Huangshan cancelled

Well, we are FINALLY getting back on track from being sick last week! Everybody here says that newbies like us always get something like this when the weather turns colder their first season in Shanghai. Well! Thanks for the warning...AFTER the fact! ;) That was miserable! But, the boys are back in school now and I'm trying to shake off the last bit of symptoms. Unfortunately, Allen finally caught it...a milder version, but uncomfortable all the same! He took today off to rest and will be back in the saddle at work by tomorrow.

Funny...people must have thought we caught some rare and vicious disease - and spread the word about it. People I don't even know or recognize at school kept coming up to me today to ask how me and the boys were doing and if we have recovered. Teachers and ayis in BOTH classrooms kept feeling the boys' foreheads. A teacher I haven't spoke to in many weeks joked that everyone thought our family had something equivalent to the Ebola virus or something...because we were out so long. She was joking, but she was as concerned about our recovery as other people seem to be. I guess being out for a whole week is like being out a month in school "years". haha

Unfortunately, both boys missed the school's annual marathon and PE day. This is something the kids have been working on during their outdoor time for a couple of months. We were bummed to miss it. I heard it was lots of fun and many students earned gold medals. The parents even had a tug-o-war competition and relay races. THAT would have been fun to watch! haha

We finally switched drivers. Yep...Mr. Chen kept out doing himself in causing me grief and frustration during my days. After three months, the guy was supposed to have improved - immensely! Not Mr. Chen, however. If it were possible, he slid the other way and got worse. So, after a very close call of leaving me stranded with no car out in the middle of nowhere (in countryside China!)...with Ryan, no less...he got the boot. Now, we have Mr. Ye, who speaks absolutely ZERO English. We'll see how this goes and for how long...

Considering that we just got a brand new driver who doesn't know our family and we don't quite trust yet...in addition to the fact that we just recovered from a very nasty flu bug...we decided against going to Huangshan. It has turned considerably colder in the last week and Huangshan is supposed to be one of the highest peaks in China...talk about chilly! Yeah...it'll have to wait! Oh well...

In light of our trip being cancelled...I now have some extra time to assist my friends in their Halloween preparations. I'll be carving a pumpkin for Ryan's class on Thursday. We are hosting a little pumpkin carving soiree at our house on Wednesday. We are attending a Halloween potluck and trick or treating party on Halloween Friday in addition to the boys' school activities.. And, yes, Halloween spills into November 1st in some places over here...so we'll be attending another Halloween party on Saturday. What fun! Got to use those costumes as much as possible! hee hee

Have a spoooooky Halloween week!