Ni Hao To All!

Ni hao, my Brothers!

Wow, it's been a while since I logged in here and looked around. Just thought I'd check in and see what's happening with brothers and others. I'm surprised to see so little activity, actually.

Why is it that the old Nanning Forum has so much activity and this forum has so little? It seemed like there was such a nice grouping of guys and occasionally some of the ladies too who frequented the old forum, you'd think they'd glom onto this one.

Anyway... I hope everyone's doing well. If you're interested in doing so, reply here and give an update on how you and your lady are doing, or, if your lady's not here yet or you're on the "hunt" for a nice one, post that too.

-Paul

Hi Paul, How are you doing? Hope that you and family are doing well.

I have to agree with you. That there isn't much going on with this site. Question is why? There are probably many answers. It is a shame. It is a great place to talk about Nanning...and other things that pertain to Guangxi, China, Marriage to a lovely Chinese lady, etc. Many of us have some of these topics as common interests. I go to the Facebook site. It is nice but for me it does not talk about Nanning and China enough. ( I don't mean this as a criticism but just an observation). I like talking and learning about Nanning and all that she offers. I get notification from google when there are stories about Nanning on the net. When I get a chance I try to post the links to those stories.

My Lao Po is doing well. But she is in Nanning and I am here. I get a chance to visit her usually once a year. Last year I got to visit her twice. I had planned to visit her 2 years ago but I had last minutes problems so I was unable to go. 4 months later I just had to visit her....Albeit it was short visit but I just couldn't wait 8 more months.


How are things going for you all? Have you had a chance to visit Nanning?
Got to go. Take care. Danny

PS any idea how we can get this site a little more active? I am gratefull that Cliff has kept this site running.

Hi Danny!

I suspect you're right... I know the Facebook site is more of an attraction, probably because of the social networking aspect of the site and it's more natural of an environment to share pics and stuff. Nice to see this site still operational.

Glad to here things are going well for you and your lao po. How long is she in Nanning? Hope we can visit soon, but when we do, I suspect it'll be more about visiting Chong Qing, the bog city/province closest to her home town Changba. Changba will be where we'll spend most of our time, since her parents and family are there. It's a tiny town in comparison. We need to get Lucas over there to see his grandparents.

We're doing well... Just waiting for the warm weather to settle in. Lucas is talking and walking. He knows more Chinese than English at this point and is just starting to piece together phrases, which is cool to witness. He says the funniest things as first phrases. His first phrase was, "I love colors!" Ha! :-)

Hi Clif!

-Paul

Hello Paul, It was good to hear from you. It is also good to hear about your son. I read somewhere that you all had a baby. Congratulations.

We visited Sichuan Province last year. I had a great time there. I have never been to Chongqing before. Maybe one day. I heard that it is very hilly there. I also heard that it is very industrialized. I am sure your in-law can't wait to see their new grandson. How does your wife like the states?

My Lao Po is doing good. She got a promotion last year. Not sure when she will be coming over here. She has a good job and is not quite ready to put in for retirement.

Sorry I took some time to reply to you. Two reasons. One is that I forgot my password. I must only have 49 or so of them!! Also I kinda like to see someone else name up there. Not just mine. Take care and I hope that you and your family enjoy the summer. Danny

Hi Danny!

My goodness... It took me A YEAR AND A HALF to reply to your reply.  My reason is actually this is a low-activity site, so I don't check in often.  I missed it during my last check in.

How are things with you?  Has your lao po made it over here yet?  If so, how is she adapting to the Western hemisphere?

We're doing well, as you might have seen from time to time on our Facebook page.  Hu Yue took to the States quite well, although some aspects of American culture she'll never take to.  Perhaps the same is true for your lao po and others reading this?  Some of these are:

   - Sweets in general (breakfasts and desserts) are unappetizing.
   - Animals (she likes them, "but not to live with"... they are seen as "dirty")
   - Lack of authentic Chinese food... Chinese restaurants here are [i]all[/i] disappointing!
   - Lack of little Asian markets, like in China.  Here we shop at supermarkets.
   - The tea here is bad.
   - There are LOTS of fat people here!  WalMart visits are an amusement to her!

Some things she really likes are:

   - Chicken feet are [i]very[/i] cheap here!
   - Compared to China, health care here is excellent, especially eye and dental care.
   - More opportunities here for personal growth (i.e., education, salary advancement, etc.).
   - Nice Chinese community where we live.
   - Children are safer here than in China (less kidnapping and abuse).
   - You can speak bad about the president [i]and it's okay![/i]  This amazes her!

Overall, she's adapted well here right off the plane.  I've never noticed any home sickness, although she does miss her parents.  She talks to them regularly on the phone and has video chats too.

I'd love to go back to visit China sometime soon, but it's very expensive and my health issues make it a bit risky.  With MS, if I had an attack in China, I'd be in serious trouble.  I'm on the fence about that one.  But I assume she'll go with our son sometime soon so he can visit his grandparents.

All the best to you and yours.  Keep in touch!

-Paul