The DeSmet Family

The DeSmet Family
Kelly, Valerie, Julia, Ella and Tucker

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Ella's 5th grade" Monkey King "

For the past several months, Ella's 5th grade class has been working on the production of The Monkey King.  Now, I am pretty sure none of you have ever heard of it, but it is wildly popular here in China.  It is the Chinese classic novel, Journey to the West, about a monkey that is born from a stone (how is that even possible?) and  has acquired supernatural powers.  He is accompanied by a priest, a monk and a pig.  There are many adventures that this foursome encounter on their journey to India, in search for his rightful place in the Heavens.  
Each of the individual classes did their own portion of the play.  They had to write their own scripts, write and play their own music to go along with the play, audition for parts and act in the play and do their own makeup.  (Have you seen Chinese plays?  The makeup?  Oh, the makeup!)  The kids even had one week that they got to spend with some Chinese actors from Taiwan that had been performing the Monkey Key. They taught them how to basically "over act", do fight scenes and put on all of that makeup.  The kids absolutely loved it.  We even got to watch the professional actors perform one night in the auditorium.  It was fun to watch the kids because they were so engrossed in the whole production.  They laughed and cheered.  It was great. Just great.  Yeah, I didn't get it!  Whatever. Don't judge.
My sweet little Ella got the part of the pig.  All 65 pounds of her.  She was stoked to be the pig because he is the comedian of the bunch.  Right up her ally.  She did an amazing job and actually had the audience laughing pretty good.  Her best line......she had to try on some clothes and shake her little butt and say, "Does this make my butt look big?"  As if!  It was cute!  

Ella as the pig and her buddy Maya as the Monkey King.

My little pig.

Ella's 5th grade class.  They split the lead roles.  That is why there are 2 pigs, 2 monkeys, 2 priests, you get the point.

The makeup.  WOW!


Thursday, May 22, 2014

The Great Wall Marathon

This weekend was monumental for me.  I ran my first marathon ever and not just any marathon, The Great Wall Marathon.  This is an extreme race because of the terrain, huge hills and all of the steps on the wall.  That is the reason it is ranked among the 7 toughest marathons in the world.  I have seen some people list it in the top 4.

I had been training with my friends Hilary and Kasey from the time we came back this summer.  We had a vigorous training schedule which included 3 days a week of Cross Fit and 4 days of running.  I have never in my life physically trained this hard for anything.  EVER.  The shocking thing is that I think nothing could have fully prepared me for this brutal, gut wrenching, crazy course!

RACE DAY:   We met up with several of our other friends at 4:30 AM, and caravaned with them to the race site.  It is almost an hour and a half to two hours away, in the Provence of Tianjin.
Once we arrived the next thing on the agenda is to find a "bathroom" (AKA hole in the ground) to take care of business.  I truly wish I would have had a picture of this because it is, well, it is impressive and not in a good way. 
After we finished putting on our numbers, stuffing our pockets with GU (liquid nutrition and calories), greasing ourselves up and putting on our shoes, we are ready for business.
As we walked up to the square where the start and finish line is, there was a full on marching band greeting us with a round of "Jingle Bells" being played.  (I love it so much.  I do.) I think they wanted to play something us foreigners would be familiar with.  Perfect!
As we warm up, stretch and do a quick team huddle, I realize that this $h*+ just got real and adrenaline was in overdrive.  The gun went off and we were on our way for a half of a day of running.  The first mile was great and then you start to climb up the mountainside for 3 miles at an extremely steep incline.  You are happy to come to the end of that when you reach "the wall" and start to climb the stairs up and down for 2 more miles. Coming off the wall is an extremely steep stone path that is hazardous if you are not careful.
The next 6 to 7 miles takes you back out on the road and through some villages with horrible dirt and rocky roads. (This course is seriously a sprained ankle waiting to happen.)  At mile 13 the marathoner have to go back up a ridiculously steep incline for another 3 miles, and just when you think that was painful, the downhill comes and jars your body all the way down for another mile or so. (This was my punishment for cursing the course for being all uphill.)
Hilary and I were clipping along great and were pumped to be making good time as we came back into the square at mile 21.  We have a picture of us below at this point smiling and giving thumbs up.  That was short lived.  We turned the corner in the square to literally "hit the wall" again.  We had to go the opposite way on the wall from the start and let me tell you, I have never in my life had to push myself past this much physical exhaustion.  EVER.  I mean, bring on child birth again and I would crush it!
The path up to the wall was probably the worst.  It took us 38 minutes to go 1 mile straight up.  I was pulling my way up with a hand rail and telling myself, "Come on, one foot in-front of the other".   The footings in the path were not great and it was more like mountain climbing.  There were people sitting all over the wall, that just couldn't go on anymore from exhaustion and cramping.  People throwing up. (I thought I was going to join them in that mess.)  We were climbing the monstrously steep steps like a dog, on all fours.  My friend Hil was so encouraging and just kept saying, "We have to get off of this wall".  She was right.  The one piece of advice I was given about running this race was whatever you do, DO NOT sit down on the wall because you will NEVER get back up.  We powered through and then were blessed with a 3 mile run back down the first hill we had to go up.  (There were a lot of people that actually had to go backwards down the hill from cramping so bad and blisters.)
Our last mile was sweet agony as we came across some of our friends cheering us on. We rounded the corner in the square and had the finish line in our sites.  A flood of emotions hit me as I crossed that finish with one of the greatest ladies I know and a bunch of our friends cheering for us and congratulating us.  (They all just came back to me as I am now typing this through tears.)
It's hard for me to express how I felt at that moment.  Proud. Amazed. Exhausted. Accomplished. Bad ass. This race was brutal and I kind of loved it. I loved doing it with my friends.  I loved knowing that I could push myself way beyond my comfort zone.  I loved that I can show my daughters that you can do anything you set your mind to.  And I love that I am going to be 40 in June and can say I completed one of the toughest marathons in the world.
Incidentally, we ran it in 5:49:31, which is a great time for this type of race. (So all of you who think about bashing on my time, come run this race.  I dare you.)  I also ended up getting 8th place in my age division and 52nd overall for women.  Not bad for a days work!  Not bad at all!
This is me with my pre race jitters. 

Getting ready.

Our group of friends.  Jen, Kasey, me, George and Hilary.



Pre game cheer.  Oh my, it just got real!

This was at mile 21.  We are smiling and giving thumbs up.  We wouldn't be smiling if we knew what was coming!

If you look above the green flag, you can see the marathoners creeping back up that mountainside.  This was at mile 21 and it was brutal.  There were people sitting, laying, puking and in medical tents up there.  I had to keep telling myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other and pull myself up.

This was a look at runners on the wall in the first 5 miles.  The marathoners had to do this stretch twice.  At mile 21 we came back up it the opposite way.  

Best picture ever captured by one of Julia's teachers.  His wife Joann was running with us (in the black on my left).

We made it! Crossing the finish line!
Big hugs for my friend Hilary.  I couldn't have done it without her.

Just got my medal and bent over trying to compose myself.

BAM! I am a marathoner.

Great Wall Marathon 17 May 2014 - Highlights (Watch this.....I made the cut and am at the end!)


Thursday, May 15, 2014

More Funny Signs seen in Beijing......

Those translation apps just don't always get it right.

Chinese Medicine

I just had to share this......
My tutor came over for a lesson and brought this big bag of ....things.....  I had no idea where this lesson was going but, whatever.  He laid them all out and explained that this was traditional Chinese medicine for his wife to take.  Evidently, she gets chilly when she is inside of their house.  What the heck?  The Chinese witch doctor is treating her with these twigs, bark and hair of the dog to help her so she doesn't get a "chill" in her house anymore.  My tutor said she boils all of this.....stuff....in a cauldron (that is what I am envisioning anyway) and drinks it every night.  I asked if it tasted good and he said, "Oh my, NO." (shocker)
I don't know but don't you think it would be easier just to buy  her a sweater?



Monday, May 12, 2014

Selfie Booth at the Spring Fair

Oh it is that time of year again.  The dreaded school sponsored Spring Fair.  Because I am friends with the heads of the PTA, there is no way of getting around volunteering to run a few games.  (As much as I tried)  Last year I got to run the noisiest game known to man, so needless to say I was a bit leery.  This year my friend Hilary asked me to join her in running a game (misery loves company) so I reluctantly said sure.
Our game................. the selfie station.  Now that is one spring fair game I can crush! But first let me take a selfie!       #bestspringfairEVER

Julia and her buddy 
Ella Claire (Do I need to be concerned about this one?)

Ella and her friend

I think we were our best customers!

Ella's mates

There are no words

Me and my buddy Hil crushing the selfie station!!

Beijing Buddies

The very best part of moving here has to be all of the wonderful friends that we have made.  The girls have developed friendships with kids from all over the world and I hope they never lose touch with each other.  We are all thrown into this crazy kind of expat life and you cultivate friendships that go deeper than just hanging out every once in a while.  We are each others family here.  We help each other and lean on each other for support.  I have a feeling we will be life long friends with these special people!
Beijing beauties!

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The three amigas!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Summer Palace

Visited the Summer Palace in Beijing.  It is the largest and most well-preserved park in China and is beautifully landscaped with amazing views all around it.  It covers 720 acres (3/4 of that is water) and is known as the Museum of Royal Gardens and was where all of the royal families came to rest and relax. I will spare you the history lesson and just show you some pictures.
It was a holiday here in Beijing and the Chinese people were out in full force!

This is a bronze Qilin statue.

Beautiful flowers everywhere.

This man was playing and singing.  Oh boy!  I am not going to be adding him to my Pandora play list anytime soon!

If you can see through the thick haze of pollution, there are lots of boats.  Use your imagination. 

The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.  (Whatever that means)

The kids love going sight seeing.  Can you just not see the joy and wonder in this face??

A pavilion.


Hang in there little ladies, we are almost done.




The marble boat.  Why? Because who doesn't need a marble boat. 



Me and the hubs enjoying our bangbing (popsicle).

Photo bomb

Ella eating the worlds largest piece of broccoli.  Never a dull moment with this child!