First week of June: Pre-panic for school year-end exams. Get info from the teachers to find out what was covered the first half of the year that will be on the exams so we know how to help the kids study.

Second week of June: Study, study, study for exams. Scream about this crazy system of education and try to make sense of it all.

Third week of June: EXAMS!!!! Aack! Pack and move to a new apartment. Yay! Away from all the mosquitoes at last! Plumbing that works properly! Electrical outlets that work properly! Lose Mr. J’s passport in the move. Boo.

Fourth week of June: Shanghai World’s Fair school trip. Mr. J misses out because of lost passport. Miss S has a great experience at the Expo. Mr. J learns all about the bureaucracy of getting an emergency passport and Chinese visa through the U.S. Consulate and Chinese immigration offices. ‘Conveniently’ located on opposite sides of the city. Pack to return to the U.S.

Fifth week of June: Fly to Beijing to have a little fun for a couple of days before flying back to the U.S. on July 1st. I got to stay in the hotel and try to recover from a couple of nasty infections while Mr. Hot Stuff and the kids explored the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. Miss S conquered the vendors at the Silk Market. She is the bargaining QUEEN.

July 1st: Fly home to the U.S.!! I love America. I’m not much of a T.V. watcher but it will be SO nice to live in a country without CCTV.