Mandarin Mondays: 学校

Today is the first day of school (xuéxiào, 学校) for kids here, so I thought I'd write a little of what I know about the kids (hái zi men, 孩子们) and schooling on this side of the world. Like everything else, it is quite different from the West.

Generally speaking here new momthers (māmā, 妈妈) stay in bed for one month after giving birth.  In fact, they are not supposed to do anything, even shower or read books.  After one month, they usually give their new baby (bǎo bǎo, 宝宝) over to the paternal grandparents (zǔ fù mǔ, 祖父母). Usually the baby lives (zhù zài, 住在) with the grandparents for the first few years of their life, even if they are in a different province from the parents, and the parents may visit as they have time. There are of course exceptions to this, but this is a widely accepted practice here.

At about 3 years old (sān suì, 三岁) kids begin a sort of preschool or kindergarten. This first step in formal schooling is usually about 9 hours a day. The toddler will usually still live with grandparents and/or parents and have the evenings free to spend with family (jiā rén, 家人). Usually, these schools are nearby, although they may commute an hour or so to attend a better school. Getting into a good school is a big deal here, even for preschool. Sometimes getting into a really good school requires special "gifts" that can cost thousands of dollars (USD). This may seem strange, but the preschool they attended could help determine what primary (elementary) schools the child may be allowed to attend and ultimately what colleges they are allowed to go to.

Next comes primary school. I think most children start at about age 6. Primary schools are also usually about 9 hours a day, but the children have a lot of homework (zuò yè, 作业) for the evenings also. These schools are still local and the children continue to live with the grandparents or other relatives.

High school dorm
(housing about 10 girls)

Children typically leave their family home for the first time, when they begin middle school. Most middle and high schools are boarding schools, and children live there, sometimes all year round. A lot of schools have a middle and high school on the same campus. Generally for these grades have classes morning (shàng wǔ, 上午), afternoon (xià wǔ, 下午), and evening (wǎn shàng, 晚上) during the week, and just morning and evening classes on weekends (yes, both Saturday and Sunday). They have about a two hour break for lunch and dinner, as well as many other shorter breaks throughout the day, but the children's time is quite scheduled.

Students in a classroom
(in Lanshan, Hunan)

The middle school and high school children attend is a really big deal, as there is often a limit of the number of students from each school that can get into a university (dà xué, 大学). The better the high school, the more students will be allowed to attend, and the better each students chance at getting into a good university. Geographic location also plays a big part in this since schools usually take more students from their area as well as from bigger cities. Because of this, students may go to middle or high school quite far from their parents or grandparents, if financially possible. They might travel home for holidays or stay with another relative who lives a little closer.

Boys playing with a friend at English Corner

English (yīng wén, 英文) plays a large role in getting into a good university. The university entrance exams (gāo kǎo, 高考) have large English sections, so students are often interested in improving their English through private schools or other means. Here, where there are a lot of foreigners, there are often "English corners" in public parks where people go at a certain time each week to practice speaking English. We all have fun going to these sometimes.

DIY Yogurt Pops

Summer is a great time to relax and enjoy some simple pleasures, like these yogurt popsicles. They are fruity and refreshing and an even healthier alternative to these pudding pops. They are simple enough that an older child could help or even make them by themselves.

Homemade Yogurt Popsicles

• Yogurt (homemade yogurt flavored any way you like or using one of these frozen yogurt recipes works great!)
• Popsicle molds or cups and popsicle sticks (or even sturdy straws will work)
• Baking pans or cookie sheets (This makes transporting them to the freezer easier.)

1. Spoon the yogurt into popsicle molds or cups. (I usually make each popsicle about 1/4 cup (or 2 oz.), but you can make them any size you like.) Put the cups or molds on a pan or cookie sheet. If using molds, you can insert the sticks now.
2. If using cups, place in the freezer for an hour or two to allow them to freeze part way, and then insert the sticks. They will stand up much straighter than if you are impatient or in a hurry (like I am sometimes) and stick them in too soon.
3. Return to the freezer for a few more hours to freeze solid.
4. Running the cups or molds under warm water for a couple of minutes  makes it easier to get them out.
5. Enjoy!

DIY Pudding Pops

Summer is a great time to relax and enjoy some simple pleasures, like these pudding popsicles. They are creamy and rich but small enough that they make a great after lunch treat, afternoon snack, or they can satisfy a chocolate or caramel craving for mom! They are simple enough that an older child could help or even make them by themselves.

Homemade Pudding Popsicles

• 1 batch of pudding (homemade works great!)
• Popsicle molds or cups and popsicle sticks (or even sturdy straws will work)
• Baking pans or cookie sheets (This makes transporting them to the freezer easier.)

1. Make the pudding (see other posts for instructions), and allow it to chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
2. Spoon the pudding into popsicle molds or cups. (I usually make each popsicle about 1/4 cup (or 2 oz.), but you can make them any size you like. This way I can get about 8 pudding popsicles from one full batch of pudding.) Put the cups or molds on a pan or cookie sheet. If using molds, you can insert the sticks now.
3. If using cups, place in the freezer for an hour or two to allow them to freeze part way, and then insert the sticks. They will stand up much straighter than if you are impatient or in a hurry (like I am sometimes) and stick them in too soon.
4. Return to the freezer for a few more hours to freeze solid.
5. Running the cups or molds under warm water for a couple of minutes  makes it easier to get them out.
6. Enjoy!

DIY Chocolate Pudding

Caramel and Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate pudding seems like just about the perfect comfort food. This simple recipe for chocolate pudding tastes so much better than pudding from a box, and it is really easy to make. It is great when combined with caramel pudding!

Homemade Creamy Chocolate Pudding Recipe

• ½ cup sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a small mixing bowl, begin by stirring together ½ cup milk, egg, and cornstarch until well combined.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine 1½ cups milk, sugar, and cocoa. 
3. Stir over medium heat to warm the milk.
4. Take a couple of big spoonfuls (¼ to ½ cup) of the warm milk mixture, and add it into the cornstarch and egg mixture. Don't skip this step. This tempers the egg and prevents it from becoming a scrambled egg when adding it into the hot milk.
5. Pour the cornstarch and egg mixture into the warm milk, and stir quickly to combine well.
6. Continue to stir over medium heat until the pudding thickens and begins to bubble.
7. You can serve this pudding warm (sounds good in the winter) or chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days and serve it cold.

This is really good when combined with caramel pudding!

DIY Caramel Pudding

I love good caramel, not just any caramel, but rich, delicious (preferably homemade) caramel. This recipe for homemade caramel pudding tastes rich, but is actually quite low in sugar and fat compared to most recipes with caramel in them.

Homemade Creamy Caramel Pudding Recipe

• ½ cup sugar
• 2 cups whole milk (divided)
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a small mixing bowl, begin by stirring together ½ cup milk, egg, and cornstarch until well combined.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt sugar over medium heat, tilting and stirring the mixture frequently to prevent scourching.
3. After the sugar is all melted and caramelized (dark amber color), slowly add 1½ cups milk. This mixture will bubble and foam, and the sugar will harden.
4. Continue to stir over low heat until the sugar melts again.
5. Take a couple of big spoonfuls (¼ to ½ cup) of the warm milk mixture, and add it into the cornstarch and egg mixture. Don't skip this step. This tempers the egg and prevents it from becoming a scrambled egg when adding it into the hot milk.
6. Pour the cornstarch and egg mixture into the warm milk, and stir quickly to combine well.
7. Continue to stir over medium heat until the pudding thickens and begins to bubble.
8. You can serve this pudding warm (sounds good in the winter) or chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days and serve it cold.

DIY Banana Frozen Yogurt

This sweet frozen yogurt was a big hit around here. Bananas have so much natural sweetness in them that this frozen yogurt turns out well and tastes great with very little added sugar.

Homemade Banana Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 2 large or 3 small bananas peeled
• 1/4 cup sugar (or honey)
• 3 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great!)

1. Peel bananas, and put in the blender with sugar and 1 cup yogurt.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Stir in remaining yogurt (this keeps the yogurt from getting too runny).
4. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, or follow the directions here to freezer in your regular freezer.

This recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Pretty Plum Frozen Yogurt

Plums produce a very subtle flavor in this sweet, fruity frozen yogurt.

Plum Frozen Yogurt Recipe

• 1 cup plums
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 cups plain yogurt (homemade works great)

1. Remove the pit from the plums, and slice them. (I didn't bother to peel them because I am lazy and don't like to peel fruit when it isn't necessary.)
2. Put plums, sugar, and 1 cup yogurt in the blender, and blend until smooth. This gets all ingredients super-smooth really fast. You can't even taste the peel. You can only see small specks in the yogurt. The plum peel gives this frozen yogurt its pretty pink color since the flesh of these plums was white.
3. Stir in remaining yogurt to prevent thinning the mixture to much.
4. Freeze in an ice cream freezer, or follow these directions to freeze in your regular freezer.

Recipe makes about 1 quart or liter of frozen yogurt.

DIY Easy Lemon Marmalade

Making your own marmalade is surprisingly easy and requires very few ingredients. Lemon marmalade is a refreshing and unique twist on the classic orange marmalade. You could even use a combination of orange and lemon together for a really unusual marmalade.

Homemade Lemon Refrigerator Marmalade Recipe

• 1 extra large or 2 regular lemons
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

1. Wash the lemon(s) well, and cut off the top and bottom, but do not peel. This time this has nothing to do with my disdain for peeling things unnecessarily, you need the peel for the recipe to work right. The peel has natural pectin in it that will help the marmalade thicken. Without it you will have runny marmalade.
2. Cut the lemon(s) into eight or more pieces and place in the blender with the sugar and the water. Blend well.*
3. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
4. Boil for 15–20 minutes, until well thickened.
5. Remove from heat, and allow to cool. If you have any undesired chunks of lemon in the marmalade, you can scoop them out at this point.
6. Transfer to a glass jar, and refrigerate for storage. I have read that this type of marmalade can be kept in a cold refrigerator for up to 6 months, but I have never had it last long enough to test that myself.

*You may have noticed by now that I love my blender, as it makes so many things easier. You can make marmalade without a blender by cutting the unpeeled lemon(s) into very small pieces, boiling, and then mashing with a potato masher. This is a little more work and makes it a little chunkier, but it will still very good. I have made lots of marmalade successfully using this method, and some people even prefer chunkier marmalade.

DIY Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars

These are great for snacking at home or on the go. Just wrap them individually in plastic wrap. The boys love these chocolate granola bars as much as most types of cookies.

Homemade Chocolate Granola Bars Recipe

• ½ cup peanut butter
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cocoa powder
• 1½ cups oatmeal
• ½ additions (raisins, other dried fruit, seeds, chocolate chips, or just more oatmeal)

1. Melt peanut butter in a medium saucepan on the stove.
2. Stir in honey and cocoa powder.
3. Add oats, and stir until well coated. Add additions (unless using chocolate chips, and then wait until the mixture cools), and stir well.
4. Spread into a greased 9x9 pan, and bake at 350 F for 15–20 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, and allow to cool 10–15 minutes before cutting into bars.

Family Fridays: Open House Garden Tour

Mother's Day 2011 by the pond

I already showed you the inside and outside of our apartment here, but I thought I'd do one more quick photo tour of the gardens and parks in our apartment complex. We are very blessed to live in a complex with nice grounds, as it makes it easier to live in such a big city. Especially, living here with two very busy and active little boys.

Mother's Day 2011 in front of bamboo

Andrew walking around the complex

On a bridge over the pond

Mother's Day 2011 by the palm trees in front of the pond

Father's Day 2011 throwing sticks

Playing in the meadow

"Rock climbing"

More "rock climbing"

Complex park

Little friend

Getting dirty

In the sand

Vroom

Playing with little friends outside

Throwing flowers by the exercise park