Heritage comes in many forms

Today we visited Jack's official hometown, Houshan (后山). Possibly where he started his life. The family home is a run down shack, while the rest if the village has been built up. Besides the shack it's actually quite a nice place, paved and green and relatively quiet. Jack is proud of the two trees that greet visitors and that officially belong to him. 

There's been some discussion about What to do with the shack. We offered some starter money to tear it down and build but an uncle is living there and has ongoing disputes with Jacks dad. It's something that should have been done long ago and a normal Chinese father would have built. Of course we are far from a normal Chinese family. 

There was a lot of loud conversation and yelling during and after lunch, still not sure what about. I took the boys upstairs and alternately played Zombies vs plants and played Mr. Wolf and Mother May I. The house is half finished, much the same as five years ago. Having the frame

Is the most important thing for face. Insides are pretty bare and uninviting. 

I can't figure out why people live in crap conditions, cement walls, bathrooms with a shower in the corner that sprays everywhere, just junky, while buying fancy cars and piling up money for whatever else. But as jack says, different priorities. For them it may still feel nicer than the way they were living before. 

Kids are tolerating pretty well. Joshua thrives on routine so he's a little off kilter. No one seems to really understand why besides mama.