July 9, 2014

GUANGZHOU

Today we departed Shanwei for two nights in Guangzhou.  All US citizens that adopt from China are required to exit China via the US Consulate in Guangzhou when completing the adoption process.  Our memories of this place are fond and we wanted to share them with the girls.  We are staying on Shamian Island.  It’s an oasis on the Pearl River is the heart of Guangzhou.  It’s full of neoclassical architecture and tree lined boulevards.   Many adoptive families stay here as it’s very close to the US consulate.

The last time we were here, Xixi was three and Jing was brand new to the family.  Xixi has great memories of Hello Kitty ice cream and I remember the cold draft beer and Malaysian fried rice at an “American” restaurant, Lucy’s.  So our first mission after arriving in the early afternoon was to relive both memories.  Much to our disappointment neither lived up to our expectations…or at least how we had romanticized them.   We couldn’t find the Hello Kitty ice cream and the lunch at Lucy’s was pretty bad…but at least the Tiger Beer was cold.

We plan to take it easy the day or so we are in Guangzhou.  After lunch today, Xixi and Dawn took off to do some shopping and Jing and I headed to the public square in the middle of the Island to play catch.  At the square there were others there kicking around soccer balls and playing badminton.  Jing and I brought our baseball gloves to China, knowing that many of our hotels are located near public areas and that we’d often have down-time in the evenings.  It felt good to throw the ball around.  What I didn’t anticipate fully is the crowd it would draw.  I’m not sure many of the locals had seen American baseball and it was really fun to share it with them.  

Jing and I returned to the hotel long before Dawn and Xixi were finished shopping.  Turns out Xixi was befriending the local shop keepers and just enjoying being out in the city.  She was shopping for gifts for family and friends and learning how to barter from her expert mom.  She spoke for a long time with a local artist (who spoke English) about painting techniques and learning about his style of painting.  She had a difficult time trying to get him to understand and translate the word “acrylic.” 

We had another great dinner tonight.  We had delicious vegetables, dumplings and a spicy chicken dish.  The restaurant’s specialty was BBQ baby pigeons…we didn’t order it and I soon regretted not doing so.  We were all a little reluctant to try pigeon, but the numerous plates being ordered around us made us regret our decision.  It looked amazing. 

The girls are really enjoying their time in China and seem to be absorbing every moment of it.  They don’t shy away from the unknown and are ready for every experience with us.  Xixi told me tonight that Shamian Island is nice, but she misses the chaotic traffic, horn honks and four people riding on one scooter like in Shanwei.  Tomorrow it’s off to see a few sights in Guangzhou and then to pack for our flight to Enshi, Hubei, Xixi’s hometown.