Good-bye, Chengdu; Hello, Guangzhou!

It was very emotional for me, leaving Amelia's home province. Though I have every intention of bringing her back here someday, the reality is that she will never again "belong" here. She will be an American. She won't know the language. She won't know the family she loved for 2 years. This place will, in short time, be unfamiliar to her. I realize, though, that we must leave this behind for her new life to begin. I hope that I have memorized the sounds and smells and feelings well enough to be able to impart to her my love for this city and for China in general.

Onto the plane ride! Well, except for a small meltdown about the seatbelt, Amelia made it through her first airplane ride like a seasoned traveler. She did great. She especially loved that we got to eat on the plane. This child enjoys a meal. She was very nervous in the airport with all the extra people around, but she did beautifully once we were settled into our seats. The flight was only a couple of hours, and then we arrived in sunny, balmy Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is much warmer than Chengdu and is coastal city. There were palm trees everywhere. It is also much more Western than Chengdu. This city doesn't feel as much like "China" to me, so I am already missing the China I love a little bit. Dad, I think, was happy to see a restaurant where he could order a hamburger and fries and even a store he recognized. Yep, Papa found the 7-11!

Papa also decided it was high time test for "Burchness" by giving Amelia ice cream. All Burches love ice cream. It's just a "Burch" thing. Great-Grandpa Burch used to crank it out in his ice cream maker, and we would enjoy concocting flavors. There was no tutti-fruity available here in Guangzhou, so Papa decided to test the drumstick.

Amelia passed the ice cream test, and at one point, was eating both her and Sara's ice cream cones. We are calling it an early night tonight and look forward to exploring Shamian Island, where we are staying at the White Swan Hotel, more tomorrow.

Good night,
Amy, Amelia, Mike & Sara