We bid farewell to Hunan today. The food was good and the countryside reminded us of the southeastern US. We were sad to say goodbye to Vicky. She was an exceptional guide with an intuitive nature in helping us cope with a grieving toddler. We will also miss that she could speak Changsha dialect. Poor Hong Mei has no one who can understand her now.
Hong Mei was excited to go on the Fay-gee (airplane). She danced in front of the big picture window looking out over the runway. She was happy on the plane. She made friends with the teenager in front of her and the man behind her. She was happy until it was time to land and put on her seat belt.
We were met at the airport and took an hour long ride to the White Swan Hotel. The White Swan hotel is located on Shamian Island on the Pearl River. The buildings surrounding the hotel are old colonial style left over from the British. Shamian Island is beautiful with gardens interesting statues, shops, restaurants and other hotels. There are also a number of embassies in the area. Hong Mei, her doll baby, and I took a stroller ride around the Hotel and nearby streets while Baba took a nap. This was momentous for us. The first time Hong Mei was okay without Baba nearby. She also said her first English sentence, “Mama, hold it”. She wanted me to push the stroller. We came back and got Baba and went to dinner.
This is when the fun began. We went to Lucy’s an American style diner. Hong Mei had two bowls of noodles. As usual she made a big mess. After she had eaten her noodles she took a napkin folded into a triangle and turned it into a pistol. Hong Mei is very good at mimicking; either she has played a lot with boys or she has watched a lot of violent TV. After shooting Mama for a while she took a straw from the table and turned it into a long cigarette. She knew exactly how to light the end, suck in the smoke and blow it out of the side of her mouth. It was all we could do to keep from laughing. Greta Garbo has got nothing on Hong Mei.
Good night,
Joanna
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord they are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
May 20 --
We slept late this AM having a free morning to ourselves. We went late to breakfast. Apparently it is better to go early at the White Swan Breakfast Buffet as the dining room was extremely crowded. Rulon and I decided after yesterday that it was time to get tough with Hong Mei. Now when she misbehaves she gets two warnings and then a time out. Time out consists of sitting on Mama or Baba’s lap tightly restrained for a minute or so while we say Buh-ya No ______! This seems to be working as the only fit we had all day was at breakfast. Mama had to administer the timeout in the corner of the White Swan Dining hall. We praise her when she is good. She looked up at us today and said, “Good Hong Mei?” We think that in her short life she has had to go to extremes of temper and charming behavior to get attention. We are trying to reward the charming and the sweet side of her. Her communication is getting better. She says about 8 English words and understands a lot of what we tell her.
After breakfast we took a taxi to Beijing Road. This road is a big shopping district. We enjoyed window shopping and taking in the sights. We went down a busy alley and found a Buddhist Temple. The walk down the alley had several beggars and people selling incense sticks and flowers for worship at the Temple. Everyone smiled at us and made us feel welcome. The Temple was incredible with three giant golden Buddha statutes probably more than 12 feet tall. People were in the courtyard and in the temple praying and lighting incense sticks. At one time a couple of ladies waved the sticks in our direction. Hong Mei wrinkled her nose and waved her arms to chase away the smoke. We surmised that Hong Mei is not a devout Buddhist. Rulon and I enjoyed the visit. It is times like this that I really enjoy seeing the “real” China.
Later that afternoon we came back to the Hotel to do paper work aaarrrgggghhh!!!. Rulon stayed with Hong Mei so they could nap. I was the one who did the preliminary paperwork it was better for me to finish the task. It took 2 hours. We went to dinner at one (there are at least 4) of the McDonalds on Beijing Road.
Guangzhou is a great city. We don’t get stared at as much here as people are used to international adoption. I like that the streets are not as scary. In China the rule is right of way for buses first, then cars, then bikes and then people. No one slows down and there are no consequences for the driver if they hit a pedestrian. So we would cross a street in Beijing or Changsha only if it was absolutely necessary, and only with a Chinese citizen. Here in Guangzhou there seem to b e more lights and traffic cops, so there is a semblance of order.
