, 2 jello jellies, bag of chips and a yogurt drink.

 

Here is a picture of the kids playing with their new toys. Zion's finger is still bandaged up.

I also brought Zion to a small indoor area called Little Bugz. Admission was $16. I didn't know we had to wear socks so we both had to buy some from them. They also took his temperature to make sure he wasn't sick.

So good that he can do it backwards.

Ouch!

We also visited Kerry Hotel across the street that is connected to an indoor shopping mall. We love the shao long baos and dry noodles there. On weekends there are outdoor concerts and shopping stalls. The most popular was this one selling all types of lizards.

Noah enjoying Shao Long Baos and a Jazz Concert.

And we got to spend some time with Tina, my only friend in Shanghai. I met her husband Micheal for the first time and it turns out he's great with kids! He taught them how to fly quadcopters and was very nice and patient! Unfortunately, we only got a few photos together.

Zion had on goggles to protect his eyes from the mini quadcopter.

Zion has been very homesick and he keeps seeing everyone leave. Bryan left, Grandma left, Uncle Joe left, Aunt Tina left, Uncle Michael left (which he already "hao she hwan" and "shang") that he doesn't want the nanny/housekeeper "Ayi" to leave when she goes home everyday. Not only that, he says he misses our driver too!! Our driver is very quiet. I don't think he has ever spoken to Zion. But everyday Zion will say "Shei shei Shao Mah Su Su" (Thank you, Uncle Shao Mah) when he gets out of the car.

Days 13 - 16

Part 2

The night we got back from the hospital, Joe looked into the medical information distributed by his kids' international school especially for expats. There were several hospitals in the area that "cater" to foreigners but since Zion was all bandaged up we decided not to get a second opinion. The next evening on the way to pick my mom up from the airport (she took a short trip to Taiwan), Zion's bandage came off and started to bleed again so we decided to go to the hospital the next day. After talking to a friend I found out that they have a glue to keep cuts closed in the US so I wanted to find out if that was available here.

We went to the same Children's Hospital where he was bandaged up but this time to the 3rd floor for VIP service. Unfortunately, we arrived during lunchtime and they were closed from 12-1. The receptionist offered to call the Specialist and we would need to pay $85 instead of $50 but we could get immediate service. But when she called her she was in surgery and wouldn't be done for another hour so we decided just to wait until 1pm. We were told we would be seen by doctors on the 3rd floor but the treatment would be done with the "general population" on the first floor under the direction of the 3rd floor doctors.

When the office opened we paid $50 and were immediately brought down to the 1st floor and past 2 waiting rooms full of people.  They have a guard that lets in 2 patients at a time so we were now 3rd in line instead of behind everyone else in the waiting rooms. I was confused because I had thought that we were going to be seen by the 3rd floor doctors not the same doctors that treated Zion on the day of the cut. I thought maybe the 3rd floor doctors could offer more sympathy and more treatment options like the glue I mentioned above.

Eventually when it was our turn the doctor tried to take off his bandage but after a minute of struggling with it she sent us to the treatment room to get it removed. We then went to the treatment room (again, cutting in front of everyone else in line) and then cut back in line for her again. After more waiting she finally saw us and because there was a piece of gauze that covered the wound she sent us back to the room for it to be removed and cleaned then she would drop by to take a look and give further instruction. Of course we were to pay for the treatment first. I was fuming by then. I didn't go to the VIP service desk so that I can pay to cut in line! I want to speak to a doctor! So after much fuss and arguing not only with the employees of the VIP department but also with my own mother! They were finally able to get the head doctor to meet with us in the treatment room.

Thank the Lord that she was exactly what I was hoping for. She was kind, patient and thorough. She explained to me that the glue would not be appropriate for use on the fingertip and used mostly on facial injuries. After answering all questions and alleviating all my concerns Zion was bandaged up again. We were prescribed 2 more bandage changes and paid for them.

The next 2 visits went fairly smoothly. We got to cut in line again. I even brought Noah to see about his mosquito bites. He's had quite a few that have severely swelled up and one that was as big as his hand. All the medication I tried (Anti-Itch Cream, Hydrocortizone and Zyrtec) did not help. They prescribed Calamine Lotion for the itch and 2 creams to be used together for the inflammation. And to my surprise, the anti-inflammatories really worked!!

Unfortunately, we were quite busy these few days, I didn't get to take any photos. But here's and image I found online that shows the type of lines we paid to bypass.



Oh, I did get to sneak in an hour back massage before my mom left!

Day 12

Part 1

I have been dreading writing this next post mostly because it's my fault. On day 12, I left Noah and Zion in the bedroom watching DVDs while I went to the bathroom. Next thing I hear is Noah yelling "Zion is bleeding!" Not being able to leave the bathroom and not thinking it was that serious I told him to go get Uncle Joe. Noah continues to yell "Zion is bleeding" so I asked him if it was a little blood or a lot and he yells back "A lot!" At this point the commotion along with Zion's crying got Joe's attention and next thing I know he tells me to open the door and give him some toilet paper to stop the bleeding. Joe said there was so much blood he couldn't tell which fingers were cut and how deep. So I sat there on the toilet holding all Zion's fingers until we were both to calm down to assess his fingers. We saw that he cut his right ring finger and his pinkly (the pinky one being the deeper one). While I continued to put pressure on his finger (and still sitting on the toilet) we asked what he cut his finger on. Noah walks in with my eyebrow razor blade. Knowing how curious Zion is and how high he can climb, I keep the razor blade at home out of his reach. But here, I totally forgot. Knowing the cause and the fact that he hasn't stopped bleeding we decided to go to the hospital.

It was past 9pm so the emergency room was our only option. Joe tried to call his driver multiple times but he wasn't picking up so we quickly got dressed and headed to the street to flag down a taxi. I held Zion with one hand and held his other hand above his heart and we arrived at the hospital that Joe usually brings his family to. On the second floor there are a few Taiwanese doctors that my brother trusted however they were already gone for the day so we went to the emergency room. The hospital was very quiet. I only saw 1 other patient. When the doctor arrived he reeked of smoke. He then coughed into his hand and held it out to look at Zion's wound. After assessing the wound he said he could give him stitches but asked if I will be able to control Zion. I said, "What choice do I have? If it has to be done it has to be done!" He then tells me I could bring him to the Children's hospital and perhaps they'll be better equipped to treating children. So we headed back downstairs and the receptionist was nice enough to call a taxi for us.

When we arrived at the Children's Hospital it was totally madness. Hundreds of children to be treated all with various conditions. We had to first go register and pay a $2 registration fee. Then they gave us a patient card and pamphlet where eventually the doctor will fill out his diagnosis and treatment. Luckily the doctor who treats wounds didn't have too many patients and we were seen right away. The doctor explained that Zion did not need stitches. But the wound was still bleeding and very deep so we asked about getting stitches anyways. He told us that his thread was not very fine so it would not look good when it healed. Feeling that Zion had been through a lot and if he didn't need stitches I wasn't going to make him suffer though it so I decided to just have it bandaged up. He told us we needed to pay $8 for treatment and bandage fee first. While Joe went to pay we walked into the treatment room. There were 2 beds and a chair. Each bed was covered with what looks like 3 cloth diapers laid out. I saw hair and stains. Once of them was very torn up. Not being able to find a clean place to put Zion down I was relieved when the doctor gestured me to sit in the chair. Joe quickly returned with a receipt and Yakult yogurt drinks for the kids. The doctor cleaned and bandaged the wound while I held Zion and Joe immobilized his arm. We were in and out within 30 minutes. By this time Joe had reached his driver and he was waiting for us outside. Total cost $10 (less than our cab fare)!

When we got home we tried to call Bryan but he wasn't picking up. So I sent the happiest picture I had.

Here's one I took after he fell asleep.

Here is Zion looking at my facial cream the very next morning. Looks like he didn't learn his lesson.

And here is a look at the hospital registration paper and receipts. Joe was in such a hurry to fill out the forms it looks like he's now going to be completely responsible for Zion!

Stay tuned for Part 2. The follow up visits.