I've been here well into my second year and finally took the leap in asking my ayi (maid) to prepare me some meals. She works for my friends the Kushner's preparing meals twice a week and offering many other services. She had only been cleaning once a week for an hour for me. The plan in place has her preparing double the food for the Kushner clan and giving me the extra portion every Monday and Wednesday. 8 nights a months I'm getting enough food to last for two days.
For 16 large meals (she gives me way too much) I'm paying about $100USD, and she seems to think she's charging me too much. I haven't been taking pictures of what she's been making for me, but I'll start next week. It's been awesome. I'm getting home cooked Chinese meals that are quite frankly, awesome. Other than getting on a train to go meet Aiyun this is the best decision I've made while living here in China. I'll start taking pictures and sharing some details.
In other news things continue to be going smashingly for mom. My aunt Wendy stopped by to see her later in the day today to see how she is doing as the day turns to the later hours. We've had it suggested that mom may be suffering from something called Sundown Syndrome. It's a situation where a senior struggles emotionally as the day turns to the later hours. Darker rooms and diminishing light offer reasons to be afraid for someone that's feeling uneasy about their surroundings due to dementia. Happily we can report that she showed no signs of fear or unhappiness. We had a nice phone conversation this morning. It's obvious the uncertainty is still there for her due to dementia, but overall she's very happy to be in Tacoma. After being a near-clean-plate-ranger at dinner she recently enjoyed some ice cream. Yep. I'm her kid.
Exciting things upcoming this weekend.
Round of expensive golf Saturday
Professional basketball game Sunday
Leave for Chengdu next Wednesday to see the pandas
Small issue. Aiyun has a problem with a herniated lumbar disc. It's making walking difficult. We're not sure how this will affect our spring break vacation next week to Chengdu, but we're prepared to alter our activities. If it means we just enjoy a hotel stay and have some nice meals near the hotel we'll roll with it. Yeah, we want to see pandas, but more than that we just want to spend time together. To get around easier she tells me she bought a new suitcase. It's got wheels. Well, yeah, that's normal. It's got a seat on it. Okay. Pretty fancy suitcase. And it has a motor so you can drive it around while riding. Now that's sounds different. Excited to see how this goes. Wonder if it can carry two?