One week in limbo

The movers came, packed and packed! Of course first they had to set up the smoking area with an ash tray out in front of the house. Exactly at 10 am and other set times they would stop for a smoke. They went through the house pretty fast and the packing is pretty much completed. German efficiency!

We are staying in a hotel in downtown Wiesbaden. It is strange to be staying here as a tourist when we have lived in the area for the past 5 years. We are now seeing the town differently.

Nora is very excited and is asking which day next week will she meet her new best friend in America. Ji Ji is very scared and is asking what if our house is broken when we get there and what if her new teacher is very mean. Jiang Lei is just confused about what is going on ... I wonder if he will ever feel settled in the new house? When the movers were in his room putting his stuff into boxes, he was taking it out again. He thought I was giving it away!

I think Jiang Lei is doing better in general. He is understanding the family concept a little bit more. He is faster to apologize to Mom and Dad after he does something. He is using more english, though sometimes I don't understand him yet because I wasn't expecting him to say those words and the pronunciation is always a little bit different.

I have never noticed before that during a meal he keeps a running noise level of humming, screaching and otherwise making noise to get attention. It is now very noticable as we are eating out in restaurants every day.

We're making progress as he isn't asking to live with Mark's Mandarin teacher anymore, but he was upset when he learned that she will not be moving with us to America.

Last night at an Asian restaurant, the waiter spoke to him in Mandarin and he wasn't comfortable answering him - he looked at me first before he answered. I said that it was ok, he could answer, but he was kind of looking away and smiling. However I saw a glimpse of the old Jiang Lei; confident and cocky, making faces to the crowd. That bravado has given way to the boy who is always questioning because he doesn't yet understand what we are doing, why we are doing it, what is next, where the limits are, etc. It will be good when he has acquired more english and we can see more of the old Jiang Lei as his funny self, I kind of miss it.