Blog No. 22 – 2008 Recap

2008 has really flown by. We can’t believe we have been living in Shanghai for 16 months. Although we miss our family and friends back home, we are grateful for this opportunity. Below is a quick recap of some things we’ve done in 2008 that perhaps were not mentioned in the blogs.

Brennan is still always on the move and doesn’t like sitting still. Early this year, he learned to walk which quickly turned into running. He understands more than he can speak, but he can say some words in English and Chinese. He enjoys singing the alphabet song, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, “Wheels on the Bus”, and “Shang Xue Xiao” (a classic Chinese children song). At 18 months, he started the preschool downstairs which has allowed him to become more independent. He likes to eat his food, wash his hands, and brush his teeth by himself. He enjoys swimming, jumping on the trampoline, singing, dancing, pretend-play cleaning, and playing with musical instruments and trains.

Quinlan had many new accomplishments this year. In February, he started a new preschool, Montessori School of Shanghai, which is a bilingual preschool. He takes the school bus to and from school everyday. At school, he is learning how to read and write three letter words, learning new Chinese words and songs, and is doing simple math like addition and subtraction.
This summer, he learned how to swim, received a bicycle with training wheels, and took kung fu classes. He loves jumping on the bouncy castle, cooking with Anh Thy, and creating unique artwork. He enjoys Legos, Ninja Turtles, and Transformers.

Anh Thy is still enjoying the tai tai life in Shanghai. Having a full time ayi (nanny) allows her to participate in many extra curricular activities like playing badminton, cooking classes, exercising, learning Mandarin, and exploring Shanghai. She was the Preschool Coordinator for the Shanghai Centre Preschool, and now she is the Kids’ Club & Preschool President. She is also involved with the American Women’s Club of Shanghai, and this year she volunteered for the Gift Giving Tree Bag for migrant school children in China.

Mark is working hard and moving up the ladder at work. He became the Director of Research for Roth Capital Partners. He has been busy traveling all over mainland China for work. As a result, he was able to enjoy some of the rich Chinese culture and unique food. With a hectic work schedule, he isn’t able to attend Mandarin classes, but his co-workers are teaching him words and phrases. People say his pronunciation is hen hao (very good). His hobbies here are DVD shopping, ordering custom tailor clothes at the fabric market, and listening to Filipino cover bands.