Sunday, November 16, 2008
Home Sweet Home!
After too many hours of travel to count - from Guangzhou to Tokyo to Minneapolis to St. Louis--'tis oh so true: there's no place like home! We had a little trouble with our tickets out of China--it took four agents to figure it out. I asked our guide, Simon, if anyone had ever not gotten to leave. He said oh no, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Lia did well on all the flights for the most part, choosing to stay awake and babble-loudly- during most of the long flight. For some odd reason, the duty free catalog held her attention for several hours off and on. Strange but true!
Lia was so exhausted that she slept through much of the homecoming celebration at Lambert. She did awaken to meet her big brother Peter, Grandad and Nana Ekern, and the surprise contingency of friends. Thank you to all who were there to meet us and hold Lia for the first time! Megan and Mary--thank you for the signs! And a special thanks to Christina for being there--you helped us on our long journey to Lia. You're amazing!
Nana and Grandad came back to our house for dinner and a little Lia time and then headed down I-70 to Mexico. Mom, we couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for holding down the fort and taking care of Peter for us. Thank you, thank you.
At the moment, it's a contest to see who can sleep the longest--Shane or Lia. It's 11:30. I've been up since 4:00. I'm betting on Shane.
Families in our group decided our girls know only hotels, restaurants, shopping, buses, airports, and taxis. We have been so on the go that 731 Tuxedo is going to be a little ho-hum after all the excitement. Lia probably thinks this is just another hotel with a different bathtub and different crib with the added bonus of a mao--a kitty cat. Icicle is scared of her so far.
Cathy O--what a beautiful welcome home banner! Thank you! It may be there for years to come!
It does take a village--and the Fairbanks live in a wonderful one. Thanks to everyone who has walked with us in our journey to Lia. Now. . . come see us. We're open for visitors!
Lia did well on all the flights for the most part, choosing to stay awake and babble-loudly- during most of the long flight. For some odd reason, the duty free catalog held her attention for several hours off and on. Strange but true!
Lia was so exhausted that she slept through much of the homecoming celebration at Lambert. She did awaken to meet her big brother Peter, Grandad and Nana Ekern, and the surprise contingency of friends. Thank you to all who were there to meet us and hold Lia for the first time! Megan and Mary--thank you for the signs! And a special thanks to Christina for being there--you helped us on our long journey to Lia. You're amazing!
Nana and Grandad came back to our house for dinner and a little Lia time and then headed down I-70 to Mexico. Mom, we couldn't have done this without you. Thank you for holding down the fort and taking care of Peter for us. Thank you, thank you.
At the moment, it's a contest to see who can sleep the longest--Shane or Lia. It's 11:30. I've been up since 4:00. I'm betting on Shane.
Families in our group decided our girls know only hotels, restaurants, shopping, buses, airports, and taxis. We have been so on the go that 731 Tuxedo is going to be a little ho-hum after all the excitement. Lia probably thinks this is just another hotel with a different bathtub and different crib with the added bonus of a mao--a kitty cat. Icicle is scared of her so far.
Cathy O--what a beautiful welcome home banner! Thank you! It may be there for years to come!
It does take a village--and the Fairbanks live in a wonderful one. Thanks to everyone who has walked with us in our journey to Lia. Now. . . come see us. We're open for visitors!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Last Post From China!
I never thought the day would come when we actually got to come to China and meet our daughter. Now, I can't believe it's time for us to leave China and go back to our real world with our real Lia Jane Lu! The whole experience has been life changing. Lia has been more than we ever wished for and more. It's emotional to take her and leave her birth country - her path and our path will forever change courses - and give her a new life in a family in the middle of the United States. It's a breathtaking responsibility. If the past two weeks give us any indication, I believe Lia will give us so much happiness, silliness, and the giggles. We can't wait to get her home!
This afternoon we did take an oath at the American Consulate. We were in a room filled with 46 families. The head of American adoptions spoke in a little ceremony and we raised our right hands, said I DO to the question that the information we had given was correct, and sent on our merry little way. Legally, Lia is ours, and she becomes an American citizen when we set foot in Minneapolis. Yahoo! Missouri was the most represented state there, with seven families adopting. It was a little anti-climatic, but still I was teary eyed.
Our coordinators, Elsie and Chloe, have been amazing. They have such a hard job getting us all from one place to another and going over paperwork and translating and taking care of all of us. They have done it with humor (some of it lost in translation), grace, and acceptance. They wished us well and wished Lia well in her new life. More tears!
One of the great things about this trip is the friendly, funny, adventurous, wonderful people we've met. The nightly dinners just keep getting more fun. Five families went out for another Chinese feast--noodles, eel, dumplings, shrimp, pork, marinated vegetables, chicken (yes, another chicken head in the pot), and the usual grand finale--watermelon. That and a few Pearl Rivers, and we celebrated our last night and our girls and friendship in style. I will miss everyone and the extraordinary experience we have shared together. Fortunately, the Watts and Irishes live right in Webster Groves!
So long from China. See everyone soon! Peter, get ready for your little sister!
Jane, Shane & Lia
Thursday, November 13, 2008
I'm Back in Business!
You'll be sorry we purchased a new camera today! New pics for you to see!
Shane and I started out for the grocery store (with Lia), and I popped into a shop that looked like a small electronics/photo place. I mimed camera--and the girl said no, took us outside and pointed to a big building. Shane said--yeah--that's what they all say--keep going. But we made our way up and over some streets to the big building, went inside and I got my Mandarin book out and showed it to a phone salesgirl. She pointed up and two fingers--so up we went to the second floor. We asked about credit card--we're out of yuan--no. But she gave us a slip of paper which she wrote out and we took that and gave it to a girl downstairs--but I showed her the word bank and we got to the bank. It was the first time we used an ATM--but just slide in your card, punch in your PIN and voila! YUAN! And more yuan. Shane said, "It's like Monopoly money. I could just stand here all day!" So he got some more, and we went back upstairs, the lady spoke a little English, pointed to a Kodak and after some explanation we just decided to get it. Then we followed her to the cashier who took our yuan, then the sales lady gave a slip of paper to someone who gave her a piece of paper, then we had to follow the lady back to the camera department and we had to wait for her to go get the "new model" and then she explained it all to us...sort of. She was very sweet, but she only talked to Shane. She played with Lia some, and some random young man kept playing with Lia, too. So finally, after all was said and done, we bought a new Kodak camera. We asked for discount and could not understand her explanation about why it was a discount but it was really the price marked--but I didn't care, I wanted the camera and I wasn't at the totally overwhelming Electronics Market with millions of people. This place was like a Sears store. An empty Sears store with lots of workers and two Westerners and their Chinese baby.
We leave in a little bit for the American Consulate. Big plans, too, for another dinner extravaganza tonight with the Watts and other folks. It is weird but great that at dinner last night there were three families from Webster Groves seated around a table in Guangzhou all with their Chinese girls. The other couple and their daughter live in Dayton--we encouraged them to move to Webster!
Shane and I started out for the grocery store (with Lia), and I popped into a shop that looked like a small electronics/photo place. I mimed camera--and the girl said no, took us outside and pointed to a big building. Shane said--yeah--that's what they all say--keep going. But we made our way up and over some streets to the big building, went inside and I got my Mandarin book out and showed it to a phone salesgirl. She pointed up and two fingers--so up we went to the second floor. We asked about credit card--we're out of yuan--no. But she gave us a slip of paper which she wrote out and we took that and gave it to a girl downstairs--but I showed her the word bank and we got to the bank. It was the first time we used an ATM--but just slide in your card, punch in your PIN and voila! YUAN! And more yuan. Shane said, "It's like Monopoly money. I could just stand here all day!" So he got some more, and we went back upstairs, the lady spoke a little English, pointed to a Kodak and after some explanation we just decided to get it. Then we followed her to the cashier who took our yuan, then the sales lady gave a slip of paper to someone who gave her a piece of paper, then we had to follow the lady back to the camera department and we had to wait for her to go get the "new model" and then she explained it all to us...sort of. She was very sweet, but she only talked to Shane. She played with Lia some, and some random young man kept playing with Lia, too. So finally, after all was said and done, we bought a new Kodak camera. We asked for discount and could not understand her explanation about why it was a discount but it was really the price marked--but I didn't care, I wanted the camera and I wasn't at the totally overwhelming Electronics Market with millions of people. This place was like a Sears store. An empty Sears store with lots of workers and two Westerners and their Chinese baby.
We leave in a little bit for the American Consulate. Big plans, too, for another dinner extravaganza tonight with the Watts and other folks. It is weird but great that at dinner last night there were three families from Webster Groves seated around a table in Guangzhou all with their Chinese girls. The other couple and their daughter live in Dayton--we encouraged them to move to Webster!
Thursday November 13, 2008
We have been wearing shorts and t-shirts here--it's going to be a hard to adjust to cold weather. Today, Lia kept pulling her socks off and we were talked about constantly. It's warm! No socks!
As we walked into breakfast (the big social event of the day), I told Shane that we only got to do this one more time. Our stay here is just about over--one more day.
This morning we hopped in cabs with the Irishes and Cashes and headed back to Shamian Island. More shopping. . . and I'm shopped out. We did walk up the Pearl River walkway, played frogger across a very busy street, survived that, and then venture into the Electronics Market. The building is five stories of noisy, non-English speaking electronics sellers. Although there were cameras for sale, we did not buy one--no credit card, only yuan, and we did not have enough yuan with us. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe we'll just use Shane's Blackberry, although those pics are not loading into the computer, nor is Shane being able to text them to me so I can download them. We are so not techno-savvy. At the Electronics Market--there were gazillions and gagillions of phones and and parts of phones and chips to phones and people taking little metallic pieces (chips?) out of plastic bags, spreading them on the counters, and counting them, selling them? I don't know what they were doing with them...but there were millions of these little copper squares everywhere on the counters. Crazy.
We walked back to the White Swan, caught a cab, and arrived back just in time to go to Luihua Park, a beautiful park very near the hotel. The flowers, trees, lakes, landscaping are gorgeous. There was a small amusement park, people playing cards, concrete pingpong tables filled with pingpong players, tai-chi practice, paddle boats (no one in them), and lots of grandparents with babies all in this beautiful, tropical setting.
For dinner tonight we went out with the Irishes, Watts, and Cashes to One Thousand and One Arabian Nights restaurant. Middle Eastern food in China was actually very good. We washed it all down with a few more Tsingtaos. Then the belly dancer came on stages. We were seated front and center. The loud music scared Lia, but I think she was a little enthralled with the belly dancer--but still tears of fear, so she and I walked back to the front of the restaurant till our belly dancer had finished wiggling and jiggling. We were a table of six, plus the babies, in this HUGE restaurant . . . and maybe 12 other people in there, all men. Brenda's guide said this was a Muslim restaurant. Outside were beggars draped in scarves. Chalk it up to: It's China!
We then walked up to buy hats for the girls--no orange one for Lia so I opted out. Back to 7-11 for Shane's nightly Snickers and it's time for bed. We need to start packing!
Tomorrow we take our oath at the American consulate and receive Lia's visa. When she steps on American soil, she'll be an American citizen!
Old photos--Brenda took some at dinner tonight I'll share tomorrow.
As we walked into breakfast (the big social event of the day), I told Shane that we only got to do this one more time. Our stay here is just about over--one more day.
This morning we hopped in cabs with the Irishes and Cashes and headed back to Shamian Island. More shopping. . . and I'm shopped out. We did walk up the Pearl River walkway, played frogger across a very busy street, survived that, and then venture into the Electronics Market. The building is five stories of noisy, non-English speaking electronics sellers. Although there were cameras for sale, we did not buy one--no credit card, only yuan, and we did not have enough yuan with us. Maybe tomorrow, or maybe we'll just use Shane's Blackberry, although those pics are not loading into the computer, nor is Shane being able to text them to me so I can download them. We are so not techno-savvy. At the Electronics Market--there were gazillions and gagillions of phones and and parts of phones and chips to phones and people taking little metallic pieces (chips?) out of plastic bags, spreading them on the counters, and counting them, selling them? I don't know what they were doing with them...but there were millions of these little copper squares everywhere on the counters. Crazy.
We walked back to the White Swan, caught a cab, and arrived back just in time to go to Luihua Park, a beautiful park very near the hotel. The flowers, trees, lakes, landscaping are gorgeous. There was a small amusement park, people playing cards, concrete pingpong tables filled with pingpong players, tai-chi practice, paddle boats (no one in them), and lots of grandparents with babies all in this beautiful, tropical setting.
For dinner tonight we went out with the Irishes, Watts, and Cashes to One Thousand and One Arabian Nights restaurant. Middle Eastern food in China was actually very good. We washed it all down with a few more Tsingtaos. Then the belly dancer came on stages. We were seated front and center. The loud music scared Lia, but I think she was a little enthralled with the belly dancer--but still tears of fear, so she and I walked back to the front of the restaurant till our belly dancer had finished wiggling and jiggling. We were a table of six, plus the babies, in this HUGE restaurant . . . and maybe 12 other people in there, all men. Brenda's guide said this was a Muslim restaurant. Outside were beggars draped in scarves. Chalk it up to: It's China!
We then walked up to buy hats for the girls--no orange one for Lia so I opted out. Back to 7-11 for Shane's nightly Snickers and it's time for bed. We need to start packing!
Tomorrow we take our oath at the American consulate and receive Lia's visa. When she steps on American soil, she'll be an American citizen!
Old photos--Brenda took some at dinner tonight I'll share tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Wednesday, November 12
We spent most of the day on Shamian Island . . . shopping (my least favorite thing to do) and bargaining. I may be getting the "special price just for you," but it is no Chinese price. Shane bought a U.S. coin - a trade dollar dated 1878. These trade dollars were used as currency in the 1800s. He did ask the shop girl if it were old or made just last week. She said she got it, plus some other coins, from a farmer. Hmmm. He did get the special "three-visit" price, as he's looked at this same coin three times. But still, no Chinese price.
Somewhere between the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island and our China Hotel, I lost my camera. I think it just fell out of my pocket in the cab. I talked to our guide who has called the cab company, but Shane and I can't even agree to what color cab we were in: dark green, light green, or gold. I am not hopeful on its return. Thankfully, I have downloaded all my pictures except the ones from today. So no new pics and it's off to Camera Market tomorrow. I fear it may be by Underwear Alley.
Tonight we went on a Pearl River cruise. Our guide, Elsie, said people like Guangzhou better at night with all the lights. She said it's like a city with make-up--and it's true. You can't see all the pollution, grime, noise, traffic, trash . . . etc. The city is beautiful all lit up, and we enjoyed a buffet dinner, complete with stir fried chicken heads, pickled vegetables, pork, and steamed buns (Lia's favorite) as we cruised up and down the famed Pearl River. We did make friends with three girls on the trip who were intent on holding Lia. Lia was happy to play with them while I held her, but wanted nothing to do with them when they wanted to hold her. They followed us upstairs to the top deck of the boat and said that she was cold. Onlooking aunties were tut-tutting me as Lia only had on a shirt and pants--not bundled from head to toe in Arctic wear. Lia also had a runny nose which I wiped off with my finger--the head of the girl gang got out her Kleenex and delicately dotted Lia's nose. Ha! I gave in and went downstairs and put Lia's hoodie on her (thanks, Megan Unterberg!), and they were all smiles once again. One of the girls--all three had just graduated from the University--gave me her email address. So maybe I can teach her English and she can teach me Mandarin from afar.
A new day tomorrow. Pics are from previous days. . .
Somewhere between the White Swan Hotel on Shamian Island and our China Hotel, I lost my camera. I think it just fell out of my pocket in the cab. I talked to our guide who has called the cab company, but Shane and I can't even agree to what color cab we were in: dark green, light green, or gold. I am not hopeful on its return. Thankfully, I have downloaded all my pictures except the ones from today. So no new pics and it's off to Camera Market tomorrow. I fear it may be by Underwear Alley.
Tonight we went on a Pearl River cruise. Our guide, Elsie, said people like Guangzhou better at night with all the lights. She said it's like a city with make-up--and it's true. You can't see all the pollution, grime, noise, traffic, trash . . . etc. The city is beautiful all lit up, and we enjoyed a buffet dinner, complete with stir fried chicken heads, pickled vegetables, pork, and steamed buns (Lia's favorite) as we cruised up and down the famed Pearl River. We did make friends with three girls on the trip who were intent on holding Lia. Lia was happy to play with them while I held her, but wanted nothing to do with them when they wanted to hold her. They followed us upstairs to the top deck of the boat and said that she was cold. Onlooking aunties were tut-tutting me as Lia only had on a shirt and pants--not bundled from head to toe in Arctic wear. Lia also had a runny nose which I wiped off with my finger--the head of the girl gang got out her Kleenex and delicately dotted Lia's nose. Ha! I gave in and went downstairs and put Lia's hoodie on her (thanks, Megan Unterberg!), and they were all smiles once again. One of the girls--all three had just graduated from the University--gave me her email address. So maybe I can teach her English and she can teach me Mandarin from afar.
A new day tomorrow. Pics are from previous days. . .
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tuesday, November 11
Another busy day in Guangzhou!
We walked to a beautiful, humongous park, Yuexiu Park. The "famous" statue of the five goats is there, along with gobs of people having their picture taken in front of it. Guangzhou is known as Goat City because these five celestial goats helped found the city. Kind of like a Chinese Romulus and Remus. The other funny thing we saw was all these retired people playing hackey sack in the park. It's like the new national sport. In another part of the park, couples were ballroom dancing to music over a loudspeaker. Shane and I walked, Lia slept in her stroller, as we explored much more of this beautiful oasis in the middle of this noisy, busy, bustling city.
At 2 we boarded a bus to go to a Buddhist temple - the Liu Rong Temple that has a pagoda that's 1000 years old. The neatest thing there, though, was that most of us had our girls blessed by a Buddhist monk. We stepped into the temple, took our shoes off, and knelt before the Buddha of the Present. There were two equally large, gold 15-foot tall Buddhas on either side--one of the past, one of the future. The monk burned incense, chanted, beat a stick against a wooden block, occasionally rang a bell, then stepped among us and flicked droplets of water on us. We all felt blessed--it really was moving.
We then boarded a bus for the Liwan plaza--pearl market. The "mall" itself was very bizarre-the first mall 6 stories of mostly clothing stores, the second mall 6 stories filled with all sorts of jewelry. Imagine ABC Trading on Olive and multiply it by 100. Turquoise, cubic zirconia, pearls--and mostly looking all really fake. Our guide was supposedly able to get us good deals on jade and pearls--I passed on both. We went outside to the teeming masses in a pedestrian mall. We walked into several sporting goods stores in search of large/tall sizes for Peter. Shane tried on a 4XL and it was too small for him--we are from the land of the giants. In these stores--brightly lit, small, crowded and pulsating with loud music--all the sales girls and boys played with Lia and our friend Katie, and wanted to hold them. And, strangest of all, many of them wanted to know if they were Chinese babies. Even tonight at dinner the waitresses wanted to know if they were Chinese babies. What else could they be? Shane said I should say it's Yao Ming's baby.
We made it back to the hotel, went out to dinner with the Irishes at Macau Street, bumped into the Watts with their beautiful Sophie on the street, have had bottle, bath, and ready for bed. Tomorrow: Pearl River cruise.
We walked to a beautiful, humongous park, Yuexiu Park. The "famous" statue of the five goats is there, along with gobs of people having their picture taken in front of it. Guangzhou is known as Goat City because these five celestial goats helped found the city. Kind of like a Chinese Romulus and Remus. The other funny thing we saw was all these retired people playing hackey sack in the park. It's like the new national sport. In another part of the park, couples were ballroom dancing to music over a loudspeaker. Shane and I walked, Lia slept in her stroller, as we explored much more of this beautiful oasis in the middle of this noisy, busy, bustling city.
At 2 we boarded a bus to go to a Buddhist temple - the Liu Rong Temple that has a pagoda that's 1000 years old. The neatest thing there, though, was that most of us had our girls blessed by a Buddhist monk. We stepped into the temple, took our shoes off, and knelt before the Buddha of the Present. There were two equally large, gold 15-foot tall Buddhas on either side--one of the past, one of the future. The monk burned incense, chanted, beat a stick against a wooden block, occasionally rang a bell, then stepped among us and flicked droplets of water on us. We all felt blessed--it really was moving.
We then boarded a bus for the Liwan plaza--pearl market. The "mall" itself was very bizarre-the first mall 6 stories of mostly clothing stores, the second mall 6 stories filled with all sorts of jewelry. Imagine ABC Trading on Olive and multiply it by 100. Turquoise, cubic zirconia, pearls--and mostly looking all really fake. Our guide was supposedly able to get us good deals on jade and pearls--I passed on both. We went outside to the teeming masses in a pedestrian mall. We walked into several sporting goods stores in search of large/tall sizes for Peter. Shane tried on a 4XL and it was too small for him--we are from the land of the giants. In these stores--brightly lit, small, crowded and pulsating with loud music--all the sales girls and boys played with Lia and our friend Katie, and wanted to hold them. And, strangest of all, many of them wanted to know if they were Chinese babies. Even tonight at dinner the waitresses wanted to know if they were Chinese babies. What else could they be? Shane said I should say it's Yao Ming's baby.
We made it back to the hotel, went out to dinner with the Irishes at Macau Street, bumped into the Watts with their beautiful Sophie on the street, have had bottle, bath, and ready for bed. Tomorrow: Pearl River cruise.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, November 10
What a fun day! Okay, except for one part, but I'll get to that.
We started out with another yummy breakfast (Shane continues to eat more bacon, eggs and hash browns than he has eaten in years), then we joined the Irishes in a cab to Beijing Road, a pedestrian shopping street. I called Mom and Peter while we were walking down it to check in on their weekend. All is well! Mom said it sounded like I was in Webster Groves, not in China. Technology is amazing.
We wandered down the street and ended up down a long market which I have dubbed Underwear Alley. As far as we could see--underwear, underwear, and more underwear. Later on we hit Shoe Alley, Christmas and Chinese New Year's Street, and Belt Boulevard. We did wander into Sacred Heart Catholic Church--and for a moment we thought we were in Europe. In an among all these little back alleys and side streets are people, people, people . . . living, working, cooking, selling, sleeping, staring. It was another great experience of being the minority.
This afternoon we took two buses to Shamian Island to get the girls' medical checkups. This is the not fun part. We waited in line, then Lia's temperature was taken, and she was weighed and measured. In room #2 a woman squeaked a little orange alligator to check Lia's hearing, then looked in her ears. Not good. Then pried open her mouth and checked it out with a tongue depressor. Really not good. But the best was yet to come: room #3 was where a doctor listened to her heart, then lay (laid?) her down on an examination table. This did it for Lia. She began to scream. She turned her over and looked at her Mongolian spots and said, okay, good bye. I had questions about a bruise/deep knot and newer red spot on top of it on her upper left arm. She got the translator--shots. Then I asked her about this round spot on her upper inside left thigh--they said it was from where the diaper rubbed it. Hmmm. I don't know about that one. During all of this Lia is screaming, and she's continuing to scream as we walk out into the waiting area and dress her. She was one unhappy little baby. But--she recovered!
We walked across the highway overpass into the famous Qingping Market. We saw: snakes, dried snake skins that look like canes, dried mushrooms in all shapes and sizes, live chickens, teeming scorpions in various sizes in various plastic tubs, puppies, kitties, dried tea leaves, dried seahorses, dried starfish, genseng and all kinds of unidentifiable roots and more and more and more of the same spilling out of all the shops. I loved it. Shane? Maybe not so much. Lia, worn out from her medical exam, slept.
We did do a little shopping on Shamian Island--all the shops are totally geared to the foreign adoption trade.
Another highlight today was meeting the Watt's daughter, Sophie. When we walked in their hotel room, she was covering Brenda in Hello Kitty band-aids. She did say a soft bye-bye when Elsie, our guide and interpreter, and we left. She is darling and a perfect fit for the Watts!
Bath time--and now bed time. Another day in China! They are going so fast.
We started out with another yummy breakfast (Shane continues to eat more bacon, eggs and hash browns than he has eaten in years), then we joined the Irishes in a cab to Beijing Road, a pedestrian shopping street. I called Mom and Peter while we were walking down it to check in on their weekend. All is well! Mom said it sounded like I was in Webster Groves, not in China. Technology is amazing.
We wandered down the street and ended up down a long market which I have dubbed Underwear Alley. As far as we could see--underwear, underwear, and more underwear. Later on we hit Shoe Alley, Christmas and Chinese New Year's Street, and Belt Boulevard. We did wander into Sacred Heart Catholic Church--and for a moment we thought we were in Europe. In an among all these little back alleys and side streets are people, people, people . . . living, working, cooking, selling, sleeping, staring. It was another great experience of being the minority.
This afternoon we took two buses to Shamian Island to get the girls' medical checkups. This is the not fun part. We waited in line, then Lia's temperature was taken, and she was weighed and measured. In room #2 a woman squeaked a little orange alligator to check Lia's hearing, then looked in her ears. Not good. Then pried open her mouth and checked it out with a tongue depressor. Really not good. But the best was yet to come: room #3 was where a doctor listened to her heart, then lay (laid?) her down on an examination table. This did it for Lia. She began to scream. She turned her over and looked at her Mongolian spots and said, okay, good bye. I had questions about a bruise/deep knot and newer red spot on top of it on her upper left arm. She got the translator--shots. Then I asked her about this round spot on her upper inside left thigh--they said it was from where the diaper rubbed it. Hmmm. I don't know about that one. During all of this Lia is screaming, and she's continuing to scream as we walk out into the waiting area and dress her. She was one unhappy little baby. But--she recovered!
We walked across the highway overpass into the famous Qingping Market. We saw: snakes, dried snake skins that look like canes, dried mushrooms in all shapes and sizes, live chickens, teeming scorpions in various sizes in various plastic tubs, puppies, kitties, dried tea leaves, dried seahorses, dried starfish, genseng and all kinds of unidentifiable roots and more and more and more of the same spilling out of all the shops. I loved it. Shane? Maybe not so much. Lia, worn out from her medical exam, slept.
We did do a little shopping on Shamian Island--all the shops are totally geared to the foreign adoption trade.
Another highlight today was meeting the Watt's daughter, Sophie. When we walked in their hotel room, she was covering Brenda in Hello Kitty band-aids. She did say a soft bye-bye when Elsie, our guide and interpreter, and we left. She is darling and a perfect fit for the Watts!
Bath time--and now bed time. Another day in China! They are going so fast.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Sunday, Nov. 9 . . . Continued
Friends of ours in St. Louis used to live in Guangzhou, so their friends who still live here were so kind to play tourist guide for us on Sunday. David picked us up in a cab at our China Hotel and took us to Lei Garden for lunch. His darling wife, Soon Yi (spelling?!) David, Shane, Lia and I had a delicious lunch of dim sum---shrimp dumplings, pork spring rolls, barbecued pork, and many other small plates that I don't know the name of. It was all delicious. We consumed lots of tea and polished the meal off with a dessert of sweet black sesame paste inside a doughy pastry covered in chopped peanuts. Oh yum!
We jumped in a cab and went to Shamian Island, where foreigners traders had been restricted to live. It is very quiet, with colonial architecture, and many shops that rely on the adoption market. All over the garden street that we walked were dozens of brides and grooms getting their pictures taken in very stylized poses. David said the brides--all beautiful with fresh-from the-salon hair and make up--will put on six or so different dresses and go to different parts of the city and get their pictures taken. It's all part of the prep work leading up to the wedding. And underneath their dresses: blue jeans.
We said good bye to our new friends, and took a cab ride home from the White Swan Hotel--where many adopting families stay--and came back to our side of town. We walked to a restaurant with five other couples for dinner--no English menu, no English speaking servers. We had an interesting dinner: warm beer, cold as ice chicken--yes, the head still intact, peking duck but they only served the skin, seaweed, congee, delicious shrimp dumplings, and several types of noodles and rice. We did not eat alligator, snake, or eel--all living and available to those a little more adventurous than we were. It was quite an experience!
More adventures to follow!
We jumped in a cab and went to Shamian Island, where foreigners traders had been restricted to live. It is very quiet, with colonial architecture, and many shops that rely on the adoption market. All over the garden street that we walked were dozens of brides and grooms getting their pictures taken in very stylized poses. David said the brides--all beautiful with fresh-from the-salon hair and make up--will put on six or so different dresses and go to different parts of the city and get their pictures taken. It's all part of the prep work leading up to the wedding. And underneath their dresses: blue jeans.
We said good bye to our new friends, and took a cab ride home from the White Swan Hotel--where many adopting families stay--and came back to our side of town. We walked to a restaurant with five other couples for dinner--no English menu, no English speaking servers. We had an interesting dinner: warm beer, cold as ice chicken--yes, the head still intact, peking duck but they only served the skin, seaweed, congee, delicious shrimp dumplings, and several types of noodles and rice. We did not eat alligator, snake, or eel--all living and available to those a little more adventurous than we were. It was quite an experience!
More adventures to follow!
Sunday, November 9 - Guangzhou
Another great day! We're glad to be in Guangzhou. The best thing today was walking into breakfast and there were Brenda and Jim Watt! We've been waiting for our fellow Webster friends to arrive. They will get their four-year-old daughter tomorrow--we are all anxious to meet Sophie!
See today's pics--I'll write tomorrow!
See today's pics--I'll write tomorrow!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Guangzhou
We had an early morning wake up call to catch our flight to Guangzhou. Lia fell asleep before we even took off, awoke happy, and played for the rest of the flight. I hope it's that easy when we cross the Pacific on our way home next Saturday. Mary, our Nanchang guide, said an emotional goodbye to us and our babies. I think it's a very bittersweet job she has in helping all the American families who come to Jiangxi Province to adopt.
Guangzhou is a city of 12 million people. On our ride in, our bus had a little mirror-clipping incident with another big bus. That driver got out and knocked on our bus driver's window--our driver refused to get out and discuss it in the middle of the highway. Our guide, Simon, said, "Simon says to get back on your own bus." And he did.
We arrived at the China Hotel and feel like we've been transported from the Motel 6 in Nanchang to the Ritz. It is a large, lovely hotel. We have blue skies and warmer weather. We went with another couple from Webster, the Irishes, on a walk, then as a group headed to the grocery store. Imagine 50 Westerners walking down the street with 20 Chinese babies . . . we got quite a few stares!
We've just hung out in our fancy-pants room the rest of the evening. . . tomorrow is a new day!
Guangzhou is a city of 12 million people. On our ride in, our bus had a little mirror-clipping incident with another big bus. That driver got out and knocked on our bus driver's window--our driver refused to get out and discuss it in the middle of the highway. Our guide, Simon, said, "Simon says to get back on your own bus." And he did.
We arrived at the China Hotel and feel like we've been transported from the Motel 6 in Nanchang to the Ritz. It is a large, lovely hotel. We have blue skies and warmer weather. We went with another couple from Webster, the Irishes, on a walk, then as a group headed to the grocery store. Imagine 50 Westerners walking down the street with 20 Chinese babies . . . we got quite a few stares!
We've just hung out in our fancy-pants room the rest of the evening. . . tomorrow is a new day!
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