Shanghai, China

"Knee how!" That is "hello" in Mandarin. Most people in China speak Mandarin. This weekend was my first trip to mainland China. China is a very big country, almost the same size as America! But it has even more people! We flew to a city called Shanghai. Get out your map! It is on the east coast, or right side, of China, closer to the top of the country than the bottom.

Shanghai is a big city that it built around a river. 

There are some very tall buildings. Some of the tallest buildings in the world are in Shanghai!

There is some very delicious tasting food in China too! It's not just rice and chow mein noodles. There are many vegetables, soups, and different meats. We even ate noodles and stew for breakfast one morning! 

We tried some new food like chicken feet, fish head, and tripe. Chicken feet are, well, chicken feet cooked and served with a very yummy sauce.

Tripe is the stomach of a cow, also served in a very tasty sauce. It's important to remember that people eat different things all around the world. Just because you don't eat it where you live, doesn't mean it's not good. There are many people in the world who have never eaten a hamburger or fries. Do you think they should try it? Would they like it? 

You will never believe what I rode on in Shanghai! A lion! I even have a picture to prove it too! 

Okay, it wasn't a real lion but it was still fun! 

Here's a few more pictures from around the city.

What do you see that is similar to where you live? 

Interesting Macau

Have you ever eaten the outside peel of an orange, or lemon? Did you just say, "No way!"? Not so fast! Maybe you should try a bite! 

 I hadn't eaten them either, until I moved to Macau. Here, they are left in the sun to dry, then they are eaten! The peels of citrus fruits, like lemons, limes, and oranges are used as medicine in China. They are used to help your stomach feel better. You can dry them yourself, or buy them in the store! 

On our way to the movies we also passed this temple with many statues. 

I don't know very much about what they mean but I am going to find out more by asking some of my teachers and friends. Maybe they will will know! If not, I will ask the librarian or look on the internet. I am curious! 

I am going to say good-bye in an alley today! An alley is a small and narrow pathway. This alley is so small only people and bikes can fit! 

Bye friends! 

I went to Hong Kong today!

I've been busy in the K3 Joy classroom the last few weeks. I really like Kindergarten. The kids are 5 years old and really nice. They are so excited to be at school and they love learning! 

Yesterday we took the ferry over to Hong Kong. The last time I was there was when I moved to Macau in July. Do you remember how to say good morning in Cantonese?

                Look! I'm in a taxi! 

I am in the Hong Kong Museum of History. We learned all about how the city started as a tiny little fishing village and grew into an international city. International means that there are people and foods from all over the world in Hing Kong. 

Now Heather and I are on the subway. It's like an underground train. I didn't see any worms out the windows though!

Many stores in Hong Kong are outside on the streets. Look closely, what do you see? 

Oh yum! I am from Belgium and have missed waffles so much since I have left. We stopped for a special treat. Adams had whipped cream and strawberries on top!

Weeee!!! This is fun but please don't drop me! Hong Kong is made up of many islands. Here I am looking across the bay to Kowloon. The lights are awesome at night! 

What did you do this weekend? 

The biggest city I've ever been to!

Sa-wa-dee-kaa! That is 'hello' in Thai.

We just spent 2 days in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. Pull out your map and see if you can find it. I'll give you a clue, it's not by the ocean.

Bangkok is a BIG city with many people. There is a lot of traffic because there are so many cars, motor bikes, buses, and tuk-tuk's. What is a tuk-tuk you ask? It is a motor bike that also has a cart for people to sit in; a little like a horse and carriage! I rode in a tuk-tuk and it was pretty fun.

I'm in a tuk tuk! 

Now a bus!

And a boat!

We visited some temples, which are like churches for different religions. 

Bangkoks smells, sounds, and sights were very different from other places I've been before. What do you smell, hear, and see when you go outside?

Toilets!

I've learned that there are many different words used for "bathroom". People who live in the United States usually say "bathroom" or "restroom". People from other countries say "water closet", "washroom", and even just "toilet".

Bathrooms also look different in other countries too. Where we stayed in Asia, there was no bathtub or shower. There was just a shower on the wall next to the toilet. There wasn't a shower curtain or even hot water! I didn't know that many people in Asia take cold showers. We are so lucky to have hot water in our houses, especially when it's cold outside. 

Here's a picture of our bathroom in our hotel in Makassar, Indonesia. we only stayed here one night.  There is something missing and it's really strange! 

Do you know what it is? 

If you think it's the toilet paper, that would be a good guess but not everyone in the world uses toilet paper either. Do you see the little hose by the toilet? That is what is used instead of toilet paper.

Okay, I'll tell you what is missing... It is the sink! 

I sure do like visiting other countries because there are so many things that are different. 

We're on our way to a new country right now. I have been to 3 countries so far. Do you remember which ones? Get out your map and find them! Maybe you can guess where we are headed next! 

Scuba diving

Do you remember all the scuba diving gear Adam and Heather were packing when we were still in China? Well, I got to use it today when we went scuba diving. 

First, we walked through the water a little ways before we got on our yellow boat. Look what we saw right away! 

 Once we were on the boat I noticed there were some very important people waiting for us. There was a captain who drives the boat; a deck hand who helps the captain and a dive master who shows us where to go underwater. They thought it was really funny that I was on the boat with them, but they wanted me to tell all the kids who read this, "teri ma ka sea". That means 'thank you" in Indonesian. 

Adam and Heather held on to me tight when we jumped into the water. They didn't want me to sink because I don't know how to swim yet. 

Then we jumped right in. 

I was soaking wet but the water was really warm and clear. You can even see Adams fins underwater. They help him swim faster, especially when you see something really neat under there. Speaking of neat, we saw 15 blue spotted stingrays. Boy can they swim fast all on their own! We also saw 2 big turtles and hundreds of different fish and coral. Coral is really beautiful and very important for our oceans. It looks like colorful rocks or flowers underwater, but it's alive! Fish and other sea critters live in and around it, but It dies when people touch it, so be very careful! We want to take good care of our oceans! 

I really loved scuba diving because I got to see so many interesting things that live in the ocean. If you have time, look up Bunaken, Sulawesi. That's where we are! 

Kindergarten in Indonesia

Today we visited a kindergarten class on the island. I sat on a desk and watched the kids play for a little while and tried to listen to what the teacher was saying, but it was hard because I didn't understand what she was saying. The teacher was very nice and was happy to have us visit the school and her classroom.

The kids who live here only speak Indonesian and since I only speak English we couldn't really talk to each other. It was okay though because we could smile at each other and laugh. It's easy to be friends with anyone this way. They were curious about Adam, Heather, and I and wanted to shake our hands. I wanted to shake their hands too. 

I liked seeing the school because it was very different than the classrooms I have been in; but one thing is the same, the kids were happy to be at school learning with their friends! 

Riding on a motorbike

I did something adventurous today! I rode on a motorbike! 

There are no roads where we are staying. No one even has a car or a truck. People  either walk on a path to get to the village or ride on a motorbike. The village is a tiny city where about 500 people live. There are no stores or restaurants here so many people have a boat too. They can take their boat to other islands to get food and water. 

I rode on the motorbike with Willeke and Heather. 

After we picked up Willeke's daughter from school, I rode with her too! 

Don't worry! She didn't really drive. She's only four! 

I'm in...

We're in Indonesia! It is a country that is made up of thousands of islands. You have to count to 100 ten times to equal 1000. Now that's a lot of islands, and a lot of counting! 

It took us a very long time to get here but it's very beautiful and the people are very nice. 

We're also eating different foods than I am use to. Fish is what most people like to eat here but I've only eaten fish sticks before. I was surprised when dinner came out and it was a whole fish with his head still attached. I learned that this  is how most people around the world eat their fish. I tried it and guess what? It was good! Better than fish sticks any day! 

You should definitely try it this way. If you are a little nervous, or not sure, try dipping it in a little ketchup first. I'm sure you will like it!  

A night and morning in Malaysia.

Selamat pagi! That means 'good morning' in Malay. I'm in the country called Malaysia, but only for a few hours. We arrived way past my bedtime last night. 

We woke up this morning and went straight back to the airport. Would you believe that Adam ate noodles for breakfast? Instead of cereal, or eggs and toast, many people in Malaysia eat noodles with sauce, chicken, vegetables, and sometimes shrimp in the morning. 

Adam doesn't like to eat shrimp, but especially not for breakfast so he asked for 'no shrimp please'! 

Oh! Our next flight is boarding. That means it's time to get on the plane. 

I wonder what country we will go to next and what they eat for breakfast. 

I'm in China!

Jo sun! That means 'good morning' in Cantonese. I'm in China! Well, Macau, but it is a part of China. Have you looked at a globe or map lately? Find Hong Kong and then look just a little west (left). It's so far from America, almost 7000 miles away. 

We were on the plane for 14 hours. We watched movies and played a few games.

Here's my first look of Macau outside Adam and Heathers window. I'm on the 29th floor. It was a long elevator ride up!

Oh my! What is all this stuff and where are we going? Adam and Heather are packing their scuba diving equipment. Scuba diving is when you swim under water with special gear that lets you breath under there. They say there are great things to see. I hope I get to go underwater with them. 

Time to pack my things. We leave for the airport again in 2 hours. 

Where will I be next? 

Who is Pierre?

Bonjour! My name is Pierre. If you don't speak French you might not know what bonjour means, but it means Hello in English. I am from Brussels, Belgium. My friend Anne brought me to America as a gift for two boys named Gabe and Grady.

They decided they want me to go on an adventure so they packed my suitcase for vacation. I'm going to stay in Macau, China and go everywhere Adam and Heather go! We haven't left for China yet but I've already made some new friends at a place called the ranch. It's in a little town called Grass Valley, California. There were chickens, goats, and dogs at the ranch. I also met Xander, Justin, and Julia at the ranch.

Today I get to go on a big airplane in San Francisco, California and fly over the Pacific Ocean to a place called Hong Kong. I'm a little nervous because I don't know what it will be like when I get there, but Adam and Heather keep reminding me that it's natural to be nervous sometimes.

Off we go!