Instant Teenager

We were able to pick up Jay, our foreign exchange student from China, on Monday night. He has been trying to catch up with our time zone all week, but seems to be adjusting well.

Jay is the nicest person I have met in a long time. He is so polite. Jay opens all the doors for me, won't let me carry his plate to the kitchen sink, wouldn't let me carry anything from baggage claim to the car when he arrived, has offered to help me with chores tomorrow and lets us drag him anywhere we want to take him.

The very first night he was here and we took his things downstairs and just before we went to bed, he asked if he could call us "Mom" and "Dad". Travis and I looked at each other and said "sure". Travis told me later he was going to tell him to just call him "Travis", but that hasn't happened yet, so I think we just needed to get used to the idea. The best part now is, Travis calls me "Mom" when he is talking to Jay - i.e. "Jay, go ask Mom if she wants a glass of water"...very cute. Truly, it is not really that weird because the program calls us the "Host Mom and Dad" it is really just interesting for us because we have never been a Mom or Dad.

The first few days here Jay was a bit shy, but he is opening up more each day. He finally told me he did not want to do something today, which I thought was a good sign that he is getting more comfortable with us. Travis constantly teases Jay. I think he is getting used to it and is a very good sport. I know it is hard for Jay because, while he understands much of what is said, he does not understand it all and he runs into road blocks. It would be very difficult to go to a foreign Country to study without fully knowing the language. I bet in two months Jay will be a pro.

Jay also brought us gifts and was planning to bring gifts to the family get together this evening and we told him "no". He seemed confused because that is what they do in China when they are invited to someones house for the first time. No wonder he was dismayed at the size of my family - he might not have enough gifts in his bags :). In this picture you can see the panda decoration Jay's parents sent with him. We also got some tea and a very nice set of 8 pairs of chop sticks.

Jay Long - very tall

It has been very good having Jay with us this past week. I think he is going to like it here just fine and I think we will really love getting to know him. It is definitely and adventure for all of us, that is for sure.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward." Spanish Proverb

Cedar's Shakespeare

I attempted to take a few days off work last Thursday and Friday to spend some time at the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, UT with my Mother-in-law (Joleen) and Sister-in-law (Vikki). I actually had a pretty great time.

I had different expectations of the festival than I actually experienced. I pictured lots of medieval costumes, there were some, and I thought ALL the plays were Shakespeare plays...nope. We saw a total of 4 plays in 2 days.

The first night we saw "Loves Labors Lost" - this IS a Shakespeare play. We learned this was one of his first comedies written and performed. It is about a tiny kingdom and a Prince who enlists his friends to do nothing but study for three years - no overindulgence of any kind and no women. Well, here comes a princess and her buddies on an errand from a neighboring kingdom, one with which this other smaller kingdom has a treaty with. Needless to say, shenanigans ensue and lots of things are said that escaped me, but the actors did a fantastic job translating the feelings into the speeches so, even if I missed something that was said, I still followed what was going on. I only nodded off a few times.

The next morning we went to a 'reading' of a new play being put in production. There was just a table and some chairs on the stage and the actors had their binders open and were semi-reading the lines of the play. It was pretty incredible how they were still able to convey all the emotion behind the words and I realized we didn't even need the costumes and the scenery to experience the play. This one was called "Shunned" and is about an Amish boy who falls in love with the theatre and struggles with the choices he needs to make concerning his life's commitment to his family and way of life. It was pretty sad and thought provoking.

The afternoon play was "Anything Goes" - this was a pure musical. LOT's of costume changes, great dancing and singing, funny dialogue, old Hollywood glam...really fun. I did fall asleep a few times, but I was still entertained by a very good show.

The last, and best, show was "Peter and the Star Catcher". This play is the pre-qual of how Peter Pan became the boy that stays a boy, can fly and comes to be on the Island of Neverland. It was very unique, the way they used the props of the play. I don't think I can even explain it on this post, but there was very little use of actual scenery, but props of people and ropes were used to fashion doors and stairs - it sounds strange, and it was, but it really worked. This is the only play I watched that I didn't actually nod off in - it was action packed, funny and smart.

Besides plays, we did a bit of shopping, ate every meal out (some were VERY good), watched a few green shows (pre-shows with dancing, singing and terrible comedy), had a run in with a transvestite, laughed a lot, cried just a little, overreacted to my excellent driving skills, bought a bushel of peaches, stopped by the cheese factory on the way home to stock up on cheese curd, watched to make sure the price of chicks did not exceed 99 cents, shared a room with snoring (me), early rising (Joleen), deep sighing (Vikki) ladies who were very easy going and fun companions.

I'd do it again - and next time I'll bring my Mom as well.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." -- Henry Miller

Good Times