After several failed plans to go and visit my daughter Marianne in the USA, I simply decided not to wait anymore and head for Indianapolis where she moved to, time ago, to a suburb called Carmel. It was wonderful to see her again, her two kids, her husband Mike and his parents who came over.
The kids were great as the pictures show. So was the new house, sorry, the mansion.

Indianapolis was in my eyes a picture of “typical American upscale suburban life”. All so well organized and clean (as far as I saw at least). The center of the city was strange – empty for someone coming from the frenzy of Beijing. And that in the middle of the week. Of course no people on the street as everyone is addicted to their car and distances are simply, well, vast. Not sure I saw a bike (it was of course snow time).
The supermarkets are simply huge and entice one to shop till you drop. “Normal” shops and pubs, forget about.
All a bit too quiet for a Beijinger. Guess we would all quickly die of boredom.
But for family life and kids it’s a near paradise and there you realize how much Beijing is behind in terms of facilities. Not even to talk about the air and the blue sky over there.
We visited kindergartens, all so neat and impressive.
And the local library that has a huge department for kids only (see the pics). And the Children’s Museum where kids like play with sand, water, look trains, build stuff and see lots of things they really like. And soccer on the weekends for the kids. Not to wonder why China is nowhere in terms of promoting grass-root sports and mass sports. Weekend sports such as indoor soccer for the kids of all ages is a family affair. Unlike the Chinese who send their kids for weekend intense classes for ballet, piano, extra mathematics, English, etc.
I was also lucky to visit the office where she works, meeting her colleagues.
I also went along with her to a seminar where she had to give a presentation (runs in the family?), making me as a father proud.
Hopefully she will not have to wait so long again to see me…