Days 2 and 3

Hi Everyone! I wrote this long post this morning and then lost it! ARGHH! So here I go again. Mark wrote about our first day in China so I thought I would fill you in on Friday and Saturday.We were picked up on Friday morning with all new staff and their families and taken to SSIS (Suzhou Singapore International School). I was quite pleased with the building - very big and modern. We were introduced to all the other newbies and their families - most of whom were from Canada, Australia and the US. We had lunch in the school cafeteria with the elementary school principal (a nice British guy) who told us Abigail will still go into the second grade because their cut off day is the same as Sugar Land. She will still be one of the oldest but that's fine. After lunch we went to the SIPAC where we learned about the area of Suzhou we live in, including Singapore's investment and what the future looks like. The best part of that was a huge miniscale model of the area. We were all trying to find our apartments and see what is close. I realized there is a park around the corner where James could ripstick that is hidden by buildings so we hope to check that out this evening. After the SIPAC we all went to Starbucks (one of four in our neighborhood). I was a little skeptical about how it would compare to home but my frappucino was dead on! Some returning teachers took small groups on walking tours around the area and pointed out some small markets where they sell western food. I almost cried tears of joy when I saw duncan hines, nestle, kraft, lays, and .... fresh milk!!! After Auchan I had no idea what I was going to feed my children. We were also shown where to get fresh fruits and vegetables, the expat clinic, an ATM that always accepts international cards, a foreign book store that had great stuff for the kids, and a fabulous french bakery! I felt so much better after the tour. We ate dinner as a big group and sat with Mark's new principal who is a nice lady from Calgary, bought 6 dvds for 75 cents each and went home exhausted.Yesterday we were picked up in the morning (again with new staff and families) and taken to the Master of Nets Garden. A famous and ancient garden in old Suzhou. Then we visited the Suzhou Museum. This gave us a chance to see some of the older parts of the city. We were dropped off for lunch at our own apartments and a rest and then picked up in the evening for a canal tour on a boat which was neat and then dinner at TGIFridays. We sat with the director of the school who was really good with the kids, I was impressed. The food was great and again we went home exhausted.Today we will be picked up and taken to the school for a full tour and a BBQ as well as a pool party at the indoor pool. The kids are excited. Abigail has made a new friend with a little girl from Toronto but James has been a little more reserved. He'll get there - I think it's that whole 11 year old thing.Starting tomorrow we will be joined by returning staff and their families so the kids will have more opportunities to make friends.I'm off to get ready for the day. We love you and miss you all!