Sunday in China

It's Sunday morning. We again both woke up around 2:00 a.m., I forced myself to go back to sleep until 5:00 a.m. We have to have our luggage picked up by 7:00 a.m. and leave for the airport at 8:30. Later we arrive to Guangzhou and meet our next guide, "Jack". I have to go down and settle my room account, some of the other parents are finding high bills awaiting themm for having laundry cleaned, etc. Most of them I would say have the attitude "we have come this far,just give me the bill" and pay it.

Yesterday we went to Tianamen Square and then into the Forbidden City through the south gate and exitted the north gate. This is not a small walk. The city is huge.. Again the city is built with idea's in mind that do not center around a God but apparrently superstitions or fears. The roof's have on each corner statues of different animals and the number of animals on the corners tells you the significance of the building. Each building has a large threshold approximately 12" high that you must step over but can't step on. This is to keep the spirits or ghosts out because they believe them to only be able to walk and their arms are stuck straight out so they can't pull themselves up over the threshold and the knees can't bend so they can't jump. It really shattered my belief in Casper, he was such a hero to me. Anyway, at the far end of the city is a hill made entirely out of waste materials left over from building and there is a temple on it. The dynasty's have risen and fallen with different stories behind each. One leader in order to receive the position had killed seven of his brothers once his father passed on. One was appointed at the age of 4 by the grandmother of the deceased since there was no actual birth right. It was jut a little chilly during the day. Some people are still facinated with Americans. One of the families traveling with us brought their young blonde hair son. Chinese families are asking to have pictures of their kids taken with him. We took a renshaw ride through a small village within Beihging and visited one of the homes. An extended family will live here sharing a kitchen and other rooms with an outside open court in the middle. There is no restroom here. They share one with other families somewhere outside their homes. It was totally another day similar to Kenya where you see just how rich of a country we live in and all of the things we take for granted and get upset with when we don't have them. Yesterday afternoon we went out for a late lunch with a couple from California...Eric, Alyssa, and her dad David. Eric is an F-18 pilot with the U.S. Navy stationed in Japan,he met up with his wife and father-in-law in Tokyo and once he gets their son they will split up on her way back to California. They are adopting a special needs boy because she had so much difficulty in her pregnancy. Her father shared an amazing story of how last February he and his wife went to Uganda for a month and worked with kids, he knows why he is here with his daughter and son-in-law, but jokingly wonders where God will lead him next year. It was diffinetly nice talking to an F-18 pilot and getting his side of the flight deck experience and I could share my side. It was a good lunch overall. Very inexpensive, $20 for all five of us total. That evening we went to an acrobatic show. I believe they remove the spines of some of the ladies, there is no way a human body can bend like that. The balance and strength was just amazing, one lady held up two others plus herself by her teeth on the end of a pole. The pride they take in perfection was evident. One act was with a man on a section of straight ladder with two women standing on top of his shoulders.He would climb the ladder keeping it balanced and they would all jump in unison so he could raise the ladder up and walk up different levels in a platform. The first two times they fell on the jump. The third time I was suprised he could even climb the ladder again but they did and they performed the jump three times up different levels. Too cool.

Well, it is definitely getting closer to "gotcha day". We'll soon know exactly what she looks like and begin to learn all about her. Our guide told us the reason Chinese people stare at adoptive families and their child is not in judgement or resentment but because they consider that child a "lucky child". Luck is huge to them. We just consider it a blessing.

Thanks for following our blog. We can't view the post's yet, hopefully we will when we check into our next motel.

Ken