Lanny and Bruce

October 16, 2008
What a beautiful day! Sunshine, no wind, and plenty of blue sky. I spent last Sunday with Lanny Jin and her son, Bruce. Lanny was our guide and interpreter last year, and we quickly learned to love her. She has degrees in English and International Business, and worked for China's Pollution Control Agency. The government sent her to Madison, WI, to study for a year. During that time she decided to get a nursing degree, and during that time she met and married Bruce's father. Lanny and Bruce returned to China when he was a baby and live with her mother and stepfather, and Bruce hasn't had much contact with his American family. Dave and I decided we could fill in as grandparents, and Bruce said he'd give us a try. If we passed the test, we were in, so I sent a picture of us, and we got the thumbs up right away.
So, Sunday I met my grandson. He threw his arms around me and held on tightly, calling, "Grandma, Grandma!" Just a little shock to me since I hadn't enough time to get used to the idea, but I recovered quickly.Bruce doesn't normally speak English, and at first he spoke mostly Chinese, but in a short while he became very intent on speaking only English. I was quite impressed. Of course, I got some Chinese lesson as well. We met at one of the two bus stops near my apartment, Dong Feng Qiao, which means East Wind Bridge, the we went to Ikea to eat and look around. It is only one bus stop from us. Lanny wanted Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes; Bruce wanted everything in sight, especially the desserts. I had a good salad. All the food was delicious.

After Ikea we went to an exhibit of artwork and letters produced by children who had survived the earthquake in Sichuan Province. Some of the pictures depicted life in the villages before the earthquake, but many showed their ideas for how to build structures that would survive earthquakes. One house was on flexible girders, an idea that is already in use. One house turned into a boat; other could lift off and hover above the ground.

The letters were the most touching. The children wrote about what they want to be when they grow up and their letters revealed how the experience had caused them to think more seriously about their future. Many letters described what happened to them. One child wrote that he was the only survivor from his entire class. He had painted a memorial to them. This picture shows the expression of gratitude; people all over the world heard of the earthquake and sent their help.What we can do together.