The Next Developments

The last few days have produced some interesting developments.

Last Monday we went to the Chinese Embassy to apply for the kids' visa extensions. Thanks to Dad's vigilance in making sure we had all of our documents taken care of, it went pretty smoothly. Hopefully the kids' extensions will be granted. We will find out when we go pick up their passports on Tuesday.
Then we went to check out Paul's school. Unfortunately it was a bit of a let down. The facilities were pretty run down and the infrastructure was disorganized. We were surprised at this, seeing as the school is very renown in China and is the best place to go to law school in the country. There is a brand new beautiful building in the midst of the campus that looks like it will be a new classroom building or student center. Hopefully by the time school starts in the fall it will be in use.
After that we went to our trustworthy Beijing United Family Hospital. The had built a ritzy new addition to the hospital since we had been there last (when we were living in Tianjin). We took Adrian to the ER so that he could be seen for his vomiting and diarrhea. The pediatrician said that he had a viral tummy bug, so we just got some re-hydration salts and anti-diarrheal powder to make him feel better. Anson has been having these weird skin blisters that the doctor insisted were bug bites. I was insistent that they weren't, so after looking at them more extensively he finally conceded that it was probably some kind of allergy to something. It was kind of a fruitless visit, but as of today Adrian is finally feeling more like himself.
Yesterday I FINALLY got a hold of the people at the Chinese Consulate in New York about the status of my scholarship application for grad school. They just told me that they only accept applicants who applied through an academic institution. I applied independently, so I obviously didn't get accepted to my program. I was devastated, despite knowing that I probably hadn't gotten in.
Today I finally had a good cry about it and have spent the day job hunting. I really want my sons to go to a nice school while we are here, so I applied to teaching positions at nearby international schools. I very much hope that I get employment somewhere soon!

Wish us luck that we will find housing and that I will get employment.