Some Stories from China

Hey Everyone,

I've been meaning to tell a few stories from China, but it's been really difficult to get time on a computer. I thought about going down to the business center here in the hotel and renting some time!

Leaving Beijing, we rented a van to carry all 5 of us and our 27 bags and carryons (just kidding, we only had 12 or 13!) to the airport. I knew that we couldn't afford to get separated like we did coming into Beijing. If we missed our flight, I wasn't sure what the implications would be. So we rented the van. It cost us 450 RMB (about $50) but knowing we would all make it to the airport together was well worth it. Our driver was a very funny man named Charlie (Everyone here seems to have an English name to go along with their Chinese name). Anyway, Charlie began telling us some stories about his family. He began very serious telling us how Chinese families are only allowed one child and he told us that he was proud we were here to adopt, then told us of his family pets. They have a cricket (Chinese keep crickets as pets) and a bird. After he told us about those, he said he had a tiger also! He was very serious and told us what it required to be fed each day and how it ruled the house - inside and out! After carrying us on for awhile, he busted out laughing and told us that the tiger was his wife and asked me if my wife was a tiger also! He laughed at us the whole rest of the way to the airport for buying into his tiger story. Very funny.

Our guide here in Nanchang is also very funny. She laughs at us quite often because of the misunderstandings we have and because of our customs. She once ordered us McDonalds cheeseburgers without the burgers because of a misunderstanding between me and her. She thought I was crazy to go to McDonalds and order cheeseburgers with nothing but cheese and bread and ketchup! When we hide our faces in the taxi or van rides, she is very amused. However, she is very well versed in the local history and has plenty of stories to tell. She told us that the Teng Wang Pavillion is the oldest pavillion in China and was built to help southern China prosper. There are a set of lions, one male and one female, outside the pavillion. The meaning of these is to bring wealth.

Today we went to a park in downtown Nanchang and there were many people there. It was almost like an old Opryland or 6-flags type park, but with much scaled down rides and events. Mostly, people just came to get out of the hot sun and to spend time together. There are many willow trees and some other types which I've never seen that provide much shade. There's boat rides along the river and many families around. We were constantly surrounded by curious people and they are not afraid to come right up to you - I mean nose to nose - to check you out. Poor Austin gets to experience this most because not many American kids have visited here. They have seen a few American adults as adoptive parents, but not many kids.

Look How Tall I Am!!

Inside the Park, an Orchestra Played the Peking Orchestra

Today, a young girl approached us and wanted to practice her English. She was 13 years old. Her parents were very proud of her. Her English was very good - much better than my Chinese. When I joked with her about this, everyone had a huge laugh.


Anna's English Was Very Good!












Lily Grace got to take her first ride in a stroller this day in the park. At first, she fought it, but after a few minutes, she figured out what a great deal it is to just sit back and let someone else do the work while you take in the sites. Austin manned the wheel and was very proud.


I Can Only Imagine!




More later,
Love,
Jerry, Connie, Austin, and Lily Grace