Saturday, August 25, 2007

"Iran Again" says dad.

Dear Journal,
Today we went to a persain carpet place called Pak Persia. We went in and the owner let us sit in his mini like, kitchen/office. It had everything; a mini fridge, plus on top of it was a water cooler. We had tea and cookies and talked. My mom had met this guy who owned the place a couple of weeks... actually now that i think of it, I think it was last week she came, and met him.


After 20 minutes (felt like a hour), we went with Jack to a PERSIAN restaurant, but it took us about 20 minutes to get there even know it was right across the street. We went down the street and found out that that was too far down. Then we went up the lane and figured out that that was too far, too. So, we went back and looked VERY carefuly. We found it and noticed that it was right arcoss the street from pearl city (where Pak Persia is).


Were walking down the lane where all the restaraunts were and my dad said, "Do you see it? Do you see it?" We all looked up and saw a sign that said, "SHIRAZ". With a ZZZZZZ.... Z. We went in and asked to sit. we took a menu and looked.... and looked... and looked... and saw all the PERSIAN foods that my dad likes. We ordered and asked to speak with the owner/chef. He came out and said hi. My dad talked and talked with the guy. It felt like forever. But finally we got our food after the chef went back to the kitchen, which everybody could see through the glass window-ish thing.

Foods here!!
YUM!!
Gotta eat!
My PERSIAN food is here!
BYE!
Goldie D.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Acrobatic Show

Dear Journal,
Yesterday, me and my family went to see an acrobatic show. They were doing crazy things like one girl had like 10 or 12 chandeliers on her body. She was lying on her back, balancing all those chandeliers, and she turned her body slowly around to be lying on her stomach! Thankfully none of the chandeliers fell and broke. She was very careful and very flexible!

There was another act with like 10 girls and thirty chairs. The girls stacked the chairs and stood on each of them. They stood on them all the way to the ceiling! The last girl was a young girl like me and she was at the very top; the ceiling.

Another act that was interesting to watch was when a couple danced in the air kind of, suspended by blue silk ropes. It was like they were flying and dancing at the same time. Isn't it weird? But is was cool to watch.

Other acts included girls doing gymnastics, juggling, and a knife throwing contest. But that one was kind of awkward. They weren't really throwing the knives, there was one guy that had the knive and handed it to another guy and he put it in the cardboard thing around the volunteer from the audience, so that no one go hurt (thankfully!).

We really enjoyed the entertainment that night, and we are planning to go again soon with some of my dad's work friends, and the Jonas' in December.


The curtain is down, and the audience is applauding, I think it's time to go now. Let's call Jack!
BYE!
Goldie

Saturday, August 18, 2007

American School (#2)

Dear Journal,
On Thursday I started school. My new teacher's name is Ms. Sealey and she is from Canada. This summer she went to Africa and something very coincidental is that Jacob's teacher this summer also went to Africa, and she's from Canada. Jacob's teacher's name is Ms. Dardarian. We have 18 kids in my class and there are 6 4th grade classes. This is your homework for tonight: how many kids are in the 4th grade at the Shanghai American School? (you can email me the answer later). 3 kids are from the US. Some others are from somewhere in China, Taiwan, Canada, and Korea.

My mom is very happy about this, because now she has more free time to herself, which she hasn't had in almost 2 months. While we are at school she is going to the gym, and doing errands that she couldn't do with me and Jacob when we didn't have Jack and whenever we go somewhere me and Jacob always want things that she won't get for us, and we have a big tantrum in front of a big crowd. (Even though no one knows what we are saying!) (hahaha).

Anyways, enough about my mom, let's talk about lunch!! At my school, you can either get lunch or bring home lunch. Sometimes there are things that me and Jacob will eat, but me personally, I have only gotten lunch once; Jacob has only gotten lunch 0 times. When you get into a line, it's usually very long, but we got there late, so the line wasn't so long. Me and a couple of others stood in line and got trays. I saw what was there, and if I didn't like it, I could have sushi because 4th and 5th graders have more choice. Or I could go down to my classroom and get the lunchbox, because my mom packed me a lunch just in case I didn't like what they were having. You can also order your own sandwich with a sandwich form. You can pick which kind of bread, what kind of sandwich, and what else you want on your sandwich. I got lunch on Friday, the second day of school. There was chicken nuggets, fried rice, drinks, dessert, sushi, sandwiches, hot dog (pork) , and drinkable yogurt. For drinks they had water, milk, juice, and chocolate milk. I got about 8 small chicken nuggets, fried rice, and some water. It was very good. You don't pay with real money, you have a card that your parents put money on and you scan your card on a scanner and you have just bought your first lunch. Yum Yum!!

Something very new for me and my brother is that we go on a bus to and from school. And guess who used to be our driver? My mommy (and Abby and Carla). But now we have an old Chinese guy for my driver, and I don't know about Jacob's driver. We are on separate buses, that's why I don't know about Jacob's driver. Mom, Abby and Carla were way better looking. It only takes about 2 seconds to get home on the bus, but we have to wait about 20 minutes on the bus before we leave, to make sure that everyone is on it. So we don't get home until 3:30, even though school is over at 3:00.

In my school we have a 6 day schedule, but there's only 5 days a week. Isn't that awkward? Thursday was day 1. Friday was day 2. Monday will be day 3, Tuesday will be day 4, etc... I have art on days 1 and 4, PE on days 2 and 5, and I have music on 3 and 6. Trust me, its more confusing than having to put together a product (like my dad does) in one day.

The other thing my school has that Rashi didn't have is that they have a school store. You can buy t shirts, pants, sweatshirts, lunchboxes, water bottles, and little goodies, too. The store is in the hallway going to the cafetaria.

In class, on last thursday, we started this book that was called "How to be perfect in just 3 days".It's about a boy and he was at the Library looking for a mystery book, ok, and he finds this book thats called "How to be perfect in just 3 days". He checks the book out of the library and that night he started reading it. This is your second peice of homework for tonight. Can you give me 5 (minimum) to 10 (maximum) of predictions of what he is goind to read in the book? (there acually is a anwser). (email me later, if you want).

In about a week I will start swimming lessons at my school; acually my whole class will, but on monday or tuesday the school is having try-outs for the swim team. I was thinking about it but i'm not very sure. I am a pretty good swimmer but I don't want to spend my week running around china. Sometimes I might want to relax and do homework (not) with my friends. But I do have 1 more day to think about it.

I want to tell you a funny story. So, 1 of the past couple of days I was emailing my friend Katie and I asked her about her school and how everything was doing, and she emailed me back and said, " My school only has 4th and 5th grade but it's huge!!" And I replied back and said, " Well, guess what? My school is about 4 or 5 times bigger than that! It is 3 huge buildings, 1 humongo recess area, a gym (another building), and a cafiteria (another building)." And Katie, I wasn't braging to you I just telling you about my school.

Ding! Ding!
Oh thats the bell.
I got to go.
Class is starting.
BYE!!

-Goldie Davoudgoleh

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

American School

Dear Journal,
On Monday, we went and had a tour of our school before we went for oreintetion on Wednesday, today. We were with a guide to help us get around the school. She was from India so she hade an acseint. Anyways, we didn't want to see the WHOLE school, we wanted to see the elementry part.
She lead us to:
.The Pool
.The Auditorium
.The Jungle Gym
.The Basket Ball Courts
.The Soccer Feild
.4th Grade classrooms
.2nd Grade classrooms

We started in the middle school office because thats where our tour started. Then we started to walk to the elementry building. We walked pass th Jungle Gym and we walked throough the doors of the American Schools Elementry. There are 6 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade classes.

Got to go.
My school is waiting to start the orientatoin!!

Keep Well everyone!!
Goldie D.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

City Center

Dear Journal,
Sorry I haven't been writing so often right now. We were a little busy, if you know what I mean. 2 days ago me and my mom went to a place called the City Center. We took a shuttle to the City Center because my brother and my dad had our driver, Jack. They were on there way to pick up some of my dads coworkers and people who work with him because they were visiting. They were going of to do.... oh thats another story, but anyways, back to what I was doing because this is Goldie's Journal, right? Now all of you who are reading this, say "Right!" "Thank you, thank you. I couldn't have done it without... oh, who really cares." So where was I? Oh right. We got to the City Center and we started to walked around and then we walked around different malls. I got a CD by Avril Lavigne, nail polish, and nail polish remover. While we were walking so much my feet started to hert and I was getting hungry. We started to head back to the City Center. We ate lunch at a restraunt called Element Fresh. After we ate we went to the City Center Market.We got some food and ran to the next shuttle. We got on and that was the end of our day, exept, me and my mom got a manicure at Dragonfly ( a big salon in the raquet club).


Is there somewhere in china/shanghai thats called the Shopping Center? Because I love to shop. You know what I mean.
Bye!!

Love,
Goldie

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

"I Love This Place!" -Goldie

Dear Journal,
Yesterday we went to Pearl City with some of our new friends. Their names are Louise, Samara, and Miranda. We went with them and their driver and when we got to Pearl City, the driver and the rest of the gang dropped me, Samara, and Miranda off to go look at the jewelry and pearls on the first and second floor. Louise took my mom and my brother to go look at the supermarket right near there. But I was in safe hands! After we looked at both floors our moms came in and we met them downstairs. Jacob and I each got 2 things: I got a bracelet and a gameboy game, Jacob got 2 gameboy games. It was a really cool place, and I can't wait to go back there in the next 2 years. After that we went to lunch in a cafe right next to Pearl City. Then we drove home and that was one of my best happily ever afters in my China year so far.

"Cut" "cut" "cut"!
That was enough for today, go take a break and have lunch!
Goldie