Wednesday - a trip to the island and visa issued!

Wednesday has been a full day!

We started our day as we have every day, with a scrumptious breakfast buffet at the palace (otherwise known as The Garden Hotel in Guangzhou).  My non-eater in the US, Lucy has scarfed down many things in China that she usually turns away.  Her favorite, though, is something we can't find in the US - congee.  It's kind of a rice soup/porridge, and Lucy loves it.  She has eaten it every morning - spare rib congee, vegetable congee, wild mushroom congee, chicken congee, fish congee, seafood congee, and corn congee.   Amelia also enjoys the breakfast buffet and especially loves the eggs cooked to order.  Anna loves the fruit -- this girl can chow some banana, watermelon, peaches, oranges, and lychee fruit. 

"Popo" is Lucy's leftover Taiwanese vocabulary for "carry" -- when she wants to be carried, she tells me, "Mommy popo."  This morning as I was fixing her hair, she told me, "Mommy, Lucy popo Jesus and Jesus popo Lucy."  This was startling to me because we had not been talking about God or Jesus or church.  But Lucy was insistent: "Mommy, Jesus popoed (past tense) Lucy."  I still don't really know what she was talking about, but my heart was certain that Lucy had an encounter with the Lord.

After breakfast, we headed out to Shamian Island.  In the old days of China adoptions, adoptive families always stayed on the island at hotels that catered to the needs of adoptive families.  The streets were lined with little shops ready to sell parents Chinese dresses, toys, and all manner of souvenirs.  In the past few years, however, the American Consulate moved off the island, as did the adoption medical clinic.  There is little reason these days for families to stay on the island, and as a result, most agencies put their families elsewhere.  This has caused business to dry up on the island.  A Western restaurant well-known to adoptive families, Lucy's, still remains, as do a handful of souvenir shops, a few restaurants, a couple of large hotels, a 7-11, and a Starbucks.  It was a very different place this time and a good reminder that time marches on.

Actually, "time marches on" phrase might be a good theme for this trip.  I was sad in Chengdu to see very little of the old, quaint China.  There were hardly any street food carts, no pedicabs (rickshaws), few teeny shops.  Now there are big shopping malls with stores like Cartier and Gucci, and fast food establishments like KFC and Starbucks abound.  I love Starbucks, but I hate to see one standing where I bought a corn-on-the-cob from a charcoal grill on the back of a bicycle just a few years ago.  Things cost more, too. 

A few years ago, a dollar was traded for about 8 RMB.  Now, it's about 6, and every day things like food and goods cost more.  You used to be able to feed your family of 4 a nice meal for $5-8 U.S. in a local Chinese restaurant, and for about $2 per person in an American chain.  This time around, it was still cheaper to eat out in China than in the U.S., but nowhere near as cheap as it used to be.  This time, I bought bottled water on the street for a little less than $1 U.S. Before, you could get 4 for $1 U.S.  Other goods were more expensive.  I priced a simple umbrella stroller (not brand name, not even sturdy) at the Wal-Mart, and it was around $50 U.S.  (I didn't buy it!).  When I was there in 2006, I bought a sturdy umbrella stroller, a pair of shoes, a coat, and a cart full of groceries for a little over $50 U.S.  I guess inflation is the name of the game everywhere!

Anna had a good day today.  She is giving and receiving hugs, looking for us with her eyes, and is doing much better at sitting on the bus or van, sitting at breakfast, and being in the hotel room.  This is not to say we don't still have a long way to go, but if we can see this much improvement in such a short amount of time, it makes us all hopeful for the strides Anna will make at home with more boundaries, consistency, medical care, language helps and preschool.  She's going to make it, and when she proves what she is capable of, I know we are all going to be amazed at Miss Anna Joy XiaoChun!

Our day ended with the arrival of Anna's U.S. visa  - hooray! - and a van trip from Guangzhou to Hong Kong that was fairly miserable because of stop-and-go traffic, closed exits, and a driver who insisted there was no place to stop to use the restroom.  That, plus a 4 year old and a 2 year old who had to ride on laps (yes, battle over which laps) and who had not had naps made the trips loads of fun for the adults.  It was only 4.5 hours of our lives.  We arrived in Hong Kong very late and very hungry, which was unfortunate since the only place to eat was the hotel restaurant, which was very expensive.  At this point, we just ponied up the funds, ate a lackluster, ridiculously pricey meal, and called our time in China done.  Homeward bound!!!