China Day One

Saturday 14 August

Today I had no jet lag although everyone else was in bed by 20:30. (It’s now 11 p.m.) I stayed in the huge house all day and am about to go bonkers. Eleven hours straight is a hell of a long time to entertain and (or) to be entertained by children. Although Vera was really good today and she totally enjoyed my company. We played a game several times over, and then we did a Gymnastics Klub, and a Schönheits Klub! She was so cute putting perfume on the backs of our knees, and having an eye mask, a Schläf Stunde, and reading time, drinking coconut milk and all.

We also did mathematics and she went through an entire preschool workbook with my help. She’s a good student and picking up English fast too – inventing tenses and making up words she doesn’t know by literal translations as she goes along. Just like I do in Deutsch. Vera is the only one who corrects and helps me, and speaks Deutsch with me, besides Omi. We help each other.

And one day sitting up on the terrace when I told Vera I missed my family, she said, “You have us.”