Nate & Ike update

Sorry no pictures this posting.... just an update on Nate and his trip and ike's day without nate....

So I could not get a hold of the 2 teachers nor the parent I know on the trip, so I call the dorm mom to check if he's there, she says oh he is so happy l and playing so nicely and passing out all the gifts he brought... when I said hello, his first sentence was so cheerful then he broke up crying and sobbing till he couldn't breathe nor talk! I guess his emotions took over and he realised how far he was from home and wanted me to go to BJ (well one other sentence among all that sobbing). He did wake up early this morning (at 5 am and once at 2 am thinking it was 5 am), so he was over tired and probably so much adrenaline from all the excitement.

Nate also dropped another tooth yesterday and the tooth fairy brought him some RMB before his trip.

Ike... well his teachers said he likes having long chats with them and debates! They say his speech is equivalent to the girls in his class, there are other boys that are way behind him. I asked the teacher for an update to see whether any of the neuroscience training he has been getting is working.... it could just be maturation as well.... here's what his teacher wrote...

"Ike's development for the last 5 weeks, we noticed improvement in his fine motor skills, such as cutting, colouring, writing, drawing etc. He is beginning to find it a joy to do drawing with his peers. However, his favorite activity is still to chat or debate with others. From our interaction, Ike's is always very logical and reflective in his thoughts and ideas. He is always able to make connection and recall events to such details. We did not find any problem with his speech and expression."

So I asked Ike how come he doesn't talk to his friends, why always talking to adults... and he says... well his friends can't explain where wind comes from and "I always have so many questions!". Today, his chinese tutor took him out for an outing and she said they had a great time, he slept in her arms in the MRT, she took him to a place where they could look at arts and crafts and also clothes and toys, he got more animal kaiser cards and wanted a shirt with a certain print, it was only in adult size though. He then apparently had long conversations in Chinese and impressed shop owners as well. I think I need a secret camera following him.

The kids are booked for chinese summer school in Shanghai for 3 weeks in July with YK Pao and I think I found a nice service 2BR apartment with pool and kids area and tennis, about 1.3km from their school (apparently 15 min walk thru the shortcuts) and close to the french concession with a Cantonese restaurant, a pizza restaurant and a japanese restaurant downstairs!

Now to book the flights and visa's......