Category Archives: Chinese Wife

Chinese Wife, Crazy Euopean People, Crazy Germans, Haruki the Shiba, Our cute daughter, Our cute son

Revisiting the Middle Ages

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Last weekend we visited a Renaissance Fair again after three years. The last time we went back in 2016 in Hamburg which is/ was the biggest one in Germany. This time we went to the town of Hohenwestedt which is nearby my hometown and is probably the best location of all middle age markets we have visited. The entire fair is set up in a large park in the middle of the town and a small sports field next to it. The feeling is just so different when visiting such event when nearly everything is located in a park surrounded by huge old trees compared to other fairs where you only walk around an open field.

Some interesting fellows

We all (except MIL) went there dressed up in some costumes. Nothing historical correct or whatnot all, just what we like to and this kind of fair is just right for it as the name already says “Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum” – “Medieval Fantasy Spectaculum”. You can see all kinds of people there dressed as knights, monks, Vikings, death and even some animals. Anything goes and the atmosphere is just great with music playing from several music stages and some randomn groups playing in between. We met some friends there and of course also other people we know already from my hometown such some neighbors and even a civil official working in the registry office specialized on marriages who has a Galadriel tattoo on one of his arms.

Sunken Nathalie

It was a lovely day with nice weather and a lot of walking for us. Nathan and Nathalie had tons of fun in the straw bale field playing with other kids and I could enjoy a couple of “interesting drinks”. Visiting such event, especially in Hohenwestedt, feels like entering a different world disconnected from the outside. Clothing for the event was kind of odd at first as we hadn’t done so in way too many years but as soon as we left the parking lot we were surrounded by like-minded people and everything felt right. Ruowei went once again as a Chinese princess, Nathalie was a mini princess, Nathan a General and I went in some odd mix of clothing and armor similar to the Rangers of Ithilien. Nothing too fancy but it took us long time collecting everything till we were satisfied. I think it was back in 2015 when we started this all after visiting the very same Renaissance Fair for the first time as a family. Back then my wife was shocked to see so many people dressed up for such event and loved it immediately. I always wanted to dress up for something like that but I had no idea that my wife of all people would like it as well! Even after several years of marriage she still manages to surprise me from time to time.

Have you visited any events where you have dressed up in a similar way?

Be sure to follow me also on Facebook and on Twitter as I will post there occasionally pictures which do not find their way into my blog posts. Furthermore there is also my Instagram account in which from time to time some pictures and short videos might pop up.

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Chinese Wife, Crazy Family, Travels

Experiencing China

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It has been now over six months since our last holiday in China. It was a great trip and we are already planning for next years holiday session in the Middle Empire. I have mentioned it countless of times that for so many years we never really managed it to go anywhere besides Xi’an. This year was different as we had that wonderful week in Japan (Tokyo, Thomas Land and Osaka) and we are kind of planning on having next year a week-long trip in Thailand. This is not set in stone especially when taking into consideration that we should have been already to Korea, Taiwan, Bali, the Maldives and so forth. Main problem was always that my wife turns into a complete couch potato once we arrive at her home in China.

Some temple somwhere in Sichuan

Anyhow even in case we won’t manage it to Thailand I am still looking forward to visiting China again. For one it is of course the food and I think I don’t need to touch that subject again as writing about it and sharing pictures makes too many people hungry. It is for me more like the whole experience in China. Even though I have seen so little so far it has been always such an interesting experience especially as each region or even parts of the city are so different. I have been mostly only to Xi’an but already there each section of the city has its own vibe. It goes as far as each “block” can be so different compared to the next one. For example the area where my in-laws are living looks to many people (like my parents) like a city shortly after an air raid while as the next block is a complete different matter as everything is relative clean and nice looking. However between those blocks the feeling is already different as in the older parts everywhere you have those wonderful street kitchens which are more rare or even non-existent in richer areas.

Music in the streets

It feels sometimes to surreal to drive on some roads passing by mountains which look like just from paintings. To have old temples and other historical buildings right next to some huge shopping centres. Just going a bit outside the cities you even encounter traditional clay brick buildings and even cave houses. Of course there are always downsides to the whole experience especially due to pollution or overcrowded tourist spots but it does not really bother me that much. For me each holiday in China is unique as even in Xi’an I find new interesting thing which each visit. For next year we have another novelty as we kind of have to decide where we want to stay: Either in MIL’s new apartment in the middle of nowhere or in the old one where FIL is staying right in the city center with all the best food around. Guess this decision is a no-brainer.

Do you have already plans for holidays in 2019?

Be sure to follow me also on Facebook and on Twitter as I will post there occasionally pictures which do not find their way into my blog posts. Furthermore there is also my Instagram account in which from time to time some pictures and short videos might pop up.

https://www.facebook.com/CrazyChineseFamily

https://twitter.com/CraChineseFam

https://www.instagram.com/Crazychinesefamily

Chinese Wife, Haruki the Shiba

Our new family member Haruki the Shiba

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Everyone who follows me on social media might have seen that a tiny little puppy popped up in my feeds in the past two weeks. In fact that puppy kept us so busy that this blog post had to wait till now as there was just no time last weekend.

Two weeks ago I went to an official dog breeder together with Nathan to pick up our Shiba Inu puppy Haruki. My wife had no idea about this whole matter the entire time and was pretty shocked. When she saw Nathan carrying a little puppy she thought I had borrowed him from some friend or program. Well it really seems that I kept all my research and reaching out to multiple breeders over the past year a very good secret.

Haruki just a bit over 8 weeks old, right after we got him

Back in Finland we were playing already with the idea of getting a dog. My wife always wanted some small dog breed like Pomeranian while I prefered a Samoyed. As you might see (in case you have some ideas about dog breeds) that both of them are in fact Spitz. However we gave up on the idea as our apartment in Finland was just too small and we planned on moving to Germany. Then in 2014 just a month before moving away from Finland a friend of us visited us with her new Shiba Inu puppy Tsuki. It was that first meeting with a Shiba that got me hooked.

The little fox

During the first few years here in Germany I put the idea of getting a dog aside as many things happened with my work, getting sick, starting our own business and the birth of Nathalie. But then last year just few months after Nathalie was born the first one of our little bunnies passed away. It was then that I started researching about Shiba Inus again and reaching out to Shiba breeders in Germany. Let me tell you that it is so hard to even reserve a Shiba puppy as there are only few breeders in Germany and most of them are in South Germany while we live in the very North. To make matters worse these dogs usually give birth to only 2-3 puppies.

Haruki now with already over ten weeks old, what a sad looking little fellow

During this summer when we were still in Finland (and met once again with Tsuki the Shiba from our friend of which I posted also on Instagram) I finally found per chance a Shiba breeder just 1 1/2 hours away from our hometown and they just got three little healthy puppies. I immediately contacted them and set up a meeting to check out the puppies. As my wife was not allowed to know at all about this I had to make up some excuses to drive 150km away so I told her that I was going to check out some cars with my brother as he was actually even searching for a new one back then (and he is still…). My wife believed it without any questions and thus I met the three-week old puppies and reserved Haruki immediately.

You give me food now or what?

Now fast forward to the 1st of September I told my wife that I would be going to some meeting from Kindergarten with Nathan and once again she believed me. She was not even questioning me when I took the car even though the Kindergarten is just 200m away from our building. I also posted a picture on Instagram of Haruki on Instagram when I picked him up. And then we arrived back home with a puppy and she did not believe me at all, only after I told her to contact our friend in Finland who has a Shiba and ask her, she slowly started to realize that our family got another baby.

Sleeping is great

Our little Haruki kept as rather busy thus far but it got better and better the past days. By now I don’t even need to get up in the middle of the night to let him out and he sleeps till we get up. In fact he spends most of the day sleeping, cleaning himself like a cat, playing for a short time, eating and making cat-like sounds rather than barking. No this is not unusual for Shiba’s as they are a bit different from many dog breeds. I heard from other people that their dogs are so lazy that they fall asleep while taking a walk!

Do you have a dog or are planning for one?

Be sure to follow me also on Facebook and on Twitter as I will post there occasionally pictures which do not find their way into my blog posts. Furthermore there is also my Instagram account in which from time to time some pictures and short videos might pop up.