yesterday

After naptime, the girls and I walked down the street to buy some fingernail polish.  They were excited for some girly-activities to take place once daddy was gone.  I gave them each 5 local dollars and we were on our way.

One interesting thing about yesterday was that it was the Opening Ceremonies for the National Athletic Games in this country, and our city was hosting it.  It was so fun (and sometimes funny!) to watch all the preparations for it, to hear people talk about it, and finally for it to come.  Our apartment building is on the main road as the venues, so we got to see first-hand some of the preparations up close.  

To begin with, from 1pm to midnight yesterday, only buses were allowed on this main artery of the city...an 8-lane road that connects to the superhighway...and yet, only buses (and VIP's, of course).  They closed the entire road to all traffic.  It was amazingly quiet, and a bit eerie.  This road, usually a hustle and bustle of horns, shouts, squeals, and zooms that makes it all the way up to our 10th floor windows, was oddly quiet.  

From both sides of the road, it was uncomfortably empty:

The lone policeman in the middle of the road - directing those hordes of traffic...
We turned the corner and made it back to the land where traffic flows freely again.  I usually don't travel outside with my camera much - it seems a bit ambitious to keep an eye on my oldest two, carry or push abby, and also be prepared for photo ops - but I had it yesterday evening.  

I laughed when I saw this noodle shop that had Po from Kung Fu Panda as its inspiration. All those headlines about copyright-infringement progress in this country seems really...misguided? incorrect? unrealistic?
And...who could pass up a picture of Hello Kitty on a gas can?  I could not.  
We picked up our nail polish, headed home and had grapes and popcorn for dinner while we watched Beauty and the Beast for the first time.  (Yes, my girls had never seen it before.  Josh apparently was traumatized as a child by watching disney movies with his sister, and strongly prefers not to be here when they are watched.  I'm sure I must also have traumatized my own brother because I watched all those movies til they were broken!)

We had a great night together and then I jumped on the computer and got to chat with a friend I hadn't talked to in a long time - it was a good first day!