Trip Two - Part 2

I have literally hundreds of photos from this trip and sort them out for this blog has been quite difficult because so much happened in 28 days.


I may take little ventures about the Chinese people and culture but I continually remind myself that this blog is about Xin Jiao and me.  That being said let me tell you about Xin Jiao.

Xin Jiao is the third child of six children.  The first two are girls.  Their mother died and Xin Jiao's father remarried so she is the first child of her mother.  She was born and raised on the family farm and that is why there are so many children in the family. i.e. the one child rule.  She wasn't born in a hospital but in the home to the right.


I was surprised at the size of the house because it larger than any home I had seen in China.


Because she grew up on a farm she is quite comfortable around animals. Back at the Amusement Park there was an attraction that kind of freaked me out a little.  A woman had white pigeons that you could feed.  The birds were not afraid of people and would sit in your lap, on your hand or arm, and even on your shoulder or head.  

That isn't the part that freaked me out.  It was their eyes.  The iris was gold giving them a demonic look.  Xin Jiao having grown up around these animals wasn't freaked out at all.


Freeeaky!!!!  But I like the beautiful woman the bird is perched on.  To the left is Sisia who is kind of afraid but getting closer to touching the bird.  I think she is asking why Yaya is standing so far back.  Sisia calls me Yaya which is grandfather in Chinese.

Xin Jiao is an unbelievable cook.  When family is around she is the one who cooks.  They all like it.  She loves to stir-fry and make cakes.  Cakes are not like what we eat in America.  They are generally made with sticky rice or what she calls grass but it is a weed called wormwood.  They will have a lot of spices, some vegetables and a meat and you would eat it hot.  It clumps together somewhat like a cheese ball.


She does this in a kitchen which is nothing more than a closet by our standards.  You can see the Wok right behind her on the right which is the only cooking surface, a small sink to the left and the vegetables she is about to cook behind her on the washing machine.  Below on a shelf is a rice cooker and a electric pressure cooker.


It just goes to show you that you can make a meal fit for a king with limited space and utensils.

One of the most amazing things about Xin Jiao is all of the friends she has.  Everywhere we went people wanted to be with her.  Many friends would insist that she was to visit them.  One of her previous bosses told me that I had better be good to her because she was well liked by all.


Here are a few pictures of her friends.