In Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring

It’s snowing in Beijing!  Even though the temperature is quite cold here (at least compared to California), it rarely snows because the weather is dry.  We were all very excited, since snow comes about once a year in Beijing.  After we finished our homework and studies for the day, we went outside to play in the snow.  The snow was very thin, but we still had a lot of fun.  My sister wrote her name on the snow. My brother wrote his Chinese name on the snow. There was snow on the benches and on the bicycles, too. A cat left some footprints in the snow. We made small snow cupcakes by pressing snow into a cup, and then taking the packed snow out.  On one of them, we added a small snow strawberry on top. On another, we added some snow icing. We also played catch with the snow cupcakes we made.  It was not easy, because the snow often crumpled to pieces if you didn’t catch the ball the right w...

In mid-January, we flew south to Fuzhou (my Dad’s hometown) from to visit our Grandparents and other relatives.  The airplane ride was pretty short, only 3-4 hours long. When we were there, we had a chance to try a special food.  It is called zhe .  My Dad said that it was one of his favorite foods when he was growing up.  The outer layer is made from sticky rice flour, and the inside is made of sticky rice (sweet). Fuzhou is by the ocean, so there is plenty of fish to eat.  However most of the fish have plenty of bones; at least 3 or 4 times as much as salmon has. My uncle brought us to the sand banks of the Ming Jian River.   There were a couple of people picking clams to bring back home to eat.  We found a lot of clams, too. But, of course, we didn't eat them. We also found a pumas rock.  When we put it on the water, it floated. My brother and my younger sister wanted to take some of the cl...

We were in Jerusalem for all the Biblical Fall Feasts:  Rosh HaShanah (Feast of trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).  We were also there for Simchat Torah . (Below is a picture of a sukkah) On Rosh HaShanah shofars were being sounded all day long, something you can only hear in Israel.  We even bought a small shofar for 40 shekels!  After Rosh HaShanah was my birthday.  Most of the time we cooked our meals at home, but since it was my birthday, we walked to a small shop nearby for some chicken shawarmas.  They were delicious!   For my birthday, we also had a dairy (milk) cake from a bakery.  Part of it even tasted like ice cream!  Next came Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement when we pray and repent.  We fasted for 25 hours, no eating or drinking.  We began and broke the fast a t the Messianic congregation .  The fast was broken with a meal.  Fo...

We went to the Israel Museum on Tuesday.  We walked to the museum, bought two adult tickets (children under 18 are free from 4pm-9pm on Tuesdays), borrowed 6 audio guides for each of us(in English), and entered the museum. The audio guide is very helpful, and is available in both English and Hebrew.  Don't forget to ask for them at the entrance!  This is the Shrine of the Book, where the dead sea scrolls are. Model of Jerusalem.  Very fragile, don't touch the rails(/fence)! A close-up. The second Temple. The second Temple from a different angle. Here the audio guide is very helpful, but don't feel pressured to listen to all of it. In another section of the Museum... Try to walk across the bar without stepping on the cars! The orange-yellow 'yarn' in the center is actually made of rubber bands connected together!  Every few minutes it automatically swings around in circles. A work of art in ...