Tiantan (The Temple of Heaven)

        Last full day before my mom and husband head back home.  I thought it would be cool for my husband to take the kids to the park he always played at when he was a kid, Tiantan aka The Temple of Heaven.  We didn't even try for a taxi today and went straight to the bus stop.

This bus route took us past the neighborhood of his childhood home.  Torn down several years ago to make way for stores and an apartment complex.  Off to a good start, we got haw on a stick and ice cream and it's not even noon yet!  My kind of day.  Tao isn't this sentimental and would rather have stayed home.    More walking, there is long shaggy grass not for walking and a normal cut grass area for people to sit or walk on.  Too early yet for flowers to be open.  The kids did enjoy weaving around he trees, leaving a cloud of dust as they ran through the grass.  Seriously!
        This place is mainly known for it's Echo wall.  My husband said it does work, he used to play in here all the time, before you had to pay to come here.  But now there is a fence preventing people from touching it, so you can't get close enough for a proper echo.  Way too crowded to hear anything anyway.  My kids think Echo like echo, echo, echo.  I tried to explain it's more like a talking phone, you talk here and it says it further down for someone else to hear.  If you want to try it, go on a weekday early in the morning.

Public bathrooms drive me nuts.  Besides the no toilet paper, no soap and cold water only, they don't wait in a normal line.  Instead of waiting in line in the order you come, they push to stand at a separate stall door and wait for that 1 door to open.  They wear so many layers here and take so long to go, it's annoying.  Sometimes if the doorway is small enough I stand with legs and arms spread open to stop them form entering and pushing in front of me.  They don't like this.  Tough.  

Sometimes I think they don't know any better, this is how they were raised. Then I think that is not an excuse, don't they want better?  (

So in their culture you don't talk, sit by(if can be avoided), or look at a strange man you don't know.  So they only have 1 child whom they let their parents raise or take to their home store/restaurant with them.  They have this small business to pass on to the child.  They can only socialize with those they know from school or families in their same deprived situation.  To carry on this small family business and take care of their parents.  To me not based on love for your family, but on guilt and pressure.  You must get married and have a kid, you must take care of me because I fed and took care of you.  So never mind when you get married there is only 1 kid taking care of 2 families besides their own family.  Times are changing on the news the country kids are heading for the city leaving their families behind.  So what do they do, instead of wanting their kids to be all that they can be, sue them for not taking care of them.  Wow.  I can't imagine growing up the child of a vegetable stand owner and know that is all I'll ever be my whole life.  And the cycle goes on and on.)  The price of thinking for oneself!  My kids all have coughs and I'm constantly telling them to cover their mouth.  Ethan told me, no one else does.  I told him that is why you are sick, we need to be better and cover our mouths.  (If you don't already, please start coughing into your elbow when the need arises.)