You say "Hello!" I say "Ni Hao"

So we are getting closer and closer to our move to China and we are wanting to practice our Chinese before we go...at least our greetings and such. So Jacob took the time to write down some greetings and general words that we feel will be important on flash cards so Bob and I can practice.

We have several words downpat so far....they are:
1.) Hello......Ni Hao......(pronounced....knee how)
2.) How are you?.....Ni Hao Ma.....(pronounced....Knee how ma)
3.) Please.....Qing....(pronounced....king)
4.) Thank you.......xiexie ni....(pronounced...she she knee)
5.) Yes......shi......(pronounced....she)
6.) No.....bushi....(pronounced.....boo she)

Jake is making flash cards so we can learn a couple new words every day....which has been very helpful. Of course I think one of the hardest things about moving to China will be wanting to talk in Spanish because not only will we have lived in Costa Rica for 6 months before we move and have been greeting people in Spanish the whole time but also because there are a lot of Chinese people here and they all talk to us in Spanish all the time....including the people at our local pulperia!

Bob and I are starting to feel a lot more comfortable with those 6 words/phrases that we have learned so we set out to the market to get milk and eggs...and to practice our Chinese. I have to laugh because apparently the people at the market are thinking the same thing we are and they have decided that they are going to practice their English on us while we are here! So a typical conversation goes like this.........

We walk into the market and are greeted by the cashier..."Hola!".... "Ni hao!"...(we go and get our stuffand go to check out)..."Is that everything?"...."Shi"......"Would you like a bag?"....."Qing"......"Have a great day!"...""Xiexie ni!"

Oh well, we both get to practice and.....they haven't corrected our pronunciation yet!

You Ready To Learn Something??

Well, we did some brain storming today and came up with what we think is a really cool idea! Since Jacob is going to be homeschooled in China through an online school out of Maryland, we were trying to think of cool projects for him to do for his classes.

We came up with the idea of him creating a web page that people will go to where he will post videos he creates about different historical/interesting/current sites in China. He will do things such as go to the Great Wall of China and video tape a message telling everyone some history about the wall; along with some interesting facts. The whole thing will be on vidoes that people can look at.

There are so many amazing places to see in China and not everyone will have the chance to see them in person so this is an interesting way to experience the country. Anyone can look at a picture in a book....but now you will be able to walk along side him and experience it as if you were actually there!

He is so excited and we think this is going to be an amazing project for him to put together!

****Don't worry....there will still be tons of pictures and stories for all of our friends and family to look at. This will just be a little bit of a bonus!!****

The Last Step.......Maybe?

Well, everything is moving right along with this move to China! We went to the Chinese Embassy this morning and picked up our Visa's. We have 180 day Visa that can be extended so 1/2 of our trip is covered. Now once we get to China, we apply for residency....which is required.....and then we are able to travel at will.

We are so excited! With Angie, Julie, and Tim coming for a visit, here in Costa Rica, in less than 4 weeks....we can only imagine how fast the time is going to fly by. So, if you were planning on visiting us next year in Costa Rica.....you might want to start the visa procees because instead of showing you the Carribean Sea...we will be showing you the Great Wall of China!

The "Terrible Towel" Meets the Great Wall of China

Having moved to Costa Rica, not realizing just how little Steelers football we would actually be able to watch, we are very excited to be watching our 3rd Steelers game in a row. Tomorrow the Steelers take on the Patriots and we will be glued to the televison like all other true Steelers fans!

This got us thinking today about China. Bob said that have to take our terrible towels, which we brought with us to Costa Rica, to the Great Wall in China and take our picture on the Great Wall holding the Terrible Towel! Then we started to think of all the places we can take our picture holding the terrible towel, while living in China.

This made us think about getting our picture here in Costa Rica before we leave. The only problem is we aren't sure what would be considered,"THE PLACE" in Costa Rica to take our picture with the towel. No place jumps out at us right away. We will need to do some research because we definitely need to take our picture with the towel in Costa Rica before we move again!

If you have any suggestions....let us know!

My Wallet said...."OUCH!"

Today was the day! We went to the Chinese Embassy here in Costa Rica to apply for our Visa's, this being our 3rd trip so far this week, and after finally gathering the correct papers...we turned them in. We were told that we would be able to pick up our Chinese Visa's next Friday. Happy as we were to hear that, the joy did not last long because the next thing she did was hand us our paper for the bank. In Costa Rica, you take the receipt paper to the bank, pay the fee, and get a yellow receipt. Then you take that receipt to the Embassy and turn it in as proof that you have paid for your Visa Applications.

Now I am not sure if she told me an incorrect amount last time or if I completely misunderstood her, but what we thought was going to cost us about $120.00 for all three of us turned into around $500.00 for all three of us. Apparently I confused 18 with 84....not sure how because she said it in English....broken English but English none the less!

Now the school/company will reimburse me for my fee but we still have to pay for Bob and Jake's. I guess we should be used to these little surprises but actually.....not so much. Now we have to watch the exchange rate and find the best day to change our dollars into colones to guarantee the best price for us.

If it's not one thing it is another! LOL! Oh well....such is life!

I've Dotted My I's and Crossed My T's

Well, it is official! I have signed a contract with Beijing Oden International Culture Center to go to China and teach English to children ages 3 through 10 for First Leap Language School. We leave Costa Rica the 30th of December, 6 months to the day after we arrived there, and head to Beijing China. We will arrive in China on the 1st of January, 2011.

As you all know you can expect both lots of pictures and stories of our travels and experiences while living in China.

This is going to be another experience of a lifetime so why don't you just go ahead and strap yourself in and...Come along for the ride!