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Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Originally posted on Friday, November 11, 2005
Friday, November 11, 2005 7:05 AM CST
Subject: Still in Beijing
Today we met our guide at 9:30 am and we immediately went back to the police station we were at on Monday when we applied for Xue Zheng's passport. Today we were able to pick up her passport. So this officially completes the Chinese portion of the adoption.
From the police station, we went to a silk store where we made a few purchases. Then proceeded on to a tea house where we got to taste several different Chinese tea's. And of course, we were then offered the opportunity to purchase the teas, tea sets, etc. Being the silly American's we did buy two small containers of tea.
Then it was time for lunch where our guide took us to a dumpling restaurant. Our guide ordered 3 kinds of dumplings, one tofu dish, and one rice noodle dish. For us, the rice noodle dish left a little to be desired. The rice noodles were very thick, long and slimy. But everything else was very good.
We then returned to the hotel, where of course Xue zheng had her daily melt down when our guide left. She did calm down rather quickly and fell asleep in Lisa's arms.
While mommy and Xue Zheng took a nap, daddy decided to head off for a long walk to Tianamen Square. Unfortunately, he never made it to Tianamen Square because he got tired of people trying to scam the silly American. As you walk the streets of Beijing, people are always trying to sell you something (Beijing books, Mao watches, post cards, rolex, etc.) or they try to get you to come see their art exhibition where of course you will pressured to purchase. And if you don't get one of these, you get someone who is just begging for money. Steve even had one girl ask him to have a drink with her and also one girl tried to get him to leave the shopping mall and walk outside with her. He figured they were both trying to set him up to get him alone for some dishonest reason. Needless to say, he went with neither of them. :) WE ARE BOTH VERY READY TO LEAVE BEIJING AND
GET ON TO GUANGZHOU AND HOME. Beijing is nice for a couple of days, but for a couple of small town Indiana people, a week is a bit too long.
Anyone who may be reading this that is preparing to come to Beijing for their adoption or any extended visit, learn to use chopsticks before you come. The first two days, we were mainly taken to restaurants that were used to westerners and had forks available. However, for the past few days, our guide has taken us to much more
traditional Chinese restaurants where we could get a real feel for the culture here in Beijing and they have had nothing but chopsticks available. Luckily, Steve and I both knew how to use chopsticks, but just weren't very skilled at it. We will probably be pros by the time we get home.
After supper tonight, Steve, Xue Zheng and I walked down the street to the Wangfujing Night Food Market. The sights and smells were unlike any we had ever experienced. It was like a street fair back home, except with much more exoctic choices. We saw things like squid on stick, starfish on a stick, baby chickens on a stick, baby
snake on a stick, lots of different types of stir fry, baked goods, and many things we could not identify. Neither Steve or I were brave enough to try anything, as we hope to see more than just the bathroom for the rest of our trip. :)
A thought for anyone preparing to adopt an older child. Definitely send a photo album to your child before you come and then bring more with you. The photo albums have been great for us. It was obvious the someone had shown her the photo album before we got here, and she has loved looking at them here in the room. She also loves the Disney Princess play cell phone we brought her.
And knowing chinese probably is not a necessity, but it sure does help. Steve and I knew a few words and phrases before we got here, which have greatly helped, and we have learned more since we have been here. We also have a couple of phrase books and chinese dictionaries that have been very helpful.
Xue Zheng continues to do very well, and is mostly a very happy little girl. She has smile that lights up the whole room. We are seeing little signs that she is bonding with both of us a little more every day. We know your prayers are with us as the terror alert has been lifted and we have seen the the tropical storm/typhoon is
weakening. Guangzhou will probably still get some rain, but hopefully not the flooding that was once predicted. Please continue to keep Xue Zheng's transition and safe travel and good health for all of us in your prayers.
Emilie, mommy and daddy love you very much and we miss you terribly. We will see you in 1 week.
Love in Christ,
Steve, Lisa and Xue Zheng
19:16 Posted in Blog | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this | Tags: China Adoption